Tutorials/Combat

A mob is any creature in the game, whether Hostile, Passive, Allied or Neutral. Mobs come in various shapes and sizes, and all have different health, damage, strength and weaknesses. Each mob will require a different tactic to defeat.

Hostile mobs and bosses
As of 12w38a, there are 14 hostile mobs and 2 bosses (the Ender Dragon and the Wither) in the game. This list is sorted by chance of encounter.

If caught in a difficult place without a weapon, the player can run away if he or she is outdoors or tunnel downwards and wait for the mob to despawn before surfacing. A failsafe is to set the difficulty to peaceful, which removes all hostile mobs, save the Ender Dragon.

Zombie
Zombies are often considered the easiest mobs to kill, as they use only weak melee attacks and burn in sunlight unless they are wearing helmets/pumpkins on their heads or are in water. However, they have an extended reach and a small amount of natural armor (8% damage negation), and it is easy to land a hit on them in melee combat without taking damage. Also, they often spawn in large numbers and when they do so, they can quickly overcome you. Zombies aren't that fast, merely a nuisance, especially when mining underground. When surrounded by multiple mobs, cut down the zombies first to escape. The player can also use a bow to shoot the zombies, but as mentioned, they spawn in large numbers, so it will be difficult to kill all of them. If possible, lure them out into sunlight so that they burn. They drop rotten flesh, which is only useful if you (or a wolf) are low on food or far from a permanent food source. It should also be noted that as of the 12w06a snapshot, zombies can break down wooden doors in hard difficulty and hardcore mode, so take caution when trying to defend yourself by placing blocks. If you play on Hard/Hardcore mode, protect your house with an iron door. They also attack villagers and can be seen trying to open doors. They can spawn with armor, pumpkins on their heads, and iron tools such as axes, swords, and shovels. Zombies are also extremely weak when trapped. A way to lure them is use the villager trap.

Skeleton
Skeletons can be quite difficult to slay in melee combat, as they fire arrows as you approach, although if you get close enough it is possible to hit them, block, and repeat until you kill them. Another way is that you can circle them and while doing so approach and hit them and keep on circling and hitting it until it dies. They burn in sunlight like zombies unless they are wearing any type of armour or pumpkins on their heads. When attacking them in melee combat, strafe while approaching, and spiral around them. Never use sprint hits on skeletons unless they are near a hazard, as knocking them back will give them a free shot at you before you can approach. Skeletons can hide behind corners in caverns and ambush you, so ensure to light the entire tunnel before exploring further when underground. When hit by an arrow while against a wall, it will appear as though the arrow is sticking out of your chest. However, this will not cause any extra damage. One can make short work of a skeleton by shooting it while outside its search range. On equal ground with a skeleton, charge your bow shortly after dodging a skeleton's arrow to prevent being shot while under the slowing effects of a charging bow. If you are low on health and ammo, wait until day so that they burn up. However, if inside a cave, wait for your health to regenerate completely and try again. In Nether Fortresses, they spawn 20% of the time in place of a Wither Skeleton. They can wear armor and pumpkins like zombies, but cannot pick up items or blocks. When fighting skeletons and you run behind a wall, don't try to rush out and attack them (unless you don't mind taking some damage). What you should do is wait behind the corner with your sword on block and when the skeleton hits you, retaliate before it can launch another attack. Skeletons are very accurate and running out will almost always result in a hit. So does trying to wait around the corner and attacking the edge of the skeleton. By blocking with a sword you reduce damage taken.

Creeper
Not only one of the most notorious and infamous mobs in the game, but also one of the most deadly.

Explosion Mechanics

If there is 1 block or less between you and the creeper and it knows you're there, it will start its 1.5 second countdown before it explodes. Hitting it and moving back or sprint-hitting it will move it far enough away that it stops its countdown, and starts its cooldown. The length of the cooldown is equivalent to how long it was counting down. So, if it had been counting down for 0.75 seconds when it moved out of range, then the cooldown will last 0.75 seconds as well. If there are 2 blocks between you and the creeper, you're safe unless it has already started his countdown. Creepers will also run away if close to a cat or ocelot, preventing an explosion.

Below is an image showing the likelihood of a creeper exploding. The white square in the center with an 'X' is the creepers location. This grid uses the block system for distance and it is used by 'placing' your player on the relative colored square. Please note that you may think that you are two blocks away in the game, but actually you may be closer, depending on your graphics or perspective (e.g. looking up vs. looking straight ahead).

Combat Methods

The safest way to engage a creeper is from a distance by shooting three fully charged arrows at it with a bow so it cannot explode near the player. Also, the player can finish off the Creeper with a sword after shooting the Creeper once or twice to save arrows (unless you have the infinity enchantment on your bow).

Swimming Creepers can be easily dealt with using melee attacks while the player is underwater. Players can also take advantage of the Creeper's countdown system by hitting it, retreating a few squares away, and repeating this until it dies. Alternatively, the player can find sufficiently high ground to strike a Creeper from above with a melee weapon without the detonation sequence being activated. However, the player should keep in mind that Creepers move forwards and to the right (your left) when in pursuit.

A Creeper can be hit and knocked out of reach with the sprint hit ability (also with an Knockback enchantment to the player's sword). This allows a player to slowly work down a Creeper's health while remaining out of the explosion radius. Jumping and hitting a Creeper while falling during a sprint will kill the Creeper quickly while still keeping it out of reach.

If a Creeper is below the player, the player can suffocate it (and many other mobs) by placing a block of sand or gravel above the Creeper as long as the block they are placing is on a wall or a block in front of the player and above the target mob. It will usually take one to two blocks to cover the Creeper and when it is covered, it will slowly suffocate to death. This is a slow way of eliminating a Creeper but it will keep the player out of harm's way and preserve the durability of their weapon.

It is possible to kill a Creeper with the use of fire. You can either use flint and steel to set fire to the ground and then lead a creeper through it. This will cause it to catch on fire and thus deal damage. You can also lead it through flowing lava, which has the same effect. Avoid deep lava, because then the dropped gunpowder will be destroyed. Flame enchantments can also set creepers afire. Note that fire and lava don't count as "player attacks", which means that if a mob dies of fire, it won't drop experience orbs unless you've also attacked it directly (sword/tool or bow) within the previous 3 seconds.

Another method to kill a Creeper is by using the pillar method. This method is not the most effective, but chances of explosions are minimal. By making a 3-4 block pillar of dirt/sand by pillar-jumping, and waiting until the creeper comes next to your pillar, you can attack it without exploding.

They may be hit by lightning during a storm, making it a charged Creeper. These are one of the most dangerous mobs in the game as its explosion is stronger than TNT. However, the lightning also damages the Creeper, making it a faster kill. One fact you should know about the lightning Creeper is that they approach straight on, instead of from the right (your left.)

But remember, keep your distance when fighting hostile mobs, especially Creepers.

(Note: Attacking a Creeper with a sword enchanted with fire aspect(not flame) can result in the Creeper exploding upon death, so not always a good solution.)

