Ghast

{
 "title": "Ghast",
 "rows": [
 {
 "field": "10<span class=\"hidden-alt-text\">HP</span><span class=\"nowrap mc-hearts\"><span class=\"iconbar pixel-image nowrap\" style=\"--icon-offset:-1px;\" title=\"5 hearts\">(link to File:Heart (icon).png article, displayed as 9px|link=|alt=❤️)(link to File:Heart (icon).png article, displayed as 9px|link=|alt=❤️)(link to File:Heart (icon).png article, displayed as 9px|link=|alt=❤️)(link to File:Heart (icon).png article, displayed as 9px|link=|alt=❤️)(link to File:Heart (icon).png article, displayed as 9px|link=|alt=❤️)</span></span>",
 "label": "(link to Health article, displayed as Health points)"
 },
 {
 "field": "Hostile",
 "label": "Behavior"
 },
 {
 "field": "<span class=\"nowrap\"><span class=\"sprite-file\" style=\"\">(link to File:EntitySprite monster.png article, displayed as 16x16px|link=Monster|alt=|class=pixel-image|)</span>(link to Monster article, displayed as <span class=\"sprite-text\">Monster</span>)</span>",
 "label": "(link to Mob type article, displayed as Mob type)"
 },
 {
 "field": "(values exceeds 1000 characters...)",
 "label": "Attack<br/>strength"
 },
 {
 "field": "Height: 4.0 blocks<br/>Width: 4.0 blocks",
 "label": "(link to Hitbox article, displayed as Hitbox size)"
 },
 {
 "field": "0.7",
 "label": "(link to Attribute#Movement_speed article, displayed as Speed)"
 },
 {
 "field": "<span class=\"nowrap\"><span class=\"sprite-file\" style=\"\">(link to File:BiomeSprite nether-wastes.png article, displayed as 16x16px|link=Nether Wastes|alt=|class=pixel-image|)</span>(link to Nether Wastes article, displayed as <span class=\"sprite-text\">Nether Wastes</span>)</span> <br> <span class=\"nowrap\"><span class=\"sprite-file\" style=\"\">(link to File:BiomeSprite soul-sand-valley.png article, displayed as 16x16px|link=Soul Sand Valley|alt=|class=pixel-image|)</span>(link to Soul Sand Valley article, displayed as <span class=\"sprite-text\">Soul Sand Valley</span>)</span> <br> <span class=\"nowrap\"><span class=\"sprite-file\" style=\"\">(link to File:BiomeSprite basalt-deltas.png article, displayed as 16x16px|link=Basalt Deltas|alt=|class=pixel-image|)</span>(link to Basalt Deltas article, displayed as <span class=\"sprite-text\">Basalt Deltas</span>)</span>",
 "label": "(link to Mob spawning article, displayed as Spawn)"
 }
 ],
 "invimages": [
 "Ghast Spawn Egg"
 ],
 "images": [
 "Ghast.gif",
 "Ghast shooting JE3.png",
 "Ghast shooting BE4.png"
 ]
}

Ghasts are large, floating, ghost-like hostile mobs found in the Nether, and are the only source of ghast tears. Ghasts wander aimlessly and shoot explosive fireballs at players, which can be hit back to kill them instantly upon direct impact.

To spawn naturally, a ghast requires a solid block below it and a free space 5×5 blocks wide and 4 blocks high. They spawn in the basalt deltas, Nether wastes, and soul sand valley biomes in any light level. In Java Edition, ghasts cannot spawn in soul sand valleys if another ghast is within 16 blocks of spherical distance to the intended spawning location. In Bedrock Edition, two ghasts can spawn within any 4 chunk span.

In Java Edition, ghasts spawn in groups of 4 at both Nether wastes and soul sand valleys while they spawn individually in basalt deltas. In Bedrock Edition, ghasts will always spawn individually.

Ghasts do not spawn in Nether fortresses, but they can wander nearby. They can, however, spawn in the treasure room variant of bastion remnants if the room is in the correct biome.

