{{about|the boss mob|the status effect|Wither (effect)|the skeleton variant|Wither Skeleton|the storm mob in Minecraft: Story Mode|Wither Storm|other uses}}
{{Infobox entity
| group = Normal
| 1-1 = Wither.png
| group2 = Blue
| 2-1 = Blue Wither.png
| group3 = Normal Shield
| 3-1 = Wither_with_Armor.png
| group4 = Blue Shield
| 4-1 = Wither_Invulnerable_with_Armor.png
| invimage = Wither Spawn Egg
| health = '''{{el|je}}''':<br>
{{hp|300}}<br>
'''{{el|be}}''':<br>
Easy: {{hp|300}}<br>
Normal: {{hp|450}}<br>
Hard: {{hp|600}}
| armor = {{armor|4}}
| behavior = Hostile
| mobtype = [[Undead]], [[Monster]]
| damage = '''Birth explosion:'''<br>
''Varies by proximity; maximum:''<br>
Easy: {{hp|35}}<br>Normal: {{hp|68}}<br>Hard: {{hp|102}}<br>
'''Wither skull:'''<br>
Easy: {{hp|5}}<br>
Normal: {{hp|8|withered=1}}<br> 
Hard: {{hp|12|withered=1}}<br>
Explosion: {{hp|5}}<br>
'''Wither:'''<br>
Normal: {{EffectLink|id=wither|Wither (effect)|Wither II}} for 10 seconds ({{hp|1|withered=1}} per sec)<br>
Hard: {{EffectLink|id=wither|Wither (effect)|Wither II}} for 40 seconds ({{hp|1|withered=1}} per sec)<br>
'''Dash attack:'''{{only|bedrock|short=1}}<br>
{{hp|15}}
| size = '''{{IN|Java}}:'''<br>
Height: 3.5 blocks<br>Width: 0.9 blocks

'''{{IN|Bedrock}}:'''<br>
Height: 3.0 blocks<br>Width: 1.0 blocks
| spawn = Built by player; 11 second spawn delay.
| speed = 0.6
}}
The '''wither''' is a player-constructed and highly destructive [[undead]] [[Boss]]-mob that can hover in mid-air and fire barrages of explosive wither skulls at almost any living thing. It is the only source of [[nether star]]s, which are used to craft [[beacon]]s.

== Spawning ==
{{FakeImage|align=right|{{BlockGrid|scale=2|w=Wither Skeleton Skull|s=Soul Sand|www|sss| s }}|Wither build configuration. [[Soul soil]] can be used interchangeably with [[soul sand]].|style=max-width:106px}}

[[File:Blue Wither 2.png|alt=Blue shield wither.|thumb|Wither when spawned with its blue shield.]]

The wither is spawned by placing 4 blocks of [[soul sand]] and/or [[soul soil]] in a T shape (see image in the "Behavior" section), and putting 3 [[wither skeleton skull]]s on top of the three upper blocks. The last block placed must be one of the skulls. [[Air]] blocks are required on either side of the base soul sand/-soil. The orientation of the heads does not matter, and the structure as a whole can be built upright, lying down, or upside-down. The wither spawns at the base soul sand/-soil.

On spawn, the wither charges up for 10 seconds, then explodes. Thereafter, it commences attacking the player.

== Drops ==
=== On death ===
On death, the wither always drops a [[Nether star]]. It drops {{xp|50}} xp when killed by a [[player]] or tamed [[wolf]].{{DropsTableHead}}
{{DropsLine|name=Nether Star|quantity=1}}
{{DropsTableFoot}}
A Nether star, when dropped by a wither:
* takes 10 minutes (as opposed to 5 minutes normally) to [[Item#Behavior|despawn]] {{in|java}}<ref>{{bug|MC-125027||Nether stars despawn after 10 minutes.|WAI}}</ref>
* never [[Item#behavior|despawn]]s {{in|bedrock}}

== Behavior ==
[[File:HealthBarComparison.png|thumb|right|The difference between the [[ender dragon]]'s boss bar and that of the wither.]]

=== Spawning ===
When spawned, the wither switches colors between black and blue as its health bar fills up. While in this state, the wither is invulnerable, and neither moves nor attacks. When this state ends after 11 seconds or 220 game ticks, the wither creates a large [[explosion]] centered on itself, destroying nearby blocks and dealing tons of damage to nearby players and other [[Entity|entities]]. 

It is the largest individual explosion that the player can cause {{in|java}} without commands, with a blast power of 7, more than that of a [[charged creeper]] or an [[end crystal]]. It is accompanied by a [[Sound#Gameplay|global sound event]] (a sound that is played for everyone, no matter how far away they are from the wither{{only|java|short=1}} <ref name="MC-177741">{{bug|MC-177741||Wither sounds play for all players}}</ref>). After this, the wither attacks nearby mobs and can take damage.

=== Health and damage ===
{{IN|Java}}, the wither's health is {{hp|300}}, regardless of [[difficulty]]. 