Spider
Spiders can be a nuisance if handled incorrectly. They are one of the three monsters that are 1 block high, and as such they will be able to sneak into your house if a hole is sufficiently large for them. However, spiders are also 2 blocks wide, so a 1x1 hole will not let them pass. Spiders have a special feature in which they can climb blocks. If you hear spider noises but can't see one, usually they are on top of your house. In the daytime, spiders will become neutral - they will only attack you if you attack them. Spiders have a jump attack, and so it is best to swing a sword while walking backwards to avoid most damage. During the day, they can be killed by lava or flint and steel without becoming hostile to you. On Survival a Spider becomes neutral towards you if the light level around you and it is around 12 - 14.

Spiders drop 0 - 2 string, and have a chance to drop a spider eye as of 1.9 pre 3. With string, you can make bows, fishing rods, as well as wool, which can be used to craft beds.

Spider Jockey
These are rare, they have 1/100 chance to spawn in place of a regular spider and from a Spider Spawn Egg in Creative Mode. It is also highly fatal if confronted head-on, as the spider will attack you, while the skeleton shoots you with arrows, On Hard Mode, a Spider Jockey deals a total of 5 1/2 Hearts of Damage if attacked head on (also the Spider Jockey can still climb walls). If the spider climbs into an area that is only one block high, the skeleton will suffocate.

If the spider is killed the skeleton will revert to a normal skeleton and continue to attack normally and vise versa.

Wolves are a messy way to combat them because the wolf will attack the mob who last attacked it, so it may alternate from attacking the spider to attacking the skeleton, etc.

One can attack Spider Jockeys with a bow outside of the mobs' search range. Be sure you do not hit the spider until you have killed the skeleton.

Cave Spider
Cave Spiders only appear in Abandoned Mineshafts underground, but are a pain to deal with. Not only are they smaller than a regular Spider, meaning they can fit through 1x1 holes, they will poison you if bitten, which can be countered by drinking a bucket of milk. The Poison effect lasts for 6 seconds. Cave Spider spawners are also hard to take out, due to the location (surrounded in cobwebs). If you run across a Cave Spider spawner, make sure you have shears or a sword to cut the cobwebs quickly. You can also tunnel under the floor to reach them, then mine upwards and break the spawner. Both Types of spiders are not effected by the cobweb slowing effect, so be aware that they can not get stuck like other mobs and entities can.

Ender Dragon
Ender Dragons are the first official boss mob in Minecraft as of the Official Release. They spawn only once per world, and have extremely high health (100 hearts). They can only be found legitimately in The End. Always craft armor and bring an iron sword or better. Instead of bringing a helmet, bring a pumpkin instead, as there are lots of Endermen and the pumpkin will stop them from becoming hostile when looked at. A tactic to fight one is to stock up on ladders, as there are obsidian pillars with Ender Crystals on top. However, when the Ender Crystals are destroyed they blow up, and the diameter of the explosion is larger than the pillar, so you will fall off. It would be a better idea to mine lots and lots of Obsidian or End Stone, so that you can make your own pillars and shoot the Ender Crystals from a distance. That way, you won't fall off and die. Coming unprepared will most likely result in your death (if you die in the End you would spawn like normal in your Default spawn point.) When the Ender Dragon is killed, it plays a unique death animation and drops an Exit portal. When you jump in, you have completely finished the game. The portal also has a Dragon Egg on the top, which is useless, but it can be collected if you put a piston on one side of the egg and any block on the other. Then, activate the piston and The dragon egg drops. It's a great way to prove to your friends that you killed the Ender Dragon. If you go through the portal, the credits appear, and you spawn back in the Overworld earning the achievement "The End.".

Wither
Withers are boss mobs that can be summoned by making a "T" shape with Soul Sand and placing 3 Wither Skeleton heads on top. They have 150 hearts of health (50 more than the Ender Dragon) and shoot black explosives that give the Wither effect and do as much damage as a Ghast fireball, and blue ones that can destroy any block except bedrock, and end portal frames. So when spawning the Wither make sure you are in a combined space with lots of effective potions drunk to kill the Wither quicker. Upon summoning one, drink a potion of strength, a potion of regeneration, and a potion of swiftness, and maybe eat an enchanted Golden Apple or two. When the wither has gotten up to max HP in a few seconds the Wither will gain Health and cause a massive explosion. A good thing to do is to shoot it with arrows until down to 75 hearts of health and then kill it quickly with a sword to end the battle. The Wither drops 1 Nether Star used to make beacons!

Slime
Slimes are found only below altitude level 40 in certain chunks and in swamp biomes at night, but often occur in large numbers. They are the only way to get slimeballs for sticky pistons, and drop large amounts of experience, but they are often a major pest in mines. A solution is to dig the mine only one block wide so that only the harmless tiny Slimes can fit in it, but in natural caves and larger mines, they can become a nuisance as they will spawn in any light level. Since the larger Slimes are slightly over 1 block wide, you can trap them behind walls and hit them easily. They are also easily killed by attacking from above. When a Slime is killed, it will split into one to four smaller Slimes, and a single huge Slime can produce up to 16 small Slimes, which can easily overrun the player in large numbers, but is mainly just a nuisance. Attacking from above or backpedaling will prevent too many from attacking at once. Water is also effective at slowing them down and it is common on the surface, while lava will kill large numbers, so it is a good last resort. Note that a tiny slime can be killed with a one punch(saving sword durability).

Prior to pre-release 1.9 the only way for a large Slime to split into a smaller one was to have exactly the amount of damage needed to kill it, no more. Therefore, if you wanted to maximize your slimeball output, the best way to kill slimes was to punch them near their base. Since pre-release 1.9, Slimes will split even if they are hit with more than necessary damage.

Witch
Witches are hostile mobs with an appearance similar to villagers that spawn in swamp huts. They throw negative splash potions at you and will drink Fire Resistance and Instant Health potions to protect themselves, so killing them with lava or fire isn't a good thing to do. They have 13 hearts of health. If you find one, shoot it with a bow or attack it with a sword in the way that you would attack skeletons. However, don't use splash potions on them as they are almost completely immune to them. Fire attacks are also useless. Witches are found only spawned in swampland biomes in their wood huts which are counted as Generated Structures. The Witch itself tends to drop Spider Eye, Sugar, Glowstone Dust, Redstone Dust, Sticks and empty Glass Bottles, making them a great monster to farm.

Nether mobs
As of 1.4.2, only 5 mobs spawn naturally in the Nether other than Skeletons. This list is sorted by chance of encounter.

Currently, all Nether mobs are hostile, with the exception of the Zombie Pigman, which is neutral. All can be very dangerous without sufficient weapons, but all can be outrun fairly easily while sprinting, and all excepting the magma cube despawn on peaceful.

Zombie Pigman
Zombie Pigmen are neutral mobs. This means that they are not naturally hostile, but will retaliate if attacked, just like wolves. These mobs will attack in medium-large groups and unprepared players should be cautious of their strength in numbers.

To an unprepared or careless player, a charging group of Zombie Pigmen can mean a swift death, but the fight becomes easier after you can recognize how they behave and attack. Zombie Pigmen attack with a mob mentality. If you attack one of them they will all join in and attempt to kill you. As soon as one Pigman is attacked, all of the others within a 32 block radius become hostile and will charge the player if he is in sight range (16 blocks). Zombie Pigmen will notice attacks from behind walls and at different heights. Their hostile status lasts between 20-40 seconds since the last attack by the player, so taking cover and waiting can often be the safest decision. However, leaving the Nether (including by dying) will make the hostile status permanent. The hostility radius is centered around each Zombie Pigman that is attacked, not the player. This means that you can attack a far-away Zombie Pigman with a bow without nearby Pigmen becoming hostile (although this is not suggested). Note also any Pigmen between 17 and 32 blocks will continue to wander as normal unless you come within 16 blocks of them (or vice versa), upon which they will rush you (assuming they haven't calmed down by then). But, when you defend yourself, any Pigmen within a new 32-block radius will be angered.

