Java against Bedrock, side by side
A guide that names one health number is wrong for half its readers. This is the sharpest Java against Bedrock gap on the whole site.
What armor 4 is actually worth: almost nothing. The game's own damage formula clamps protection to a floor of armor × 0.2 the moment damage passes about 6.4, which any real weapon does. With armor 4 and no armor toughness at all on this boss, that floor is 0.8 out of 25, a flat 3.2% damage reduction regardless of weapon. The 300 against 600 gap is not softened by armor at all; it is the entire difference between the two editions.
The fight, phase by phase
It spawns invulnerable for 220 ticks, 11 seconds, at one third health. It heals 10 every 10 ticks during that window, so it is back to full well before the countdown ends. When the countdown hits zero it detonates once, a power 7 explosion centered on itself, and becomes hittable.
At exactly half health, its ranged immunity switches on. From that point, only damage from an arrow or a wind charge is denied; a sword swing, a splash potion, TNT, all of it still lands. That is the entire mechanic behind "phase 2 is melee only": it is not a general immunity, it is a filter on two specific projectile types. Every undead attacker is denied in both phases regardless of the damage source, and so is drowning damage.
The skulls
A direct hit from either kind of skull does 8 damage and applies Wither II, timed by difficulty. If the hit kills its target, the Wither heals 5.
Only the center head can fire a "dangerous" (blue) skull, and only at a 0.1% chance per shot; the two side heads never do. It does not hit harder on a direct hit, 8 damage either way. The difference is its impact explosion: a normal skull explodes at power 1.0 using real block resistance, which cannot dent obsidian. A dangerous skull's explosion caps resistance at 0.8 for anything outside its own immune-block list, so it breaks obsidian too.
What does not work
This is where the folklore is strongest and the code says otherwise.
An obsidian box. About a second after any hit that lands, it clears every block touching its own body that it is allowed to break: not air, and not on its own immune-block list. That list is bedrock, barrier, the end portal blocks, the command blocks, structure_block, jigsaw, moving_piston, light, reinforced_deepslate and the test blocks. Obsidian is not on the list. That block-clearing check does not look at hardness at all, so one hit on a boxed-in Wither lets it dig straight out. Reinforced deepslate is the only block on that list a player can actually place.
This is also why a box can look like it works at first: it has no melee-charge behavior at all among its handful of AI routines, only a mix of standing, ranged attack, cautious flying and looking around. It never rams the box. The digging-out is not an attack, it is that block-clearing clock running on its own, roughly a second after each hit lands.
A wither skeleton farm, or any undead attacker. Its immunity denies damage from any undead entity outright, defined as the entire undead category. Not just another Wither, every undead mob.
Fire, and drowning. It is flagged fire-immune on both editions. On Java, drowning damage is separately denied outright: a Wither cannot be drowned, in either phase.
The Nether Star
It has no random drop chance at all. The Nether Star is not a roll of the dice: it always drops, unconditionally, every single kill, with an extended item lifetime so it does not despawn before you reach it. One star, every kill, no Looting dependency.
Materials needed to spawn the Wither
- 4 soul sand or soul soil, found in the Nether's soul sand valley biome.
- 3 wither skeleton skulls, rare drops from wither skeletons in Nether fortresses. The base drop rate is 2.5%, boosted by Looting III to roughly 5.5%. Expect to farm 50 to 100 wither skeletons per skull without looting.
Building the spawn structure
Place soul sand in a T shape: three blocks in a horizontal row with one block underneath the center. Place the three skulls on top of the horizontal row. The last skull placed triggers the spawn. Make sure there are no blocks adjacent to the T shape or the Wither will not form.
The instant the Wither spawns it begins a charge-up phase lasting about 11 seconds. During this time it is invulnerable and grows in size. When the charge completes, it releases a massive explosion roughly equivalent to a charged creeper. Build your arena accordingly or spawn it deep underground where the blast is absorbed by stone.
Wither combat, Phase 1 (ranged)
The Wither has 300 HP on Java and 600 HP on Bedrock. In phase 1 (above half health), it flies around and shoots wither skulls at you and nearby mobs. There are two skull types:
- Black skulls, fired at players. They deal 8 damage and inflict the Wither II effect (no effect on Easy, 10 seconds on Normal, 40 seconds on Hard), which drains health over time.
