Defeating the Wither can come with its own set of unique challenges. While there are multiple methodologies to combat the wraith-like boss, it is only a matter of time before it breaks through all of them.
If you are trying to implement bedrock suffocation or to contain the Wither in general, you might’ve noticed that few blocks can contain it. This undead hostile has the highest health in-game and is the sole source of nether stars.
10 Seconds after being spawned, the Wither casts an explosion in an area around it, causing the nearby blocks to be destroyed. These include blast-resistant blocks, including Obsidian, making Wither the only mob in the game to destroy Obsidian.
There are certain blocks that the Wither cannot destroy. Each holds certain Wither-resistant properties that make them immune to Wither explosions.
Minecraft: Wither
The Wither is one of the two main bosses in Minecraft that can be manually summoned by the player. It has the highest natural health among all mobs and can dish out deadly damage. His health points are as follows:
- Java Edition:
- 300
× 150
- 300
- Bedrock Edition:
- Easy: 300
× 150
- Normal: 450
× 225
- Hard: 600
× 300
- Easy: 300
After spawning, the Wither gains a substantial size in the first 10 seconds and casts a centralized explosion in a 3x4x3 area around it. The Wither then turns back into its normal size and chases the player.
Spawning the Wither
Unlike most mobs in Minecraft, the Wither needs to be manually spawned. You can do so by constructing a T-shaped monolith. Here are the materials to construct a one-time Wither spawner:
- Soul Sand or Soul Soil: Soul Sand is found naturally in the Nether and ancient cities, while Soul Soil can be naturally found in the soul sand valley and ancient cities.
- Wither Skeleton Skulls: A rate drop from a Wither Skeleton. The chances for a skull being dropped are 2.5% but can be increased by 1% per looting level with a maximum limit of 5.5%. Bedrock Edition has a 2% modifier instead of 1%, increasing the limit to 8.5%.
1. Barrier (Can’t break)
Barriers are command-oriented blocks that are used to create an impenetrable boundary. You can use them to create a safe zone for yourself and your fellow players. The block itself is invisible and lets light pass through.
2. Bedrock (Can’t break)
The Bedrock blocks are present in the lowest 5 rows in the Overworld. They are virtually indestructible and cannot be broken through unless certain cheats are applied.
3. End Portal (Can’t break)
These blocks can only be destroyed in creative mode. Even TNTs are unable to destroy End Portal, let alone the Wither.
4. End Gateway (Can’t break)
This block is used to teleport the player between the main island to other islands in the End.
The gateway block itself is indestructible and can be placed using commands.
5. End Portal Frame (Can’t break)
These blocks can only be accessed using the creative mode inventory or commands. The End Portal Frames are indestructive in Survival or Adventure mode.
6. Command Block (Can’t break)
This block is used to execute commands and is only present in the creative mode unless cheats are used. Like any other block in this list, the Wither cannot destroy the Command block.
7. Structure Block (Can’t break)
Used to generate manual structures, these blocks are primarily used to save and load certain structures. It can be placed to open a GUI as long as the player has proper permissions in Creative Mode.
8. Jigsaw Block (Can’t break)
Similar to Structure Blocks, Jigsaw blocks can generate certain structures. They help the game spawn structures using Jigsaw blocks for a generation.
9. Moving Piston (Can’t break)
This is an unobtainable block that contains part of a piston head. The block is indestructible and can only be removed with commands and TNT.
10. Obsidian (Can break)
It is the strongest minable block near the Lava beds below sea level. It can also be artificially created when water touches lava.
11. Crying Obsidian (Can break)
The Crying Obsidian is a luminous variant of the regular Obsidian and possesses similar use cases. You can also choose to craft a respawn anchor with it.
12. Ancient Debris (Can break)
It is a rare ore available in the Nether region of Minecraft. Ancient Debris is immune to most explosions and can bloat on lava.
13. Netherite (Can break)
Netherite is a crafting material from the Nether and is commonly used to upgrade diamond gear.
The Netherite blocks are considered virtually indestructible but can be broken by blue Wither skulls.
14. Beacon (Can break)
This block projects an upward sky beam that provident status effects in a set radius. They also function as light sources and can melt snow and ice. Any explosion can destroy a beacon. Therefore, the Wither explosion is overkill.
15. Cobblestone (Can break)
It is a common stone that can be obtained from mining. Every tool and explosion can destroy this block. Therefore, it is not a suitable material to suffocate the Wither. Its blast resistance is fairly decent but not great.
16. Glass (Can break)
This transparent block is extremely vulnerable to sources of damage and explosion while its see-through properties are good for scouting the Wither but not good enough to stop it.
The Glass block serves more of an aesthetic purpose and is available in 16 color variations.
Due to their limitations, most of the mentioned indestructible blocks are unsuitable for stopping the Wither. Therefore, focusing on hindering the Wither as much as possible is better than completely stopping it.
Doing so will give you an easier chance to escape. Keep on kiting it till it enters the second stage, and you will be able to defeat it with a diamond sword.