The Ender Dragon is not the only boss-level mob in Minecraft. After you have defeated the dragon in the End, it’s time to look for a new challenge. And what could be a greater challenge than the Wither? But even summoning the Wither can prove to be a task on its own, let alone attempting to beat it. You will need to be fully geared-up and prepared for the fight which might take you a very long time and even multiple attempts.
I still remember the time the boys and I decided to take on the Wither. We foolishly released it in the open near our base, without being fully equipped. Regrets were made, and the area where we fought the Wither has been preserved as a historical national park in our Minecraft server.
Today I will try to guide you to avoid making the same mistakes we did. We will talk about the process of summoning the Wither and everything you might need in order to defeat it when you do summon it.
What Even is the Wither?
The Wither is a hostile boss-level mob, which does not spawn naturally in Minecraft. It has to be player-summoned, and it starts attacking everything within range immediately after spawning. The Wither is the only source of the nether star in Minecraft, which is a crucial component when building a beacon. When killed it drops the important nether star and a lot of experience points for the player. The wither has the second-greatest natural health of all mobs in Minecraft, with the exception of the Warden.
How to Summon the Wither
The Wither spawns when you place 4 blocks of soul sand or soul soil in the shape of the letter T, and put 3 wither skulls on top of the upper three blocks. The last block placed has to be one of the skulls and must be placed by the player. There must be no other blocks around the base block of soul sand/soil on the ground, as that will prevent the Wither from spawning. When the Wither spawns it becomes hostile and creates a massive explosion around itself, so make sure you run for cover when you set the blocks.
Collecting the Materials
Before you can summon the Wither, you must collect the required ingredients for the build. Acquiring soul sand is simple enough. All you have to do is go to the Nether and look for soul sand, that’s it.
Collecting the Wither Skeleton skulls can prove to be a challenge, especially if you’re playing on the hardest difficulty. Wither skeletons are the only source of these skulls, so you have to go looking for them. The only spawn in the Nether Fortress, which can sometimes be annoying to find. Not only that, fighting wither skeletons is no joke, as they will tear you a new one if you are not careful. And to stack some more bad news, the drop rate for their skulls is only at 2.5%. This may be increased by adding looting to your sword, but even with the Looting III enchantment, you will only reach 5.5%.
Gearing Up
Fighting the Wither will for sure be a long and very dangerous fight, so you need to be fully equipped before challenging it. I recommend you upgrade your armor and weapons to the netherite tier if possible, especially if you are playing on higher difficulties. Also, make sure your armor and weapons are properly enchanted to take advantage of maximum protection.
Food is incredibly important as well. You will most likely take a lot of damage while fighting, which you will need to heal back up. Bringing a stack of food that replenishes a lot of your hunger bar is essential.
Don’t forget about potions here. The Wither really is no joke and everything you can do to make your life easier here will help immensely. I usually have some potions of strength, regeneration, and healing on hand just to make sure I don’t die for no reason.
You’ll never catch me fighting the Wither without having a Totem of Undying in my off-hand. You will have to fight some Illagers in order to get these items that will save your life.
Fighting the Wither
Now that you are fully prepared to fight the Wither it’s time to get right to it. When you summon it, it will increase its health over the course of 11 seconds. Use the time to get clear of the Wither, as it will explode after exiting invulnerability. Chug your potions and get ready.
The first stage of the fight will require you to use your bow and to dodge its ranged attacks. The wither will be flying around and will rarely come closer to the ground. When you finally manage to get it to half of its health, it will become immune to arrows and will start charging you head-on. Use your melee weapons, try to dodge as many attacks as you can, and don’t forget about your hunger and potions, and you should be fine.
When the fight is over, make sure you pick up the Nether Star, as it will despawn after a while. Congratulations, you have just survived the toughest fight in your Minecraft career!
Final Thoughts
Give yourself some credit, you just took down the meanest and toughest mob in all of Minecraft! Now you can finally build your first beacon and harvest those amazing bonuses. But unfortunately, you can only create one beacon for every Wither you manage to defeat. So, if you want your whole city to be affected by your beacon buffs, you will have to fight and defeat many more Withers.
Did you defeat the Wither on your first try? Do you think it’s easier to beat than the Warden? Maybe you would like to share some tips of your own on how to defeat it easier? Talk to us in the comments below!
