Minecraft Creeper

Minecraft Creeper

Creeper

Health points	20 × 10
Behavior	Hostile
Attack strength	Varies by proximity and difficulty. Maximum damage: Normal: 49 × 24.5 Charged: 97 × 48.5
Size	Height: 1.7 Blocks Width: 0.6 Blocks
Spawn	Light level of 7 or less
Common drops	Gunpowder (0–2) if not exploded Music Discs (1) randomly chosen disc, if killed by a skeleton or stray Creeper Head (1) when killed by a charged creeper

Spawning

Creepers naturally spawn in the Overworld on top of solid blocks with a light level of 7 or less.

Drops

Creepers drop when killed:

5 Experience Orbs, if killed by the player
0–2 Gunpowder (or up to 5 with the Looting enchantment)
1 random Music Discs, if killed by a Skeleton or Stray
1 Creeper Head, if killed by a Charged Creeper

Behavior

A creeper giving chase and about to explode.

Creepers chase after any player, as long as it is within a 16 block (±5%) radius and ±4 blocks vertically. The detection range of creepers is reduced to half of their normal range (8 blocks) when the player is wearing a creeper mob head.‌^{[Java Edition only]}

When within three blocks of a player, a creeper stops moving, hisses, flashes and expands, then explodes after 1.5 seconds. A creeper's detonation can be halted if the player leaves the blast radius of 7 blocks, including by knocking back the creeper or killing it.

A creeper can jump down to a player if it can survive the fall. The fall 1.5 second delay includes the falling time, so an explosion occurs sooner after landing with higher falls.

Creepers can climb up ladders and vines like any other mob, but do not do so intentionally.

Creepers can be forced to explode by using a flint and steel.

They flee from ocelots and cats if one is too close, until they are approximately 16 blocks away from the feline(s).

Normal creeper explosions have a power of 3.

If a creeper is inflicted with a status effect, its explosion creates an area effect cloud of the effect.

Creepers are never targeted by any mobs, other than withers, snow golems, and vindicators named "Johnny". If they are hit by a stray projectile, they retaliate only if not already chasing a player.

Charged Creeper

Two creepers' explosion damage radius in sand. Comparison between a charged creeper's (left) and a normal creeper's (right).

A charged creeper is a more powerful variant of a creeper.

A charged creeper is created only when lightning strikes within 4 blocks of a normal creeper or when hit by a trident with the Channeling enchantment during a thunderstorm, which significantly increases its explosive power. Charged creepers are distinguished from normal creepers by the blue aura surrounding them.

Their countdown timers are the same as normal creepers, both in terms of range and time. With a power of 6, an explosion caused by a charged creeper is twice as powerful as the explosion caused by a regular creeper (see image). How close the creeper was to the lightning strike does not affect the size of the explosion.

Charged creepers have the same entity ID as normal creepers. The only difference is that the value of the boolean "powered" tag is set to "1" (true).

Charged creeper explosions that kill zombies, skeletons, wither skeletons, or other creepers cause one of those mobs to drop the corresponding mob head. They do not drop their own head. Players or ender dragons do not drop their heads.

Data values

Achievements

Main article: Achievements

Icon	Achievement	In-game description	Actual requirements (if different)	Availability				Xbox points earned	Trophy type (PS)
Icon	Achievement	In-game description	Actual requirements (if different)	Xbox	PS	Bedrock	Nintendo	Xbox points earned	Trophy type (PS)
	Archer	Kill a creeper with arrows.		Yes	Yes	Yes	Wii U, Switch	10G	Bronze

Advancements

Main article: Advancements

Advancement	In-game description	Parent	Actual requirements (if different)	Internal ID
Adventure	Adventure, exploration, and combat	—	Kill any entity, or be killed by any entity.	`minecraft:adventure/root`
Monster Hunter	Kill any hostile monster	Adventure	Kill one of these 25 mobs. Other mobs are ignored for this advancement.	`minecraft:adventure/kill_a_mob`
Monsters Hunted	Kill one of every hostile monster	Monster Hunter	Kill each of these 25 mobs. Other mobs may be killed, but are ignored for the advancement.	`minecraft:adventure/kill_all_mobs`

History

This section may need cleanup to comply with the style guide. Please help us clean up this page if you can. The talk page may contain suggestions.