Java Edition:

Bedrock Edition:

• 5XP when killed by the player.

Ghasts float around with their eyes and mouth closed and periodically make crying sounds heard from up to 80 blocks away. They have a hitbox of 4×4×4 blocks. The ghast's nine tentacles are not within their hitbox.

When within range, a ghast faces the player and shoots a fireball every 3 seconds, opening its eyes and mouth and making a screeching sound. They strafe left to right in the air while targeting. A ghast requires a line of sight to the player before firing, which can be blocked by any solid block, including transparent blocks. In Java Edition, they target players within 64 blocks horizontally and 4 blocks vertically^[1], and continue attacking as long as they are within a 64 block sphere and have line of sight. In Bedrock Edition, a ghast normally targets a player within a sphere of 28 blocks, increasing to 64 blocks if the player damages it. In Bedrock Edition, a ghast holds its charge like a pillager when it loses sight of its target and shoots again instantly when in range.^[2]

Ghasts do not attempt to approach the player once aggravated, but instead fire at the player from their position within firing range. If a ghast is within close range to its target, it may take damage from the explosion of its own fireball, regardless of the player hitting the fireball back.

Ghasts can provoke other mobs into targeting them, but in Java Edition they do not target other mobs, only the player.

Ghasts are immune to fire and lava damage. They are slowed by lava, occasionally sinking into it or passing through lava falls, immobilizing them and making them more vulnerable to ranged attacks for some time.

Despite their ghostly appearance, ghasts are not considered undead mobs.^[3] This means they can drown,^[4] are damaged by Instant Damage^[5] and healed by Instant Health, are affected by Regeneration and Poison,^[6] and are not affected by Smite.^[7] Despite this, withers never deliberately target them^[8], making them the only non-undead mob ignored by withers (excluding agents‌^{[BE & edu only]}, and mobs with the invulnerable NBT tag). They are also completely ignored by wolves, "Johnny" vindicators, goats, snow golems, trusting foxes, and zoglins. However, iron golems and wardens attack ghasts, and ghasts do not retaliate.‌^{[Java Edition only][9]}

Despite being flying mobs, ghasts can destroy turtle eggs when on top of them.^[10]

When targeting, the red eyes and mouth of a ghast appears more glowing in Bedrock Edition. With Vibrant Visuals, this texture actually glows.

{
 "title": "Fireball",
 "rows": [
 {
 "field": "'''Height: '''1 Block<br>'''Width: '''1 Block",
 "label": "(link to Hitbox article, displayed as Hitbox size)"
 }
 ],
 "invimages": [],
 "images": [
 "Fire Charge.png"
 ]
}

Ghasts shoot fireballs at players, dealing damage to entities and creating an explosion that sets fire to nearby blocks upon impact. Blocks with blast resistance as low as 3.5 survive a fireball's explosion; the explosion itself does no damage unless it hits the entities directly.

Hitting a fireball with another projectile or a melee attack deflects it, dealing 1000HP👁 ❤️
× 500 damage to any ghast hit directly by it.

All other mobs retaliate against the player instead of the ghast if a deflected fireball hits them.

Java Edition:

Bedrock Edition:

Java Edition:

Bedrock Edition:

Java Edition:

Ghasts have entity data associated with them that contains various properties.

Bedrock Edition:

See Bedrock Edition level format/Entity format.

Achievements that apply to all mobs:

Advancements that apply to all mobs:

• 👁 Ghast texture shared by Notch on a 4chan thread
  
  Ghast texture shared by Notch on a 4chan thread
• 👁 Screenshot of Notch’s 4chan comment featuring the ghast texture
  
  Screenshot of Notch’s 4chan comment featuring the ghast texture
• 👁 A ghast up close, shooting a fireball (with the old snowball texture) at the player
  
  A ghast up close, shooting a fireball (with the old snowball texture) at the player
• 👁 A ghast opens its red eyes when it spits out fireballs (note old "expansion" effect)
  
  A ghast opens its red eyes when it spits out fireballs (note old "expansion" effect)
• 👁 Ghasts (note old snowball texture)
  
  Ghasts (note old snowball texture)
• 👁 A ghast that is in a Nether fortress
  
  A ghast that is in a Nether fortress
• 👁 Prior to 1.3, ghasts would slightly expand when shooting a fireball
  
  Prior to 1.3, ghasts would slightly expand when shooting a fireball
• 👁 Prior to 1.6, ghasts would catch fire when flying through lava
  
  Prior to 1.6, ghasts would catch fire when flying through lava

Issues relating to "Ghast" are maintained on the bug tracker. Issues should be reported and viewed there.