{{IN|Bedrock}}, wither's health depends on [[difficulty]]:

* {{hp|300}} on Easy 

* {{hp|450}} on Normal 

* {{hp|600}} on Hard 

The wither is immune to [[fire]], [[lava]], [[drowning]] and [[freezing]]. Like other [[undead]] mobs, the wither is harmed by the [[Instant Health]] effect and healed by the [[Instant Damage]] effect as well as affected by weapons with the [[Smite]] enchantment. It is immune to all other [[status effect]]s.

Upon taking damage, the wither breaks all [[block]]s within a 3×4×3 area around it, including blast-resistant blocks like [[obsidian]], [[crying obsidian]], and [[ancient debris]], dropping them as [[item (entity)|items]] if possible. The wither is the only mob in the game that can destroy obsidian. (See [[Tutorials/Obsidian farming]])

The wither ''cannot'' break the following blocks: 

* {{BlockLink|Barrier}}
* {{BlockLink|Bedrock}}
* {{BlockSprite|chain-command-block}} {{BlockSprite|command-block}} {{BlockSprite|repeating-command-block}} [[Command Block]]
* {{BlockLink|End Gateway|link=End Gateway (block)}}
* {{BlockLink|End Portal|link=End Portal (block)}}
* {{BlockLink|End Portal Frame}}
* {{BlockLink|Jigsaw Block}}
* {{BlockLink|Light Block}}
* {{BlockLink|Moving Block}}{{only|be}}
* {{BlockLink|Moving Piston}}
* {{BlockLink|Reinforced Deepslate}}
* {{BlockLink|Structure Block}}
{{IN|java}}, these blocks are listed under the {{cd|wither_immune}} [[tag]]. [[File:WitherAttack 2.png|thumb|right|alt=|The wither attacking a [[villager]].]]

The wither's block-breaking behavior makes [[suffocation]] ineffective under most circumstances. However, the blocks listed above, as well as some natural structures that include them (like [[exit portal]]), can be used to suffocate the wither due to their wither immunity.

The wither is hostile toward all [[mob]]s except:
*{{EntitySprite|agent}} [[Agent]]s {{only|bedrock|education|short=1}}
*{{EntitySprite|ghast}} [[Ghast]]s<ref>{{bug|MC-162557||Withers no longer attack ghasts|WAI}}</ref>
*[[Undead]] mobs:
**{{EntitySprite|wither}} Other withers
**{{EntitySprite|phantom}} [[Phantom]]s
**{{EntitySprite|bogged}} {{EntitySprite|skeleton}} {{EntitySprite|stray}} {{EntitySprite|wither-skeleton}} [[Skeleton]]s and their variants
**{{EntitySprite|skeleton-horse}} {{EntitySprite|zombie-horse}} [[Skeleton horse]]s and [[zombie horse]]s
**{{EntitySprite|zoglin}} {{EntitySprite|zombified-piglin}} [[Zoglin]]s and [[zombified piglin]]s
**{{EntitySprite|drowned}} {{EntitySprite|husk}} {{EntitySprite|zombie}} {{EntitySprite|zombie-villager}} [[Zombie]]s and their variants

*Mobs with the {{cd|Invulnerable}} [[NBT tag]].

[[Armadillo]]s are afraid of withers (and other [[undead]] mobs) and hide in their shell if a wither is nearby.

If the wither is idle, it simply hovers and is unable to gain altitude. On Normal or Hard [[difficulty]], it fires blue skulls in random directions until it finds a target.

The color of the wither's [[bossbar]] depends on the edition: dark purple {{in|Java}} or light purple {{in|Bedrock}}. It appears whenever a [[player]] is within the vicinity of a wither. All withers display a boss bar on the screen. A [[name tag|renamed]] wither displays its changed name above its boss bar. The [[fog]] around a player darkens when a wither is loaded.

=== ''Java Edition'' ===
[[File:Wither with wither armor effect.gif|thumb|200x200px|Wither with 'wither armor' effect, after half health depleted.]]
;Attacking
Upon noticing a [[mob]] or a [[player]], the wither hovers above it and rapidly shoots black [[#Wither skull|wither skull]]s. Wither always tries to fly 5 blocks above, and within 3 blocks horizontally from its target. Each head fires independently, allowing a wither to attack up to three different mobs/players at the same time. The wither skulls try to fly toward the middle of the target’s eye height and its feet vertically, middle of its hitbox horizontally.

The main head controls the wither's movement and fires a black wither skull toward its target every 2 seconds, with a 0.1% chance to shoot a blue wither skull instead of the default black one. When the line of sight to its target is blocked, wither stops firing wither skulls but still [[Pathfinding|pathfind]] toward the target. Side heads find a new target and fire black wither skulls toward the new target.

The wither skulls from the main head spawn 3 blocks above its feet vertically, middle of its hitbox horizontally. The wither skulls from the side heads spawn 2.2 blocks above its feet vertically, 1.3 blocks offset from the middle of its hitbox horizontally.

