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This article was co-authored by Zac Churchill and by wikiHow staff writer, Hannah Dillon. Zac Churchill is a Minecraft Specialist based in Davidson, North Carolina. Zac has played Minecraft for over 10 years and has extensive knowledge of how to play Minecraft and how the game has changed over the different versions. Specifically, Zac has expert experience in survival worlds, large builds on creative mode, and server design/upkeep. He graduated in 2023 with a BA in Sociology and English from Tufts University.
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If you're trying to spawn the wither in Minecraft, you may be trying to figure out how you can get wither skulls. These skulls are obtained from wither skeletons, which are found only in the Nether. While getting these skulls is straightforward, it takes some patience due to their low drop rate. Keep reading for a step-by-step guide on how to get these skulls and what to use them for once you have them.
Best Ways to Find Wither Skulls in Minecraft
To get wither skulls, go to the Nether and find a Nether Fortress. Once in the fortress, start killing wither skeletons. You have a 2.5% chance to get a skull if you kill a wither, but you can increase that to 5.5% (Java Edition)/8.5% (Bedrock Edition) with Looting III.
Steps
How to Obtain Wither Skulls
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Find a Nether Fortress. Nether Fortresses are special structures located in the Nether. These fortresses are the only place in Minecraft where wither skeletons spawn.[1] Nether Fortresses are more likely to spawn in locations where the X-axis is positive.- If you're having trouble finding a Nether Fortress, you can use the command /locate structure minecraft:nether-fortress.
- You can also use your world seed at www.chunkbase.com to locate Nether Fortresses in your world.
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Defeat wither skeletons. Wither skeletons spawn within Nether Fortresses, but the chance of getting a wither skull is low. If a player character or a tamed wolf kills a wither skeleton, it has a 2.5% chance of dropping a skull.[2]- While you can get wither skulls without adding Looting to your weapons, each level of Looting increases your chances of getting a wither skull.
- Java Edition: Each level of looting increases your chance by 1% for a maximum of 5.5% with Looting III
- Bedrock Edition: Each level of looting increases your chance by 2% for a maximum of 8.5% with Looting III
- If you kill a wither skeleton with a charged creeper, one (Java Edition) or all (Bedrock Edition) are guaranteed to drop their heads.
- While you can get wither skulls without adding Looting to your weapons, each level of Looting increases your chances of getting a wither skull.
Wither Skull Uses
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Summoning the wither. The main use for wither skulls is to spawn the wither. You'll need three wither skulls to summon the wither, along with four blocks of soul sand and/or soul soil.[3] -
Crafting the Skull banner pattern. If you combine one paper with one wither skeleton skull, you'll get the Skull banner pattern.[4] -
Wearing as a helmet. Like other heads, you can wear the wither skeleton skull as a helmet. However, unlike other heads, wearing a wither skeleton skull as a helmet will not reduce their detection range.[5] -
Decoration. Like other heads, wither skeleton skulls can be used as decoration. You can place the skulls on top of or on the side of blocks, similar to signs.
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