Death messages

Death messages are broadcast to everyone upon the death of a player, and to the pet's owner upon the death of a pet wolf, cat, horse, donkey, mule, llama, skeleton horse, or parrot. These messages communicate how the entity died, and some are intended to be humorous.

Java Edition death messages

 * Arrows
 * [player] was shot by Arrow
 * Appears when the player is killed by an arrow shot from a dispenser or summoned with.
 * [player] was shot by [player/mob]
 * Appears when the player is killed by an arrow shot by a player or mob using a bow or crossbow.
 * [player] was shot by [player/mob] using [item]
 * Appears when the player is killed by an arrow shot by a player or mob using a renamed bow or crossbow.


 * Cactus
 * [player] was pricked to death
 * Appears when the player is killed because they were touching a cactus.
 * [player] walked into a cactus whilst trying to escape [player/mob]
 * Appears when the player is hurt by a player or mob then killed by touching a cactus.


 * Drowning
 * [player] drowned
 * Appears when the player runs out of air underwater and is killed from drowning damage.
 * [player] drowned whilst trying to escape [player/mob]
 * Appears when the player is hurt by a player or mob then took drowning damage.

NOTE: Use to disable fall damage.


 * Elytra
 * [player] experienced kinetic energy
 * Appears when the player is killed by hitting a wall while flying with elytra on.
 * [player] experienced kinetic energy whilst trying to escape [player/mob]
 * Appears when the player is hurt by a player or mob then hit a wall while flying with elytra on.


 * Explosions
 * [player] blew up
 * Appears when the player is killed by TNT activated by redstone mechanisms, fire, dispensed out from a dispenser or by an end crystal.
 * [player] was blown up by [player/mob]
 * Appears when the player is killed by an entity that exploded.
 * [player] was blown up by [player/mob] using [item]
 * Appears when the player is killed by an entity holding a renamed item that exploded.
 * [player] was killed by [Intentional Game Design]
 * Appears when the player is killed by a bed exploding in the Nether or the End, or by a charged respawn anchor exploding in the Overworld or the End.
 * Includes a click-event link to.


 * Falling
 * [player] hit the ground too hard
 * Appears when the player is killed by a less than 5 block fall, ender pearl damage, or falling while riding an entity that died due to fall damage.
 * [player] hit the ground too hard whilst trying to escape [player/mob]
 * Appears when the player is hurt by a player or mob then killed by one of the aforementioned fall damage types.
 * [player] fell from a high place
 * Appears when the player is killed by a greater than 5 block fall.
 * [player] fell off a ladder
 * Appears when the player is killed by falling and the block they were in when they died was a ladder.
 * Appears when the player is killed by falling and the last block they touched before reaching the ground was a ladder.
 * [player] fell off some vines
 * Appears when the player is killed by falling and the block they were in when they died was a vine.
 * Appears when the player is killed by falling and the last block they touched before reaching the ground was a vine.
 * [player] fell off some weeping vines
 * Appears when the player is killed by falling and the last block they touched before reaching the ground was a weeping vine.
 * [player] fell off some twisting vines
 * Appears when the player is killed by falling and the last block they touched before reaching the ground was a twisting vine.
 * [player] fell off a scaffolding
 * Appears when the player is killed by falling and the last block they touched before reaching the ground was a scaffolding.
 * [player] fell while climbing
 * Appears when the player is killed by falling and the last block they touched before reaching the ground was a climbable block that isn't one of the aforementioned ones.

NOTE: Use to disable fall damage.


 * Falling blocks
 * [player] was squashed by a falling anvil
 * Appears when the player is killed by an anvil falling on their head.
 * [player] was squashed by a falling anvil whilst fighting [player/mob]
 * Appears when the player is hurt by a player or mob then killed by a falling anvil.
 * [player] was squashed by a falling block
 * Appears when the player is killed by a falling block (other than an anvil) modified to inflict damage.
 * [player] was squashed by a falling block whilst fighting [player/mob]
 * Appears when the player is hurt by a player or mob then killed by a falling block modified to inflict damage.


