Health

The health gauge and monitor in Minecraft is usually based on a single row of 10 heart icons. Each full heart contains two halves, one hit point each (the player has normally 20 maximum hit points).

Hearts

The healthbar.

The healthbar on hardcore.

Hearts make up the health meter for the player in the Survival, Hardcore (different texture), and Adventure modes, also for mobs. Each heart represents two hit points. Hit points are lost as a percentage of those hearts. As it appears on the health bar, the player loses at least 1 at a time.

Hit points can be lost by:

• Starving
• Fall damage (including from using ender pearls)
• Being attacked by a hostile mob or another player
• Being shot with an arrow
• Being hit with trident
• Being on fire
• Touching fire, lava, a magma block, or a cactus
• Drowning underwater
• Suffocating inside a block
• Falling into the Void
• Being affected by the Poison, Wither, or Instant Damage status effects
• Getting caught in an explosion
• Being struck by lightning
• Attacking a player or mob whose armor is enchanted with Thorns
• Being hit by a falling anvil
• Crashing into the ground or a wall at high speeds with a pair of elytra
• Being targeted by the /kill command
• Walking in a sweet berry bush past 'sapling' stage

If the health meter shows or less, it begins to shake violently, warning that the player is low on health.

Health can be recovered through several means, both "naturally" and through status effects.

• The Instant Health effect restores health immediately, the amount depending on the source and effect level.
• On Peaceful difficulty, the health meter continuously refills over time.
• On other difficulties, health regenerates slowly when the player's hunger is at or above 18 ().
• The Regeneration effect makes health regenerate fairly quickly, and the hearts of the health meter bounce in a wave. Aside from potions of Regeneration, this is also provided by beacons and golden apples. The "basic" golden apple provides it (level II) only for 5 seconds, restoring a total of 4. The "enchanted" golden apple provides it for longer (20 seconds) and in total restoring about 16 × 8.
• The Health Boost effect adds 4 () per effect level to the players total health, which is removed when the effect expires. After the effect expires, the player's health may remain above the normal maximum, but the extra health is not recovered once lost to damage. This effect can only be gained through commands or mods. At the levels of 252-256 (with amplifiers 251 to 255), the player has 512 hearts (1024 health points, the "red health" limit for entities).
• The Absorption effect likewise adds 4 for each effect level. This special health cannot be healed or regenerated by normal means. Naturally, it is removed when the effect expires. The "basic" golden apple provides it (level I) for 2 minutes, providing a total of 4. The "enchanted" golden apple provides it at higher level (level IV), providing a total of 16 × 8.

Damage is split between the health and armor bars. Each full armor point takes 8% of damage, to a maximum of 80%, rounded up.

On Hardcore mode, hearts have a different texture ().

The Poison and Wither effects turn hearts a sickly green color and black, respectively. On Hardcore, they turn when poisoned and when withered.

In Creative mode and Spectator mode, the player still has health, but it is hidden from the HUD, and the player is immune to all damage except from the Void or /kill. In Bedrock Edition, the player is invincible in Creative mode as well.

The player's health bar is invisible if they are holding or wearing an item that gives negative health points which exceed the player's current health points. For example, the player's default health is 20, and if they are holding item with the attribute −21 health, they are able to take two hits before dying; it doesn't matter how much damage these hits inflict. The first one deals enough damage to reduce their health to 1, and the second one kills the player. If they use a modified item to reduce health, sometimes the death screen appears. After clicking respawn, the player would shake in the death position and this can be fixed when they stop using the modified item.

Death

"Death" redirects here. For the music track, see Minecraft - Volume Alpha.

Mobs leaving red corpses and fire (because of daylight and player-made lightning) in multiplayer.

Death will occur when all of a player or mob's hit points are depleted.

The /kill command will also instantly bring about death, and a parrot can be instantly killed by feeding it a cookie.