;Wither roses
Whenever a wither kills another mob, a [[wither rose]] is planted if the ground is [[grass block]], [[dirt]], [[coarse dirt]], [[moss block]], [[mud]], [[netherrack]], [[soul sand]], or [[soul soil]] on Java Edition, or otherwise dropped as an item at that mob's location; however, it may be destroyed by other wither skulls. Wither roses are planted/dropped even when the [[game rule]] {{cd|doMobLoot}} is set to {{cd|false}}.<ref>{{bug|MC-154922}}</ref>

The wither has a passive regeneration rate of {{hp|1}} every 20 ticks (1 second), and a direct killing blow on a target instantly heals {{hp|5}}.

;Wither armor
When its health drops below half ({{hp|150}}), the wither gains a natural "wither armor" effect, which makes it immune to [[damage]] from [[arrow]]s and thrown [[trident]]s and causes it to fly at the same height as the target. The armor disappears if it regenerates above half health.

Despite being immune to projectiles when it has "wither armor", it can still be hit by the [[warden]]'s sonic boom attack because the warden's sonic boom attack is not a projectile, but an instant damage attack. It can also still be hit by explosive fireworks, shot with or without a crossbow.

;Breaking blocks
When being damaged, the wither destroys a 3×4×3 area, with the lowest center block being the block where the wither's tail is located. The block where the wither tail is located is the block at the bottom center of the wither's hitbox (block position of the wither’s coordinate).

The attack can destroy any block in the game except moving piston/blocks, unbreakable blocks and liquids. Withers can do block breaking attacks every 20 [[Tick|ticks]].

When a wither is damaged, it sets its block breaking counter to 20. Every time it gets processed, it first decreases the counter by 1, then check if the counter equals 0. If it is 0 after the decrement, it breaks the blocks around it.

Suffocation is processed before the block breaking, so if wither is suffocated or damaged by something else before it ticks, it breaks blocks 19 ticks after the damage instead of 20 ticks.

==== Side heads behavior ====
When one of the wither's side heads does not have a target, it locks onto a target randomly within line of sight and attempts to shoot a skull. Every head can lock onto different targets. When it has a target, it fires a black wither skull toward the target every 2–3 seconds. If the side head fails to fire a skull for 9.5–17.2 seconds, or the wither is damaged faster than 12 tick intervals, it fires a blue skull at a random direction. Each head has its own separate wither skull cooldowns. If reloaded, the side heads could possibly shoot at 7.5–17.2 seconds after reloading instead.

Every tick the wither gets processed:

# It decreases its side head wither skull cooldown by 1
# The game then checks through each side heads for the wither skull cooldown, if the wither skull cooldown equals to 0 after the decrement, it does the followings:
## Set the wither skull cooldown to 10 ~ 19
## Add 1 to blue wither skull counter
## If the blue wither skull counter is greater than 15 after the addition:
### Shoots a blue wither skull in random direction
### Set blue wither skull counter to 0
## If the head has a target, it does the followings:
### Shoot a black wither skull toward the target
### Sets wither skull cooldown to 40 ~ 59
### Set blue wither skull counter to 0
## If it does not have a target, target a random target with line of sight

=== ''Bedrock Edition'' ===
The wither has different [[spawn]] and death animations, both of which involve the wither exploding. 

;Sky light
The sky [[light]] level drops to 11 and dark clouds appear from the moment the wither [[spawn]]s until it is dead, preventing [[bogged]], [[drowned]], [[phantom]]s, [[skeleton]]s, [[stray]]s, [[zombie]]s and [[zombie villager]]s from burning in [[sunlight]].

;Attacking
Upon noticing a [[player]] or [[mob]], the wither flies to a random location horizontally near the target, strafes a few blocks 3 times, then hovers in place. It always attempts to be above the player's reaching distance. It shoots 3 black wither skulls and one blue wither skull before flying to another location. The time between each shot decreases as the wither loses health. On Normal [[difficulty]] or higher, if the wither has targeted an entity but cannot find a location to pathfind to, it shoots random blue skulls in a random direction along with the skulls directed toward the target.

A blue wither skull can be deflected by hitting it or using a projectile. If a deflected blue wither skull hits the wither, the wither takes damage.

;Half health behavior
At half health, it causes a large [[explosion]] that spawns 3 [[wither skeleton]]s (except on Easy difficulty), as well as gaining wither armor. It then dashes into the ground destroying all the blocks around it, until it goes down approximately 40 blocks or reaches a block it cannot break.

Instead of flying to a random location, it dashes toward its target, destroying blocks and damaging mobs in its path. It continues firing skulls as normal but dashes every second burst.

The wither's dash ability breaks all blocks in a 6x8x6 volume around it, rounded to the south-east if required. Despite the wither being able to destroy obsidian with blue skulls, the wither cannot dash through it.

A wither retains its anti-projectile armor after healing it over 1/2 of its total HP, though it disappears after the game is restarted.<ref>{{bug|MCPE-161643}} – After healing a wither boss over 1/2 HP, it still retains its anti-projectile shield</ref>

;Wither roses
Wither roses always drop as an item when the wither kills a mob. Wither roses are dropped even when the [[game rule]] {{cd|doMobLoot}} is set to {{cd|false}}.<ref>{{bug|MCPE-73842}}</ref> The [[wither rose]] inflicts the [[Wither (effect)|Wither effect]] for a couple of seconds when stepped on.

