Minecraft Skeleton

Minecraft Skeleton

Skeleton

Health points	20 × 10
Behavior	Hostile
Attack strength	Ranged Java: Easy: 2 - 4 ; average is 3 Normal: 2 – 4 ; average is 4 Hard: 2 – 5 ; average is 4 Bedrock: Varies with proximity: 1 – 5 Melee Easy: 2 Normal: 2 Hard: 3
Size	Height: 1.99 Blocks Width: 0.6 Blocks

Spawning

Skeletons can spawn almost anywhere in the Overworld at a light level of 7 or less, in groups of up to 4. 80% of skeletons spawned directly under the sky spawn as strays in Snowy Tundra, Snowy Mountains, Ice Spikes, Frozen River, Frozen Ocean, and Deep Frozen Ocean biomes. In the Nether, they can also spawn in nether fortresses at a light level of 7 or less in place of a wither skeleton.

Spiders have a 1% chance to spawn with a skeleton riding them, creating a spider jockey.

Skeleton horsemen spawn when a skeleton trap is triggered by a player. The skeletons ride on skeleton horses and are equipped with enchanted bows and iron helmets, and have damage immunity for 3 seconds after spawning, In Bedrock Edition they are only immune from lightning bolts.

Bedrock Edition

Skeletons spawn in groups of 1-2.

80% of skeletons spawned directly under the sky in Legacy Frozen Ocean, Snowy Tundra and Snowy Mountains spawn as strays instead. Only skeletons and strays can spawn naturally there.

Cave spiders have 1% chance to spawn with a skeleton riding them, creating a cave spider jockey.

Monster spawners

Skeletons can spawn from naturally-generated spawners found in dungeons.

Drops

Skeletons drop:

0–2 bones. The maximum drop is increased by 1 per level of Looting, for a maximum of 0-5 bones with Looting III.
0–2 arrows. The maximum drop is increased by 1 per level of Looting, for a maximum of 0-5 arrows with Looting III.
Any picked-up equipment has a 100% chance of dropping, and drop with the same damage level it had when picked up.
Any naturally spawned equipment (including the bow) has 8.5% chance of dropping if killed by the player (9.5% with Looting I, 10.5% with Looting II and 11.5% with Looting III). It is usually badly damaged, and has a chance of being enchanted.
A skeleton drops its head if killed by a charged creeper's explosion.
Skeletons drop 5 experience when killed by a player or tamed wolf, and 1–3 extra experience if the skeleton has equipment.

Variants

Wither Skeleton

A wither skeleton in the nether.

Main article: Wither Skeleton

Wither Skeletons are a taller variant of skeletons that spawn in nether fortresses, as well as the general Nether‌^{[Legacy Console Edition only]}. They hold a sword instead of a bow, and inflict the Wither status effect for several seconds when attacking.

Stray

A stray.

Main article: Stray

Strays are another variant of skeletons that spawn in certain cold biomes. They attack like normal skeletons, but shoot and drop tipped arrows of slowness instead.

Halloween

During Halloween (October 31), skeletons have a 22.5% chance of spawning wearing a carved pumpkin and a 2.5% chance of spawning wearing a jack o'lantern. If these skeletons are killed using a tool enchanted with Looting, the pumpkin or jack o'lantern can drop with a chance equivalent to the level of Looting (up to 3% chance with Looting III).

Behavior

Dueling skeletons. Note that the skeleton on the left has turned red due to taking damage from the other skeleton.

Skeletons chase any player or iron golem they see within 16 blocks. They can climb stairs, navigate mazes, and traverse other complex obstacles to get within shooting range. When they are within 15 blocks of the player with a clear line of sight, they stop chasing and start shooting with arrows, one arrow every 2 seconds (1 on hard difficulty). They can strafe at a player's walking speed in circular patterns to try to dodge attacks during the process, and retreat to safe range if the player comes too close (4 blocks or less) to them. The detection range of skeletons is reduced to half of their normal range (8 blocks) while the player wears a skeleton mob head.