Mobs and players fall to their left side to the ground when killed, dropping any drops at the location they were when they took the fatal damage. Once their fallen body disappears, it will turn to dust, and drop experience at the location they disappeared. It is possible for the drops and the experience to appear in different places, if the dying body is in motion.

Being animals, corals are also capable of dying. However, this is handled as a transition from one block type to another and not on a health value as with entities.

Player effects

Example of score in Hardcore

Shaking hearts when player is killed

For players, a "You died!" screen (or "Game over!" in Hardcore mode) appears that displays the player's score‌^{[Java Edition only]}, and a death message (see below). The view of the world will be tinted red, and the camera-view will slowly tilt as if falling over, shudder, and zoom in somewhat. In Bedrock Edition, it will zoom in indefinitely. On that screen, there are two options:

• Respawn: either in the last bed the player slept in, at their default spawn point (their first spawn point in the game), or at the spawn point set by commands.
  • In Hardcore mode, the player can only respawn in Spectator mode, and cannot continue because cheats are disabled.
• Return to the title screen.
• If the player is holding a Totem of Undying in the main hand or off hand, they will resurrect upon death without the death screen appearing. They won't resurrect if they fell into the void.
• If instant respawn enabled, player will instantly respawn upon death without showing death screen, but still show death message.‌^{[Bedrock Edition only]}

Any items and/or blocks that were in the player's inventory are dropped from their head, and scattered around the spot where the player died (unless /gamerule keepInventory true is typed in if commands are enabled). Like any dropped item, these drops will decay once five minutes pass while that chunk is loaded.

The player will also lose any experience accumulated, reverting the level back to 0 (unless /gamerule keepInventory true is typed in if commands are enabled) and will drop experience orbs with a total value of level * 7 (with a maximum of 100) to the ground.

Despite the fact that dead players disappear like all other mobs, it is still possible for the player to see their own hand while in first-person mode.

Death messages

Death messages are broadcast to everyone upon the death of a player, and to the pet's owner upon the death of a pet wolf, cat, horse,‌^{[BE only]} donkey,‌^{[BE only]} mule,‌^{[BE only]} llama,‌^{[BE only]} or parrot. These messages communicate how the entity died, and some are intended to be humorous.

Arrows

• [player] was shot by arrow
  • This message is caused by any arrow-related death^{[Bedrock Edition only]}, arrows shot from a dispenser or /summon
• [player] was shot by [player/mob]
  • Caused by mobs with projectile attacks or kills using a bow or Crossbow
• [player] was shot by [player/mob] using [bow name]
  • Caused by mobs or players with a renamed bow

Cactus

• [player] was pricked to death
• [player] walked into a cactus whilst trying to escape [player/mob]
• [player] was stabbed to death‌^{[Legacy Console Edition only]}

Dragon breath

• [player] was roasted in dragon breath
• [player] was roasted in dragon breath by [player/mob]

Drowning and suffocation

Note: Setting the drowningdamage gamerule to false will disable drowning damage.‌^[Bedrock Edition only]‌^[upcoming: JE 1.15]

• [player] drowned
• [player] drowned whilst trying to escape [player/mob]
• [player] suffocated in a wall
  • Happens if the player took suffocation damage from their head being in a block.
• [player] suffocated in a wall whilst fighting [player/mob]
• [player] was squished too much
  • Happens if the player took suffocation damage from the maxEntityCramming gamerule.
• [player] was squashed by [player/mob]

Elytra

• [player] experienced kinetic energy
  • Happens when the player crashes into a wall at high speeds and dies from the amount of damage taken.
• [player] experienced kinetic energy whilst trying to escape [player/mob]
• [player] removed an elytra while flying whilst trying to escape [player/mob]^[verify]

