The Wither is a powerful boss in Minecraft that steals and destroys anything nearby. It's a tough enemy to beat, and you can't just run into the Wither in the Overworld.
No, it's a long process to defeat the Wither - a journey that begins in the Nether. Eventually, you'll summon the Wither and defeat it. Your reward? A valuable Voidstar and some hardcore bragging rights. This guide will show you how to summon and defeat the Wither in Minecraft.
What do you need
Here's what you need to summon and defeat the Wither:
- 4x soul sand
- 3x Wither Skeleton Skulls
These items are only available in the Nether, so let's start there.
Enter the Nether
First, you need to go to the Nether, so make sure you're ready before entering. You shouldn't need a lot of valuable items, just weapons, armor, and food that will protect you from dangerous mobs. Once ready, build a 4x5 Nether Portal with Obsidian Blocks, then hit the middle with Flint and Steel to activate it. Then enter the Nether.
In the Nether, search for a Nether Fortress. These fortresses cover a large area and look like constructions of bridges, towers and corridors. Because Nether Fortresses are randomly generated, it's impossible to tell when or where you might find one. So, be prepared to travel far to find a Nether Fortress. I recommend placing torches as you travel, to leave a path straight to the Nether portal.
When you've found a Nether Fortress, the real fight begins. Specifically, you should be looking to fight Wither Skeletons for the Wither Skeleton Skull drops. You need 3 to summon the Wither. Wither Skeleton Skulls only have a 2,5% chance to drop, so you have 2 choices:
- Kill Wither Skeletons for as long as it takes to get 3 Wither Skeleton Skulls.
- Speed up the process by enchanting your sword with the plunder enchantment. You should do this before entering the Nether.
By killing Wither Skeletons and searching for Skulls, you'll likely travel all around the Fortress. Keep an eye out for coins from the Netherlands. Netherwart grows on Soul Sand, which is the other ingredient needed to spawn the Wither. You need 5x Soul Sand. Finding Soul Sand in a Netherland room (inside the fortress) is faster than leaving the fortress and searching for it. In other words, if you haven't already met him on the way.
Once these materials are found, find your way back to the Nether portal. Go home when you are ready.
How to Summon the Wither
To summon the Wither, first place the Soul Sand in a “T” formation. Next, equip the Wither Skeleton Skulls and place them on top of the 3 blocks. One of the skulls must be placed last for the summon to work. Once you place that last skull, the Wither will spawn.
A few things to know before summoning the Wither:
Now get ready to fight!
How to Beat the Wither
Summoning the Wither above ground will give the Wither free reign to fly everywhere, making it harder for you to hit it. If that's how you prefer to fight the Wither, then go for it. However, this helpful trick from YouTuber KDonnie is a little safer and one I much prefer.
To defeat the Wither, build a small underground battle arena, as shown in the video above. This arena should give you enough space to fight the Wither. But it should also have an opening so you can escape if necessary, but the exit route should be narrow enough that the Wither can't follow you. Essentially, you imprison the Wither in this room until it dies.
As KDonnie advised, enchanting your sword with Smite will greatly improve your chances of winning. Smite deals double damage to your sword and will help you defeat the Wither faster. You'll also need it, as you'll be more subject to wither blasts in the arena. Food, especially Golden Carrots, will also come in handy for this fight.
When you've defeated the Wither, grab that Void Star and congratulate yourself on a hard-fought victory! You might even want to consider using this Nether Star to build a beacon.
