Mob type

A mob type is a gameplay classification the game uses to group mobs. This classification is applied in several gameplay aspects, including but not limited to achievements, mob spawning population control caps, and conditions for taking damage.

Most of the mobs are classified into categories, such as the animals or the monsters. Some creatures are then further classified into more specific groups, based on detailed characteristics and properties they share with other members of that group. There are a total of four mob classifications that display unique characteristics from other mobs.

Some mobs are weak or immune to certain type of damage. For example, aquatic creatures, such as turtles and guardians, take more damage from tridents that are enchanted with Impaling.‌^{[Java Edition only]}^{[until: JE Combat Tests]} All undead mobs are healed by potions of Harming and take extra damage from weapons enchanted with Smite, along with taking damage from potions of Healing. Many of these weaknesses and immunities are a result of what category (see below) of mobs that mob falls into.

List of mob types

Animals

Animal refers to a category of mobs that are mainly based on real-life animals. Mobs mentioned on this page are classified as Animal or WaterAnimal in the game code. Many other mobs and even some blocks are also based on real life animals, but are not treated as such in Minecraft. Most of these mobs are also called animals in many advancements.

Animals are usually either passive (fleeing) or neutral (fighting), with the only exceptions being the hoglin and the Killer Bunny, which are hostile.

Examples of common animals:

Aquatic

This group of mobs includes many different aquatic mobs such as squid, fish, and guardians, but not drowned.^[1] They take extra damage from tridents enchanted with Impaling,‌^{[Java Edition only]}^{[until: JE Combat Tests]} and, except axolotls, do not cause pufferfish to inflate nor take damage from them. All aquatic mobs except dolphins are immune to drowning, and all except guardians, elder guardians, and turtles take suffocation damage if out of water for too long. Aquatic mobs have the ability to freely swim vertically, whereas other mobs simply float on the surface of the water or sink.

Examples of common aquatic mobs:

Arthropods

This group consists of mobs based on a real life group of invertebrate animals, the arthropods. They take extra damage and receive the Slowness IV effect when attacked with weapons enchanted with Bane of Arthropods.

Examples of common arthropods:

Illagers

Illagers^[2] are a type of hostile mob that regularly spawn in woodland mansions, patrols, raids, and pillager outposts.

This group includes pillagers, illusioners‌^{[JE only]}, evokers, and vindicators. They are immune to evoker fangs damage and ignored by vindicators named "Johnny". They are hostile toward adult villagers, wandering traders, iron golems and players in Survival or Adventure mode. Ravagers, witches, and vexes accompany them in raids but are not illagers themselves. Illusioners (and witches‌^{[Bedrock Edition only]}) can see players or targets through blocks.

Examples of common illagers:

Monsters

The term monster refers to mobs that are hostile to player, They are classified as Monster or Enemy in the game code and spawning mechanics. Several monster mobs are attacked by iron golems and snow golems.

Many monsters despawn in Peaceful difficulty, prevent the player from sleeping, and are attacked by conduits.

In Java Edition several of these mobs trigger the "Monster Hunter" advancement and are required for the "Monsters Hunted" challenge.

In Bedrock Edition several of these mobs trigger the "Monster Hunter" achievement.

Several overworld monsters spawn in light level 0.

Examples of common monsters:

Undead

This group of mobs includes mobs that are damaged by potions of Healing, healed by potions of Harming, are unaffected by Regeneration and Poison, and are immune to drowning (except for husks and zombies, which transform into zombies and drowned if submerged underwater, respectively). Zombies, zombie villagers, drowned, skeletons, strays, bogged, zombie nautiluses, and phantoms burn when under direct sunlight, unless they are touching water or wearing a helmet. Under the Fire Resistance effect, these undead mobs still catch fire in direct sunlight but are not damaged by it. All undead mobs except for drowned, phantoms, zombie nautiluses, and withers cannot swim and sink when in water. All undead mobs take extra damage from weapons enchanted with Smite, are ignored by withers, and scare armadillos into hiding into their shells.

Many undead mobs can spawn with the ability to pick up items and equipment from the ground. Some can sometimes spawn wearing armor, or holding tools or weapons.

Examples of common undead mobs:

References

↑ MC-128249 - comment from cojomax99
↑ "The Illagers were created because we were talking about having some kind of generic, evil soldier mob in the game—slightly more intelligent than skeletons. It felt natural to have an evil villager. We figured they were ill-willed villagers and so from the beginning they were supposed to be "Ill Villagers". And then Tommaso suggested they should be EVIL-agers—and then we cut it down to just Illagers."-Jens Bergensten-"Meet the Vindicator" – Minecraft.net, June 20, 2017.

[1] MC-128249 - comment from cojomax99

[2] "The Illagers were created because we were talking about having some kind of generic, evil soldier mob in the game—slightly more intelligent than skeletons. It felt natural to have an evil villager. We figured they were ill-willed villagers and so from the beginning they were supposed to be "Ill Villagers". And then Tommaso suggested they should be EVIL-agers—and then we cut it down to just Illagers."-Jens Bergensten-"Meet the Vindicator" – Minecraft.net, June 20, 2017.

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