Explosions

• [player] blew up
  • Shows up if TNT is activated by redstone mechanisms, fire, dispensed out from a dispenser or if an end crystal killing the player
• [player] was blown up by [player/mob]
• [player] was blown up by [player/mob] using [weapon]
  • This message shows up only when TNT is activated by a Creeper, Skeleton (only if it shoot flaming arrows), a creeper killing the player or by a player using flint and steel, fire charges or an arrow shot from a bow enchanted with Flame
• [player] was killed by [Intentional Game Design]‌^{[Java Edition only]}
  • Shown when killed by the explosion from beds used in the Nether or the End
  • Includes a click-event link to MCPE-28723

Falling

• [player] hit the ground too hard
  • Only caused if the player is killed by a short fall, Ender Pearl damage, or riding an entity that died due to fall damage. Always show up if the player dies by fall damage in Legacy Console Edition.
• [player] hit the ground too hard whilst trying to escape [player/mob]
• [player] fell from a high place ‌^{[Java and Bedrock editions only]}
  • Caused by a fall greater than 5 blocks.
• [player] fell off a ladder
• [player] fell off some vines
• [player] fell out of the water
• [player] fell into a patch of fire^[verify]
• [player] fell into a patch of cacti^[verify]
• [player] was doomed to fall
• [player] was doomed to fall by [mob/player]
• [player] was doomed to fall by [mob/player] using [weapon]
• [player] fell too far and was finished by [mob/player]
• [player] fell too far and was finished by [mob/player] using [weapon]
• [player] was shot off some vines by [mob/player]^[verify]
• [player] was shot off a ladder by [mob/player]^[verify]
• [player] was blown from a high place by [mob/player]^[verify]
  • Only caused if knockback from a creeper explosion, a ghast fireball, or player-lit TNT causes the player to fall to their death.
  • Type /gamerule falldamage false to disable fall damage.‌^{[Bedrock Edition only]}

Falling blocks

• [player] was squashed by a falling anvil
• [player] was squashed by a falling anvil whilst fighting [player/mob]
• [player] was squashed by a falling block
  • This message appears if the player is killed by a custom falling block other than an anvil that is modified to inflict damage
• [player] was squashed by a falling block whilst fighting [player/mob]

Fatal poison effect‌^{[Bedrock Edition only]}

• [player] was killed by magic^[verify]

Fire

• [player] went up in flames
  • This message appears if the player died while in the source of the fire (unless the game rule firedamage has been set to false‌^{[Bedrock Edition only]}).
• [player] burned to death
  • This message appears if the player died while on fire, but not in the source (unless the game rule firedamage has been set to false‌^{[Bedrock Edition only]}).
• [player] was burnt to a crisp whilst fighting [player/mob]
• [player] walked into fire whilst fighting [player/mob]

Firework rockets

• [player] went off with a bang
• [player] went off with a bang whilst fighting [player/mob]

Lava

• [player] tried to swim in lava
• [player] tried to swim in lava to escape [player/mob]

Lightning

• [player] was struck by lightning
• [player] was struck by lightning whilst fighting [player/mob]

Magma Block

• [player] discovered the floor was lava
• [player] walked into danger zone due to [player/mob]

Players and mobs

• [player] was slain by [player/mob]
• [player] was slain by [player/mob] using [weapon]
  • Caused by kills using a renamed weapon.
• [player] got finished off by [player/mob]^[verify]
• [player] got finished off by [player/mob] using [weapon]^[verify]
  • Caused by kills using a renamed weapon.
• [player] was fireballed by [player/mob]
• [player] was fireballed by [player/mob] using [weapon]
• [player] was stung to death.
  • Caused by being killed by a bee.

Potions of Harming

• [player] was killed by magic
  • Happens when the potion is shot from a dispenser, by drinking it, or with /effect
• [player] was killed by even more magic
• [player] was killed by [player/mob] using magic
• [player] was killed by [player/mob] using [weapon]
  • Caused by witches, guardians, evokers, ranged attacks by the Ender Dragon and kills using a splash potion
• death.attack.magic.player
  • a glitched death message that happens when you were attacked by a non-magical mob then killed by magic

Starving

• [player] starved to death
  • Caused if hunger bar is at 0 and the resulting hunger damage leads to death. This can only happen in hard or hardcore

Sweet Berry Bushes

• [player] was poked to death by a sweet berry bush
• [player] was poked to death by a sweet berry bush whilst trying to escape [player/mob]
  • Caused if a player moves around in a sweet berry bush.

