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This article is about the mob. For the mob in Minecraft Story Mode, see Minecraft Story Mode:Witch. For the mob in Minecraft Dungeons, see MCD:Witch.

The witch is a hostile mob that uses potions in combat, both in the form of weapons as splash potions and in the form of drinkable potions for defense.

Spawning[]

The witch may spawn in the Overworld above opaque blocks at a light level of 0, in all biomes except mushroom fields and deep dark. Every swamp hut spawns a witch and a cat inside during world generation both which never despawn. Otherwise, witches spawn in the hut. In Java Edition, only witches spawn in the 7×7×9 volume that is the hut, which is the size of the roof and one block over the porch, from one level below the floor of the hut to two blocks above the roof. In Bedrock Edition, the hut has a hardcoded spawn spot on which witches spawn: the spawn spot is the same for every hut.

Some witches always spawn as part of raids starting from wave 4 in Bedrock Edition or wave 3 or 4 in Java Edition depending on the world difficulty. A villager transforms into a witch when lightning strikes within four blocks. The witch transformed from a villager does not despawn and cannot be changed back into a villager. This witch attacks the player with its potions even if the player traded with it before.

Top View of Witch hut

The rooftop and scale of a swamp hut, as well as the spawning zone. The spawn area matches the roof, plus the porch. (Java Edition)

Vertical Image of Witch hut

Shows the side of a swamp hut, also shows the scale of it and proper height. (Java Edition)

Witch Hut Spawn Spot

Witches spawn on the northwest corner of the spawn spot, which is marked with a block of lapis lazuli in this picture. (Bedrock Edition)

Witches are a source of potion ingredients and are the only mobs that are able to spawn in the small area around a swamp hut. These huts are the best place to farm witches, but they require spawning platforms and light levels of 0. A hut can support a maximum of three spawning platforms. Witch huts generate in swamp biomes sometimes, but the witch-exclusiveness depends on the entire hut being inside a swamp biome. In raids found in villages, it is more worthwhile to simply build an illager farm and deal with witches as they spawn.

Drops[]

A witch drops 5 experience orbs when killed by a player or tamed wolf. Witches have the largest loot table of any mob, making one to three drops of zero to two items each, for a maximum of six items total. A witch may drop Stick, Glass Bottle, Glowstone Dust, Redstone Dust, Spider Eye, Gunpowder or Sugar.[1] The likelihood of a witch to drop sticks is 25%, while the remaining items have a probability of 12.5%. The odds of a witch dropping the maximum amount of items possible without a Looting enchantment are 1 in 81 (1.2%).

Each level of Looting increases the maximum items dropped by one for each of the one to three drops, leading to a maximum of five items per drop and a maximum of fifteen items total. No Looting averages two items per kill, Looting I averages three, Looting II averages four and Looting III averages five.

A potion has a 8.5% chance of dropping if a witch is killed while drinking the potion increased by 1% for every level of Looting. A witch drops one of the following in this case:

Behavior[]

A witch is neither an illager nor a villager. Witches do not use housing, the equipment in their swamp huts and cannot open doors. Witches are peaceful toward villagers and wandering traders when not participating in raids, although their potions can hit one by accident. In Java Edition, witches are given the Glowing effect for 3 seconds when a bell is rung within 32 blocks of them. This applies to all witches, regardless of whether they participate in raids or not.

The poison, instant damage, evoker fangs, warden's sonic boom and the Thorns enchantment magical sources are 85% less effective against witches. In Bedrock Edition, witches are immune to poison, fatal poison and to their own thrown harming potions.

WitchParticles

The particle effect that witches emit.

Witches have a 1.5% chance every second to spawn 10 to 44 ornamental particles above their heads, named “witch” in Java Edition or “witchspell” in Bedrock Edition and purple in color.

A witch pursues the player within 16 blocks and uses potions of the first level in combat, throwing splash potions offensively and drinking potions defensively. These potions are the same as ones obtainable through brewing, with the same duration. A witch has an infinite stock of potions, even when transformed from a villager or not having had any potions equipped in their inventory. Each potion chosen by the witch depends on the circumstance and is thrown within ten blocks and in a three-second interval.

  • The witch throws a splash potion of Slowness if the player is eight, nine or ten blocks away and does not already have the Slowness effect. This makes it harder for the player to escape if they attempt to.
  • The witch throws a splash potion of Poison if the player's health is at least 8♥♥♥♥ and is not already poisoned.
  • The witch has a 25% chance of throwing a splash potion of Weakness if the player is 3 or less blocks away and does not already have the Weakness effect. This is used to weaken the player's melee attacks on the witch if they attempt to.
  • If none of the above conditions are true, the witch defaults to using a splash potion of Harming, which does 6♥♥♥ magical damage.