;Easy difficulty
On Easy difficulty, the wither does not inflict the wither effect or summon wither skeletons.

== Wither Skull ==
{{distinguish|Wither Skeleton Skull}}
{{Infobox entity
| title = Wither Skull
| image = <gallery>
Wither Skull.png| Normal
Dangerous Wither Skull.png|Dangerous
</gallery>
| size = Height: 0.3125 blocks<br>Width: 0.3125 blocks
| networkid = '''[[JE]]''': 66
}}

When attacking, the wither rapidly fires explosive projectiles called wither skulls, which look like its own heads, at its target. There are two types of wither skulls: a fast-moving black one, and a slower blue one.
*Black wither skulls explode with a blast power of 1, the same as a [[ghast]]'s fireball, and cannot break blocks with a [[blast resistance]] above 4.
*Blue wither skulls have the same explosion strength, but move slower and are more destructive to terrain. They treat all breakable blocks as having a blast resistance lower than 0.8 (except [[reinforced deepslate]]), such as [[obsidian]], [[ancient debris]] and [[blocks of netherite]]. Blue skulls are able to destroy [[water]] and [[lava]] source blocks, but cannot break unbreakable blocks like [[bedrock]] and [[end portal frame]]s. {{IN|education}}, blue wither skulls deal increased damage, but with the same explosion radius.

If either type of wither skull hits a player or mob, it does {{hp|8}} damage on Normal difficulty. It also inflicts [[Wither (status effect)|Wither II]] for 10 seconds on Normal difficulty and 40 seconds on Hard, which turns the player's hearts black <span class="nowrap">({{healthbar|20|9px|withered=1}})</span> and drains health, similarly to [[Poison]]. However, unlike Poison, it can kill the player.

Like other [[status effects]], the Wither effect can be cured by drinking [[milk]].

{{IN|bedrock}} and [[Legacy Console Edition]], the blue skull can be deflected by hitting it with an empty hand, weapon, tool, throwable projectiles such as tridents, arrows, [[snowball]]s, and throwable potions and explosions.

== Sounds ==
{{Edition|Java}}:<br>
Withers use the Hostile Creatures sound category for [[Sound#Entity-dependent categories|entity-dependent sound events]]. Wither skulls use the Friendly Creatures sound category for [[Sound#Entity-dependent categories|entity-dependent sound events]].

{{SoundTable
| type = java
| {{SoundLine
| sound =Wither idle1.ogg
|sound2=Wither idle2.ogg
|sound3=Wither idle3.ogg
|sound4=Wither idle4.ogg
|subtitle=Wither angers <ref group=sound>{{bug|MC-212623}}</ref>
|source=hostile
|description=Randomly
|id=entity.wither.ambient
|translationkey=subtitles.entity.wither.ambient
|volume=1.0
|pitch=0.8-1.2
|distance=16}}
| {{SoundLine
|sound=Zombie breaks door.ogg
|subtitle=Wither attacks
|source=hostile
|description=When a wither breaks blocks upon taking damage
|id=entity.wither.break_block
|translationkey=subtitles.entity.wither.shoot
|volume=2.0
|pitch=0.8-1.2
|distance=16}}
| {{SoundLine
|sound=Wither shoot.ogg
|subtitle=Wither attacks
|source=hostile
|description=When a wither shoots a wither skull
|id=entity.wither.shoot
|translationkey=subtitles.entity.wither.shoot
|volume=2.0
|pitch=0.8-1.2
|distance=16}}
| {{SoundLine
|sound=Wither death.ogg
|subtitle=Wither dies
|source=hostile
|description=When a wither dies
|id=entity.wither.death
|translationkey=subtitles.entity.wither.death
|volume=1.0
|pitch=0.8-1.2
|distance=16}}
| {{SoundLine
|sound=Wither hurt1.ogg
|sound2=Wither hurt2.ogg
|sound3=Wither hurt3.ogg
|sound4=Wither hurt4.ogg
|subtitle=Wither hurts
|source=hostile
|description=When a wither is damaged
|id=entity.wither.hurt
|translationkey=subtitles.entity.wither.hurt
|volume=1.0
|pitch=0.8-1.2
|distance=16}}
| {{SoundLine
|sound=Wither spawn.ogg
|subtitle=Wither released
|source=hostile
|description=When a wither is finished charging up <ref group=sound>Does not trigger at all if the [[gamerule]] {{cd|globalSoundEvents}} is {{cd|false}}</ref>
|id=entity.wither.spawn
|translationkey=subtitles.entity.wither.spawn
|volume=1.0
|pitch=1.0
|distance=16 (technical) / ∞ (effective) <ref group=sound>{{Bug|MC-177741}}</ref> <!-- explanation: Special:Diff/1571401 -->}}
| {{SoundLine
|sound=Explosion1.ogg
|sound2=Explosion2.ogg
|sound3=Explosion3.ogg
|sound4=Explosion4.ogg
|subtitle=Explosion
|source=block
|description=When a wither is finished charging up or a wither's wither skull explodes
|id=entity.generic.explode
|translationkey=subtitles.entity.generic.explode
|volume=4.0
|pitch=0.56-0.84
| distance = 16
}}
}}