The skeleton's accuracy is based on the difficulty. Skeletons have an "error" of 10 on easy, 6 on normal, and 2 on hard. This is compared to the player's "error" of 1. To account for gravity, skeletons aim 0.2 blocks higher for every block horizontal they are from the target.

If a skeleton's arrow hits certain hostile mobs, that mob attacks the skeleton the same way it would attack the player, if it was not hit by the player first. If a skeleton is attacked by another mob (usually another skeleton), it may attack that mob, reorienting on the player once that mob is dead.

Skeletons sink in water and are unable to swim, but do not drown.

If spawned with no weapon at all (which can be spawned with /summon skeleton ~ ~ ~ {HandItems:[{id:air,Count:1b}]}), a skeleton acts like a zombie (though faster), coming at the player with arms outstretched and damaging the player by touching them.

Skeletons are also able to climb ladders, but only when forced to, as their AI does not handle ladders in a special way.

Skeletons holding tipped arrows in their offhand always shoot that type of arrow; these arrows are not consumed.

Bedrock Edition

Skeleton shooting

When its target is closer, a skeleton shoots faster, but deals less damage. Skeletons make no attempt to avoid being hit. An underwater skeleton can use a melee attack only to attack its target and cannot use its bow.

Burning in sunlight

Like zombies, skeleton burning occurs at dawn when the sun is 15 degrees or greater above the ground (that is, when the moon can no longer be seen), unless the skeleton is:

Below an opaque block
In a sunlight level of 11 or less
In water
Standing in soul sand
Affected by Fire Resistance
Wearing head armor (the helmet absorbs the damage but may take several day cycles before it wears out completely).

If not wearing a helmet, they may make some attempt to seek out shade during the day, or enter bodies of water to protect themselves from burning up. Unlike zombies, which always chase the player if they see one, skeletons do not exit the shade area even if attacking a player. Burning skeletons have a 50% chance of shooting flaming arrows if the regional difficulty is 3 or greater.

A pack of wolves attacking a skeleton. Note the red angry eyes on the wolves.

Wolves

Skeletons run from wolves chasing them. A skeleton flees from a chasing wolf until the wolf deals damage, after which the skeleton turns to shoot at the wolf that successfully attacked it.

Attacking other mobs

Skeletons shoot at any nearby iron golems and snow golems. Skeletons also search for and attack baby turtles.

Mob type

Skeletons are undead mobs, causing them to be damaged by the Instant Health status effect, healed by the Instant Damage status effect, and unaffected by the status effects Regeneration and Poison.

Skeletons are also ignored by the wither and are affected by the Smite enchantment.

Geared skeletons

A skeleton with a white-dyed leather full set.

Like zombies, some spawned skeletons have the ability to pick up dropped items from the ground. If a picked up item is armor, a carved pumpkin, a jack o'lantern, or a mob head, a skeleton equips itself with the item. If the picked up item is a weapon or tool, the skeleton uses the item as a melee weapon.

Skeletons spawn already-armed with bows, which may also be enchanted. The chances of that event are listed below and are taken from the game's code. If a skeleton spawns wearing multiple pieces of armor, the armor is never mismatched (i.e. all pieces are made of the same material).

	Easy	Normal	Hard
Armor	0%	0%–15%^{[note 1]}	1.875%–15%^{[note 1]}
Weapon^{[note 2]}	100%	100%	100%
Pick up	0%	0%–55%^{[note 1]}	6.875%–55%^{[note 1]}
Weapon enchantment^{[note 3]}	0%	0%–25%^{[note 1]}	3.125%–25%^{[note 1]}
Armor enchantment^{[note 3]}	0%	0%–50%^{[note 1]}	6.25%–50%^{[note 1]}

↑ ^{Jump up to:a} ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f ^g ^h ⁱ Value is based on the regional difficulty.
Jump up↑ 100% chance of a bow
↑ ^{Jump up to:a} ^b Enchantment is the same as on an enchantment table at level 5–22.^{[note 1]}