• In English, "ghast" is an archaic word meaning "ghastly".^[20] H. P. Lovecraft first coined its use as the name for a monster (a vaguely humanoid one, in The Dream-Quest of Unknown Kadath), but "ghasts" have appeared in many other fantasy stories and games.
• Ghasts are considered to be fire-breathing ghosts in their Meet the Mob Minecraft.net article.^[21]
  • In their Mob Menagerie article, ghasts were said to be "large, incorporeal beings" whose origins are unclear. The article states that "they tend to avoid the fungal forests where it's harder to track their prey". They are also "immune to heat damage" because they have "spent so long in the Nether" that "they love the warmth of lava" there.^[22]
  • Alternatively, the Minecraft: Mobestiary, their appearance in A Minecraft Movie, and later merchandise portray ghasts as organic beings with a stomach system resembling a cannon.^[23]
• The player can go inside of a ghast by falling through the top of it or flying (or jumping while attacking) up underneath it. If the player stands on top of the head, the player sees inside of it.
• If a ghast is trapped in a cube of a side length of one block, it shoots fireballs through the cube. This is because all mobs that shoot spawn the projectile one block in front of it to prevent the projectile from hitting the mob.
• On rare occasions, ghasts spawn in such a way as to see through blocks (usually trapped on all sides in a tight area). When this happens and the ghast has a "line of sight" through those blocks, it launches a fireball in the player's direction. This is reminiscent of a blaze but with explosive addition.
• C418 revealed in an AMA on Reddit that ghast sounds are taken from his pet cat, who makes them when disturbed while sleeping.^[24]
• There is an unused ghast sound called "affectionatescream.ogg" in the game files. It can be heard in the last scene of the Nether Update: Official Trailer and during the elytra chase scene of A Minecraft Movie.
• These mobs have been referred to as "angry Ghasts" to distinguish them from happy ghasts and dried ghasts.^[25]

• Two ghasts are featured in the Lego Minecraft set Minecraft Micro World - The Nether, along with a zombified piglin.
• In concept art for Minecraft Experience: Moonlight Trail, the side of a ghast is used to represent the Moon.^[26]

• 👁 A normal idle ghast
  
  A normal idle ghast
• 👁 A shooting ghast in Java Edition
  
  A shooting ghast in Java Edition
• 👁 A ghast in the Overworld during rain
  
  A ghast in the Overworld during rain
• 👁 A ghast preparing to shoot in Bedrock Edition
  
  A ghast preparing to shoot in Bedrock Edition
• 👁 A ghast in front of Sunny
  
  A ghast in front of Sunny
• 👁 The size of a ghast compared to Steve
  
  The size of a ghast compared to Steve
• 👁 A ghast spawner
  
  A ghast spawner

• 👁 A ghast in Pocket Edition
  
  A ghast in Pocket Edition
• 👁 A ghast flying through the Nether
  
  A ghast flying through the Nether
• 👁 A ghast spitting a fireball at a player
  
  A ghast spitting a fireball at a player
• 👁 A preview of three ghasts in the soul sand valley
  
  A preview of three ghasts in the soul sand valley
• 👁 Ari fighting a ghast in a soul sand valley
  
  Ari fighting a ghast in a soul sand valley
• 👁 A ghast floating
  
  A ghast floating

• 👁 Ghast texture file
  
  Ghast texture file
• 👁 Shooting ghast texture file‌[JE only]
  