A witch may choose to equip and drink a potion each game tick (120 second) if it is not already drinking a potion. Drinking the potion takes 1.6 seconds[2] and slows down its moving speed. It does not attack during this time.

  • When 80% under water and lacking Water Breathing, there is a 15% chance of drinking a potion of Water Breathing.
  • When on fire or the last damage taken in the past 2 seconds was fire damage, there is a 15% chance of drinking a potion of Fire Resistance.
  • When not at full health, there is a 5% chance of drinking a potion of Healing, which heals 4♥♥.[3]
  • When the witch is eleven or more blocks from a target and does not have the Speed effect, there is a 50% chance of drinking a potion of Swiftness.

As a result, witches are difficult to kill via suffocation or cacti due to their frequent use of healing potions, cannot drown underwater and require a long time to die in lava or fire.

If the raid members kill all the villagers in a village, witches jump in commemoration to their victory.

In Java Edition, any witch can join a patrol if sufficiently near a patrol captain. These witches are hostile towards villagers, wandering traders and iron golems if in their sight. Witches that participate in a raid seek out illagers and ravagers and throw splash potions of Regeneration of 45 seconds or Instant Health if they have 4♥♥ or less. Witches do not retaliate when attacked by evoker fangs, illagers, or harming potions from other witches. Instead, they drink a beneficial potion. In Bedrock Edition, witches participating in a raid do not heal other illagers‌[until BE 1.20.30], but still attack the player, iron golems and snow golems. Witches throw negative splash potions at any mob that attacks it, including other witches and illagers.

Sounds[]

Java Edition:
Witches use the Hostile Creatures sound category for entity-dependent sound events.

SoundSubtitlesSourceDescriptionResource locationTranslation keyVolumePitchAttenuation
distance
Witch gigglesHostile CreaturesRandomlyentity.witch.ambientsubtitles.entity.witch.ambient1.00.8-1.2 [sound 1]16
Witch cheersHostile CreaturesWhen a witch wins a raidentity.witch.celebratesubtitles.entity.witch.celebrate1.00.8-1.216
Witch drinksHostile CreaturesWhen a witch drinks a potionentity.witch.drinksubtitles.entity.witch.drink1.00.8-1.216
Witch diesHostile CreaturesWhen a witch diesentity.witch.deathsubtitles.entity.witch.death1.00.8-1.216
Witch hurtsHostile CreaturesWhen a witch is damagedentity.witch.hurtsubtitles.entity.witch.hurt1.00.8-1.216
Witch throwsHostile CreaturesWhen a witch throws a splash potionentity.witch.throwsubtitles.entity.witch.throw1.00.8-1.216
  1. Except for the second copy of ambient5, which is 0.72-1.08

Bedrock Edition:

SoundSourceDescriptionResource locationVolumePitch
Hostile CreaturesRandomlymob.witch.ambient1.0varies[sound 1]
Hostile CreaturesRandomly while in a raidmob.witch.ambient3.0varies[sound 1]
Hostile CreaturesWhen a witch has won a raidmob.witch.celebrate1.00.8-1.2
Hostile CreaturesWhen a witch drinks a potionmob.witch.drink1.01.0
Hostile CreaturesWhen a witch diesmob.witch.death1.00.8-1.2
Hostile CreaturesWhen a witch is damagedmob.witch.hurt1.00.8-1.2
Hostile CreaturesWhen a witch throws a splash potionmob.witch.throw1.01.0
  1. a b 0.8-1.2 for all except the copy of ambient5, the first sound in the list, which is 0.56-0.84

Data values[]

ID[]

Java Edition:

NameIdentifierEntity tags (JE)Translation key
Witchwitchraidersentity.minecraft.witch

Bedrock Edition:

NameIdentifierNumeric ID Translation key
Witchwitch45entity.witch.name

Entity data[]

Witches have entity data associated with them that contains various properties. Java Edition:

Main article: Entity format
  • Entity data
    • Tags common to all entities
    • Tags common to all mobs
    • Tags common to all mobs spawnable in raids

Bedrock Edition:

See Bedrock Edition level format/Entity format.

