Skeleton

{
 "title": "Skeleton",
 "rows": [
 {
 "field": "20<span class=\"hidden-alt-text\">HP</span><span class=\"nowrap mc-hearts\"><span class=\"iconbar pixel-image nowrap\" style=\"--icon-offset:-1px;\" title=\"1 heart\">(link to File:Heart (icon).png article, displayed as 9px|link=|alt=❤️)</span> × 10</span>",
 "label": "(link to Health article, displayed as Health points)"
 },
 {
 "field": "0 (<span class=\"iconbar pixel-image nowrap\" style=\"--icon-offset:-1px;\" title=\"0 armor points\">(link to File:Empty Armor (icon).png article, displayed as 9px|link=|alt=🛡)</span>)",
 "label": "(link to Armor#Natural armor article, displayed as Armor points)"
 },
 {
 "field": "Hostile",
 "label": "Behavior"
 },
 {
 "field": "<span class=\"nowrap\"><span class=\"sprite-file\" style=\"\">(link to File:EntitySprite undead.png article, displayed as 16x16px|link=Undead|alt=|class=pixel-image|)</span>(link to Undead article, displayed as <span class=\"sprite-text\">Undead</span>)</span><br><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": "'''In (link to Java Edition article, displayed as ''Java Edition''):'''<br>Height: 1.99 blocks<br>Width: 0.6 blocks<br>\n'''In (link to Bedrock Edition article, displayed as ''Bedrock Edition''):'''<br>\nHeight: 1.9 blocks<br>Width: 0.6 blocks",
 "label": "(link to Hitbox article, displayed as Hitbox size)"
 },
 {
 "field": "(values exceeds 1000 characters...)",
 "label": "(link to Mob spawning article, displayed as Spawn)"
 },
 {
 "field": "(values exceeds 1000 characters...)",
 "label": "(link to Drops#Equipped items article, displayed as Natural<br/>equipment)"
 }
 ],
 "invimages": [
 "Skeleton Spawn Egg"
 ],
 "images": [
 "Skeleton.png",
 "Lefthandedskeleton.png"
 ]
}

Skeletons are common undead hostile mobs that perform ranged attacks with a bow, shooting arrows from a distance. They are most commonly found in the Overworld at night or in dark locations, but they also occasionally spawn in the Nether in Nether fortresses and soul sand valleys. They are an important source of bones and arrows, which they drop when killed.

Skeletons may naturally spawn in the Overworld in groups of four‌^{[Java Edition only]} or 1-2‌^{[Bedrock Edition only]} above solid blocks at a light level of 0, except in mushroom fields, the deep dark, and trial chambers; they may continue to spawn in these places through other means like spawner blocks.

Spiders and cave spiders‌^{[BE only]} have a 1% chance to spawn with a skeleton riding them, creating a spider jockey.

Four skeleton horsemen spawn when a skeleton horse trap is triggered, typically during a thunderstorm. The skeletons ride on skeleton horses and are equipped with enchanted bows and iron helmets. In Java Edition, they have damage immunity for 3 seconds after spawning.

Skeletons spawn commonly in soul sand valley biomes in groups of 4‌^{[JE only]} or 1-2‌^{[BE only]}. However, due to the spawn cost system. skeletons have a lower population density in soul sand valleys than zombified piglins have in Nether wastes (i.e. there are much fewer skeletons in a given area).

In Nether fortresses, there is a 20% chance that a skeleton spawns in place of a wither skeleton.

Skeletons in the Nether spawn at the light level of 7 and below.

Skeletons spawn from 25% of the monster spawners found in monster rooms.

Regular skeletons have a ¹⁄₃ chance to be selected as the "ranged" mob for trial spawners in trial chambers.

Many skeletons are also replaced by their variants: strays in snowy biomes, parched in desert biomes, bogged in swamp and mangrove swamp biomes, and wither skeletons in Nether fortress structures in the Nether.