They carry a golden sword, and so they do quite a bit more damage than a zombie. On hard difficulty they will do 13hp(6.5 hearts) of damage. Compared to the Zombies 6 hp(3 hearts) damage, there is a considerable difference. They do, however, share zombies' natural armor (8% damage negation). Zombie Pigmen always spawn with a golden sword. They sometimes spawn with armor as well, and their sword may be enchanted. If items are dropped near them, they will pick up the items. Armor and swords will be automatically equipped.

Ghast
Ghasts are often considered the most difficult mob to kill in the Nether because of their extreme attack range, explosive attack power, mobility and flight. They are also quite common; players in any exposed area will have to deal with them sooner or later and possibly from the moment they step out of a portal. Ghast fireballs have a profound effect on Nether architecture, making a compelling case to use only materials resistant to their explosions for outer walls and exterior fittings in places where their fire may be drawn. As a result of their large size and the extreme unpleasantness of an indoor Ghast spawn, the primary defense mechanism for buildings in the Nether becomes enclosure rather than lighting. A Ghast's firepower is highly inaccurate at most ranges if one is moving. Players are most vulnerable when they are building in the Nether, when they may well not be moving and possibly standing above a long fall. Ghasts can also break blocks from under the player, often dropping them into lava or causing death through falling damage.

The player can reflect fireballs by hitting them with anything before they impact, even bare hands. Because of their low speed, spamming mouse clicks is often enough to deflect any given attack. It is possible to kill Ghasts by reflecting their attacks back at them, but it can be difficult since they are agile and their hitbox is restricted to their tentacles. You can easily make a fireball reflect in the direction you want by shooting an arrow, fishing rod, or snowball at the fireball. The fishing rod, when released, slightly affects the fireball's trajectory. This relationship goes both ways and a Ghast's constant stream of fireballs may well interfere with the firing arc of your bow.

Most Ghast kills are made with a bow and arrows for obvious reasons but a Ghast can be killed with melee weapons if the player can get close enough before it draws away. Ghasts are highly vulnerable when caught on the ground since their attacks can be deflected and their health is quite low - 2 blows from a diamond sword will destroy one. It is possible to use a fishing rod to draw Ghasts near enough to hit them with a sword. A close Ghast is also much easier to hit with a bow, though reaction time against its fireballs is likewise lessened. When aiming your bow, be sure to lead your shots as Ghasts can quickly change trajectory and move quite quickly. Depending on the Ghast's range and relative altitude, it is usually necessary to also aim at a high trajectory to gain extra range. Where possible, having the advantage in altitude (such as shooting from the topmost layer of the Nether) is of enormous help. If ammunition is not a concern, it is advisable to shoot many arrows at differing trajectories in order to find the range to the Ghast. The Ghast's hitbox is mainly its tentacles, and aiming too high may cause a shot to go through the Ghast's body, dealing no damage. However, it is perfectly practical to shoot the hitbox through the ephemeral body from above using plunging fire.

Much like using neutral or enemy mobs as shields against arrows fired by skeletons in the regular world, it is feasible to use Zombie Pigmen as shields against Ghasts in the Nether. It is possible to injure or kill Zombie Pigmen in this fashion without ever making them hostile to the player.

An effective method of fighting Ghasts in the Nether is to make a shelter, preferably out of brick, cobblestone, obsidian, or other explosion-resistant materials. Make a 1x1 hole in the roof and add ladders leading up to it, in such a way that you can poke the upper half of your body through the roof. When a Ghast is near, climb the ladder, shoot an arrow at the Ghast and quickly descend again into your explosion-proof shelter. This should mean that you can kill Ghasts easily with minimal health loss. To improve this even further, add a small 3x3 roof 1 block above the hole in the main roof. Most of the Ghasts' fireballs will now hit this roof rather than you, meaning that you should be safe against most Ghast attacks.

Since the Beta 1.9 pre-release 3, Ghasts do full 10 hearts damage when a direct hit from a Fireball is taken. Inversely, this means that deflecting a Ghast's fireball against itself will kill it instantly.

Magma Cube
Magma Cubes drop magma cream, and they are common in the Nether and give the player large amounts of experience, so being able to fight them is a necessity for anyone who explores the Nether a lot, and is a good source of experience and useful potion ingredients. The smaller two kinds of cube are both easily killed with a stone sword or better even in large numbers, as they have low health and a slow attack rate, but big cubes can be deadly. Due to their jumping attack, they are very hard to hit and dodge, and while they have less health than the player at 8 hearts, they have natural armor that negates 48% of damage dealt to them, making their practical health much higher than the player's base. Preferably trap them on a ledge above you and use a hit and run tactic, but if you must fight them in the open, hit them immediately after their jump so you have time to escape the next one. However, you will likely take damage due to their glitched hitbox. Once the big cube is defeated, fighting its smaller counterparts should be much easier. It should be noted that a large Magma Cube is almost impossible to hit with a sword, as its hitbox is glitched in both SMP and in SSP. In this case, one should instead use a bow to fight large Magma Cubes until they are reduced down to a smaller size. However, the glitched hitbox has one known weak spot where you can hit them without them hitting you: the belly, which makes trapping them above you very effective. When fighting one in a flat area, a toreador-like technique is often a safe way to kill them while avoiding taking damage. Stand just out of reach of the Magma Cube, and start walking toward them just before they jump. As they jump over you, look up and hit them, but keep on moving. If done properly, the Magma Cube should be knocked over you and you should be safe. If they are knocked sideways or backwards when you hit them, move to avoid them respectively. A sword enchanted with Knockback will also help. Sprint-hitting a cube also gives increased knockback; however it is much more difficult to hit them when moving faster. This technique requires practice, but may be the most reliable way to kill them without a bow.

Blaze
Blazes are rare and spawn only from spawners in Nether Fortress, but they are essential to get Blaze Rods, which have many uses. They can occasionally spawn elsewhere in a Nether Fortress, so it is best be prepared, even if you do not plan to go near the spawner.

Blazes are one of the most difficult mobs to fight, due to their ranged, unblockable attacks and rapid rate of fire. Their ability to fly usually leaves the player's sword useless, while a player's bow's charging time and move speed leaves the player highly vulnerable to attack. On the other hand, Blazes have a much shorter attack range, which makes it more feasible to snipe them from afar. Blazes can only spawn in light level 11 or lower (at the lower half of their body). Much like Ghasts, the Blaze's ability to fly can make it difficult to recover their loot after killing them. However, a viable tactic of combat is to fight them at close range by reeling them in with a fishing rod first. The use of a potion of fire resistance is extremely helpful when fighting Blazes.

