How to Beat the Wither in Minecraft

The Wither is Minecraft's second boss and arguably more dangerous than the Ender Dragon. Defeating it rewards a nether star, used to craft a beacon, one of the most powerful utility blocks in the game. This guide covers spawning, open-field combat and the popular bedrock suffocation strategy.

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 10 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 for 10 seconds, 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 projectiles. 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.

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