Java Edition:

Bedrock Edition:

A skeleton always drops any equipment it picked up. A skeleton also has a random chance to drop each piece of naturally spawned equipment, including its bow, if it is killed by a player or tamed wolf. The chance to drop a naturally spawned piece of equipment is 8.5% without Looting, 9.5% with Looting I, 10.5% with Looting II, and 11.5% with Looting III.

Skeletons drop 5XP experience points when killed by a player or tamed wolf, and an additional 1–3XP for each piece of naturally spawned equipment, including their bow. The random amount dropped by each piece is independent of the amounts dropped by the other pieces.

Skeletons chase players, baby turtles, and iron golems they see within 16 blocks, climbing stairs or ladders, navigating mazes and traversing other complex obstacles to get within shooting range. Despite being associated to iron golems, villagers and wandering traders are ignored by skeletons. However, a skeleton can retaliate if a firework rocket set by a villager hits it.

When within 15 blocks of a target, with a clear line of sight, a skeleton starts shooting arrows, once every 3 seconds on Easy and Normal difficulties or once every 2 seconds on Hard difficulty. If the player leaves the 15-block radius, skeletons wait for some seconds with the bow charged, shooting the moment the player comes within range again. Their detection range is reduced by 50% if a skeleton skull is worn by the player. This stacks with sneaking and the Invisibility effect.

The skeleton's accuracy is based on the world difficulty. Skeletons have an "error" of 10 on Easy, 6 on Normal and 2 on Hard. This is compared to the player's lack of accuracy of 1. To account for gravity, skeletons aim 0.2 blocks higher for every horizontal block of range to the target.

Skeletons have infinite durability on their bows, and can shoot an infinite amount of arrows. Arrows shot by skeletons cannot be picked up from the ground.

Skeleton behavior varies between the game editions:

Java Edition

• Strafe in circular patterns to dodge attacks and retreat to a safe range if the player comes within 4 blocks. They can walk off cliffs while strafing.^[1]
• Sprint toward the player if they are 14 blocks away or farther.
• Use bows even underwater. The water slows down the arrows.
• Animates its bow while attacking.

Bedrock Edition

• Skeletons typically stop moving to shoot, making no attempt to avoid being hit.
• An underwater skeleton uses a melee attack because it is unable to use a bow underwater.

In most cases, if a skeleton's arrow hits a neutral or hostile mob that has not yet been attacked by the player, the mob attacks the skeleton. When a skeleton is attacked by another mob (including another skeleton), it attacks that mob, reorienting on the player once the mob is dead. Skeletons flee from wolves. A skeleton runs from a chasing wolf until the wolf deals damage, after which the skeleton turns to shoot at the wolf that successfully attacked it.

Skeletons sink in water and cannot swim, but do not drown.

If a skeleton is inside of powder snow for 7 seconds (140 game ticks), it begins shaking. After another 15 seconds (300 game ticks), it converts into a stray. A newly-converted stray always has full health even if converted from a damaged skeleton. The converted stray keeps any items worn or held when it was a skeleton. Only skeletons can become strays; bogged, parched, or wither skeletons cannot be converted. The process is similar to when a husk turns into a zombie or when a zombie turns into a drowned if it stays underwater for too long.

If spawned with a weapon other than a bow or no weapon at all (which can be spawned with commands such as /summon skeleton ~ ~ ~ {equipment:{mainhand:{id:"iron_sword",count:1}}}, or /summon skeleton ~ ~ ~ {}), or it picks up a weapon other than a bow, a skeleton charges at a player with arms outstretched and deals damage by touch, similar to a wither skeleton.

A skeleton holding a tipped arrow or spectral arrow‌^{[Java Edition only]} in its off-hand always shoots that type of arrow, and the arrow held is not consumed.

If a skeleton kills a creeper, the creeper drops a music disc, randomly selected from 13, cat, blocks, chirp, far, mall, mellohi, stal, strad, ward, 11, and wait.