- Blue skulls, fired occasionally. They move slower but destroy blocks on impact (except bedrock, end portal frames and a few others). These are what make the Wither so destructive to terrain.
Use a bow with Power V to chip away health during this phase. Keep moving laterally to dodge skulls. Bring milk buckets to clear the Wither effect or golden apples to outheal it.
Wither combat, Phase 2 (melee)
At half health the Wither gains wither armor, becoming immune to arrows and wind charges. It also drops to ground level and charges at you. Switch to your Sharpness V netherite sword and engage in melee. Smite V is even better since the Wither is an undead mob, each hit deals significantly more damage. Strength II potions stack with your sword enchantment for massive hits.
On Bedrock Edition, the Wither also summons wither skeletons at half health, adding extra pressure. Bring a shield to block skeleton strikes while focusing the boss.
Recommended gear
- Full netherite armor with Protection IV and one piece with Blast Protection IV.
- Netherite sword with Smite V (or Sharpness V if you share the sword for general use).
- Bow with Power V and Infinity.
- Golden apples, regular and enchanted if you have them.
- Milk buckets (3 to 4) for clearing the Wither status effect.
- Strength II potions.
- Totems of Undying, one in off-hand as insurance.
The Nether roof bedrock trap (Java Edition)
This strategy trivializes the fight. On Java Edition, you can reach the Nether roof (y = 128) using an ender pearl or piston glitch through the bedrock ceiling. Once on top:
- Build the T shape so the Wither spawns with its heads inside the bedrock layer. The bedrock prevents it from moving.
- After the charge-up explosion, the Wither is stuck in the bedrock. It cannot fly away or shoot at you effectively.
- Melee it with your sword until it dies. You take almost no damage because the skulls cannot path through solid bedrock.
This method does not work on Bedrock Edition because the Nether roof is inaccessible without glitches that have been patched in recent versions, and the Wither's dash attack can break through bedrock on that platform.
Underground tunnel strategy
If the Nether roof is not an option, dig a long 1x2 tunnel at bedrock level in the Overworld. Spawn the Wither at one end, then retreat down the tunnel hitting it with your sword. The confined space limits the Wither's movement and keeps it lined up for melee. Reinforce the tunnel walls with obsidian for the first few blocks near the spawn point to survive the initial explosion.
After the kill
The Wither drops one nether star and 50 XP. Craft a beacon with the nether star, three obsidian and five glass. Place it on a pyramid of iron, gold, diamond, emerald or netherite blocks to activate a radius buff, Speed, Haste, Resistance, Jump Boost or Strength depending on the pyramid tier.
Frequently asked questions
How much health does the Wither have?
300 on Java, 600 on Bedrock. Java also gives it armor 4; Bedrock gives it none. Checked against Java 26.2 and the Wither's own entity definition in Bedrock 1.26.30.5.
What actually changes at half health?
The Wither switches into its second phase once its health drops to half its maximum. From that point on it only blocks damage from arrows and wind charges; everything else, including a melee hit, still gets through. So a bow stops working and a sword keeps working, not the other way around.
Does an obsidian box trap it?
No. About a second after any hit that lands, the Wither clears every block touching its own body that it is allowed to break, meaning it is not air and not on its short list of immune blocks. Obsidian is not on that list. Reinforced deepslate is the only easily placed block that is.
Is the Nether Star a random drop?
No. There is no chance roll behind it at all. The game spawns the Nether Star on death unconditionally as a fixed rule, so it always drops, with no Looting enchantment involved.
What does a blue (dangerous) skull do differently?
The same 8 damage as a normal skull. The difference is its impact explosion: a dangerous skull's blast can break obsidian and other blocks a normal skull's blast cannot touch. Only the center head can fire one, at a 0.1% chance per shot.
Can I drown it or let another wither hurt it?
Neither works, in either phase. The Wither is built to ignore drowning damage outright, and separately to ignore damage from any undead attacker, which covers a second wither as well as zombies and skeletons.
Sources
Health, armor, speed and follow range are checked against Java 26.2 and against the Wither's own entity definition in Bedrock 1.26.30.5. The two phases, the Nether Star drop, the dangerous skull, the block-digging behavior and the drowning and undead immunities are checked the same way, against the game's own logic and data for both editions, not against any older guide or outside source. Checked on 11 August 2026.
Splash Potion
Golden Apple
Ender Pearl
Milk Bucket
Wind Charge
Soul Sand