{{Edition|Bedrock}}:
{{SoundTable
| type = bedrock
| {{SoundLine
| sound =Wither idle1.ogg
|sound2=Wither idle2.ogg
|sound3=Wither idle3.ogg
|sound4=Wither idle4.ogg
|source=hostile
|description=Randomly
|id=mob.wither.ambient
|volume=1.0
|pitch=0.8-1.2}}
| {{SoundLine
|sound=Zombie breaks door.ogg
|source=hostile
|description=When a wither breaks blocks upon taking damage or dashes toward its target
|id=mob.wither.break_block
|volume=1.0
|pitch=1.0}}
| {{SoundLine
|sound=Wither shoot.ogg
|source=hostile
|description=When a wither shoots a wither skull
|id=mob.wither.shoot
|volume=3.0
|pitch=1.0}}
| {{SoundLine
|sound=Wither death.ogg
|source=hostile
|description=While a wither is dying
|id=mob.wither.death
|volume=''varies''<ref group="sound" name="variesdeath">Is normally 1.0, but can be 0.75 or 0.5 {{More info|When do these other volumes occur? They are defined differently in sounds.json.}}</ref>
|pitch=0.8-1.2}}
| {{SoundLine
|sound=Wither hurt1.ogg
|sound2=Wither hurt2.ogg
|sound3=Wither hurt3.ogg
|sound4=Wither hurt4.ogg
|source=hostile
|description=When a wither is damaged
|id=mob.wither.hurt
|volume=1.0
|pitch=0.8-1.2}}
| {{SoundLine
|sound=Wither spawn.ogg
|source=hostile
|description=When a wither is finished charging up
|id=mob.wither.spawn
|volume=1.0
|pitch=1.0}}
| {{SoundLine
|sound=Explosion1.ogg
|sound2=Explosion2.ogg
|sound3=Explosion3.ogg
|sound4=Explosion4.ogg
|source=block
|description=When a wither is finished charging up, changes stages, is finished dying, or a wither's wither skull explodes
|id=random.explode
|volume=4.0
| pitch = 1.0
}}
}}

== Data values ==
=== ID ===
{{edition|java}}:
{{ID table
|edition=java
|showentitytags=y
|generatetranslationkeys=y
|displayname=Wither
|spritetype=entity
|nameid=wither
|entitytags=can_breathe_under_water, fall_damage_immune, freeze_immune_entity_types, ignores_poison_and_regen, inverted_healing_and_harm, undead, wither_friends
|}}
{{ID table
|displayname=Wither Skull
|spritetype=entity
|nameid=wither_skull
|entitytags=impact_projectiles
|foot=1}}

{{edition|bedrock}}:
{{ID table
|edition=bedrock
|shownumericids=y
|generatetranslationkeys=y
|displayname=Wither
|spritetype=entity
|nameid=wither
|id=52}}
{{ID table
|displayname=Wither Skull
|spritetype=entity
|nameid=wither_skull
|id=89}}
{{ID table
|displayname=Wither Skull
|spritetype=entity
|spritename=dangerous-wither-skull
|nameid=wither_skull_dangerous
|id=91
|foot=1}}

=== Entity data ===

{{el|java}}:
{{main|Entity format}}
Withers have entity data associated with them that contain various properties.
{{/ED}}

Wither skulls have entity data associated with them that contain various properties.
{{/ED1}}

{{el|bedrock}}:
:See [[Bedrock Edition level format/Entity format]].

== Achievements ==
{{load achievements|The Beginning?;The Beginning.;Monster Hunter;Overkill;It Spreads;Over-Overkill}}

== Advancements ==
{{load advancements|Not Today, Thank You;Withering Heights;Monster Hunter;Monsters Hunted;It Spreads;Take Aim;Arbalistic;A Throwaway Joke;Adventure;Over-Overkill}}

