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“ |
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„ |
| — Dinnerbone |
Witches are common hostile mobs that use splash potions as their ranged weapon. They also use beneficial potions on themselves defensively.
Spawning
Witches can spawn anywhere in the Overworld at a light level of 7 or less, in groups of 1-3. Witches rarely (0.075% chance each tick) spawn 10-45 purple magic particles above their heads.
Witch huts
Every witch hut spawns a witch inside during world generation, and it will never despawn. Afterwards, only witches will spawn in the 7×9×7 area that is the witch 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.
Witch huts generated before 1.8.1 have a spawn zone of only 7×9×5. Witch huts spawned on high ground also have a reduced or eliminated spawn zone height.[1]
Villagers
When lightning strikes within 3–4 blocks of a villager, the villager despawns and a witch spawns in its place, giving the effect of it turning into a witch.
Drops
When killed, witches drop:
- Glass bottles (12.5% chance)
- Glowstone dust (12.5% chance)
- Gunpowder (12.5% chance)
- Redstone (12.5% chance)
- Spider eyes (12.5% chance)
- Sugar (12.5% chance)
- Sticks (25% chance)
- They make 1–3 drops of 0–2 items each, for a maximum of six 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.
Potions
Witches also have 8.5% chance (100% chance in the Bedrock Edition) to drop potions of healing, fire resistance, swiftness and water breathing as an equipment drop if killed while drinking that potion. Looting increases the chance by 1% per level.
They drop 5 experience when killed by a player or tamed wolf.
Behavior
Witches use splash potions offensively, remaining 10 blocks away from the target and drink ordinary potions defensively. They have a search radius of 16 blocks, and will also attack Iron Golems [Bedrock Edition only].
Offense
Each potion is thrown in about a 2.7 second interval.
- They will 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 will throw a splash potion of poison if the player's health is at least 8



and is not already poisoned. - They have a 25-80% 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, that causes up to 6


damage.
Defense
On each AI tick 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.
- When under water and lacking water breathing, 15-100% chance of drinking a potion of Water Breathing.
- When on fire or the last damage taken in the past 2 seconds was fire damage, and lacking Fire Resistance, 15-100% chance of drinking a potion of Fire Resistance.
- If damaged, 5-100% chance of drinking a potion of Healing.
- When more than 11 blocks from a target and lacking Swiftness, 50-100% chance of drinking a potion of Swiftness.
Witches are 85% resistant to damage from magic,[Java Edition only] including Poison, Instant Damage, and Thorns, but not Strength, Sharpness or Power.
Farming
Data values
Witches have entity data associated with them that contain various properties of the mob. Their entity ID is witch.
- Entity data
- Tags common to all entities
- Tags common to all mobs
- Tags common to all mobs spawnable in raids
Achievements
| Icon | Achievement | In-game description | Actual requirements (if different) | Gamerscore earned | Trophy type (PS4) | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| PS4 | Other | |||||
| Taste of Your Own Medicine | Poison a witch with a splash potion. | Throw a splash potion of poison at a witch (by facing the witch and pressing the use key). | 20G | Silver | ||
Advancements
| Icon | Advancement | In-game description | Parent | Actual requirements (if different) | Resource location |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
![]() | Adventure | Adventure, exploration and combat | — | Kill any entity, or be killed by any entity. | adventure/root
|
![]() | Monster Hunter | Kill any hostile monster | Adventure | Kill one of these 34 mobs:
| adventure/kill_a_mob
|
![]() | Monsters Hunted | Kill one of every hostile monster | Monster Hunter | Kill each of these 34 mobs:
| adventure/kill_all_mobs
|
Video
Witch/video
History
| release | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1.4.2 | Sept 13, 2012 | Dinnerbone hinted that the witch mob would be added in the Pretty Scary Update,[2][3][4] and that the witch's texture would be some variation of the villagers'.[5] | |||