When the moon can no longer be seen (Dawn) and the sun is above 15°, skeletons can burn. Burning is suppressed when the skeleton is:

• in a place with a non-air block directly over it. In Java Edition, the roof must be a light-blocking block.
• in a sufficiently shaded area: a sunlight level of 11 or less.
• in water. A skeleton pathfinds to water if it is not wearing head armor and not already in water.
• wearing head armor. Helmets have a 50% chance to lose 1 durability for every tick where the skeleton would normally be set on fire.
• under the status effect of Fire Resistance.
• standing in cobwebs.^[2]

Transparent and translucent blocks, including glass and ice, do not prevent them from burning.‌^{[JE only]}

Unlike zombies, skeletons seek out shelter during the day, and remain under it while attacking.

Being an undead mob, they are:

• Damaged by the status effect Instant Health and healed by the status effect Instant Damage.
• Unaffected by the status effects Regeneration and Poison.
• Ignored by the wither.
• Affected by the Smite enchantment.
• A threat to armadillos, causing them to hide in their shell.

Some spawned skeletons have the ability to pick up dropped items from the ground. Unlike zombies, however, they pick up only weapons or armor. If a picked up item is armor, a carved pumpkin or a mob head, a skeleton equips itself with the item. If the picked up item is a weapon, the skeleton uses the item as a melee weapon. In Bedrock Edition, skeletons can also pick up and equip illager banners worn in their chest slot.^{[needs testing in Bedrock Edition]}

Skeletons spawn already armed with bows, which may be enchanted. The chances of that event are listed below. If a skeleton spawns wearing multiple pieces of armor, the armor is never mismatched (all pieces are made of the same material) except if it is spawned as part of a skeleton trap, in which case only the iron helmet may not match the rest of the armor.

On Halloween, skeletons may spawn wearing a carved pumpkin or jack o'lantern. They do not drop this, even when killed with Looting.

If a skeleton does spawn with armor, the chances of specific armor are as follows:

If a skeleton does spawn with an armor, the order in which they receive armor pieces is as follows (from most likely to least likely): helmet; helmet and chestplate; helmet, chestplate and leggings; full set.

The chances of it being of a particular material are:

In Java Edition, a skeleton's armor does not lose durability upon taking damage. Helmets (not blocks like carved pumpkins) on skeletons can break if the skeleton is exposed to daylight. In Bedrock Edition, any armor piece is damaged as if the player is wearing it.^[verify]

When picking up items, skeletons prefer weapons that deal more damage without considering enchantments. They also prefer items with NBT data over those without, and weapons that are less damaged.

For weapon types, skeletons prefer bows over melee weapons. Skeletons won't take crossbows, tridents or maces whatsoever, as long as they have any other item in hand.

For armor, skeletons prefer armor that give more armor points than the armor to replace. Skeletons accept given cosmetic wearables (heads and carved pumpkins), as long as they aren't wearing a helmet.

If the skeleton accepts a given equipment, the skeleton drops the old one, with the same chance as if killed with Looting I, in favor of the new one. Any skeleton that spawns with equipment (picked-up items do not count) gives 1–3 extra experience points per item.

Skeletons can pick up and equip shields in the other hand, but they cannot use it to block damage.

If multiple viable items exist, the skeleton endlessly picks up and drops the items.^[3]

Java Edition:

Bedrock Edition:

Java Edition:

Bedrock Edition:

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

Java Edition:

Bedrock Edition:

See Bedrock Edition level format/Entity format.

Achievements that apply to all mobs:

Advancements that apply to all mobs:

• 👁 A skeleton in Java Edition Beta 1.8. The player can see it wielding its bow with both hands.
  
  A skeleton in Java Edition Beta 1.8. The player can see it wielding its bow with both hands.
• 👁 A skeleton in the Nether used as the 12w36a snapshot image.
  
  A skeleton in the Nether used as the 12w36a snapshot image.
• 👁 Naturally armored skeletons.
  
  Naturally armored skeletons.
• 👁 2 skeletons fighting each other.
  
  2 skeletons fighting each other.