 * Fire
 * [player] went up in flames
 * Appears when the player is killed because they were in a fire source block.
 * [player] walked into fire whilst fighting [player/mob]
 * Appears when the player is hurt by a player or mob then entered a fire source block.
 * [player] burned to death
 * Appears when the player is killed because they were on fire, but not in a fire source block.
 * [player] was burnt to a crisp whilst fighting [player/mob]
 * Appears when the player is hurt by a player or mob then killed because they were on fire.

NOTE: Use to disable fire damage.


 * Firework rockets
 * [player] went off with a bang
 * Appears when the player is killed by the explosion of a firework rocket.
 * [player] went off with a bang whilst fighting [player/mob]
 * Appears when the player is hurt by a player or mob then killed by the explosion of a firework rocket.


 * Lava
 * [player] tried to swim in lava
 * Appears when the player is killed because they were in lava.
 * [player] tried to swim in lava to escape [player/mob]
 * Appears when the player is hurt by a player or mob then entered lava.

NOTE: Use to disable lava damage.


 * Lightning
 * [player] was struck by lightning
 * Appears when the player is killed by a lightning bolt.
 * [player] was struck by lightning whilst fighting [player/mob]
 * Appears when the player is hurt by a player or mob then killed by a lightning bolt.


 * Magma Block
 * [player] discovered the floor was lava
 * Appears when the player is killed because they were standing on a magma block.
 * [player] walked into danger zone due to [player/mob]
 * Appears when the player is hurt by a player or mob then killed by magma block damage.

NOTE: Use to disable damage from magma blocks.


 * Magic (Instant Damage / Evoker Fangs)
 * [player] was killed by magic
 * Appears when the player is killed by a potion of Harming shot from a dispenser, by Instant Damage given with or by an evoker fang summoned with.
 * [player] was killed by [player/mob] using magic
 * Appears when the player is killed by a potion or arrow of Harming shot by a player or mob, or by an evoker fang summoned by an evoker.
 * [player] was killed by [player/mob] using [item]
 * Appears when the player is killed by one of the aforementioned ways but the player or mob is holding a renamed item during the player's death.
 * death.attack.magic.player / [player] was killed by magic whilst trying to escape [player/mob]
 * Appears when the player is hurt by a player or mob then killed by Instant Damage or an evoker fang that didn't originate from a player or mob.
 * This death message is untranslated due to.


 * Players and mobs
 * [player] was slain by [player/mob]
 * Appears when the player is hurt by a player or mob and killed.
 * This death message appears twice in the en_us.json file: as [player] was slain by [mob] and [player] was slain by [player].
 * [player] was slain by [player/mob] using [item]
 * Appears when the player is hurt by a player or mob holding a renamed item and killed.
 * This death message appears twice in the en_us.json file: as [player] was slain by [mob] using [item] and [player] was slain by [player] using [item].
 * [player] was fireballed by [player/mob]
 * Appears when the player is killed by a fireball shot by a player or mob.
 * [player] was fireballed by [player/mob] using [item]
 * Appears when the player is killed by a fireball shot by a player or mob that was holding a renamed item during the player's death.
 * [player] was stung to death
 * Appears when the player is killed by a bee (not from its poison).
 * [player] was pummeled by [player/mob]
 * Appears when the player is killed by a snowball, egg, wither skull or ender pearl shot by a player or mob. It works only with wither skulls, as snowballs, eggs and ender pearls don't deal damage.
 * [player] was pummeled by [player/mob] using [item]
 * Appears when the player is killed by a snowball, egg, wither skull or ender pearl shot by a player or mob that is holding a renamed item during the player's death.