== History ==
{{HistoryTable
|{{HistoryLine|java}}
|{{HistoryLine||1.4.2|dev=12w34a|[[File:Wither JE1 BE1.png|50px]] Added withers.
|Withers currently do not spawn naturally. 
|Withers have been left unfinished by [[Jeb]] and hidden in the code. They were discovered through the presence of its [[skin]] in the [[minecraft.jar|/mobs/ folder]]. 
|Withers can be spawned only with edited [[monster spawner]]s, [[mods]], or hacks, and can crash the JVM.}}
|{{HistoryLine|||dev=12w34b|When the wither's health is taken down to half, it now gains wither armor, which makes it immune to [[arrow]]s.
|The projectile firing rate and movement speed of withers has been increased.}}
|{{HistoryLine|||dev=unknown|At [[wikipedia:PAX (event)|PAX]], [[Dinnerbone]] revealed that it would be possible to spawn withers by arranging [[wither skeleton skull]]s in some way.<ref>{{ytl|IqciEbjYd-I|Minecraft 1.4 - How to Spawn Wither Mob - Mojang PAX 2012 Live @ 3:07|Accelerated Ideas|t=03m07s}}</ref><ref>http://www.twitch.tv/pax2/b/330745811 (at 3:57:47)</ref>}}
|{{HistoryLine|||dev=12w36a|Withers can now be spawned by arranging [[soul sand]] in a T shape and placing three wither skeleton skulls on top.
|The wither now drops 20 [[experience]] and a [[nether star]] upon death.}}
|{{HistoryLine|||dev=12w37a|Withers now make a massive explosion upon their creation after their [[health]] is fully charged.
|When there are no targets, the wither sometimes shoots [[#Wither Skull|blue wither skulls]], which move slower and can destroy any block besides [[bedrock]].}}
|{{HistoryLine|||dev=12w38a|Added a [[sound]] when withers break [[block]]s.}}
|{{HistoryLine|||dev=12w42b|The [[experience]] dropped by withers has been increased from 20 to 50 points.}}
|{{HistoryLine|||dev=1.4|Various new sounds have been added for withers.}}
|{{HistoryLine||1.4.4|dev=1.4.3|The oversight where withers can be created in [[Peaceful]] difficulty has been fixed. Before this update, attempting to spawn the wither in peaceful resulted in a waste of [[soul sand]] and [[#Wither Skull|skulls]].
|Withers can no longer destroy [[end portal]]s, which are now supposed to be unbreakable.}}
|{{HistoryLine||1.5|dev=13w05a|Withers are no longer able to ride [[minecart]]s.}}
|{{HistoryLine||April 1, 2013|link=Java Edition 2.0|Added a [[pink wither]] to the april fools update, [[Java Edition 2.0|Minecraft 2.0]]. The pink wither is passive, starts with one head, and can be fed sugar to gain two more heads.}}
|{{HistoryLine||1.7.2|dev=13w37a|Added [[achievement]]s for spawning and killing the wither.}}
|{{HistoryLine||1.8|dev=14w04a|The [[player]] can now spawn withers by [[dispensing]] the [[#Wither Skull|wither skulls]].}}
|{{HistoryLine|||dev=14w05a|The armor that protects the wither from arrows when it is taken down to half no longer turns red when the wither takes damage.}}
|{{HistoryLine|||dev=14w11b|The hitbox of the wither has been changed.}}
|{{HistoryLine|||dev=14w20a|Withers no longer break [[barrier]]s.}}
|{{HistoryLine|||dev=14w25a|Withers now move while invulnerable due to {{bug|MC-57569}}.
|Withers can now be built sideways and upside-down instead of just upright and require air blocks next to the base soul sand.<ref>{{bug|MC-60792}}</ref>}}
|{{HistoryLine||1.8.1|dev=pre3|Barriers can no longer be broken by blue wither skulls.}}
|{{HistoryLine||1.9|dev=15w31a|Withers now have a uniquely colored boss bar.|Wither health bar now starts at full health instead of filling up during the spawning animation.}}
|{{HistoryLine|||dev=15w46a|Withers no longer move while invulnerable.}}
|{{HistoryLine|||dev=15w49a|Withers no longer travel through portals.}}
|{{HistoryLine||1.11|dev=16w32a|The [[entity]] ID has been changed from <code>WitherBoss</code> to <code>wither</code>.
|The projectile entity ID has been changed from <code>WitherSkull</code> to <code>wither_skull</code>.}}
|{{HistoryLine|||dev=16w38a|[[Structure block]]s and [[structure void]]s can no longer be destroyed by withers.}}
|{{HistoryLine|||dev=16w40a|The [[tag]]s <code>xTile</code>, <code>yTile</code>, <code>zTile</code>, <code>inTile</code> and <code>inGround</code> have been removed from the wither skull [[Chunk format#Projectiles|entity data]].
|The wither <code>life</code> tag is no longer used for anything, but still saved/read.}}
|{{HistoryLine||1.12|dev=pre3|Withers can no longer break [[piston]] extensions or [[End Gateway (block)|end gateway]]s.}}
|{{HistoryLine||1.14|dev=18w43a|[[File:Wither JE2 BE2.png|50px]] The texture of withers has been changed.
|All [[mob]]s killed by withers now have one [[wither rose]] planted at their location upon [[death]].}}
|{{HistoryLine|||dev=18w44a|Withers now have [[loot table]]s.}}
|{{HistoryLine||1.16|dev=20w07a|Withers can now also be summoned using [[soul soil]].}}
|{{HistoryLine|||dev=pre3|Withers can now be built sideways even at Y{{=}}0 and Y{{=}}1.}}
|{{HistoryLine||1.17|dev=20w46a|Wither health bar once again fills up during the spawning animation instead of starting directly at full health.}}
|{{HistoryLine|||dev=21w17a|Withers are now immune to [[freezing]].}}
|{{HistoryLine||1.18|dev=21w37a|Fixed bug where withers do not pursue players in survival mode unless attacked.<ref>{{bug|MC-29274}}</ref>}}
|{{HistoryLine|||dev=21w41a|[[File:Wither Skull JE3.png|50px]] Tweaked the Wither Skull's texture to use the new Wither face from the [[Texture Update]].}}
|{{HistoryLine||1.19|dev=Deep Dark Experimental Snapshot 1|Added [[reinforced deepslate]], which cannot be broken by withers.}}
|{{HistoryLine||1.19.3|dev=22w44a|[[File:Wither Spawn Egg JE1 BE1.png|32px]] Added [[spawn egg]]s for withers, which can be obtained only with commands as to avoid potential destruction of creative builds.<ref>{{bug|MC-189872|||Fixed}}</ref>}}
|{{HistoryLine||1.20.3|dev=23w40a|Withers are now part of the {{cd|#can_breathe_under_water}} and {{cd|#undead}} [[tag]]s.}}
|{{HistoryLine||1.21.2|dev=24w34a|Wither skulls no longer go through the [[world border]] if hit.}}

