Zombie

A zombie is a hostile mob with green skin and clothes that closely resembles the player. A zombie measures 2 blocks tall, 1 block wide, and 0.25 blocks thick. Zombies spawn in dimly lit areas and attack players by shambling towards them and touching them. A zombie, along with skeletons will catch on fire when in sunlight

Uses
Zombies drop 0-2 pieces of Rotten Flesh, which can be eaten, but will give the player food poisoning. They can also be used to heal tamed Wolves.

Before Beta 1.8, Zombies dropped 0-2 Feathers.

Behavior


Zombies moan when wandering around aimlessly, but snarl and gurgle when attacking and injured. Zombies spawn in groups of 2 - 6 and will pursue the player on sight, making no attempt to avoid cliffs or other obstacles, which they will try to breach by hopping. Unlike skeletons, zombies do not try to avoid being hit, and will continue to pursue the player. This has changed in snapshot 12w03a where zombies will avoid obstacles when pursuing the player.

At dawn (when the Sun is 15 degrees or more above the ground), zombies will catch on fire and burn. However, if they are in a body of water when this time comes, they will not be burned, as the water will douse the flames. If they exit the water and the conditions for them burning still are true, then they will catch on fire, although if they are in enough shade (under a tree, cave, etc.), they will not catch fire.

Combat
Zombies are one of the easiest enemies to deal with and don't pose much of a threat unless encountered in a narrow space or in large groups. A player on sufficiently high ground can repeatedly hit a zombie again and again as it approaches. If the player is being pursued by several zombies, they can use a sword to push them back with each hit, alternating targets so no single zombie can close in. If a player is in a small room with several zombies with no escape route, it is recommended to use blocking and slashing at the zombies to half damage and slowly kill the zombies.

As of Beta 1.9 Pre-release 5 Zombies, Zombie Pigmen, and Skeletons can be damaged by Splash Potions of healing. So a good method to use attacking hordes of zombies is to herd them in a group, and throw 3 or 4 splash potions of healing. Not only will it kill the zombies it can heal any nearby players. It is likely to kill them all (unless there are too many).

One other good way to deal with them is to go on sneak mode, slowly go back and wait for the zombie to approach, as they are faster then the player on sneak mode, they shall come faster and you can hit them whenever they are within range with a sword. In doing so, there is a decreased chance of being hit by the zombies.

Defensive Measures
Like skeletons, zombies are vulnerable to daylight, lava, fire, and contact with cacti. Surface zombie populations can be controlled if the player regularly sleeps in a bed at dusk, since zombies will spawn at night if given the chance to do so.

Should a player be trapped on the surface outside at dusk, they can dig a single block wide pit 3 blocks deep, seal off the top with a block, place a torch at their feet, and wait for morning light to burn away the undead before climbing out.

History
Zombies were the first and fastest mob in Survival Test in the game until spiders were added, and could run as fast as the player. They would occasionally appear wearing armor, but this had no protective effect on their health. When killed, zombies gave 80 points each to the player.

The zombies' armor was removed in Indev. From Indev through Beta 1.7.3, zombies dropped 0 - 2 feathers upon death. Before chickens existed in Minecraft, Notch confessed that he made zombies drop feathers because he had no idea what they should have dropped when killed.

As of the 12w03a release, the zombie's AI was improved, giving them a much better sense of direction when pursuing the player, allowing them to navigate obstacles, and even small mazes if constructed, to get to the player. They were also given the ability to "see" through windows, the first mob able to do so intelligently, discounting Spiders, who are able to see through all blocks.

Here is a video showcasing some of the path finding changes made to the AI.

As of the 12w04a release, the zombie's AI was improved when dealing with being lit on fire from sunlight. If a zombie is exposed to sunlight and bursts into flames, it will search for a body of water to douse the flames.

Trivia

 * If a zombie is in water, it will NOT catch fire and die, regardless of the light level. However as soon as it exits the water, it WILL burn and die.
 * Zombies are known to spawn when the map is being built inside various caves and caverns.
 * Because a zombie has identical dimensions to the player model, the zombie's skin can easily be used as a player skin and vice versa.
 * A Giant is an unused variation of a zombie that can only be spawned through third party programs. Its behavior is identical to the zombie's, but it has 50 hearts of health, deals 8.5 damage in one single hit, and is unable to damage you unless you are right under it.
 * Since Beta 1.9 pre 5, a splash potion of fire resistance can be used to spare zombies from burning to death in the sun.
 * A zombie hit by a splash potion of harming will gain health, however, when it is hit by a splash potion of healing it will lose health. It is also unaffected by potions of regeneration and poison. This is because zombies are undead.
 * Zombies are easily detected through walls and blocks, due to their constant growling and moaning.
 * Zombie's armor has no durability (i.e. cannot be damaged). Two points of armor gives 8% damage reduction from most sources. It means, you need to deal  physical damage to kill a Zombie.
 * Rarely, a zombie can deal damage through a closed door like shown on the picture to the right.
 * In the snapshot 12w04a, when spawning a zombie in daylight with an egg on soulsand, it will not catch fire.