Thorns enchantment

• [player] was killed trying to hurt [player/mob]
  • Can be caused by a mob if it is able to wear armor, and can also occur while fighting guardians
• [player] was killed by [weapon] trying to hurt [player/mob]

Trident

• [player] was impaled by [player/mob]
• [player] was impaled by [player/mob] with [weapon]
• [player] was speared by [player/mob]‌^{[Legacy Console Edition only]}
• [player] was speared by [player/mob] with [weapon]‌^{[Legacy Console Edition only]}

Void

• [player] fell out of the world
  • Also shown if the player is killed by the /kill command. ‌^{[Java Edition only]}
• [player] fell from a high place and fell out of the world ^[verify]
• [player] didn't want to live in the same world as [player/mob]‌^{[Java Edition only]}
  • Appears when a mob/player pushes someone into the void or when a player uses /kill after being attacked by a mob or player.

Wither effect

• [player] withered away
• [player] withered away whilst fighting [player/mob]

Other

• [player] was pummeled by [player/mob]
  • This message would appear when killed by a snowball, an egg, a wither skull or an ender pearl
  • This message is not possible to see in the case of snowballs, chicken eggs, and ender pearls, because they do not cause damage to players hit by them.
  • This message is only shown when the wither kills a player with a wither skull's impact.
• [player] was pummeled by [player/mob] using [weapon]
• [player] died
  • Appears when /kill is used on named mob/player ‌^{[Bedrock Edition only]}
• [player] died because of [player/mob]
• Actually, message was too long to deliver fully. Sorry! Here’s stripped version: [message]

Mob health

Mob	Health
Playable	Player 20 × 10
Passive	Bat 6	Chicken 4	Cod 3	Cow 10	Mooshroom 10	Turtle 30 × 15
	Pig 10	Pufferfish 3	Rabbit 3	Salmon 3	Villager 20 × 10	Wandering Trader 20 × 10
	Sheep 8	Squid 10	Tropical Fish 3
Neutral	Cave Spider 12 × 6	Enderman 40 × 20	Polar Bear 30 × 15	Spider 16 × 8	Wolf (untamed) 8	Panda 20 × 10 (Weak panda) 10
	Zombie Pigman 20 × 10	Bee 10 ‌[upcoming: JE 1.15]
Hostile	Blaze 20 × 10	Creeper 20 × 10	Drowned 20 × 10	Elder Guardian 80 × 40	Endermite 8	Evoker 24 × 12
	Ghast 10	Guardian 30 × 15	Husk 20 × 10	Magma Cube (big) 16 × 8	Magma Cube (small) 4	Magma Cube (tiny) 1
	Phantom 20 × 10	Pillager 24 × 12	Ravager 100 × 50	Shulker 30 × 15	Silverfish 8	Skeleton 20 × 10
	Slime (big) 16 × 8	Slime (small) 4	Slime (tiny) 1	Stray 20 × 10	Vex 14 × 7	Vindicator 24 × 12
	Witch 26 × 13	Wither Skeleton 20 × 10	Zombie 20 × 10	Zombie Villager 20 × 10
Tameable	Cat 10	Donkey 15 × 7.5 to 30 × 15	Horse 15 × 7.5 to 30 × 15	Llama 15 × 7.5 to 30 × 15	Mule 15 × 7.5 to 30 × 15	Parrot 6
	Skeleton Horse 15 × 7.5	Trader Llama 15 × 7.5 to 30 × 15	Wolf (tamed) 20 × 10
Trustable	Dolphin 10	Ocelot 10	Fox 10‌[JE only] 20 × 10‌[upcoming: BE 1.13.0]
Utility	Iron Golem 100 × 50	Snow Golem 4
Bosses	Ender Dragon 200 × 100	Wither 300 × 150‌[JE only] 600 × 300‌[BE & LCE only]
Unused	Giant‌[JE & LCE only] 100 × 50	Illusioner‌[JE only] 32 × 16	Zombie Horse 15 × 7.5	Old Villager‌[BE only] 20 × 10	Old Zombie Villager‌[BE only] 20 × 10
Removed	Beast Boy 5	Black Steve 5	Human 20 × 10	Rana 13 × 6.5	Steve 5
Education Edition	Agent ∞	NPC 20 × 10