Achievements[]

Icon Achievement In-game description Actual requirements (if different) Gamerscore earned Trophy type (PS4)
PS4 Other
Taste of Your Own MedicinePoison a witch with a splash potion.Throw a splash potion of poison at a witch (by facing the witch and pressing the use key).20GSilver

Advancements[]

Icon Advancement In-game description Parent Actual requirements (if different) Resource location
Advancement-plain-rawAdventure
Adventure, exploration and combat Kill any entity, or be killed by any entity.adventure/root
Advancement-plain-rawMonster Hunter
Kill any hostile monster AdventureKill one of these 34 mobs: Only the riders of the chicken jockeys and skeleton horsemen are counted in this advancement. Other mobs may be killed, but are ignored for this advancement.adventure/kill_a_mob
Advancement-fancy-rawIt Spreads
Kill a mob near a Sculk Catalyst Monster HunterKill one of these 70 mobs near a sculk catalyst: Mobs that drop no experience are ignored for this advancement.adventure/kill_mob_near_sculk_catalyst
Advancement-fancy-rawMonsters Hunted
Kill one of every hostile monster Monster HunterKill each of these 34 mobs: Other mobs may be killed, but are ignored for this advancement. Only the riders of the chicken jockeys and skeleton horsemen are counted in this advancement.adventure/kill_all_mobs

History[]

September 13, 2012Nathan Adams hints that the witch mob will be added in the Pretty Scary Update,[4][5][6] and that the witch's texture would be some variation of the villager’s.[7]
September 21, 2012Nathan Adams confirmed a suggestion made by Reddit user Mr_Pennybags in the Minecraft Reddit community that witches are to live in witch huts.
Java Edition
1.4.212w38aWitch Revision 1 Added witches, hostile mobs based on a witch found in a tale from eastern Europe.
Witch drinking potion 12w38a Witches protect themselves from damage by drinking potions.
Witches do not naturally spawn, and can be spawned only in Creative mode using spawn eggs.
Witches use splash potions, such as Poison, Weakness, Harming, and Slowness, to fight the player.
Though witches are modeled after villagers, they do not share any attributes of villagers, such as utilizing housing, and are unable to open doors.
12w38bWitches now have common drops, including glass bottles, sticks, redstone dust, glowstone dust, gunpowder, spider eyes, and water bottles.
Witches can no longer hurt themselves.
Witch Revision 2 The texture of witches has been changed slightly. Their skin color is now darker.
Witch drinking potion 12w38b With the texture change of the witch's skin color, witches drinking are now also darker.
12w39aThe texture size for the witch has been changed from 64×126 to 64×128.
12w40aWitches can now spawn in witch huts.
Witches no longer drop water bottles.
1.6.113w23aThe witch’s regeneration rate has been decreased by 2/3, because the Instant Health status effect heals less. This was reverted in the Java Edition Combat Tests.
1.7.213w37aWitches can now drink and drop potions of Water Breathing.
Witch drinking potion 1.7.2 The potion-drinking position of witches has been changed.
13w42aWitches can now spawn anywhere where the light level is 7 or less, including any biome at night and in caves.
13w42bThe spawn rate for the witch has been decreased.
1.814w03aVillagers now turn into witches when struck by lightning.
14w11aWitches now run away from creepers that are about to explode.
14w25aWitch drinking potion 14w25a The potion-drinking position of witches has been changed.
14w29aWitch drinking potion 14w29a The potion-drinking position of witches has been changed.
14w30aWitch drinking potion 14w30a The potion-drinking position of witches has been changed.
14w34dThe witch hut’s spawning zone has been decreased or eliminated, depending on the altitude of the hut.
1.8.1pre1Witches no longer run away from creepers that are about to explode.
The witch hut's spawning zone height has been increased by 2.
1.915w31aWitches now have a 50% chance of choosing a potion of Swiftness when relevant, instead of a 43.75% chance.
Witch drinking potion 15w31a The potion-drinking position of witches has been changed.
15w47bAdded sounds for witches idling, taking damage, dying, drinking, and throwing potions.
1.10pre1Witches now drink a potion of fire resistance if they don't already have the Fire Resistance effect and the most recent damage taken (within the past 2 seconds) was fire damage.
1.1116w32aThe entity ID has been changed from Witch to witch.
16w42aWitches that spawn upon generation of witch huts no longer despawn.[8]
1.1418w43aWitch The texture of witches has been changed.
Witch drinking 1.14 With the texture change of witches, the witch’s drinking animation has now also been changed.
18w47aWitches can now spawn as part of raids.
Witches no longer attack each other.[9]
18w50aWitches are now neutral mobs. This was confirmed by Slicedlime to be an unintentional change.[10]
18w50a witch The appearance of witches have been changed, adding a purple hood. This was confirmed by Jasper Boerstra to be an unintentional change.[11]
19w02aWitches are once again hostile mobs.
Witch The texture changes of the witch from 18w50a have been reverted.
19w13aWitch celebrating If a raid kills all the villagers or destroys all the beds in a village, raiding witches celebrate their victory by jumping and laughing.
1.1519w42aWitch drinking potion 19w42a The potion-drinking position of witches has been changed.
19w44aWitch drinking potion 19w44a The potion-drinking position of witches has been changed. The potions now float above their arms.
19w45aWitch drinking The potion-drinking position of witches has been changed.
1.1620w22aWhen a villager that has been traded with is struck by lightning, the witch it becomes no longer despawns.
Pre-release 1When a villager is struck by lightning, the witch it becomes no longer despawns.
1.18Pre-release 5Changed the texture, to remove its hood.
1.1922w17aWitch Revision 4 Changed its models, now the last two rows of pixels on its robes can render.
Upcoming Java Edition
1.20.223w31aWitches now trigger sculk sensors when they drink a potion.[12]
Pocket Edition Alpha
v0.14.0build 1Witch BE Revision 1 Added witches. The hat model and head position are different from Java Edition’s witches.
build 2Witch BE Revision 2 The model of witches has been changed.
build 3Witches now avoid water unless they have a target.
Bedrock Edition
1.2.0beta 1.2.0.2Witches now have an 8.5% chance to drop a potion when drinking. Prior to this, they would always drop a potion when drinking.
1.10.0beta 1.10.0.3Witch BE The texture of witches has been changed.
1.11.0beta 1.11.0.1Witches can now spawn as part of raids.
1.13.0beta 1.13.0.9Witch celebrating When a raid kills all the villagers or destroys all the beds in a village, raiding witches celebrate their victory by jumping and laughing.
?Witches can see enemies from up to 64 blocks instead of 16.
Legacy Console Edition
TU19CU7 1.12 Patch 11.0.1Witch Revision 2 Added witches.
TU31CU19 1.22 Patch 3Witches can now drink and drop potions of water breathing.
TU43CU33 1.36 Patch 13Sounds for witches have been added.
1.90 18w50a witch The texture of witches has been changed. They now use the texture from 18w50a.
New Nintendo 3DS Edition
0.1.0Witch Added witches.