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

• If alerted to a player's presence, a skeleton can fire arrows backward, occasionally hitting themselves.
• The artificial intelligence of skeletons in Bedrock Edition is a mix of skeleton AI from Java Edition between versions 1.5 and 1.8.9 and the skeletons in Update Aquatic. They shoot faster when they are on land and the target underwater, causing enough knockback to make combat hard. Skeletons also use ranged attacks on land and switch to melee attacks when sinking underwater.
• If a skeleton has a sword or any other melee item, generally with commands, its AI resembles the wither skeleton's AI.
• In Bedrock Edition, skeletons do not animate their bow.
• C418 used bamboo wind chime sounds as a base for the skeleton sounds.^[9]

• 👁 A skeleton without a bow spawned by /summon commands.
  
  A skeleton without a bow spawned by /summon commands.
• 👁 A skeleton aiming its bow
  
  A skeleton aiming its bow
• 👁 A left-handed skeleton
  
  A left-handed skeleton
• 👁 A spider jockey with a skeleton
  
  A spider jockey with a skeleton
• 👁 A cave spider jockey with a skeleton
  
  A cave spider jockey with a skeleton

• 👁 Skeleton in leather armor
  
  Skeleton in leather armor
• 👁 Skeleton in copper armor
  
  Skeleton in copper armor
• 👁 Skeleton in golden armor
  
  Skeleton in golden armor
• 👁 Skeleton in chainmail armor
  
  Skeleton in chainmail armor
• 👁 Skeleton in iron armor
  
  Skeleton in iron armor
• 👁 Skeleton in diamond armor
  
  Skeleton in diamond armor
• 👁 Skeleton in netherite armor
  
  Skeleton in netherite armor

• 👁 A skeleton being compared to its variants in Java Edition.
  
  A skeleton being compared to its variants in Java Edition.
• 👁 A dying skeleton in Bedrock Edition.
  
  A dying skeleton in Bedrock Edition.
• 👁 A dying skeleton in Java Edition.
  
  A dying skeleton in Java Edition.
• 👁 Two skeletons shooting each other while in water. One skeleton is in a boat while the other is a spider jockey.
  
  Two skeletons shooting each other while in water. One skeleton is in a boat while the other is a spider jockey.
• 👁 A skeleton in Bedrock Edition. Like in Beta 1.8, it holds its bow with both hands and it doesn't animate it's bow.
  
  A skeleton in Bedrock Edition. Like in Beta 1.8, it holds its bow with both hands and it doesn't animate it's bow.
• 👁 A skeleton riding a minecart.
  
  A skeleton riding a minecart.
• 👁 A skeleton kills an attacking wolf.
  
  A skeleton kills an attacking wolf.
• 👁 A stray standing next to a normal skeleton.
  
  A stray standing next to a normal skeleton.
• 👁 A skeleton wearing an iron helmet.
  
  A skeleton wearing an iron helmet.
• 👁 A skeleton wearing a leather cap.
  
  A skeleton wearing a leather cap.
• 👁 A player trying to give a diamond chestplate to a skeleton.
  
  A player trying to give a diamond chestplate to a skeleton.
• 👁 Skeleton horsemen spawned from a skeleton trap.
  
  Skeleton horsemen spawned from a skeleton trap.
• 👁 A spider jockey rider wearing a pumpkin on Halloween.
  
  A spider jockey rider wearing a pumpkin on Halloween.
• 👁 A skeleton with full golden armor and another with an enchanted bow.
  
  A skeleton with full golden armor and another with an enchanted bow.
• 👁 A skeleton with full enchanted chainmail armor looking at the player.
  
  A skeleton with full enchanted chainmail armor looking at the player.
• 👁 A spider jockey.
  
  A spider jockey.
• 👁 Skeleton wearing a pumpkin on Halloween.
  
  Skeleton wearing a pumpkin on Halloween.
• 👁 A left handed skeleton in a superflat world.
  
  A left handed skeleton in a superflat world.
• 👁 A skeleton with no bow.
  