|{{HistoryLine|pocket alpha}}
|{{HistoryLine||v0.16.0|dev=build 4|[[File:Wither JE1 BE1.png|50px]] Added withers.
|When withers are at half health, they spawn 4 [[wither skeleton]]s. 
|Withers attack differently and have twice the amount of [[health]] as ''Java Edition'' withers.}}
|{{HistoryLine|pocket}}
|{{HistoryLine||1.0.2|[[#Wither Skull|Wither skulls]] from withers can now be deflected with a [[sword]].}}
|{{HistoryLine||1.1.0|dev=alpha 1.1.0.0|The [[entity]] ID has been changed from <code>wither.boss</code> to <code>wither</code>.}}
|{{HistoryLine|bedrock}}
|{{HistoryLine||1.10.0|dev=beta 1.10.0.3|[[File:Wither JE2 BE2.png|50px]] The texture of withers has been changed.}}
|{{HistoryLine||1.13.0|dev=beta 1.13.0.9|All [[mob]]s killed by withers now have one [[wither rose]] planted at their location upon [[death]].}}
|{{HistoryLine||1.16.0|dev=beta 1.16.0.51|Withers can now also be summoned using [[soul soil]] instead of [[soul sand]].
|Added [[piglin]]s, which attack withers.}}
|{{HistoryLine||1.17.0|dev=beta 1.17.0.56|Withers are now immune to [[freezing]].}}
|{{HistoryLine||1.19.60|dev=Preview 1.19.60.20|[[File:Wither Spawn Egg JE1 BE1.png|32px]] Added [[spawn egg]]s for withers.}}

|{{HistoryLine|console}}
|{{HistoryLine||xbox=TU19|xbone=CU7|ps3=1.12|psvita=1.12|ps4=1.12|switch=1.0.1|wiiu=Patch 1|[[File:Wither JE1 BE1.png|50px]] Added withers.}}
|{{HistoryLine||xbox=TU24|xbone=CU12|ps3=1.16|psvita=1.16|ps4=1.16|The armor that protects the wither from arrows when it is taken down to half no longer turns red when the wither takes damage.{{check version|Did the wither armor not render at all in this version?}}}}
|{{HistoryLine||xbox=TU31|xbone=CU19|ps3=1.22|psvita=1.22|ps4=1.22|wiiu=Patch 3|switch=1.0.1|The [[player]] can now spawn withers by [[dispensing]] the [[#Wither Skull|wither skulls]].|Withers can now be built sideways and upside-down instead of just upright.}}
|{{HistoryLine||xbox=TU54|xbone=CU44|ps3=1.52|psvita=1.52|ps4=1.52|wiiu=Patch 24|switch=1.0.4|Wither health bar now starts at full health instead of filling up during the spawning animation.|The [[spawn limit|maximum amount]] of boss mobs that can be loaded at once has been increased from 1 to 5. This means outside the end it is possible to have up to 5 withers instead of only 1 and in [[the End]] it is possible to have up to 4 only if the [[ender dragon]] is alive.}}
|{{HistoryLine||xbox=TU60|xbone=CU51|ps3=1.64|psvita=1.64|ps4=1.64|wiiu=Patch 30|switch=1.0.11|The behavior of withers has been changed to match the behavior of withers in Pocket Edition Alpha v0.16.0.|Withers now blow up and spawn [[wither skeleton]]s at half health. Upon death, withers stop moving and slowly grow in size while turning white until they [[explode]]. They also do the dash attack like {{in|bedrock|lc=}} and the amount of health that they get when spawning also depends on the difficulty. 
|Withers are no longer able to regenerate health.|Wither health bar once again fills up during the spawning animation instead of starting directly at full health.}}

|{{HistoryLine|new 3ds}}
|{{HistoryLine||1.3.12|[[File:Wither JE1 BE1.png|50px]] Added withers.}}
}}