Issues[]

Issues relating to "Witch" are maintained on the bug tracker. Report issues there.

Trivia[]

  • The witch is based on Baba Yaga, a witch from Slavic folklore who also lives in a swamp hut.[13]
  • When the subject of witches dropping sticks was brought up, Nathan Adams jokingly replied that it's because witches are made of wood.[14] He later explained [15] that it was a reference to this scene from Monty Python and the Holy Grail.
  • A witch fits through two block tall gaps, despite being taller than two blocks with its hat.
  • When drinking a potion, a witch's nose lifts and points forward. A witch's nose slightly wiggles when idle.
  • Witches have small mouths hidden under their noses. During their potion-drinking animation, this mouth becomes visible from the side.
  • In the Village and Pillage update artwork banner, the witch in the picture has its arms unfolded like a pillager, despite this being impossible in-game.
  • In Java Edition, witches can ride any mob via commands, including boss mobs. In Bedrock Edition, witches cannot ride ravagers, as the witch is not considered an illager.
  • Witches are the only mobs that use hats. Besides, its the only hats in the game.

Gallery[]

Cosmetics[]

In other media[]

Gear (item)
This article is a work in progress. 
Please help in the expansion or creation of this article by expanding or improving it. The talk page may contain suggestions.
Note: Witch concept from Minecraft Mobestiary.

References[]

  1. https://youtu.be/GT0x6t7nSAg
  2. In the current Java combat test, it drinks in 1 second.
  3. In the current Java combat test, it heals 6♥♥♥.
  4. "While talking with @jeb_ about some stuff he's doing, I realized the perfect mob to add for halloween; it'd be our second ranged one too!"@Dinnerbone (Nathan Adams) on X, September 13, 2012
  5. "Uhh. Second overworld ranged mob!"@Dinnerbone (Nathan Adams) on X, September 13, 2012
  6. "How do you even draw a witch anyway? Pointy nose? In a blocky world it'd look like Pinocchio!"@Dinnerbone (Nathan Adams) on X, September 18, 2012
  7. "I decided to go for a less traditional witch look and have an "offshoot villager" kinda thing. It has a magical nose that wiggles, too."@Dinnerbone (Nathan Adams) on X, September 18, 2012
  8. MC-108664 — resolved as "Fixed".
  9. MC-248071 — "Witches no longer attack each other after 1.14" — resolved as "Works As Intended".
  10. Comment by Slicedlime on his 18w50a update video
  11. "The cowl on the witch is not intended. The cowl was always in the texture map but it just wasn't rendered. Due to the new villager model system now it does."@JasperBoerstra (Jasper Boerstra) on X, December 13, 2018
  12. MC-261420 — "Sculk sensor and calibrated sculk sensor don't detect a witch drinking a potion" — resolved as "Fixed".
  13. "The Last Ten Years: Ten Things You Probably Didn't Know About Minecraft" – Minecraft on YouTube, May 31, 2019
  14. "Don't you know that witches are made out of wood?"u/Dinnerbone on Reddit
  15. "You almost got the joke!"u/Dinnerbone on Reddit
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