Achievements

Main article: Achievements

Icon	Achievement	In-game description	Actual requirements (if different)	Availability				Xbox points earned	Trophy type (PS)
				Xbox	PS	Bedrock	Nintendo
	Overkill	Deal nine hearts of damage in a single hit	Damage can be dealt to any mob, even those that do not have nine hearts of health overall.	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	30G	Bronze
	Cheating Death	Use the Totem of Undying to cheat death	Have the Totem of Undying in your hand when you die.	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	30G	Silver

Advancements

Main article: Advancements

Icon	Advancement	In-game description	Parent	Actual requirements (if different)	Internal ID
	Postmortal	Use a Totem of Undying to cheat death	Monster Hunter	—	minecraft:adventure/totem_of_undying

History

Java Edition Classic
August 18, 2009					Health bar and fall damage teased.
August 20, 2009					Health bar blinking when damaged, damage invulnerability, and health bar shaking teased.
0.24_SURVIVAL_TEST					Added all of the above.
					Mushrooms now regain health.
					Enemies now fall over when killed.
Java Edition Indev
?					Dead mobs would fall on their left side instead of other random directions. Before suffocation was implemented, players that were covered by blocks could see through dirt and stone. Suffocation was added after Notch discovered that players were abusing this exploit to find underground caves and hollowed carvings. The patch added suffocation damage and making the player unable to see anything when experiencing it. However, this glitch is not completely fixed and is still possible to be done even in the existing version of the game.
					In Survival mode, eating a red mushroom would deal the player 3 of damage because they were poisonous.
Java Edition Alpha
v1.0.4					Players no longer suffocate when riding in a minecart.
Java Edition Beta
1.5					Fist damage is increased from 1 to 2.
1.8		Pre-release			Added death messages
		release			Fist damage is decreased from 2 to 1.
					Regeneration effect added, increasing health.
Java Edition
1.0.0		Beta 1.9 Prerelease 2			Mobs can now have armor points.
					Hearts now look different in Hardcore mode.
		RC1			The sound of the player taking damage is changed from a man's grunt to be more gender-neutral.
1.3.1		12w25a			Removed the downwards knockback while drowning which essentially trapped drowning players in multiplayer underwater.
1.5		13w02a			Added additional death messages based on the cause of death.
1.8		14w32a			The health bar has a new animation for damage that shows how many hearts are lost.
1.9		15w31a			Death messages are now displayed on the death screen as well as in the chat.
1.11		16w39a			Added Totem of Undying, which can save a player from death.
Pocket Edition Alpha
0.2.0					Health bar added.
0.11.0		build 1			Added death messages.
0.12.1		build 1			Regeneration effect is added which increases health.
					The sound of the player taking damage is changed from a man's grunt to be more gender-neutral.
Pocket Edition
1.1.0		alpha 1.1.0.0			Added the Totem of Undying, which can save a player from death.
Legacy Console Edition
TU1	CU1	1.0	Patch 1		Added the health bar.
TU5					Added death Messages.

Gallery

• 

  A preview of the health system seen on Notch's blog. Note how the sprite for the half-heart has a thick, black line in the middle.

References

Gameplay

View at: Template:Gameplay/content [edit]