  Shooting ghast texture file‌^{[JE only]}
• 👁 Shooting ghast texture file‌[BE only]
  
  Shooting ghast texture file‌^{[BE only]}

• 👁 Artwork of a ghast
  
  Artwork of a ghast
• 👁 Header of the ghast's Meet the Mob Minecraft.net article
  
  Header of the ghast's Meet the Mob Minecraft.net article
• 👁 Header of the ghast's Mob Menagerie Minecraft.net article
  
  Header of the ghast's Mob Menagerie Minecraft.net article
• 👁 A ghast in promotional artwork for the Nether Update
  
  A ghast in promotional artwork for the Nether Update
• 👁 Official ghast artwork
  
  Official ghast artwork
• 👁 Animated official ghast artwork
  
  Animated official ghast artwork
• 👁 Ghast Spirit from Super Smash Bros. Ultimate
  
  Ghast Spirit from Super Smash Bros. Ultimate
• 👁 A baby ghast in 15 Year Journey
  
  A baby ghast in 15 Year Journey
• 👁 A ghast carrying a snifflet
  
  A ghast carrying a snifflet
• 👁 A ghast floating behind a camel
  
  A ghast floating behind a camel
• 👁 Ghast micromobs from LEGO Minecraft
  
  Ghast micromobs from LEGO Minecraft
• 👁 LEGO Minecraft brick-built Ghast
  
  LEGO Minecraft brick-built Ghast
• 👁 Official T-shirt artwork "Ghastbusters" made by JINX
  
  Official T-shirt artwork "Ghastbusters" made by JINX
• 👁 Official T-shirt artwork "Glimpse" made by JINX
  
  Official T-shirt artwork "Glimpse" made by JINX
• 👁 Official T-shirt artwork "Postcard" made by JINX
  
  Official T-shirt artwork "Postcard" made by JINX
• 👁 Official T-shirt artwork "Rumor Has It" made by JINX
  
  Official T-shirt artwork "Rumor Has It" made by JINX
• 👁 A glow in the dark ghast T-Shirt
  
  A glow in the dark ghast T-Shirt
• 👁 An officially licensed ghast hoodie
  
  An officially licensed ghast hoodie
• 👁 Ghast plush made by JINX
  
  Ghast plush made by JINX
• 👁 An official ghast action figure
  
  An official ghast action figure
• 👁 "Never Trick or Treat in the Nether," an official tote bag sold for Halloween
  
  "Never Trick or Treat in the Nether," an official tote bag sold for Halloween
• 👁 A Ghast pictured in the Mobestiary
  
  A Ghast pictured in the Mobestiary
• 👁 An officially licensed Nerf Ghast gun
  
  An officially licensed Nerf Ghast gun
• 👁 The Secret Ghast, featured in the Trails & Tales Event
  
  The Secret Ghast, featured in the Trails & Tales Event
• 👁 A unique sprite of a crying ghast appearing in the Minecraft launcher on Halloween, 2023
  
  A unique sprite of a crying ghast appearing in the Minecraft launcher on Halloween, 2023
• 👁 Ghasts as they appear in A Minecraft Movie
  
  Ghasts as they appear in A Minecraft Movie
• 👁 Baby ghasts as they appear in Minecraft Dungeons
  
  Baby ghasts as they appear in Minecraft Dungeons
• 👁 Ghasts as they appear in Minecraft Dungeons
  
  Ghasts as they appear in Minecraft Dungeons
• 👁 Ghasts as they appear in Minecraft: Story Mode
  
  Ghasts as they appear in Minecraft: Story Mode
• 👁 Ghasts as they appear in Minecraft: Woodsword Chronicles
  
  Ghasts as they appear in Minecraft: Woodsword Chronicles
• 👁 Image
  
• 👁 A ghast in the Plastic Texture Pack
  
  A ghast in the Plastic Texture Pack

• "Meet the Ghast" by Tom Stone – Minecraft.net, May 22, 2017.
• "Mob Menagerie: Ghast" by Duncan Greere – Minecraft.net, January 4, 2024.