== Issues ==

{{issue list}}

== Trivia ==
[[File:Wither (painting texture) JE1 BE1.png|thumb|160px|The painting depicting how to spawn a wither]]
*According to [[Jeb]], the wither was inspired by ''[https://terraria.wiki.gg/wiki/Terraria Terraria]'', which has a summonable boss mechanic. The name itself is inspired by a poison spell in another game made by Jeb called ''Whispers in Akarra''.<ref>{{mcnet|meet-wither|Meet the Wither|February 13, 2017|Marsh Davies}}</ref>
*There is a [[painting]] showing the [[soul sand]] and [[wither skeleton skull]] formation needed to spawn a wither.
**Similarly, the wither appears on the four sides of chiseled [[red sandstone]].
*If the wither is damaged by the void, it frantically attempts to fire blue skulls.
*Above half health, the wither always attempts to stay a few blocks above the mob it is targeting. This means that attempting to build or climb up to hit the wither using a sword is essentially impossible.
**If the wither is after a blaze and the blaze tries to fly up to it, the wither attempts to keep rising above the blaze, thus making both of them rise higher until they hit a ceiling or until the [[blaze]] despawns or dies.
*Although the wither is 3.5 blocks tall, 3 blocks wide, and 1 block thick, its hitbox is only 3.5 blocks tall, 1 block wide, and 1 block thick. 
**The true dimensions of the wither are: 2.844 blocks tall (varies), 3 blocks wide, and 1.719 blocks long (also varies).
*The wither's smaller heads shoot targets slightly slower than the main head. The interval for smaller heads is 2&ndash;3 seconds, while the main head's always 2.
*An enemy called the [[wither storm]] appears in ''[[Minecraft: Story Mode]]''. It was created by replacing the center block of soul sand with a [[command block]].
*Despite not having visible feet, withers can make footstep sounds.<ref>{{bug|MC-92623}}</ref>
*In [[Java Edition 3D Shareware v1.34]], withers drop red keys.
*According to [[Quinn Richter]], Marketplace Partner Manager, the wither's name is "Simmons?", similar to the ender dragon's name being "Jean?".<ref>{{ytl|gtL_hkE_LVE|Ask Mojang #4: To The Moon! @ 3:40|Minecraft|November 8, 2019|t=220}}</ref>
*A wither is hostile toward the ender dragon, but rarely damages it, because of how fast the dragon flies.
*On the webpage for the 10th anniversary of Minecraft, an image of the wither is referred to internally as a ghast.<ref name=":Ghast">{{Citation|url=https://www.minecraft.net/en-us/10th-anniversary|title=Celebrate with Us|website=minecraft.net}}</ref>

== Gallery ==
=== Renders ===
<gallery>
Wither with Armor.png|The wither and its armor.
Wither Invulnerable with Armor.png|The wither prepares for [[explosion]] with the invulnerable status after summoned.
</gallery>

=== Screenshots ===
<gallery>
WitherPotionEffect.png|The [[Wither (effect)|withering effect]] after being damaged by a wither skull.
Wither Shield.png|The "wither armor" that blocks [[arrow]]s.
Wither recipe.png|A larger image to show how to [[summon]] the wither.
Wit.png|The pit created after the wither has charged.
The Wither Attacking Horses.jpg|The wither attacking [[horse]]s.
Wither attacking a sheep.jpg|The wither attacking a [[sheep]].
WitherAttack.png|The wither attacking a [[village]].
Click For Wither.png|A wither summoning set-up.
Sideways Wither.png|Image from [[Dinnerbone]] of a wither being built horizontally.
Invisibility Wither.jpg|A player avoiding a wither by using the [[Invisibility]] effect.
Pocket Edition Wither.jpg|First image of a wither being built {{in|Bedrock}}.
</gallery>

=== Textures ===
<gallery class="pixel-image">
Wither (texture).png|Wither texture file.
Wither Invulnerable (texture).png|Invulnerable wither texture file.
Wither (armor texture) JE1.png|Wither armor texture file.
</gallery>

=== In other media ===
<gallery>
File:Pretty Scary Update poster.png|Wither in promotional artwork for the [[Pretty Scary Update]].
File:Timeline ghast.png|Artwork of the Wither used on the 10th anniversary website.<ref name=":Ghast" />
File:Wither boss Mobestiary.jpg|Wither pictured in the [[Minecraft Books#Minecraft Mobestiary|Mobestiary]].
File:MCCastleRedstoneCover.png|The Wither on the cover of [[Castle Redstone]].
File:LEGO Wither.jpg|[[LEGO Minecraft|LEGO ''Minecraft'']] wither.
File:Acid Wither.png|"Acid Wither," an official T-Shirt design.
File:Wither Head Shirt.png|"Jolly Mobs Flying Head," another T-Shirt design.
Linus-chan-wither-defeat-keyart-withbg.jpg|Players fighting the wither.
</gallery>

== See also ==
*[[Ender dragon]], the other boss mob in ''[[Minecraft]]''
*[[Tutorials/Defeating the wither]], a [[tutorial]] explaining different tactics to fight and kill the wither

== References ==
{{reflist}}

== External links ==
*[https://www.minecraft.net/en-us/article/meet-wither Meet the Wither] – Minecraft.net on February 13, 2017

== Navigation ==
{{Navbox mobs}}

[[Category:Boss mobs]]
[[Category:Hostile mobs]]
[[Category:Undead mobs]]
[[Category:Monster mobs]]
[[Category:Flying mobs]]
[[Category:Nether mobs]]

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