Java Edition Classic
August 31, 2009					Creepers were first shown, based on a failed pig model Notch had created (he mixed up the length and height of the body^[2]). They were the first mob added in Survival Test.
September 1, 2009					The texture given to the creeper was, at first, a darker shade of green that flashed to a lighter shade upon being hit. Creepers behaved much like zombies did at the time, hopping around randomly until spotting the player. Their melee attacks dealt only 4 worth of damage rather than the zombies' 6 . When killed, the creeper would "lie down" like any other dead mob and cause a 4×4×4 spherical explosion that left a sizable crater, destroying plenty of blocks (with the exception of stone) and severely hurting any players nearby. The creeper was worth 250 points when killed, but this was later decreased to 200 points.
0.24_SURVIVAL_TEST					Added creepers.
0.26_SURVIVAL_TEST					The creeper's texture has been changed.
October 20, 2009					Mentioned that creepers no longer destroy rock-type blocks.
0.26_SURVIVAL_TEST_3					Creeper explosions no longer destroy stone or stone-like blocks.
0.26_SURVIVAL_TEST_3					Explosions leave smoldering.
Java Edition Indev
February 19, 2010					Now drop sulphur upon death.
?					Creepers no longer produce leaf particles upon explosion.
Java Edition Alpha
v1.2.0		?			Creepers now have a new damage sound. ^{[more information needed]}
Java Edition Beta
1.4					The 'A' in the Minecraft logo now includes a creeper face.
1.5					Creepers now become charged when struck by lightning, increasing the explosion's radius and strength.
1.8		Pre-release			Creepers are now much more deadly and will definitely kill an unarmored player, if in a radius of 4 to 5 blocks around the creeper. This damage is also difficulty-independent.
Sound Update					Creeper explosions now have a new sound.
Java Edition
1.0.0		Beta 1.9 Prerelease 5			Creepers and other hostile mobs no longer attack the player in Creative mode, unless provoked.
1.1		11w50a			Drop music discs except for 11.
1.2.1		?			As part of the AI overhaul, creepers no longer attack other mobs.
1.2.1		?			Creepers no longer strafe towards the left of the player, now stopping in front of the player.
1.3.1		12w30a			Creepers have been made stronger. Depending on difficulty, creeper damage is scaled now with Easy: ~50% less damage, Normal: same damage as before, and Hard: ~33% more damage than before. In full diamond armor and hard difficulty, a creeper can knock players down to 2 hearts.^[3]
1.4.2		12w38b			New creeper fall mechanics; creepers now explode, if they fall on the player from a certain height.
1.6.1		13w18a			Creepers no longer explode when hit in Creative mode.
1.7.2		13w36a			Creepers can now be forcibly exploded using flint and steel.
1.8		14w05a			Players can now see from the perspective of a creeper in spectator mode. A creeper shader is applied, and the player is limited to the creeper's movements.
		14w11a			Witches, zombies, skeletons, spiders, cave spiders, zombie pigmen and other creepers now run away from creepers that are about to explode.
		14w30a			Charged creepers now cause zombies, skeletons, wither skeletons and other creepers to drop heads.
		14w30b			Each charged creeper now causes the drop of only one head, even if multiple head-dropping mobs are killed.