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

Armor	Easy & Normal	Hard
Boots	100%	100%
Boots & Leggings	75%	90%
Boots & Chestplate & Leggings	56.25%	81%
Full set	42.19%	72.9%

The chances of it being of a particular material are:

Armor Type	Chance
Leather	37.06%
Gold	48.73%
Chain	12.90%
Iron	1.27%
Diamond	0.04%

Skeleton armor is not damaged from most damage sources, which means it cannot "wear out" the way player armor does. Helmets (not blocks like carved pumpkins) on skeletons can wear away and break if the skeleton is exposed to daylight or has an anvil or other falling block dropped on its head.

If a skeleton has a bow and a sword is given, it drops the bow (with the same chance as if killed with Looting I) and starts using the sword. If a skeleton has a sword or bow in its hand, and one of a better type or with better enchantments is given, the skeleton drops the existing weapon (with the same chance as if killed with Looting I) in favor of the better one. Any skeleton that spawns with equipment (picked-up items don't count) gives 1–3 extra experience points per item.

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)
	Sniper Duel	Kill a skeleton with an arrow from more than 50 meters	Use a launched arrow to kill a skeleton, wither skeleton, or a stray from 50 or more blocks away, horizontally.	Yes	PS3	Yes	Yes	30G	Silver
	Sniper Duel	Kill a skeleton with an arrow from more than 50 meters		Yes	PS4, PSVita	Yes	Yes	30G	Bronze

Advancements

Main article: Advancements

Advancement	In-game description	Parent	Actual requirements (if different)	Internal ID
Not Today, Thank You	Deflect an arrow with a shield	Suit Up	Deflect any projectile with a shield.	`minecraft:story/deflect_arrow`
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`
A Throwaway Joke	Throw a trident at something. Note: Throwing away your only weapon is not a good idea.	Monster Hunter	Hit something with a trident	`minecraft:adventure/throw_trident`
Take Aim	Shoot something with a bow and arrow	Monster Hunter	—	`minecraft:adventure/shoot_arrow`
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`
Sniper Duel	Kill a Skeleton from more than 50 meters away	Take Aim	Kill a skeleton with a projectile while being at least 50 blocks away horizontally.	`minecraft:adventure/sniper_duel`