| Sept 21, 2012 | Dinnerbone confirmed a suggestion made by Mr_Pennybags in Reddit's r/Minecraft subreddit that witches are to live in Witch Huts. | ||||
| 12w38a | Witches were added. They do not naturally spawn, and can only be spawned in Creative mode using spawn eggs. | ||||
| The witch uses splash potions, such as Poison, Weakness, Damage, and Slowness, to fight the player. | |||||
| Though witches are modeled after villagers, they do not share any attributes of villagers, such as utilizing housing, and are unable to open doors. | |||||
| 12w38b | Witches now have common drops including glass bottles, sticks, redstone dust, glowstone dust, gunpowder, spider eyes and water bottles. | ||||
| Witches now can't hurt themselves, and their texture changed slightly. | |||||
| 12w39a | Changed texture size. | ||||
| 12w40a | Witches now spawn in witch huts. | ||||
| Witches no longer drop water bottles. | |||||
| 1.6.1 | ? | The witches' regeneration rate has been decreased by 2/3 | |||
| 1.7.2 | 13w37a | Witches can now drink and drop potions of Water Breathing. | |||
| 13w42a | Witches now spawn anywhere where the light level is 7 or less, including any biome at night and in caves. | ||||
| 13w42b | Decreased spawn rate. | ||||
| 1.8 | 14w03a | Villagers struck by lightning will turn into witches. | |||
| 14w11a | Now run away from creepers that are about to explode. | ||||
| 14w34d | Witch hut spawning zone decreased or eliminated depending on altitude of the hut. | ||||
| 1.8.1 | pre1 | No longer runs away from creepers that are about to explode. | |||
| Witch hut spawning zone height increased by 2. | |||||
| 1.9 | 15w31a | Witches now have a 50% chance of choosing a potion of Swiftness when relevant, instead of a 43.75% chance. | |||
| 15w47b | Added sounds for witches idling, taking damage, dying, drinking and throwing potions. | ||||
| 1.10 | pre1 | Witches will drink a potion of Fire Resistance if they don't already have the effect and the most recent damage taken (within the past 2 seconds) was fire damage. | |||
| 1.11 | 16w32a | Changed entity ID from Witch to witch. | |||
| Pocket Edition Alpha | |||||
| 0.14.0 | build 1 | Added witches. | |||
| build 2 | Fixed texture | ||||
| build 3 | Witches now avoid water unless they have a target. | ||||
| Legacy Console Edition | |||||
| TU19 | CU7 | 1.12 | Patch 1 | Added witches. | |
| TU31 | CU19 | 1.22 | Patch 3 | Witches can now drink and drop potions of Water Breathing. | |
| TU43 | CU33 | 1.36 | Patch 13 | Added sounds for witches. | |
Issues
Issues relating to "Witch" are maintained on the bug tracker. Report issues there.
Trivia
- If a witch hits another witch with a potion, the witch who is hit will become angry and target the other witch, however it is impossible for either witch to kill the other (without help from a player) due to their use of Healing potions and their resistance to each other's splash potions.
- Witches do not utilize the equipment in their huts, but they can be used by players.
- The odds of a witch dropping the maximum amount of drops 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 will lift up and point forward.
- Baby villagers, when struck by lightning, will turn into witches and thus become adult-sized.
- You can see the short mouth of a witch from the side only if they are drinking a potion and lifting their nose.
- When the subject of witches dropping sticks was brought up, Dinnerbone jokingly replied that it's because witches are made of wood.[6]
- He later explained [7] that it was a reference to this scene from Monty Python and the Holy Grail.
Gallery
- Witch drink.png
A witch drinking a potion; note its nose lifting up while it drinks it.
- Witch trhrow.png
A witch throwing a potion at the player.
A witch in its witch hut.
7 witches fighting in a thunderstorm.
The particle effect that witches emit.
References
- ↑ 73051
- ↑ https://twitter.com/Dinnerbone/status/246183173145387008
- ↑ https://twitter.com/Dinnerbone/status/246183485675540480
- ↑ https://twitter.com/Dinnerbone/status/247990344317300736
- ↑ https://twitter.com/Dinnerbone/status/248054501494370304
- ↑ "Don't you know that witches are made out of wood?" – u/Dinnerbone on Reddit
- ↑ "You almost got the joke!" – u/Dinnerbone on Reddit