Blaze spawners occur in Nether Fortresses, and will start spawning Blazes once the player gets within 16 blocks. The spawners have a chance of spawning 1-4 Blazes at once. 'Camping' at a Blaze spawner is an effective way to gather Blaze Rods, as they will always appear close enough to attack with a sword, and there is a delay in their attack after they spawn because they have to charge first. This is best done in combination with the fire resistance potion in effect, which makes the player immune to the Blaze's attacks and can be brewed by adding Magma Cream to awkward potions. You can also build a doorway, 2 blocks tall and 1 block wide, where you can camp and kill the blazes as they come down. This strategy is extremely effective if you cover up the roof of the spawner room and camp in the doorway with a diamond sword.

A Blaze suffers damage from snowballs, and would be damaged by water if there was any in the Nether. Alas, Snow Golems do not survive in there.

Wither Skeleton
Wither Skeletons are the Nether equivalent of skeletons. They use stone swords and will give you the Wither effect if you are damaged by one. They spawn in Nether Fortresses. If you see one, shoot it with a bow or trap it in a 2 block high space. Wither skeletons are 2 and a half blocks high, but their hitbox is only 2 blocks high; however they will be unable to move. If you are too close and can't place a block in front of it fast enough, use an attack strategy similar to Zombie Pigmen. They will rarely drop Wither Skeleton Skulls used to make the Wither. They can spawn with armor and pumpkins, but they cannot pick up blocks or items.

Iron Golem
Iron Golems spawn in NPC villages containing 15 or more villagers. They do massive damage and have high health ( hitpoints), so it is advised to use a diamond sword to engage it. You can also use cactus to kill it, if you can get the Iron Golem to walk into the cactus either by provoking it or placing the cactus in its path. If you can figure out which area of the village spawns Iron Golems, an iron/rose farm can be created.

Enderman
Although they are technically neutral, you are sure to end up fighting an Enderman sooner or later, either by unintentionally looking at one or trying to get Ender Pearls.

Despite their somewhat unsettling appearance, Endermen are damaged by fire, lava, water, rain and attacks. An Enderman cannot see you when you have a pumpkin on your head (place in the spot where you would put a helmet). Alternatively, if you see it before it sees you, you can build a 2-block high ceiling, at least 3 by 3. Then look at it to anger it, and quickly retreat under your shelter as it (hopefully) teleports to you. Since endermen are three blocks tall, you can then attack it without fear of reprisal.

Emptying a bucket of water on the ground will damage the Enderman without it becoming hostile to you, though it will teleport away. All types of swords are effective against one, though wood, stone, and gold swords may not deal enough damage to kill the Enderman before it kills you. Cacti will also damage Endermen, so a wall of cacti also serves as a passive defense against Endermen.

As of the Beta 1.9 pre-release 4, if you use water to kill an Enderman in The End, it will simply just disappear. It is unconfirmed if this is a bug or intentional.

Hostile Endermen will teleport away when the player closes in on them to strike. When this happens in a small underground space, the Enderman may teleport into inaccessible caves or to the surface. They will not teleport back to the player unless he/she moves to an area that has enough space for the Enderman to teleport back. On the surface, an Enderman's tendency to teleport away when the player is close enough to attack can be used to keep an attacking Enderman at bay. The player can also change to 3rd person view by pressing F5 and Fn (Mac) to make sure he or she can't be attacked from behind because of the Enderman tendency of teleporting behind them.

When killed, regardless of the method of death, any blocks held by the Enderman disappear. They do not drop or get placed.

Endermen teleport to avoid being hit by arrows and splash potions and teleport to a new location when hit with one. They are no longer damaged by sunlight in this version, and when they touch water they immediately teleport away.

A less exciting but effective way of killing an Enderman is by staring below their torso, preferably attacking the 'feet' of its legs constantly with a sword or an axe. However, due to their tendency to teleport when the player closes in on them, you should either stand still while attacking their legs or move backwards keeping your distance (should multiple Endermen be in pursuit of you). This can also be done by simply punching them (providing this strategy is done correctly) without taking a single point of damage, but could be considered tedious to some.

You can wear a pumpkin as the head armor piece in order to stop Endermen from turning hostile when you look at them. If you hit an Enderman with any kind of sword while doing this, the Enderman will not teleport away from you, allowing you to kill it safely.

Pre Beta 1.9 pre-release Endermen were very easily killed with the use of a bow; however, from beta 1.9 pre-release 2 onwards, when an arrow or splash potion is shot/thrown at them they will instantly teleport away without taking any damage.

However, interestingly, if shot with a bow with a Flame enchantment the Enderman will immediately teleport as per usual but will get set on fire, receiving damage. This can be an effective way of hunting them.

The enderman is based off of the Slenderman creepypasta.

Wolf
Wolves are neutral mobs that will become hostile should you attack them directly. If you accidentally hit a wolf, they and any other wolves nearby will become hostile. They will remain hostile until you die. Try and escape them by tunneling away from them, sealing the entrance (and bring torches so you will be able to see) or combat them with a stone sword or higher while sprinting backwards.

Wolves can be tamed using bones. Once tamed, they will follow you around and attack mobs that you attack via melee or that hit you, except for Creepers. They can be commanded to "stay" or "follow". A wolf can regain health by being fed any meat including raw meat/fish or rotten flesh.

Wolves can also be bred by feeding them meat.

Ocelot
Ocelots are a type of tamable passive mob that spawns in jungle biomes. It is the only mob thus far that can sprint, making it one of the fastest mobs in the game, second only to the Wither. To tame one, hold raw fish and stand still or move slowly until it orients on you. Then slowly move the cursor to its head and right-click the ocelot until it changes color, becoming a cat. The main benefit cats offer is their ability to scare away Creepers. To simply fight an ocelot, be stealthy about your approach and simply attack. Like the wolf, it drops nothing as a reward, not even experience, so killing them is a waste of energy and sword or bow durability.

Ocelots can either be left near your house to keep Creepers away, or bring them with you to keep you safe. They are particularly useful when you lack a bow and arrows, or you are relying on wolves and golems, neither of which attack Creepers. As Creepers are very damaging on Hard mode, ocelots are very useful.

Snow Golem
Despite dealing no damage, the Snow Golem's use in combat is not to be underestimated. Defensively, they can either knock enemies away from your base, or lure them into a trap. They are very cheap to make, and offensively, they can distract mobs, making them much easier for you to kill, as after being hit by a snowball, they will ignore the player to attack the Golem. This allows you to make easy kills on most mobs. They also alert you if a mob approaches from behind, as well as slowing it. If you need to retreat, place a Snow Golem or two to occupy incoming mobs, buying you plenty of time to escape or let your health regenerate. Unfortunately, they no longer attack Creepers, so you may want to take a cat with you if possible.

Iron Golem
After Boss Mobs, the Iron Golem is the most powerful mob in the game (he has hitpoints), and can kill most mobs in one or two hits. However, it is also extremely expensive to build, requiring 36 iron ingots, and apart from creating it, the player has no control over it. It also takes longer to build than a Snow Golem, making it less useful as a last resort. In general, it's a better idea to use wolves instead, as they are much easier to acquire. However, an Iron Golem has the advantage that it can attack where you are far away or inattentive, making them useful in mob traps and base defending. It may also be useful when you are in the Nether and fighting a Blaze and Wither Skeleton.

Passive mobs
Most passive mobs are easy to kill, as they do not fight back. However, as they will run when they take damage from any source, this can often be a nuisance. Flint and steel or fire-enchanted weapons can also be used to make the animal drop the cooked version of its meat (although it will run away, it will probably die from the burning). The classic "farm animals" can be drawn toward you by holding wheat, seeds, or carrots for their respective mobs.

