Skeleton

A skeleton is a fairly fast-paced enemy that will shoot arrows at the player and other mobs. Like zombies, skeletons spawn at night and in dimly lit areas, and will burn in daylight (when the sun is 15 degrees or greater above the ground) unless they are swimming in water.

Uses
Skeletons are the sole source of bones (and bone meal) and can also drop fully formed arrows. Each skeleton will drop 0 - 2 bones and/or 0 - 2 arrows upon death. Although skeletons will fire arrows into walls and the ground, the player cannot pick up and re-use these arrows.

Creepers must be killed by a skeleton's arrow to drop a Music Disc.

In a dungeon with a skeleton monster spawner, the player can build a mob trap or install a low ceiling in the dungeon to collect bones and arrows, since the skeletons' aim will be much less accurate in a 2 block tall room.

Behavior
A skeleton will walk and jump around aimlessly until they spot the player. Then it will start firing arrows in the player's direction with moderate accuracy, aiming at head level when it is at full health and aiming at torso level when injured. When approaching a target, a skeleton will strafe to its right and bunny-hop, making itself more difficult to hit. However, these tendencies often get skeletons stuck in small alcoves and caves.

If a skeleton's arrow hits another hostile mob, that mob will then attack the skeleton the same way it would attack the player - creepers will even detonate near it after being hit. The skeleton will continue to attack the player until it is damaged by the mob. In short, mobs will always attempt to attack the last mob (including a player) to cause damage to them.



Combat
Skeletons pose more of a threat because they have ranged attacks and will strafe, jump, and dodge when approaching the player. This can prove especially problematic if the player does not have a bow handy. By carefully maneuvering behind corners, skeletons can be trapped against the walls and cautiously dispatched with a sword.

Going after skeletons while swimming is not advised, as the water will slow the player's movement down to the point of making them an easy target for the skeleton's arrows. It is possible (but extremely difficult) to deflect a skeleton's arrow by hitting it with anything or casting a fishing rod towards it at the right time and place (like reflecting a ghast's fireball).

Their shots travel in a wide arc, which sometimes causes the arrows to get stuck in the ceiling. If skeletons are in a 2 block high area, they can almost never hit you unless they are very close. Conversely, skeletons are highly capable of hitting the player if the latter peeks over the edge of high ground.

Defensive Measures
Skeletons are vulnerable to daylight (when not standing in water), lava, fire, falling, and contact with cacti. They ARE able to climb ladders but only in 1x1 space. Surface skeleton populations can be controlled if the player regularly sleeps in a bed at dusk, since skeletons will spawn at night if given the chance to. Players can keep can ear out for the clicking and xylophone-like sounds of nearby skeletons in caves and use certain corners and tight spaces to their advantage.

Construction Safeguards
Proper lighting around and inside structures is essential to preventing skeletons (and other hostile mobs) from spawning. A door should be placed standing outside the building so that the player can hit the skeleton through the windows at the top of it.

Since skeletons' arrows travel in a wide arc, they can get stuck in low ceilings. If a skeleton walks into an area only 2 blocks high, its arrows will not hit the player unless they come very close.

History
Skeletons were a hostile mob introduced to the game in Survival Test. They spawned randomly in new Survival maps and followed players when approached, much like zombies. They appeared to fire arrows at a faster and more random rate and shot 5 - 6 arrows outward when dying. Arrows fired by skeletons at that time could be picked up and used by players. Skeletons took 5 hits to kill and could appear wearing NPC armor (that gave them no additional protection) and gave 120 points when killed.

In Alpha, skeletons would drop 0 - 2 arrows upon death. After Alpha 1.2, skeletons held a bow in their hands.

In the Beta update, skeletons could drop 0 - 2 bones in addition to the arrows. As of Beta 1.2, bones could be turned into bone meal, and mixed with other ingredients to make dyes or applied to wheat to mature the crop instantly. In Beta 1.4, skeleton bones could be used to tame wolves. As of Beta 1.6.6, bone meal applied to grass blocks will grow tall grass and flowers.

Trivia

 * Skeletons have the same face as zombies, but with a mouth and a different colour.
 * Skeletons' legs have the same texture as their arms.
 * If you are under the skeleton, it will shoot itself.
 * Though they have the same pose as a zombie, they will not damage the player through contact (touching).
 * In terms of potential threat, this makes little difference; while skeletons cannot fire arrows as rapidly as zombies will hit, they will continue to fire their bows at the player from point-blank range.
 * A skeleton in a Minecart will not burn on contact with sunlight.
 * If you switch the difficulty to Peaceful when a skeleton's arrow hits you, it will be harmless.
 * Despite holding a bow, they do not drop it when they die.

Skelett Szkielet