Green Monsters from Minecraft

For newbies to the Minecraft experience, growing pains are the least of your worries. In the deep darkness underground, and in the far-away dimensions of The Nether and The End, lay various terrible monsters waiting to put your hapless miner down for the big pixelated sleep. To help the newbies, we’ve put together a list of every hostile creature in Minecraft for your learning pleasure.

For even more Minecraft information, try our Obsidian Farming Guide, or check out How to Kill the Enderdragon.

Monster Mobs Guide

NOTE: Most hostile mobs spawn at a light level of 7 or less. To fend off mob spawns late at night out in the open, leave torches to light the area.

Monster Spawner

• Black metal cage blocks that appear in strongholds, dungeons, abandoned mine shafts, and Nether fortresses are called Monster Spawners.
• Inside the block is a flame that does not give off light, and a miniature version of the monster it is about to spawn. The monster spawner will only spawn six monsters of a single type before the extras begin to disappear.
• On average, the Monster Spawner will spawn a new mob every 24 or so seconds once activated. Monster Spawners only activate once the player enters its 15 block circumference.
• To quickly deactivate a Monster Spawner, place a single torch ontop. Monster Spawners can also be destroyed — or they can be used to farm mobs through traps.
• Monster Spawns will spawn certain types of mobs based on where they spawn and the blocks in their spawning radius.
• Cave Spiders will only spawn from Monster Spawners in abandoned mine shafts, silverfish only in strongholds, and blazes only in Nether fortresses.

Hostile Mobs (Monsters!)

Silverfish

• These monsters appear only in stronghold, either from special blocks or through a monster spawner. Silverfish are tiny insect-like creatures that hide inside stone, cobblestone, and stone bricks. They appear once the blocks they hide inside are mined.
• Once attacked, the Silverfish will awaken other Silverfish in a 21x11x21 block vicinity. Though Silverfish spawn rarely, if enough are nearby an entire swarm can bear down on your miner.
• Silverfish do not attack, but they do push the player around and destroy blocks as they appear. Left to their own devices, they’ll enter a new stone, cobblestone, or stone brick block and hide.