Avoid attacking a passive mob without a tool or weapon. This will not only lead to frustration, but also wastes daylight due to the time taken, although it could save the amount of uses on your tool. Two successive strikes from a diamond, stone or iron sword will finish them off easily. For a one hit kill, critical hit them with a stone sword or better so they won't run away. Note that baby animals generally don't drop anything, including experience.

Chickens
Chickens can be quite difficult to hit because of their small hitbox, but they have the least health ( HP). A single strike from any sword or from most non-wood tools will finish them off. They drop 1 raw chicken and 0-2 feathers.

Cows
Cows drop 1-3 raw beef and 0-2 leather, and have HP. Mooshrooms drop the same as cows, with the exception of when it is being sheared, it drops at most 5 red mushrooms. Either can also be milked. If you have a bowl, "milk" the mooshrooms to get some mushroom soup. Cows can be milked with a bucket to get a bucket of milk.

Pigs
Pigs only drop raw porkchops. They have HP. As of version 1.3, they will drop 1-3 pieces of meat, where before they dropped 0-2.

You can also ride pigs by right-clicking a saddle on them, which are found in dungeon chests. After the saddle is put on the pig it can be right-clicked to ride. Before the 1.4 update, saddled pigs could not be controlled, so they would go in any direction they wanted to. This could only be useful in multiplayer by having one person ride the pig and the other holding wheat (now carrots) but even this is not practical unless the rider is AFK. Now, you can use the Carrot on a Stick to move the pig wherever you want it to go by holding it while riding and boost it by right-clicking it, providing effective mounts.

Sheep
Sheep have HP (until 1.9 pre-release 3, they had 10 HP like cows and pigs). They drop one block of wool, but no meat, when killed (you can get much more wool by shearing them and the wool will regenerate as of version 1.1.).

Villager
Villagers are NPC mobs that spawn in villages. They have HP and are easy to kill, although they drop nothing when killed. Villagers will not run away when attacked, but Iron Golems will turn hostile to the player, and this will also mean that you won't have any villagers to trade with, so don't kill villagers. If you accidentally hit one, use a splash potion of healing/regeneration to heal him.

Bat
Bats are passive mobs that spawn in any 1x1x1 space with a light level of 10 or less. They have HP of health and drop nothing when killed. Bats have the second smallest hitbox (the first being baby chickens), so it is difficult for an un-skilled player to defeat them. As of 1.4.2 they will spawn anywhere in superflat.

Other Players
All other players have HP. If you are engaged in a duel, be sure to be prepared with armor and weapons as your opponent will make quick work of you if you are unprepared. It will be great if you could get some help. Engaging other players may possibly be the most challenging fights in Minecraft, depending on you and the other's skill. Observe battle tactics and use them to your advantage. Use splash potions and flint-and-steel if allowed. When the opponent attempts to spam you with sword hits, block at first, then backpedal and fire several arrows. Then sprint/critical hit them to finish them off. A failsafe is to drop an anvil on them from 24 blocks high, which will kill them.

Sword

 * Style: Offensive, direct
 * Range: Melee
 * Damage: Varies with material

The primary weapon which is the most versatile, effective and cheapest to use. A sword's damage varies on material and a rule of thumb is the rarer the material, the stronger the sword (with the exception of gold). A sword deals far more damage than by hand, and will greatly increase a player's chance of survival upon being faced with hostile mobs. Even the wooden sword, the lowest tier of sword, deals four times as much damage as the fist. (and each further increase in material increases the damage of the sword by half a heart) The sword is the only tool that has the ability to block, which reduces melee and ranged damage dealt by mobs by half. A sword, like many of the weapons mentioned here has a limited amount of uses, and disappears when its uses reach zero. Again, the higher tier the sword is, the more uses it has, and each tier approximately doubles the uses that a sword possesses, apart from the diamond, which has more than 5 times the number of uses as iron. Enchanting your sword can also greatly increase its power.

Tools

 * Style: Offensive, direct
 * Range: Melee
 * Damage: Varies with type and material

When a player is out performing tasks in the world, they may forget to bring a sword or set a sword onto the hotbar. Tools that have a shaft (more specifically, the Shovel, Pickaxe and Axe) can be used to deal mediocre damage when a sword cannot be drawn. The same rules apply to a tool that apply to the sword, except the tool cannot be used to block. Players should note that the wooden and golden shovels deal no more damage than the fist, and therefore the player should avoid using these in combat to prevent consuming their uses. The Axe deals half a heart more than a Pickaxe of the same material, and the Pickaxe deals half a heart more than the Shovel by the same criteria. Again, each tier of tool deals half a heart more than the previous tier (for example, a Diamond Axe deals the same damage as an Iron Sword, and a Diamond Pickaxe deals the same damage as a Stone Sword). When used as a weapon, tools will also incur double durability damage. As a result of this, it would behoove the player to only use tools as a last resort, i.e., if their sword breaks mid-battle.

Bow
Style: Offensive, direct Range: Ranged Damage: no charge: .5, med. charge: 3, high charge: 4.5 - 5

The bow is the longest, most easy to use, and widely employed ranged weapon in the game. However, it requires arrows as ammunition. As of 1.1, Bows can also be enchanted, which greatly enhances their usefulness. Enchantments include making all arrows fired from the bow be lit and cause fire damage on impact, similar to the sword's Fire Aspect enchant, and Infinite Arrows, for those who have trouble making enough ammunition, or have bad aim. There also is a Power enchantment that increases the damage done by your arrows,along with Punch,which behaves just like the Swords knockback enchantment.

Bucket
Style: Varies with contents Range: Varies with contents Damage: Varies with contents The bucket can be filled with either Water or Lava to become arguably one of the most powerful weapons in the game. It also does not have a use limit, and therefore can be used infinite times. A bucket is primarily used as a defensive weapon against approaching mobs, as the player must place the contents of it between the mob and themselves for it to be effective. A bucket can also be filled with milk which removes all potion effects.

Water bucket
Style: Defensive, hindering Range: 7 from source Damage: None (Except for Endermen and Blaze) A water bucket can be used to reduce approaching mob speed, leaving them highly vulnerable to arrow fire and sword damage. Combining this with height, a player can hold off hordes of mobs with little effort. A water bucket provides advantages over the lava bucket in the fact that it is safe to use, is easily removable, and also doubles as a fire extinguisher should the player be set alight. However, it cannot be used in the nether. Also, by using traps it is possible to drown an opponent. For drowning players it is best to encase the trap in obsidian. It also helps that blocks are harder to break underwater.

A water bucket also has the added benefit of being a guaranteed protection from Endermen, provided the player is standing in the water.

Lava bucket
Style: Contact, flame, lasting Range: 3 from source Damage: Contact (Except for all Nether mobs) A lava bucket can be used to cause immense amounts of damage to multiple mobs. It will provide light and will greatly slow mob movement, even more so than water. A player can dump it on the ground for quick use, however this will prove difficult for cleanup and the player may end up burning themselves or trapping their escape. A strategic player can quickly dig a 7x1 trench and fill the middle block with lava to hinder mob advances, inflicting enough damage on them to allow for an easy kill. However, this method is ineffective against spiders unless the trench was 7x2. However due to current Mob AI updates, the formentioned method is no longer applicable as most enemy mobs will nagivate around the trench. It is suggest swords and bows are used in accordance to knock the hostile Mobs into the trenchs. Lava buckets are almost completely ineffective against all Nether mobs - their only use is to slow down land based mobs such as the Zombie Pigman or the Magma Cube in the same way that a Water Bucket is used. Also, the player should note that lava destroys any drops that the mobs would otherwise give, so lava should only be used for an outright kill.

Furthermore, with the bow enchantment update which gives flaming arrows the ability to do burn damage, the lava bucket can be used to place a block of lava and fire arrows through it. The best method is to create a two block high stack of cheap blocks (wool or wood is reconmended), which you place the block of lava upon at the top, thereafter you remove the two blocks under the lava source block creating a lava wall/pile of sorts. You can now shoot arrows through the wall against enemies which will set them alight. This method is slow, and suited for long range combat, but is useful for players who do not have acess to a enchantment table. This method is also able to ignite enemy TNT at a distance in the upcomming version 1.4 when not equiped with a flame bow.

Pros

 * Infinite uses, no durability.
 * Large area of effect, depending on terrain.
 * Slows down the mobs.
 * Also acts as lighting.
 * Can be used as a trap.
 * Fast, almost certain kill.
 * Can help players keep a distance from hostile mobs.
 * It won't make Endermen hostile (unless you look directly at them).
 * Use in accordance with a bow or power bow for devestating long range attack.

Cons

 * Just as dangerous to the player, usually deadly if water is not near. To avoid this downside drink a potion of fire resistance.
 * Takes long time to flow.
 * Usually destroys the loot.
 * Can take a long time to disappear, potentially blocking your escape route.
 * Does not yield Experience.
 * Since Nether Mobs are fire-resistant, lava will not harm them.

TNT
As an explosive, TNT is an incredibly powerful weapon, doing damage to many enemies at once and making the area difficult to navigate for future mobs. Because TNT can be activated with Redstone, either directly or through a Dispensed Fire Charge, it is most effective as a trap, allowing you to dispatch an enemy indirectly. But because TNT does just as much damage to you, it is ineffective as a weapon in direct combat unless you can get away from the primed TNT faster than your foes can. In addition, TNT is expensive to make and nonrenewable, so using an alternative explosive method in this situation, such as a primed or lit Creeper or a Bed while in The Nether, is preferred.

Flint & steel (Held Fire charge)
Style: Contact, Lasting Range: Damage on contact Damage: 1/2 heart per second, while lit Flint and steel is a unique weapon, as you can set a block of fire, and while it burns, any contact with it sets a mob on fire, doing damage over time. This can be very useful when being chased by multiple mobs, as it will weaken all or most of them down to the point where a sword hit or two will be enough to kill them. However, there are several downsides to this method. First of all, mobs may elude the fire by pure luck, requiring another light. Second of all, if you are in a confined space, circling to avoid mobs, you could light yourself on fire accidentally. Lastly, it can take a long time for the mob to die, enough time for more mobs to join the party! A fast player could make a short 1-block netherrack wall and light the top. Mobs would have to jump and they would take damage instantly/over time. Particularly effective with a sword with the knockback enchantment.

Sand or Gravel
Style: Ambush, Lasting Range: Unlimited Damage: From suffocating Sand or Gravel aren't weapons in true sense, but they can be used to kill mobs. Best use is in caves - when you're on a high place and you have a mob directly below, you can place that block on a wall near where you're standing; the block will fall, and with right aim, it will fall on the mob, and thus suffocate it. However, killing with this weapon doesn't yield any experience, but that block will make the mob stuck, and you can finish him with the sword.

Cactus
Style: Offensive, Trap

Range: 1 block

Damage: Contact (0.5 heart)

Cacti can be used to make effective trap against mobs. When in contact with the block, any mob (including the player) will lose mid heart (0,5) life. Those are effective against Creeper, however due to the new 1.2 update they might avoid it. But if you want make a trap, you can place three cacti plants, two blocks high, in a V format. You might want to lure them nearby (around 10 blocks far from the trap) and hide in the opposite side, where they will try pursue you but will not be able to reach.

Snowballs
Style: Assistive, Hindering

Range: Ranged, up to approx 50 blocks depending on aim.

Damage: 0 (Except for blazes and the enderdragon)

Snowballs may seem a useless weapon at first, as they deal no damage against mobs other than the blaze and the enderdragon. They have their use however because of their two important traits. Firstly, they push a mob backwards just as any hit does even despite the lack of damage. Secondly, unlike arrows snowballs can be fired as quickly as the player can right-click. This allows them to be used to keep even large amounts of approaching mobs at bay with relative ease, or to quickly interrupt a mob's attack when necessary. This speed combined with the fact that snow is abundant in certain biomes, renewable and easily gathered make it a cheaply obtained and useful long or short-range option, even after a bow has been located. Armor also takes damage from Snowballs, making it much easier to disarm a Juggernaut.

Dispensers
Main article: Dispenser

Style: Offensive/Defensive/Trap

Range: 10 - 30 blocks

Damage: Varied

They fire automatically when triggered by redstone. You need to put what you want them to shoot, such as arrows, Snowball and eggs or splash potions.

Arrows: You can use those to damage mobs or use them as trap. Simply right-click the dispenser, and deposit your arrows inside the nine grid squares. The quantity of arrows inside is the number of times it'll shoot them. You can put up to nine stacks of arrows, making a powerful dispenser. Arrow dispensers will damage the target with arrow damage.

Snowballs/Eggs: Can be used to knockback mobs, for defense or offense (where the mobs will be knocked towards is a hole). Snowballs will do nothing but throw them back (but will damage Blazes), but Eggs may spawn Chicks. If you're in a tundra biome, those surely will be the easier to make, as you can take snowballs.

Fire charge: The Fire charge is a dangerous weapon that can light mobs from a distance. Try to use the Fire charge in deserts more often than forests, taigas, and jungles, unless it is raining. Usage in forests, taigas and jungles can create forest fires, which can kill large amounts of mobs but can short out your wood supply.

Splash Potion: (If you want know the different types of potions, look at Potions) You can damage, heal, poison your target. Those can be effective when using instant damage, where can deal a good amount of damage, however due to difficulty to make potions it's likely this will not be worth (if you can use the Arrow Dispenser). Make sure you know your potions! Using a potion of instant damage or poison on Undead (Zombie, Zombie pigman) will heal them, so use splash potions of instant healing or regeneration on them.

Dispense Water: Dispensing water on your target or near your target is not very efficient: it is much simpler to get close and place the water yourself. Dispense water only when your target is far away from where you are standing, yet you want to slow them down.

Dispense Lava: Dispensing lava to attack your foes is slightly more efficient than placing it. Thinking strategically, you can dispense the lava whilst far away from it, meaning that you are much safer from the threat it possesses. The Dispenser can also vacuum up the lava, meaning that you do not need to take the Lava by hand, and in the process, making Lava Dispensers much safer than placing lava by hand.

Splash potion
Style: Offensive, Hindering, Lasting(Varies)

Range: Varied

Damage: Varied

Splash potions can be a lot of help to hinder your foe or dealing damage, but use them sparingly! Remember that there is a big difference between throwing a splash potion of damage at one mob than at a group of mobs. Another good strategy is to know your potions. Splash potions of Healing or Regeneration can let you get closer to Zombies or Zombie Pigmen and receive the Healing/Regeneration boost while damaging your target. Splash potions that have increased time make for hit and run tactics, a good strategy if you are low on health. If you are being chased by a group of hostile mobs and you have a splash potion of Instant damage, remember that you still take damage from splash potions. Use the knockback from the potion to take shortcuts or get over walls two blocks high.

Fishing rod
Style: Assistive

Damage: none

Fishing rods are not a weapon, but useful nonetheless. Their ability to grab and draw in mobs is useful to keep passive mobs from running away when hit, or to draw hostile mobs into traps or hazards. To maximize effectiveness for combat, keep a sword in the item slot next to the fishing rod, so that drawing in an enemy, then striking them with a sword becomes faster.

Anvil
Anvils deal as much damage when falling on an entity as that entity would take with no armor or potion effects falling from the same height. This means to kill a player, Zombie, Spider, Skeleton, Creeper, Zombie Pigman, or another player, it has to fall 24 blocks. This will damage the anvil.

Idiot
Required: Sword, armour, low IQ, willingness to be stupid

Basically just charge in and hack and slash at everything in sight. Pros: Large amount of drops, fun (But stupid) Cons: Predictable, lower than average survivability, and only do this if your IQ is that of a box of rocks, or if you are so fast that mortal weapons cannot harm you.

Luke Fu (ABSOLUTELY NOTHING TO DO WITH STAR WARS!!!)
Required: sword, bow(or other convenient ranged weapon), TNT, and a flint&steel

Step1: from a range of 50-25 blocks open up with your bow Step2: At 25 blocks use the F&S to make a "firewall" step3: now set down the TNT, light it and kite your foe into the blast radius(being careful not to blow yourself up!) step 4:By now they should be dead! if that isn't the case remamber the words of Luke Nothing-At-All-To-Do-With-Star-Wars: "A good sword, some clever ingenuity, and remembering to block can get you through most situations."

Pros: effective use of all weapons Cons: Feel free to add any cons you can find!

The Sato technique

 * Place wooden planks all around an area, then mine two blocks down and place 1 TNT, place back the wood and place a wooden pressure plate above it.
 * Shoot them once with a bow in the open to get their attention
 * Then run forward and hit them with a sword 2-3 times.
 * Then run back and lure them to the trap you have set.
 * If they don't die finish it with your bow

Battle archery

 * The player uses a Bow often, sometimes even in close combat, since a fully charged arrow is stronger than an unenchanted diamond sword. Note that a sword can hit much faster, however, and deals more damage per second.
 * It is good to bring a sword anyways, especially if the foe is carrying an iron sword or better, as they deal significantly more damage over time.
 * Punch and Knockback enchantments are especially useful, as the Knockback from such weapons increases the players chances of escape. This can backfire in PvP, allowing the player being knocked back to escape after being hit only once.

Hunger Circle

 * You will need a lot of food for this technique. You will want to eat before attacking each enemy.
 * Try to get as close to the enemy as you can without them noticing you, then once close enough, sprint toward them, but slightly to one side.
 * If they flee, sprint-jump (sprinting while holding down the space bar) to stay as close to them as you can continuously hitting them. If they pull ahead of you enough to be out of reach of your sword, continue on. Remember, you just ate, so your hunger will last longer than theirs.
 * If they stay and fight, circle around them, hitting them continuously. Once they have lost 1.5 hunger points, they will no longer be able to regenerate health, and you will most likely win.

Sniping

 * Hides in a high or concealed spot and strikes foes with a bow from considerable distances.
 * Not as effective in Multiplayer as it is in Singleplayer - critical arrows leave behind a trail, and make the sniper easier to track, while shots that are uncharged can not deal as much damage and will not hit far targets.
 * Works wonders against Creepers, Zombies, Silverfish, or any mob that can only deal damage at close range.
 * Recommended for experts with the bow, and if the battlefield has good hiding spots or high up places.
 * Very vulnerable to surprise attacks - the sniper is often focusing more on far targets rather than close ones. To mitigate this, make sure your sniper's nest is secure from all sides, including below.
 * It can be easy to counter-snipe you. Use multiple sniping windows and crouch while not aiming.

Circle strafing

 * Circle strafe around your target to avoid damage.
 * Can only be done if you are using a Bow - Using a sword means you will be within attacking range of the foes blade, and making this technique less useful.
 * Because the only handheld ranged weapons are bows, circle strafing lets you dodge the arrows if the target is aiming directly at you when firing.

Knockback striking

 * Put Knockback enchantments on all your weapons.(unless you have a weaker enemy that could use the knockback enchantment to their advantage and get away with the extra distance)
 * If your foe does not have any ability to strike you at range (Foes that can strike you at range are Creepers, Skeletons, Ghasts, Blazes, and other players with the bow) then knocking them back a considerable distance should greatly reduce damage taken by that foe.
 * It is advisable to sprint while hitting a mob as this will knock it back even more.

Enderpearl striking

 * Take a bow and at least a stack of enderpearls (it's also a good idea to have feather falling boots, as you will be using a lot of enderpearls).
 * Hit an enemy to gain their attention.
 * As they charge at you, use an enderpearl to teleport away from them (preferably to a high place where they can't reach you).
 * From there you can simply shoot them with your bow until they give up and run away or try to get to you. If they run away you can use your enderpearls to teleport to them and harass them until they die, or if they try to get you you can just teleport away and keep shooting them.
 * If your opponent gets to you and is about to kill you, simply teleport away and run, he/she most likely won't be able to catch up to you.

Clear the way

 * This fighting technique is efficient with Six or more people.
 * You need the following-a full set of Diamond Armor with Protection enchanted on all the pieces, multiple bows and an Enchanted Bow (Preferably with Punch or Power), an Enchanted Sword (preferably with Knockback and Sharpness), Splash potions of Fire resistance Extended, Strength II, Regeneration II and lots of Splash potions of Harming II and Weakness II.
 * First, Team one ambushes the large group of enemies, using the Splash Potions of Harming to clear a path, and the Splash potions of Weakness II to reduce damage taken. Next, Team two charges into the path made by Team one, One player with the Diamond armor, Enchanted Sword and Bow, While another throwing Potions of Fire resistance Extended, Strength II, and Regeneration II at the player with the Diamond armor. Meanwhile, Team three fires arrows and Splash potions into the fray, weakening the already weak group of enemies even further.
 * This technique is relatively costly, but can cut through large groups of enemies considerably.

"Flaming" sword

 * Bring a Flint and Steel and a sword (preferably iron or diamond) and a full set of armor.
 * Approach the mob and set fire to the area around it, causing him to burn. To speed up the process, attack with your sword. If melee is not your style, then use a bow (advantage being that not as many arrows are needed). This is very effective while being attacked by large groups.
 * If the mob is near the fire, then while it is burning, put the fire out, therefore not burning the loot.

The Invisible Man
This method is rather self-explanatory. You use potion to go invisible, and slaughter any nearby mobs while your stealth lasts. Only draw the weapon immediately before attacking then put it away at once so that your stealth isn't compromised.
 * Required to use: potion of invisibility, no armor, VERY GOOD SWORD, bow(optional).
 * Pros: you probably won't take a single hit if you do it right, easy getaway.
 * Cons: expensive, no armor, when potion effects wear off you are left entirely visible and vulnerable.

