Hostile mobs
| Mob | Spawns | Counter |
|---|---|---|
| Zombie | Dark areas and night surface | Backpedal and swing; avoid groups. |
| Skeleton | Dark areas and night surface | Close distance or fight from cover. |
| Creeper | Dark areas and night surface | Hit and retreat; keep them off your base. |
| Spider | Dark areas; can climb walls | Kill before it gets above you. |
| Slime | Below y-level 40 in swamps underground | Clear small ones; they split when killed. |
| Ghast | The Nether | Reflect fireballs or retreat to cover. |
| Zombie Pigman | The Nether | Neutral unless attacked; attacking one angers nearby pigmen. |
Passive mobs
| Mob | Drops | Use |
|---|---|---|
| Cow | Leather | Armor crafting and milk. |
| Pig | Porkchop | Your best early cooked food. |
| Sheep | 1–3 wool | Beds and building blocks. Punching drops wool; shears harvest up to 3 without hurting the sheep. |
| Chicken | Feathers | Fletching arrows. |
| Squid | Ink sacs | Black dye. |
| Wolf | None | Tame with bones to make a guard dog. |
Mobs that do not exist yet
- Enderman: added in Beta 1.8.
- Cave spider and silverfish: added in Beta 1.8.
- Blaze, witch and villager: post-1.7.3.
- Wither and other bosses: much later versions.
Spawn rules to exploit
- Hostile mobs spawn only in dark areas with light level 7 or below.
- Zombies and skeletons burn in daylight; a lit surface is safe by morning.
- Mobs cannot spawn on slabs, glass or other non-opaque blocks.
Creepers are the real threat
Creeper explosions destroy blocks and damage players. Maintain lit perimeters and fencing around your base to keep creepers away from walls.