Defend Your Base From Mobs
A base is only as safe as its darkest corner and its lowest wall. This is the layered defense that holds every night: a wall mobs can't climb, a moat they can't cross, lighting that kills spawns at the source, and a magma ring that finishes anything that gets close. Build it once and stop rebuilding after creepers.
Each layer covers the previous one's gap. The wall stops walkers but not spiders, so the overhang cap handles spiders. The moat stops what reaches the wall, so creepers detonate across the gap instead of against stone. Lighting removes the only thing walls can't stop, interior spawns, by keeping every tile at light 8+. The magma ring is the failsafe for anything that still falls in. Defend in depth and no single breach loses the base.
What is actually walking at your walls, ranked by reach
Base defence is decided by follow range, not by health: a mob that never notices you never arrives. The column to watch is the fourth one. A zombie tracks you from 35 blocks and a blaze from 48, while a silverfish or a slime only from 16, which is why the same wall keeps some of them out and none of the others.
| Mob | Health | Hit damage | Movement speed | Follow range | XP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Enderman | 40 | 7 | 0.3 | 64 | 5 |
| Blaze | 20 | 6 | 0.23 | 48 | 10 |
| Wither | 300 | 2 | 0.6 | 40 | 50 |
| Zombie | 20 | 3 | 0.23 | 35 | 5 |
| Drowned | 20 | 3 | 0.23 | 35 | 5 |
| Ravager | 100 | 12 | 0.35 | 32 | 20 |
| Breeze | 30 | 3 | 0.63 | 24 | 10 |
| Creeper | 20 | 2 | 0.25 | 16 | 5 |
| Guardian | 30 | 6 | 0.5 | 16 | 10 |
| Hoglin | 40 | 6 | 0.3 | 16 | 5 |
| Phantom | 20 | 2 | 0.7 | 16 | 5 |
| Shulker | 30 | 2 | 0.7 | 16 | 5 |
| Silverfish | 8 | 1 | 0.25 | 16 | 5 |
| Ender Dragon | 200 | 2 | 0.7 | 16 | - |
| Slime | 16 | 4 | 0.6 | 16 | query.last_hit_by_player ? query.variant : 0 |
| Spider | 16 | 2 | 0.3 | 16 | 5 |
| Vex | 14 | 4 | 0.7 | 16 | 3 |
| Witch | 26 | 2 | 0.25 | 16 | 12 |
| Piglin | 16 | 5 | 0.35 | 16 | 5 |
| Skeleton | 20 | 2 | 0.25 | 16 | 5 |
| Vindicator | 24 | 5 | 0.35 | 12 | 12 |
| Evoker | 24 | 2 | 0.5 | 12 | 10 |
Quick answers
+How tall does a wall need to be to stop mobs?
+Do mobs spawn inside a walled base?
+Does a water moat actually stop mobs?
+What light level prevents mob spawns?
+Are magma blocks good for base defense?
+Can creepers still blow up my wall?
+Which mobs notice me from furthest away?
+Does a wall stop everything?
Blocks and items in this guide
Dispenser
Glowstone
Iron Door
Redstone
Lantern
Spawner
PotionAll 7 of these are named in the guide above, starting with Dispenser. Look them up in the item database.