  A skeleton with no bow.

• 👁 A preview featuring skeletons in the soul sand valley.
  
  A preview featuring skeletons in the soul sand valley.
• 👁 To the left is (or was) a skeleton holding the bow the wrong way.
  
  To the left is (or was) a skeleton holding the bow the wrong way.
• 👁 First image of skeletons wearing armor.
  
  First image of skeletons wearing armor.
• 👁 First image of a skeleton dual wielding.
  
  First image of a skeleton dual wielding.
• 👁 An armored skeleton in Bedrock Edition.
  
  An armored skeleton in Bedrock Edition.
• 👁 A skeleton and zombie in a cave.
  
  A skeleton and zombie in a cave.
• 👁 A skeleton in alpha.
  
  A skeleton in alpha.
• 👁 Skeleton scoring big in the floor routine.
  
  Skeleton scoring big in the floor routine.
• 👁 Moments before disaster.
  
  Moments before disaster.

• 👁 Skeleton texture file.
  
  Skeleton texture file.
• 👁 Programmer Art
  
  Programmer Art

• 👁 Pixel art of a skeleton used on a banner for the Minecraft Marketplace.
  
  Pixel art of a skeleton used on a banner for the Minecraft Marketplace.
• 👁 Lego Minecraft Skeleton.
  
  Lego Minecraft Skeleton.
• 👁 Official skeleton plush made by JINX.
  
  Official skeleton plush made by JINX.
• 👁 Official T-shirt artwork "Skelly Dreams" made by JINX.
  
  Official T-shirt artwork "Skelly Dreams" made by JINX.
• 👁 City texture pack
  
  City texture pack
• 👁 Plastic texture pack
  
  Plastic texture pack
• 👁 Party Skeleton, a skin featured in the 1st Birthday skin pack.
  
  Party Skeleton, a skin featured in the 1st Birthday skin pack.
• 👁 Halloween mash-up pack
  
  Halloween mash-up pack
• 👁 A t-shirt with Steve and a skeleton with bows.
  
  A t-shirt with Steve and a skeleton with bows.

• 👁 Artwork of a skeleton
  
  Artwork of a skeleton
• 👁 Animation of undead mobs walking on snow, including skeletons
  
  Animation of undead mobs walking on snow, including skeletons
• 👁 A skeleton in promotional artwork for the first Caves & Cliffs update
  
  A skeleton in promotional artwork for the first Caves & Cliffs update
• 👁 Skeletons in promotional artwork for the second Caves & Cliffs update
  
  Skeletons in promotional artwork for the second Caves & Cliffs update
• 👁 Skeletons in the key art for the Wii U Edition
  
  Skeletons in the key art for the Wii U Edition
• 👁 A skeleton on the moon aiming at the Earth
  
  A skeleton on the moon aiming at the Earth
• 👁 Skeleton Spirit from Super Smash Bros. Ultimate
  
  Skeleton Spirit from Super Smash Bros. Ultimate
• 👁 Potato variant of skeleton in 24w14potato
  
  Potato variant of skeleton in 24w14potato
• 👁 A skeleton wearing two spyglasses in Java Edition 22w13oneBlockAtATime
  
  A skeleton wearing two spyglasses in Java Edition 22w13oneBlockAtATime
• 👁 A skeleton as it appears in Minecraft Dungeons
  
  A skeleton as it appears in Minecraft Dungeons
• 👁 A skeleton as it appears in Minecraft Legends
  
  A skeleton as it appears in Minecraft Legends
• 👁 A skeleton as it appeared in Minecraft: Story Mode
  
  A skeleton as it appeared in Minecraft: Story Mode
• 👁 A skeleton as seen in A Minecraft Movie
  
  A skeleton as seen in A Minecraft Movie
• 👁 A Lego Club advertisement, featuring LEGO Minecraft set The Desert Outpost and some skeletons.
  
  A Lego Club advertisement, featuring LEGO Minecraft set The Desert Outpost and some skeletons.