1.8.1		pre1			Mobs no longer run from creepers that are about to explode.
1.8.1		pre1			Creepers no longer attack iron golems.
1.9		15w32a			The detection range of creepers is halved when the player is wearing a creeper mob head.
		15w33c			The detection range for players wearing the creeper mob head is adjusted, now 37.5% of the normal range.
		15w36a			The detection range for players wearing the creeper mob head is again 50% of the normal range.
		15w39a			Creepers are now slightly shorter (1.7 blocks tall rather than 1.8).
		15w51a			Creepers no longer drop music discs when gamerule `doMobLoot` is false.
1.11		16w32a			Creepers that explode while having a potion effect now leave behind an area effect cloud having that effect.
1.11		16w32a			Changed creepers save game ID from `Creeper` to `creeper`.
1.14		18w43a			Creepers now drop music discs when killed by strays.
Pocket Edition Alpha
0.4.0					Creepers added (with old explosion sounds).
0.7.4					Tapping and holding flint and steel on a creeper now causes it to automatically explode.
0.9.0		build 1			Creepers no longer float 2 pixels off the ground.
		build 2			An ignite button is now used to automatically explode a creeper when holding flint and steel, instead of tapping and holding.
		build 8			Creepers now use the new AI.
		build 9			Creepers now use the old AI again because of them walking faster and not detonating.
0.9.2					Creepers now have a correct explosion range.
0.9.2					The detonation time for creepers has been fixed (would previously explode almost instantly).
0.11.0		?			Creepers can now climb ladders.
0.12.1		build 1			Creepers now use the new AI again.
					Creepers now become charged when struck by lightning, increasing the explosion's radius and strength.
					Creepers now have the new explosion sound.
					Creepers now have the flashing animation.
0.14.0		build 1			Creepers are now slightly shorter (1.7 blocks tall rather than 1.8).
Bedrock Edition
1.2.0		?			Creepers now drop music discs when killed by skeletons.
1.10.0		beta 1.10.0.3			Creepers now drop music discs when killed by strays.
Legacy Console Edition
TU1	CU1	1.0	Patch 1	Patch 1	Added Creepers.
TU5					Added charged creepers.
TU12					Creepers no longer attack other mobs. Before this update, a creeper shot by a skeleton would attack the skeleton, creating a crater in the process.
TU14		1.04			Creepers have been made stronger. Depending on difficulty, creeper damage is scaled now with Easy: ~50% less damage, Normal: same damage as before, and Hard: ~33% more damage than before. In full diamond armor and hard difficulty, a creeper can knock players down to 2 hearts.
					Creepers are now aggressive towards the last player that hit them.
					The creeper's explosions' knockback effect has been increased.
					Creepers now explode if they fall on players from a certain height.
TU24	CU12	1.16			The creeper's flashing animation has been updated.
TU31	CU19	1.22	Patch 3		Creepers can now be forcibly exploded using flint and steel.
TU31	CU19	1.22	Patch 3		Creepers drop a mob head when killed by a charged creeper.
TU54	CU44	1.52	Patch 24	Patch 4	Creepers that explode while having a potion effect now leave behind an area effect cloud having that effect.
PlayStation 4 Edition
1.90					Creepers now drop music discs when killed by strays.
New Nintendo 3DS Edition
0.1.0					Added Creepers.

