Witch

A witch is an uncommon hostile mob that uses harmful splash potions as ranged weapons and beneficial positive potions on itself. They spawn in the darkness, in swamp huts, during raids and when lightning strikes villagers. Despite having big noses and taller heads, the witch is neither considered an illager nor a villager.

Natural generation
A witch can spawn in the Overworld at a light level of 0. They can spawn in all Overworld biomes except mushroom fields and deep dark. Witches are one of the rarest non-biome-specific monsters.

Swamp huts
Every swamp hut spawns a witch and a black cat inside during world generation, which never despawn. Otherwise, $$ only witches (which may despawn) spawn in the 7×7×9 (x×y×z) volume that is the hut. This is the size of the roof and one block over the porch, from one level below the floor of the hut to two blocks above the roof. $$, witches respawn on only one block within the swamp hut.

Villagers
When lightning strikes within 4 blocks of a villager, it transforms into a witch. A witch transformed from a villager cannot despawn, and cannot be changed back into a villager. The newly-transformed witch attacks the player with its potions, even if the player traded with it before.

Raids
Witches can spawn as part of raids starting from wave 4 $$, or wave 3 or 4 $$ depending on the world difficulty. They throw potions of healing at illagers.

Drops
Witches have the largest loot table of any mob in the game.


 * (12.5% chance)
 * (12.5% chance)
 * (12.5% chance)
 * (12.5% chance)
 * (12.5% chance)
 * (12.5% chance)
 * (25% chance)

They make 1–3 drops of 0–2 items each, for a maximum of 6 items total.

Each level of Looting increases the maximum items dropped by one for each of the 1–3 drops, leading to a maximum of 5 items per drop, and a maximum of 15 items total. No Looting averages 2 items per kill, Looting I averages 3, Looting II averages 4, and Looting III averages 5.

Witches despawn instantly in peaceful difficulty.

Potions
If a witch is killed while drinking a potion, the potion has a 8.5% chance of dropping, increased by 1% for every level of Looting.

They can drop one of the following:

Behavior
Despite being similar in appearance to villagers, witches cannot open doors or use cauldrons.

Witches pursue players within 64 blocks. They use potions in combat, throwing splash potions offensively and drinking normal potions defensively. These potions are the same as ones obtainable through brewing, i.e., they have the same potency and duration.

Witches are passive toward villagers and wandering traders in both editions, although their potions can hit one by accident.

$$, they don't attack each other, even if hit accidentally by another witch's potion. A witch damaged by another witch's potion drinks a healing potion instead, same as damaged by an illager.

Witches attack each other if damaged by another witch's potion $$.

In Bedrock Edition, witches can locate targets even if they are behind blocks and are hostile to snow golems and iron golems.

Witches have infinite potions in their stock, ready to be thrown or drunk. They never run out of potions, even when transformed from a villager via lightning and not having had any potions equipped in their inventory.

Offense
Each potion is thrown in a 3-second interval within 10 blocks.


 * They throw a splash potion of slowness if the player is at least 8 blocks away and does not already have the slowness status effect.
 * They throw a splash potion of poison if the player's health is at least and is not already poisoned.
 * They have a 25% chance of throwing a splash potion of Weakness if the player is within 3 blocks and does not already have the weakness status effect.
 * If none of the above conditions are true, witches default to using a splash potion of harming, which does magical damage.

Defense
On each tick (0.05 second) when the witch is not already drinking a potion, it may choose to equip and drink a potion. Drinking the potion takes 1.6 seconds and slows down its walking speed. It does not attack during this time.
 * In the current java combat test, it drinks in 1 second.
 * When 80% under water and lacking Water Breathing, there is a 15% chance of drinking a potion of Water Breathing.
 * When on fire or the last damage taken in the past 2 seconds was fire damage, 15% chance of drinking a potion of Fire Resistance.
 * When not at full health, 5% chance of drinking a potion of Healing, which heals.
 * In the current java combat test, it heals.
 * When 11 or more blocks from a target and lacking Swiftness, 50% chance of drinking a potion of Swiftness.

$$, witches are 85% resistant to some types of magical damage, including Poison, Instant Damage, evoker fangs and the Thorns enchantment.

$$, witches are immune to poison, Fatal Poison, and to their own thrown harming potions, although their harming potions can still damage other witches and lead to a fight.

Riding
In Java Edition, witches can ride any mob via commands, including boss mobs.

In Bedrock Edition, witches cannot ride ravagers, as the witch is not considered an illager.

Like other villager-like mobs, witches don't stick their legs forward when riding a minecart, a boat, or another mob. Their legs seem to sink in these entities visually.

Two block tall gaps
Witches can fit through two block tall gaps in both editions, despite them being taller than two blocks, including their hat.

Patrols
In Java Edition, any witch can join a patrol if sufficiently near a patrol captain. Unlike non-patrolling or raiding witches, witches that are part of a patrol are hostile towards villagers and wandering traders, and also iron golems if in their sight.

Raids
$$, witches that participate in a raid seek out illagers and ravagers and throw splash potions of Regeneration (45 seconds), or Instant Health if they have or less.

$$, witches participating in a raid do not heal other illagers, but still attack the player, iron golems, and snow golems.

If the raiders kill all the villagers in a village, witches celebrate their victory by jumping and laughing.

$$, witches do not retaliate when attacked by evoker fangs, illagers or harming potions from other witches. Instead, they drink a healing potion.

In Bedrock Edition, witches throw negative splash potions at any mob that attacks it, including illagers, which leads to vicious fights if an illager hits the witch by accident. Witches also attack other witches that accidentally threw a negative potion at the witch, despite them being the same mob.

Particles
Witches have a 1.5% chance every second to spawn 10 to 44 purple particles above their heads. These particles are named “Witch” $$ or “Witchspell” $$. They are merely for decoration and do not have any functions.

ID




Entity data
Witches have entity data associated with them that contains various properties.




 * See Bedrock Edition level format/Entity format.
 * See Bedrock Edition level format/Entity format.

Trivia

 * Witches do not use the equipment in their swamp huts, but they can be used by players.
 * The odds of a witch dropping the maximum amount of items possible (6 items total) without a Looting enchantment are 1 in 81 (1.2%).
 * Witches are extremely difficult to kill via suffocation or cacti (though not impossible), due to their frequent use of healing potions.
 * When drinking a potion, a witch's nose lifts and points forward.
 * Witches have small mouths hidden under their noses. During their potion-drinking animation, this mouth becomes visible from the side.
 * When the subject of witches dropping sticks was brought up, Dinnerbone jokingly replied that it's because witches are made of wood. He later explained that it was a reference to this scene from Monty Python and the Holy Grail.
 * The witch is partly based on Baba Yaga, a witch from Slavic folklore who also lives in a swamp hut.
 * A witch's nose slightly wiggles when idle.
 * Despite being physically similar and appearing to be allied with them, witches are not considered illagers.
 * Before the Java 1.18 update, Witches have an unused purple hat layer in their texture file, similar to the illusioner's hat.
 * The same hat layer is also present in the vindicator and evoker's texture files, where it is also unused.
 * These hat models also used to exist in the nitwit, librarian, and priest's textures before the Village and Pillage Update.
 * Witches were referred with female pronouns in an action figure box, making witches one of the few mobs to have a confirmed gender.
 * In the Village and Pillage Update artwork banner, the witch in the picture has its arms unfolded like a pillager, despite this being impossible ingame.

Video
Witches before the Village & Pillage and Texture Update update: