mob

Skeleton in Minecraft | MinecraftBible

Skeleton is a hostile mob in Minecraft 1.21.4 with 20 HP and a dedicated spawn egg.

What is Skeleton?

Skeleton is a Minecraft hostile mob in the Skeleton family. Skeleton is a hostile mob. It attacks players on sight within its 16-block aggro range.

Namespaced ID: minecraft:skeleton. Summon with /summon minecraft:skeleton ~ ~ ~.

Combat & stats

  • Health: 20 HP (10 hearts)
  • XP dropped on kill: 5
  • Natural armor: 2
  • Movement speed: 0.25
  • Knockback resistance: 0%
  • Aggro range: 16 blocks
  • Hits with Iron Sword (6 dmg): 4
  • Hits with Diamond Sword (7 dmg): 3
  • Hits with Netherite Sword (8 dmg): 3

Physical size

Skeleton's hitbox is 0.6 blocks wide and 1.99 blocks tall.

Where Skeleton spawns

  • Overworld darkness. Biomes: Any Overworld. Structure: Dungeon spawners; strongholds. Max light: 0. Group size: 1–4. Spawn weight: 100. Standard hostile spawn on solid opaque blocks at block light 0.

Detailed drop table for Skeleton

ItemBase dropLooting bonusCondition
Arrow0–2+1 max per Looting level
Bone0–2+1 max per Looting level

Skeleton behavior & AI

  • Keeps distance and strafes while firing arrows. Arrow damage 1–5 (Normal), 3–5 (Hard).
  • Burns in sunlight without a helmet or shade.
  • Ignites arrows if standing in fire or lava.
  • Rare 0.8% chance to spawn riding a Spider (Spider Jockey).

How Skeleton attacks

Fires arrows; arrow damage ranges from 1 to 5 depending on draw and range.

How to fight Skeleton

  • Iron sword: 4 hits to kill.
  • Diamond sword: 3 hits to kill.
  • Netherite sword: 3 hits to kill.
  • Break line of sight beyond 16 blocks to reset aggro.

Related mobs — Skeleton family

Spawn egg

In creative mode, the Skeleton Spawn Egg spawns Skeleton instantly. Command: /give @p skeleton_spawn_egg 1.

Tags

  • Hostile mobs
  • Hostile
  • Has Spawn Egg
  • Has Drops
  • Skeleton family

Overview

Skeleton is a hostile mob in Minecraft 1.21.4 — part of the Skeleton family. This page covers its classification, size, spawn-egg availability, real health, and confirmed drops.

Difficulty and time commitment

  • Difficulty: Medium
  • Estimated time per run: 10-30 min

Frequently Asked Questions

How much health does Skeleton have?

Skeleton has 20 HP (10 hearts), and killing it grants 5 experience.

What does Skeleton drop when killed?

Skeleton can drop Arrow, Bone.

How does Skeleton attack?

Fires arrows; arrow damage ranges from 1 to 5 depending on draw and range.

How many hits does it take to kill Skeleton?

With an unenchanted sword, Skeleton takes about 4 hits with an Iron Sword (6 damage), 3 with a Diamond Sword (7 damage), and 3 with a Netherite Sword (8 damage).

Related pages on MinecraftBible