 * Starving
 * [player] starved to death
 * Appears when the player plays in hard or hardcore and is killed by hunger damage because their hunger bar was at 0.
 * [player] starved to death whilst fighting [player/mob]
 * Appears when the player plays in hard or hardcore and is hurt by a player or mob then killed by hunger damage.


 * Suffocation
 * [player] suffocated in a wall
 * Appears when the player is killed because they were inside of a non-transparent block.
 * [player] suffocated in a wall whilst fighting [player/mob]
 * Appears when the player is hurt by a player or mob then killed by suffocation damage.
 * [player] was squished too much
 * Appears when the player is killed by the maxEntityCramming gamerule.
 * [player] was squashed by [player/mob]
 * Appears when the player is hurt by a player or mob then killed by the maxEntityCramming gamerule.


 * Sweet Berry Bushes
 * [player] was poked to death by a sweet berry bush
 * Appears when the player is killed because they were in a sweet berry bush.
 * [player] was poked to death by a sweet berry bush whilst trying to escape [player/mob]
 * Appears when the player is hurt by a player or mob then entered a sweet berry bush.


 * Thorns enchantment
 * [player] was killed trying to hurt [player/mob]
 * Appears when the player is killed because they hurt a guardian, elder guardian, or a player or mob wearing armor enchanted with Thorns.
 * [player] was killed by [item] trying to hurt [player/mob]
 * Appears when the player is killed because they hurt a guardian, elder guardian, or a player or mob wearing armor enchanted with Thorns and holding a renamed item.


 * Trident
 * [player] was impaled by Trident
 * Appears when the player is killed by a trident shot from a dispenser or summoned with.
 * [player] was impaled by [player/mob]
 * Appears when the player is killed by a trident shot by a player or mob.
 * [player] was impaled by [player/mob] with [item]
 * Appears when the player is killed by a trident shot by a player or mob that was holding a renamed item during the player's death.


 * Void
 * [player] fell out of the world
 * Appears when the player is killed by being below Y=-64 or by using.
 * [player] didn't want to live in the same world as [player/mob]
 * Appears when the player is hurt by a player or mob then killed by the void or.


 * Wither effect
 * [player] withered away
 * Appears when the player is killed by the wither status effect.
 * [player] withered away whilst fighting [player/mob]
 * Appears when the player is hurt by a player or mob then killed by the wither status effect.

NOTE: These death messages appear only in the en_us.json file.
 * Unused death messages
 * [player] was roasted in dragon breath
 * Appeared only in 15w31a and 15w31b, when the player was killed by the dragon's breath.
 * [player] was roasted in dragon breath by [player/mob]
 * Appeared only in 15w31a and 15w31b, when the player was hurt by a player or mob then killed by the dragon's breath.
 * [player] fell out of the water
 * Is unused for now, but will get removed completely from the en_us.json file.
 * [player] was doomed to fall
 * [player] was doomed to fall by [player/mob]
 * [player] was doomed to fall by [player/mob] using [item]
 * [player] fell too far and was finished by [player/mob]
 * [player] fell too far and was finished by [player/mob] using [item]
 * [player] was stung to death by [player/mob]
 * Even when the player is killed by a renamed bee, this message doesn't appear.
 * [player] was killed by even more magic
 * [player] died
 * [player] died because of [player/mob]
 * Actually, message was too long to deliver fully. Sorry! Here's stripped version: [message]
 * This is meant to appear when the death message is too long to fit in chat, but actually never appears.

