Combat / Swamp & Caves
Fight a Slime
Slimes do not die, they divide. A single 16HP big slime can leave seven blobs on your floor in two seconds. Win by controlling the split chain and sweeping, not by chasing.
Set up the room, open on the big one, then clear smalls and tinies with one wide arc.
CLEARED
0 / 7
AOE SWEEP READY
-16
-4
-1
The split-chain method
Treat the fight as a tree, not a brawl. One big (16HP) becomes up to 4 smalls (4HP), each becoming up to 4 tinies (1HP). The danger window is the instant the big dies and the smalls scatter, so kill it with your back to a wall and one tile of space ahead.
Sweep economy: Sweeping Edge III tags every blob in the swing arc. Because smalls and tinies are low to the ground, a single sideways left-click can wipe an entire generation. Crit the big, then sweep the rest. With Sharpness V you two-shot the big and one-shot everything it spawns.
Room control: dig flat at Y=39 in a confirmed slime chunk, light it fully so only slimes (not zombies/spiders) spawn, and keep the floor clear so splits land where your sweep reaches. No water gaps, no holes for blobs to wedge into.
Quick answers
+How much health does a slime have?
Big slimes have 16HP (8 hearts), small slimes 4HP, and tiny slimes 1HP. The big one is the only real threat per hit; everything after is cleanup.
+Why do slimes multiply when I hit them?
Killing a big or small slime spawns 2-4 smaller copies in its place. It is a split, not respawn. Kill the big in the open so the children have room to land where you can sweep them.
+What is the best weapon against slimes?
A Sharpness V Netherite Sword with Sweeping Edge III. The sweep arc hits every nearby blob at once, which is exactly what the split chain throws at you. An axe out-damages per hit but cannot sweep.
+Do tiny slimes hurt me?
In Java Edition tiny slimes deal no contact damage, so they are harmless but annoying. On Bedrock they still nibble for low damage. Either way clear them so they do not block your swing or push you.
+Where do slimes spawn?
In slime chunks below Y=40 at any light level, or in swamp biomes at night between Y=51-69 at low light. Use a slime-chunk finder seed map, then dig a controlled room to farm them.
+What do slimes drop?
Slimeballs (0-2 per small/big, used for sticky pistons, leads, and slime blocks). Tiny slimes drop slimeballs too. A controlled split-chain kill maximizes balls per spawn.