Tutorials/Combat

The Enemy
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 Enderdragon 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.

Zombie
Zombies are often considered the easiest Mobs to kill, as they use only weak melee attacks and burn in sunlight. 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. 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, zombies spawn in large numbers, so it will be difficult to kill all of them. If possible, lure them out into sunlight, so 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. Protect your house with an iron door. They also attack villagers and can be seen trying to open doors.

Skeleton
Skeletons can be quite difficult to slay in melee combat, as they fire arrows as you approach. 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.

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

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.

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. This allows a player to slowly work down a creepers 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 a creeper (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, the creeper 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. 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, but especially creepers.

(Note: Attacking a creeper with a flame enchanted sword can result in the creeper exploding on death, so not always a good solution.)

Spider
Spiders can be a nuisance if handled incorrectly. Spiders are one of the three monsters that are 1 block high, and as such they are able to sneak into your house if a hole is sufficient. However, spiders are also 2 blocks wide, so a 1x1 hole will not let spiders 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.

Spiders drop string, and have a chance to drop a spider eye as of 1.9 pre 3. With a bit of wood, you can use it to 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. It is also highly fatal if confronted head-on, as the spider will attack you, while the skeleton shoots you with arrows. The skeleton rides on top of the spider, and has increased mobility.

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

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.

Cave Spider
Cave Spiders only appear in Abandoned Mineshafts, 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. 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. You can also tunnel under the floor to reach them, then mine upwards and break the spawner.

Enderdragon
Enderdragons are the first official boss mob in Minecraft. They spawn only once per world, and have extremely high health (100 hearts). Enderdragons can be only found legitimately in The End. Always craft armor and bring a sword of Iron or better. Instead of bringing a helmet, bring a pumpkin instead, as there are lots of Endermen, the pumpkin will stop the Endermen from becoming hostile when looked at.. A tactic to fight one is to stock up on ladders, as there are obsidian pillars with Ender Crystal 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, most likely will result in your death. When the Enderdragon is killed, it plays a unique death animation, dropping an End Portal. It also drops a Dragon egg, 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 Enderdragon. 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, 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, even end portal frames. 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. Shoot it with an enchanted bow until it is down to 75 hearts, when it will create a white shield that protects it from projectiles. This means you will have to kill it with your sword. WARNING: Withers regain health over time and can kill you quickly and easily if you are not prepared. Also, the shield that absorbs arrows is PERMANENT.

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. 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.

Prior to prerelease 1.9 the only way for a large slime to split into a smaller slime 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 prerelease 1.9, slimes will split even if they are hit with more than necessary damage.

Witch
Witches are hostile mobs with an appearance similiar to Villagers that spawn in swamp huts. They shoot splash potions and will drink Fire Resistance and Instant Health potions to protect themselves. 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 completely immune to them.

Iron Golem
Iron Golems spawn in an NPC village containing 15 or more Villagers. Iron Golems do massive damage and have high health(50 hearts). So 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. Enderman can not 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 they are hit with an arrow or splash potion they will instantly teleport away without taking any damage.

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

Wolf
Wolves are neutral mobs that will become hostile should you attack them directly. They can be tamed by right clicking on them using bones dropped from skeletons. Once tamed, they will follow you around and attack mobs that you attack or that hit you, except for Creepers. If you accidentally hit a wolf, they and any other wolves nearby will become hostile. 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.

When using wolves in combat, remember that they will only attack mobs you melee, and they do not attack creepers.

Ocelot
Ocelots are a new type of tamable and passive mob that can sprint. 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 click the ocelot until it gets a collar and changes color, becoming a cat. The only benefit cats offer is their ability to scare away Creepers. To simply fight an ocelot, be stealthy about your approach and simply attack. They drop nothing as a reward, as same as the Wolf.

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. Because creepers are very damaging on Hard mode, ocelots are very useful.

Snow Golem
Despite dealing no damage, 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, and can kill most mobs in one or two hits. However, it is also extremely expensive to build, requiring 36 iron, 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.

Nether Mobs
As of 1.9pre3, only 4 mobs spawn naturally in the Nether. 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 will not attack you unless one of their own is attacked, but all nearby pigmen will charge and become very dangerous in high numbers. Don't attack them unless you have the means to kill large numbers.

To an unprepared or careless player, a charging group of zombie pigmen can mean a swift death. However, fighting zombie pigmen becomes feasible when you can manage which of them become hostile and which remain neutral. Zombie pigmen attack on the basis of 'seeing is believing', meaning that they only become hostile when they see one of their own being attacked by the player. Once this happens, all zombie pigmen within a certain radius (about a dozen blocks) become hostile, and will charge the player IF he is within range. Zombie pigmen will also notice attacks from behind walls. The hostility radius is centered around the zombie pigmen that is attacked, not the player, meaning that you can attack a far-away zombie pigman with a bow without nearby zombie pigmen becoming hostile (although this is not advisable).