Bedrock Edition death messages

 * [player] was slain by Arrow
 * Appears when the player is killed by an arrow shot from a dispenser or summoned with.
 * [player] was shot by Arrow
 * Appears when the player is killed by an arrow shot by a player or mob.
 * [player] was pricked to death
 * Appears when the player is killed because they were touching a cactus.
 * [player] drowned
 * Appears when the player runs out of air underwater and is killed from drowning damage.
 * [player] experienced kinetic energy
 * Appears when the player is killed by hitting a wall while flying with elytra on.
 * [player] blew up
 * Appears when the player is killed by TNT activated by redstone mechanisms, fire, dispensed out from a dispenser or by an end crystal.
 * [player] was blown up by [player/mob]
 * Appears when the player is killed by an entity that exploded.
 * [player] hit the ground too hard
 * Appears when the player is killed by a less than 5 block fall, ender pearl damage, or falling while riding an entity that died due to fall damage.
 * [player] fell from a high place
 * Appears when the player is killed by a greater than 5 block fall.
 * [player] was squashed by a falling anvil
 * Appears when the player is killed by an anvil falling on their head.
 * [player] was squashed by a falling block
 * Appears when the player is killed by a falling block (other than an anvil) modified to inflict damage.
 * [player] went up in flames
 * Appears when the player is killed because they were in a fire source block.
 * [player] burned to death
 * Appears when the player is killed because they were on fire, but not in a fire source block.
 * [player] went off with a bang
 * Appears when the player is killed by the explosion of a firework rocket.
 * [player] tried to swim in lava
 * Appears when the player is killed because they were in lava.
 * [player] was struck by lightning
 * Appears when the player is killed by a lightning bolt.
 * [player] discovered floor was lava
 * Appears when the player is killed because they were standing on a magma block.
 * [player] was killed by magic
 * Appears when the player is killed by a potion of Harming shot from a dispenser, by Instant Damage given with or by an evoker fang summoned with.
 * [player] was killed by [player/mob] using magic
 * Appears when the player is killed by a potion or arrow of Harming shot by a player or mob, or by an evoker fang summoned by an evoker.
 * [player] was slain by [player/mob]
 * Appears when the player is hurt by a player or mob and killed, or killed by a trident shot by a player or mob.
 * This death message appears twice in the en_us.json file: as [player] was slain by [mob] and [player] was slain by [player].
 * [player] was slain by Small Fireball
 * Appears when the player is killed by a fireball shot from a dispenser.
 * [player] starved to death
 * Appears when the player plays in hard difficulty and is killed by hunger damage because their hunger bar was at 0.
 * [player] suffocated in a wall
 * Appears when the player is killed because they were inside of a non-transparent block, or because they drowned in lava with the Fire Resistance effect.
 * [player] was killed trying to hurt [player/mob]
 * Appears when the player is killed because they hurt a guardian, elder guardian, or a player or mob wearing armor enchanted with Thorns.
 * [player] was slain by Trident
 * Appears when the player is killed by a trident shot from a dispenser or summoned with.
 * [player] fell out of the world
 * Appears when the player is killed by being below Y=-64.
 * [player] withered away
 * Appears when the player is killed by the wither status effect.
 * [player] died
 * Appears when the player is killed by.

NOTE: These death messages appear only in the en_US.lang file.
 * Unused death messages
 * [player] was shot by [player/mob] using [item]
 * [player] walked into a cactus whilst trying to escape [player/mob]
 * [player] drowned whilst trying to escape [player/mob]
 * [player] was fireballed by [player/mob]
 * [player] was fireballed by [player/mob] using [item]
 * [player] was killed by [player/mob] using [item]
 * [player] walked into fire whilst fighting [player/mob]
 * [player] tried to swim in lava to escape [player/mob]
 * [player] walked on danger zone due to [player/mob]
 * [player] was burnt to a crisp whilst fighting [player/mob]
 * [player] was slain by [player] using [item]
 * [player] was pummeled by [player/mob]
 * [player] was pummeled by [player/mob] using [item]
 * [player] fell off a ladder
 * [player] fell off some vines
 * [player] fell out of the water
 * [player] was doomed to fall
 * [player] was doomed to fall by [player/mob]
 * [player] was doomed to fall by [player/mob] using [item]
 * [player] fell too far and was finished by [player/mob]
 * [player] fell too far and was finished by [player/mob] using [item]