The original pig model the creeper was based on.
The dark green creeper model.

Issues

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

Trivia

A sight that can scare even the most courageous players.

Notch stated on Twitter that "I imagine [creepers] as being made out of leaves or similar. I'm not sure why they explode."^[4]
When asked to describe the physical texture of a creeper, Notch said they would feel "crunchy, like dry leaves".^[5]
Creepers are their bright green color because Notch tried to make them well camouflaged for the original classic Minecraft textures, which were very bright shades of green. This would make them extremely dangerous as they would be harder to notice from a distance.
In multiplayer, if a creeper is attacked by another player, and the other player runs out of sight, it will not attack any other players.
When asked how creepers trigger their explosive nature, Dinnerbone said "They're so nervous that they shake a lot, and then this sets them off the same way as how rubbing two sticks makes fire".^[6]
Creepers are faster when fleeing cats than when chasing players.
If a charged creeper is given invisibility, the "aura" effect is still visible.
A charged creeper explosion can inflict the greatest amount of damage any mob in the game can do at one time.

Publicity

Creepers have a formidable reputation in the community because of their potential to hurt players and destroy structures. Their distinct appearance and destructive abilities have made them a widely-recognizable Minecraft icon. Creepers are referenced in several of the items available at the Minecraft merchandise depot,^[7] and have become an internet meme complete with fan art, web comic references, and demotivational posters. A central part of the meme is the creeper's unofficial catchphrase derived from the mob's tendency to sneak up on the player and hiss before detonating:

"That'sssss a very nice <random valuable object> you've got there... It'd be a ssssshame if anything were to happen to it..."^[8]

Merchandise

Creepers have been portrayed in many Minecraft products including but not limited to:

Stuffed toys.
Action figures.
Bracelets.
T-shirts
- The creeper anatomy T-shirt reveals the insides of a creeper, and also reveals its scientific name: Creepus Explodus.
LEGO Minecraft
Papercraft
Minecraft Facebook profile image
In the goodie-bags given out at Minecon 2011, creepers were given as a fold-able and tapable decoration for ones room or collection, along with diamond and grass.

Appearances

TV series

Several creepers have appeared on TV during episodes of the TV show Mad (Criminal Minecraft and ThunderLolcats ^[9]) In ThunderLolcats they use the catchphrase, saying "That'ssss.. a nice wall you've got there."

YouTube content

YouTube hosts many videos that feature creepers, including review videos, "Let's Play"'s, cartoons, and cameos in many other videos. When searching for the query "Minecraft Creeper", YouTube returns a lot of videos.

Console/PC games

In Borderlands 2, creepers appear in a mineshaft in the most north-west part of Caustic Caverns, including dirt, coal ore, stone, gold ore, and a "Badass creeper" that is twice the strength and size of a regular Creeper.
In Airmech, creepers appear as a unit "skin" for the suicide bomber unit the boomer. Creepers can be either green, blue, or red, depending on the color of the team that makes them.
In Octodad: Dadliest Catch, a creeper head is seen on a shelf in the grocery store along with 2 Pickaxes and some grass blocks. It is part of a collection known as "Mintcraft".
In Awesomenauts, one of the playable characters (Clunk) has a "skin" referencing the creeper, complete with hissing and explode sound effects.
A creeper can be seen and interacted with in a level from the game McPixel.
Seen as a Halloween costume in Terraria.
In Evoland 2, a game designed as a tribute to many classic games, "Dreaded Creepers" can be found as a mob in The Mine, present era. If you get killed by a Dreaded Creeper, you unlock the sssSSSSSss BOOM! achievement.

Flash games

In Stealing the Diamond, when Henry Stickmin sneaks up to the museum's outer wall with a pickaxe, a creeper comes up behind him and explodes, destroying part of the wall instead.
At the far end of the map in Stick RPG2, a smiling creeper can be seen in a hole at ground level.
One of the things the player can hit in Katawa Crash is a creeper.
In the game Transformice, there is a creeper head that the player may purchase as a hat for their mouse.

Other games

In a game called Quube Twodee made by Universal Chicken in Adelaide, Australia, one of the levels has a creeper face.
PixelJunk Shooter 2 for the PS3 shows a small creeper in the title screen hidden among other enemies native to Shooter 2.
In a Notch-designed custom level for VVVVVV, "Pyramid Escape", a creeper's face can be seen carved into the background to the far left of the pyramid.
In Torchlight II, the creeper appears in an uncommonly generated side area of Act III's Sundred Battlefield called "Notch's Mine". As expected, the creeper's found inside run toward the player and explode, leaving behind several dirt blocks. A chest at the end of the area can contain one of five Rare swords with their own unique attributes.
In a game called Strollin, there is a purchasable creeper item, which makes bombs throw the player farther.
In Geometry Dash', beating level 16 (Hexagon Force) on normal mode rewards the player a creeper face cube. This can also be colored to make it look like a normal one.
A small game notch made in 48 hours, called Minicraft, also includes creepers. What is interesting about them in the game, is that it has harder types the deeper the player goes underground.

Other

On Monday, June 18, 2012, a creeper was sent above the clouds into space.^[10]

Gallery

A creeper's vision when spectating it.
Dying creeper mob
A charged creeper next to a normal creeper
A charged creeper created via spawn eggs and the /weather thunder command
Comparison of explosion craters, from wither skull (top left), wither (far left), creeper (left), charged creeper (right), and TNT (far right)
A creeper explosion that damaged a villager house