History

Java Edition Classic
August 14, 2009				Teased skeletons.
0.24_SURVIVAL_TEST				Skeletons are added.
0.24_SURVIVAL_TEST				Skeletons spawn randomly in new Survival maps and follow players when approached, much like zombies.
0.25 SURVIVAL TEST				Skeletons now fire arrows with a purple/magenta colored shaft, appear to fire arrows at a faster and more random rate, and shoot 6 arrows outward a short range in all directions when dying. Arrows fired by skeletons can be picked up and used by players.
0.25 SURVIVAL TEST				Skeletons now take five hits to kill and can appear wearing NPC armor (that gave them no additional protection) and gave 120 points when killed.
Java Edition Indev
0.31		?		Skeletons no longer wear armor.
				The skeleton's attacking animation has now been removed.
				The Purple arrows that skeletons throw have now been removed and have been replaced by brown arrows.
				Skeletons now drop 0–2 arrows upon death.
February 14, 2010, 1				Skeletons now catch on fire when exposed to sunlight.
February 18, 2010				The chances of catching on fire in sunlight have now been tweaked for skeletons.
February 18, 2010				Skeletons now burn only when the sunlight level is greater than 7, and not due to torches at night^[verify].
February 19, 2010				Skeletons now drop arrows.
Java Edition Alpha
v1.2.0		?		Skeletons now hold a bow in their right hand, however they were held as an item just like a player would hold it at this period.
Java Edition Beta
1.2				Skeletons can now drop 0-2 bones, in addition to arrows.
1.8		?		Skeleton's bow is now larger and held more realistically (full-sized bows, two-handed, and pulling the arrow back) than in previous versions (in one hand).
1.8		?		Skeletons now fire arrows slightly slower. Their arrows however, are shot with more force.
Java Edition
1.0.0		?		Skeletons now hold their bow with one hand again, but they still have the larger and held realistically bow.
1.2.1		12w04a		The skeleton's AI has now been updated, so they are "smarter", i.e. if a skeleton catches fire in daylight, it rushes to the nearest shadow or body of water for safety.
1.2.1		12w06a		There is now a small chance that a skeleton drops a bow when killed. There is also a small chance of the bow being enchanted.
1.4.2		12w32a		Skeletons, zombies and zombie pigmen can now pick up dropped items. They also have the ability to wear armor and wield a weapon, so if they pick up armor, they wear it. If they pick up a weapon, they wield it. However, there is a bug that skeletons fire arrows when wielding a sword.
		12w32a		Skeletons, zombies, and zombie pigmen can now spawn wearing any type of armor (including chain); both armor and weapons may be enchanted.
		12w36a		Skeletons can now be found in nether fortresses along with wither skeletons, their Nether equivalent.
		?		On Halloween, skeletons, wither skeletons, zombies and zombie pigmen now have a chance of spawning with a pumpkin or jack o'lantern.
		12w38a		Skeletons have now been given new sounds.
1.4.4		1.4.3-pre		Skeletons now rush toward the player, instead of shooting arrows, if they don't have a bow.
1.5		13w02a		Skeletons now shoot from a range of 15 blocks instead of 10.
1.5		13w03a		Skeletons now begin to fire rapidly at players who come within close range, in an attempt to knock them back. This makes melee combat in water hard.
1.8		14w10a		Skeletons now run away from wolves, instead of fighting back.
		14w11a		Skeletons now run away from creepers that are about to explode.
		14w30a		Skeletons now drop their skulls when killed by a charged creeper.
1.8.1		pre1		Skeletons no longer run away from creepers that are about to explode.
1.9		15w31a		Skeletons now lower their arms when idle.
				Skeletons now animate their bow; they now pull it out when becoming hostile and draw it back to shoot arrows.
				Skeletons now have a small chance of spawning with their bow in their left hand.
				Skeletons now have the ability to dual wield.
				Skeletons now hold their bow with two hands again.
		15w32a		The detection range of skeletons is now halved when the player is wearing a skeleton mob head.
		15w33c		The detection range for players wearing the skeleton mob head has now been adjusted, it is now 37.5% of the normal range.
		15w36a		The detection range for players wearing the skeleton mob head is now again 50% of the normal range.
		15w38a		Skeletons now have a new AI that allows them to strafe while shooting the target.
		15w38a		Skeletons may now spawn from skeleton trap horses.
		15w39a		Skeletons are now slightly taller (1.99 blocks tall rather than 1.95).
		pre1		Skeletons can now shoot flaming arrows when burning and regional difficulty is 3 or greater.
				Skeletons holding tipped arrows in their off hand now shoot that type of arrow.
				Entity ID `Skeleton` is now `skeleton`, `wither_skeleton` and `stray` for those respective mobs.
1.13		18w07a		Skeletons now seek and attack baby turtles.
		18w19a		Skeletons can now sink underwater.
		18w19a		Skeletons can now no longer drown underwater.
1.14		18w43a		The texture of the skeleton has now been changed.
Pocket Edition Alpha
0.3.3				Added skeletons.
0.5.0				Skeletons have new animations.
0.9.0		build 8		Skeletons now have new AI.
0.9.0		build 9		Skeletons now use the old AI again because they weren't firing arrows correctly.
0.11.0		build 1		Skeletons now no longer hold their bow with 2 arms.
		build 1		Skeletons can now spawn as rider from spider jockey or cave spider jockey.
		build 14		Skeletons now have improved accuracy.
0.12.1		build 1		Skeletons now use the new AI again, thus improving accuracy and intelligence, so when the skeleton starts burning in the daylight, it hide to the nearest tree or a big shallow lake.
				Skeletons can now spawn wearing armor.
				Skeletons can now spawn with enchanted bows.
				Skeletons now have the ability to pick up items.
		build 12		New sounds have now been added for dying skeletons.
0.13.0		build 1		Skeletons now run away from wolves.
0.13.0		build 1		Skeletons now shoot faster when players get closer, but their arrows deal less damage.
0.14.0		build 1		Skeletons are now slightly taller (1.99 blocks tall rather than 1.95).
0.15.0		build 1		Skeletons now animate their bow, they pull it out when becoming hostile and draw it back to shoot arrows.
0.15.0		build 1		Skeletons may now spawn from skeleton trap horses.
?				Burning skeletons can now shoot flaming arrows only if the regional difficulty is 3 or greater. Prior to this, burning skeletons would always shoot flaming arrows regardless of regional difficulty.
Bedrock Edition
1.2.0				Skeletons now have a 8.5% chance of dropping their equipment. Prior to this, skeletons would never drop their bow and would always drop their armor.
1.5.0		beta 1.5.0.0		Skeletons now sink while underwater.
				Skeletons now breathe underwater. Prior to this, skeletons would die from drowning.
				Skeletons now use melee attacks and stop using ranged attacks when underwater.
		beta 1.5.0.4		Skeletons now seek and attack baby turtles.
Legacy Console Edition
TU1	CU1	1.0	Patch 1	Added skeletons.
TU5				The skeleton's bow is now larger and held more realistically (full-sized bows, two-handed, and pulling the arrow back) than in previous versions (in one hand).
TU5				Skeletons now fire their arrows slightly slower. Their arrows, however, are shot with more force.
TU12				The skeleton's AI has now been updated, so they are "smarter", i.e. if a skeleton catches fire in daylight, it rushes to the nearest shadow or body of water for safety.
TU12				There is now a small chance that skeletons drop a bow when killed. There is now also a small chance of the bow being enchanted (Power I).
TU19	CU7	1.12		Skeletons can now spawn wearing armor and weapons.
TU19	CU7	1.12		Once the player gets closer to a skeleton, the skeleton fires arrows more frequently.
TU31	CU19	1.22	Patch 3	Skeletons now run away from wolves, instead of fighting back.
TU31	CU19	1.22	Patch 3	Skeletons now drop their skull when killed by a charged creeper.
TU46	CU36	1.38	Patch 15	Skeletons may now spawn from skeleton trap horses.
				Skeletons now have a new AI that allows them to strafe while attacking.
				Skeletons now animate their bow.

Issues

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

Trivia

If alerted to a player's presence, a skeleton can fire arrows backwards, occasionally hitting themselves.
Skeletons cannot see the player through glass, fences, or other transparent blocks.
If a skeleton kills a creeper, the creeper drops a music disc.
The artificial intelligence of skeletons in Bedrock Edition is equivalent of the skeletons from Java Edition between 1.5-1.8.9 versions.

Gallery

A skeleton in Beta 1.8. You can see it wielding its bow with both hands.
Dying Skeleton mob in Bedrock Edition.
Dying skeleton mob in Java Edition.
Two skeletons shooting each other. The skeleton on the right is a spider jockey.
A skeleton in the Nether used as the 12w36a snapshot image.
A skeleton from then-Pocket Edition (before 0.11.0). Like in Beta 1.8, it holds its bow with both hands.
A skeleton riding a minecart.
A skeleton kills an attacking wolf.
A stray standing next to a normal skeleton.
A skeleton wearing an iron helmet.
A skeleton wearing a leather cap.
A player trying to give armor to a skeleton.
Skeletons spawned from skeleton trap horses.
A glitch where skeletons have no bow.
Naturally armored skeletons.
A skeleton that naturally spawned with the bow on their left hand.