Combat / Hostile Mobs
How to Fight a Witch
The swamp-hut witch wins by debuffing you to death from range. Carry milk, rush her, read the lob, and burst her 26 HP before she out-heals you.
The fight in one line
Drink milk to wipe her Poison and Weakness, sprint inside her throwing range, strafe the bottle arc, and land 4 Sharpness IV hits (~9 dmg each) before her Healing splash undoes your damage.
Quick answers
+How much health does a witch have?
26 HP (13 hearts). She also drinks Splash Potion of Healing on herself mid-fight, so you must out-damage her healing - burst is everything.
+What potions does a witch throw?
Splash Potion of Harming (her default attack, 6 damage), Poison (damage over time, can't kill you - stops at 1 HP), Slowness (when you're 8-10 blocks away), and Weakness at close range. She drinks Healing, Fire Resistance, Swiftness, and Water Breathing on herself.
+Why is milk so important against a witch?
One milk bucket instantly removes ALL active effects - Poison, Weakness, and Slowness at once. It's the single hardest counter to her kit. Drink it the moment a splash cloud touches you, then re-buff.
+Can a witch kill you?
Yes, mainly through her Splash Harming (6 direct damage per hit). Poison alone can't - it stops at 1 HP - but Harming, plus Poison or another mob piling on, can finish a low player. Geared up on flat ground you rarely die to a lone witch.
+Is a witch immune to potions?
Witches take only 15% damage from potions thrown at them and are immune to their own potion types. Don't waste Harming on her - use a melee sword burst instead.
+What do witches drop?
Glowstone dust, redstone, sugar, glass bottles, gunpowder, sticks, and spider eye. If killed while drinking or holding a potion, she can drop that potion too. Great for an early brewing setup.
+Do witches burn in daylight?
No. Witches are not undead, so they never burn in sunlight like zombies and skeletons. A swamp-hut witch sits in the open all day and stays passive until you get within 16 blocks of her detection range.
+Can a villager turn into a witch?
Yes. If lightning strikes within 4 blocks of a villager, it converts to a witch permanently. There is no way to convert her back, so light up villages and put a roof or lightning rod over an exposed one.
+Is a bow or a sword better against a witch?
Sword. Arrows do full damage but let her kite and drink Healing between hits. A 4-hit Sharpness IV melee burst out-paces her healing. Carry a bow only to interrupt her drink animation or chip a witch standing on water.
+What's the witch XP and rare drop?
She gives 5 XP on death, plus 1 to 3 extra per item she was holding. She has no guaranteed rare drop, but Looting III raises drop counts and the odds she leaves a brewed potion you can grab and reuse.
Gear, timing, and common mistakes
- Eat before the fight, not during. Weakness blocks the eating animation only if you panic-spam it. Drink milk first to clear Weakness, then eat. A regular golden apple gives Absorption I (4 extra HP, lasts 2 minutes) and Regeneration II for 5 seconds.
- Stand on dry, flat ground. Swamp ground is full of water and lily pads. Slowness plus deep water lets her reset distance and re-throw. Fill one block flat or fight her on the hut floor.
- Don't bother with Splash Harming. Witches take only 15% potion damage and are immune to their own types, so a thrown Harming barely dents her. Save it for other mobs and burst her with melee.
- Block-hit through her drink. Right-click your shield the instant she raises a bottle to her mouth. A blocked splash does no effect, and her Healing sip wastes a second while you close in.
- Watch the hut, not just the witch. Witch huts spawn over swamp water near slime chunks, so a Slime can shove you off the platform. Clear the area and bridge a safe edge before you engage.