The Villager Way
Use villagers to kill zombies! Isn't that fun? You still get experience and tons of items from villagers. All you need to do is lure a zombie villager to a place, cure him (use a splash potion of weakness, feed him a golden apple, then wait), and then trap him in a glass dome. Make sure the roof has a trapdoor so you can trade with him. Surround the area with lava, zombies try to threaten villagers and turn them into villager zombies but that won't happen, he'll die. A way to collect his loot is make the top some block and make lava flowing down, keep a trapdoor there that is opened so his head is stuck inside. When he runs to the villager he will die giving you his loot, punch him at least 5 times to get some experience (sometimes it does not work). A way to get experience and get his loot is to get several villager cages and build dispensers firing arrows activated pressure plates. Once he gets shot by 10 arrows use the fishing rod to make him go up to your floating platform (a house is ok too but a floating platform is best) and finish off the zombie with your fist. If you don't mind that you lose wood kill him with a wooden sword. Don't use any other sword unless you don't mind losing those materials too. Don't let a horde get too big though. You will be swarmed and killed.

From the Shadows

 * You will need a good sword for this, no enchantments are needed ( sharpness and fire aspect are most helpful for this method). You might want some armor but it's not required ( feather falling boots are good). A regeneration potion is also helpful but not needed.*

First, find a good hiding spot; not on the ground and away from sight. Drink a regeneration potion if you want. When your target comes, jump down to them and start swinging your sword. You will take some fall damage but you should finish the quickly enough to not take a lot of damage. It they aren't down by 3 hits, circle around them. Then, you can jump in and out, dodging and hitting. Now, you took down your target.

Trololol Man
Required: Troll skin, enchanted golden apples, invisibility potions, splash potions of harming/poison, sword, armor

Say insults to a person in chat (Or /msg them). They will challenge you to a pvp fight or just attack you. Use your OP stuff to troll your enemy until you kill them.

Ninja
Required: Feather Falling boots, Diamond Sword (Sharpness/fire aspect only, DON'T use knockback), Stealth skills

Hide up to 23 blocks above your enemy, then jump down behind them. Hit them with you sword and if you have any, drink a potion of strength, or throw poison/harming potions. Your enemy will be no match for the power of Ninjitsu!

Frosty the Snowman
Required: Snowballs, armor, and a knockback sword
 * You should be near either a 24+ block drop or lava for this.

Use snowballs and your sword to knock your enemy off a cliff, into a ravine, or into lava. If you want, you can do this in the nether except instead anger nearby Zombie Pigmen with your snowballs.

Turtling

 * This technique is a defensive measure loosely based off the fighting game strategy of the same name.
 * Carry a stack of Dirt or other common block with you and equip it to a slot next to your main weapon.
 * If you are stuck out in the open with low health you can look straight down and hold space and right click to "turtle", that is, to create a tower on which you can temporarily stand while there are mobs around.
 * This will work on all mobs which cannot climb/fly, and with Spiders provided they haven't seen you. If a spider has seen you, place eight blocks around the topmost block and stand on top, and if they climb up they cannot get to you and they will fall off and die.

Parrying

 * Holding the right mouse button while holding a sword will allow you block with it and reduce the damage a mob deals, but you will move more slowly. Different materials will block to different degrees.

The Golden Apple

 * A Golden Apple no longer restores full health, but heals two hunger units and grants quick health regeneration for four seconds, regardless of hunger level. The new Enchanted Golden Apple last much longer, and grants more potion effects such as protection and fire protection but is much harder or more expensive to obtain.
 * This is particularly useful when you have to deal with many Skeletons or Zombie Pigmen and the Enchanted Golden Apple is useful for fighting Blazes.

Debuff

 * If one has Sugar, Gunpowder, Spider Eye, Brown Mushrooms, and some Redstone Dust that they don't need, they can create an efficient battle strategy.
 * Make a Splash Potion of Slowness (Awkward potion + Sugar, + Fermented Spider Eye, + Gunpowder), and a Splash Potion of Weakness (Mundane potion + Fermented Spider Eye, + Gunpowder).
 * First, come up close with your foe. When right outside the Splash Potion radius, throw both potions at him/her.
 * The slowness affecting your foe makes escape near impossible, while the Weakness makes it near impossible to win in a Sword duel, unless enchantments are used.

Sword enchantments

 * Knockback is effective when near Damaging terrain like large holes or Cacti. However, as much as possible, avoid using it on foes that have ranged attacks, like Blazes or Skeletons.
 * Fire Aspect is one of the most valuable enchantments in game, as considered by most players. However, if you spend a lot of time in the Nether then this enchantment is virtually useless, since all Nether mobs are Fire-Resistant.
 * Bane of Arthropods is very resourceful for exploring Abandoned Mineshafts. The sword itself can cut through Cobwebs like a hot knife through butter, while the enchantment itself (Bane of Arthropods V) can Instantly kill Cave spiders and spiders if the sword is Diamond.
 * Sharpness is the most Versatile enchantment for the sword-it does not have any disadvantages against certain mobs, but does not have good advantages against certain mobs.
 * Smite is a good enchantment for surviving the night without a shelter-Skeletons and Zombies spawn in hordes.

Bow enchantments

 * Punch is more effective for Battle archers than for Snipers-The increased Knockback on mobs lets the user use Fully Charged shots more before retaliating with Sword strikes.
 * Power is more effective for Snipers than for Battle archers, as the enchantment is used less in direct combat.
 * Flame, like its Sword counterpart Fire Aspect, is very ineffective against Nether mobs. it is also better for Snipers, as they can focus on more than one target at once, while a Battle Archer rarely has time to think in Close Combat.
 * Infinity is very good for Snipers and Battle Archers alike - A Sniper will usually be in an isolated spot, where he will likely run out of arrows in one point. The slightest bit of movement may alert the enemies, and not having to return to base to pick up more arrows can help. Battle Archers will need to worry about attacking and their own health, so they can be as trigger happy as they want.

Armor enchantments

 * Fire Protection is very effective in the Nether, since you have many fire-related things to worry about; Blaze Fireballs, Ghast explosions, fire everywhere, and lava pouring from the ceiling. It can also be considered as an Anti-Fire Aspect(Flame) Enchantment, since if the foe relies on fire to deal damage, Fire protection can give you a great advantage.
 * Protection in its raw form gives you protection from may kinds of damage. It is recommended to use this enchantment with Diamond armor, since Diamond armor combined with a high Protection level can make you an unstoppable Juggernaut, plus damage taken from Protection-Enchanted armor instantly goes to your armor durability. Diamond armor has relatively high durability, making it the best choice for a Protection enchantment.
 * Projectile protection is recommended if your bow is low on durability. This means that you will need to go into close combat to strike, and foes will often take advantage of this by striking you from afar.
 * Blast protection is very good against Creepers and Ghasts, as their only form of attack is an explosion, which Blast protection is effective against. It is also efficient for a non-combat related topic-TNT mining.
 * Feather falling is good if you are in a high place, which feather falling protects against. It can successfully protect against the form of combat known as Knockback striking if the only environmental damage is Fall damage.
 * Respiration is not very combat related, as you will rarely be fighting underwater. However, should someone drop sand above you then it can increase your survivability of the attack.