By keeping these rules in mind, it is possible to safely pick off groups of zombie pigmen with a bow, or to kill isolated zombie pigmen, provided that the other members of the group are outside their aggressive range, which is rather short.

Despite the visual effect of their gold sword they deal no greater damage than a zombie. They also share zombies' natural armor (8% damage negation)

The best possible way to fight zombie pigman while still retrieving their loot and experience is to find or flatten a 5x5 area in the middle of a group of them. Dig out the very center block, then place a two blocks on top of each other near the hole. Go into the hole and use the two block tower to make a 3x3 roof centered over you, then remove the one block connecting the roof or floor. Now attack one of the zombie pigman. They will swarm around the roof, allowing you to safely kill them by attacking their legs. After they have all been killed, exit the shelter and retrieve your drops. If possible, the shelter should be made out of Cobblestone as this will make it invulnerable to Ghasts.

An easier tactic is to build a column three blocks high. From here, you can either hit the Zombie Pigmen or shoot arrows. They will swarm you, as well as push you around, but you will not receive any damage as long as you remain on the column.

As of Beta 1.9 Pre-release 5 Zombie Pigmen can be damaged by Splash Potions of healing and/or regeneration, and will be healed by Splash Potions of Poison and/or Instant Harm. In addition, a sword enchanted with Smite will do extra damage to Zombie Pigmen.

Another great way to deal with a pack of charging zombie pigmen is to either have a sword enchanted with the knockback ability, or to backpedal while attacking them, as they can outrun you if you don't sprint.

A way to easily and safely get their drops but not experience is to first get in a large group of pigmen, then place a block of sand and a 2 or 3 tall cactus on it, then another block of sand to stand on top of, and then shoot a single arrow or snowball at a zombie pigman. They will all become hostile and charge toward you, impaling themselves on the cactus.

Ghast
Ghasts are often considered the most difficult mob to kill in the nether owing to 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 ghasts are agile and their hitbox is restricted to their tentacles. You can make a fireball easily 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 Ruins, but they are essential to get blaze rods, which have many uses.

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, Blaze have a much shorter attack range, which makes it more feasible to snipe them from afar. Blaze 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 suffer damage from water if there was any in the nether. Alas, Snow Golems do not survive in the Nether.

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.

Passive Mobs
Most passive mobs are easy to kill, as they do not fight back. However, 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" all can be drawn toward you by holding wheat.

Avoid attacking a passive mob without a tool or weapon. This will not only lead to frustration, but also wasted daylight, due to the time taken. But, 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.

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.

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

Villager
Villagers are NPC mobs that spawn in Villages. They have HP and are easy to kill. They drop nothing when killed. Villagers will not run away when attacked, but iron golems will turn hostile to the player.

Bat
Bats are passive mobs that spawn in any 1x1x1 space with a light level of 10 or less. They have 3 hearts of health and drop nothing when killed.

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. 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 shoddy 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.

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 in case 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: Offensive, 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. 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.

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).

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
Style: Offensive, Explosive Range: ~10 blocks in diameter Damage: Explosive (around 15 heart damage at point blank range) TNT is a very effective but dangerous weapon. It is very hard to make, so using TNT against a small number of mobs is unnecessary and costly. Also, you will take damage upon setting off the TNT unless you take quick, evasive action (sprint jumping away from the explosion, blast resistance enchantment on armor etc.). One very hard but effective way to take out a mob is by a TNT cannon. TNT cannons will not be a quick option, but they act as an 'explosive arrow'. You should only try the TNT cannon method if you are trying to go for a safe and humiliating kill. TNT can also be used as a suicide bomb. TNT does not destroy nearby blocks when in water but still damages the player and mobs.

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 rick-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 Also, whenever an anvil falls, it loses all cracks and becomes new again.

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 Iron sword.
 * It is good to bring a sword anyways, especially if the foe is carrying a Diamond sword, which outrules the power of a critical arrow.
 * Punch and Knockback enchantments are especially useful, as the Knockback from such weapons increases the players chances of escape.

Sniping

 * Hides in a high or concealed spot and strikes foes with a bow from considerable distances.
 * Not as effective in multiplayer as 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 vunerable to surprise attacks - the sniper is often focusing more on far targets rather than close ones.

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.
 * Always. ALWAYS. Sprint hit your foes. Except Skeletons.

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.

Turtling

 * Coined by Matthewj4x, 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 pips 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. Created by flameclaw0x7
 * 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.