Ghast Tear — Minecraft item

Overview

A Ghast Tear brews the Potion of Regeneration, and there is no substitute for it — no other ingredient produces healing over time. That makes a handful of tears the difference between a survivable wither fight and a lost kit, since Regeneration II stacked with a golden apple outheals a great deal of incoming damage. Getting them means killing ghasts, which is harder than it sounds because ghasts float over lava seas and die out of reach: the drop lands in the lava and is lost. The usual technique is to shoot them over solid ground, or to deflect a fireball back at them with a well-timed hit, which kills a ghast in one and is an achievement in its own right. Each ghast drops 0 to 1 tears, so a productive session means several kills. Tears are also the ingredient in an End Crystal, which is what respawns the ender dragon and what makes bed-free explosive mining possible in the Nether. A handful of tears in the chest is what turns the wither from a plan into an attempt, so collect them whenever a ghast is over land.

Brewing Potions of Regeneration, the only healing-over-time effect available, and crafting end crystals for respawning the dragon or for large controlled explosions. There is no substitute ingredient for either.

In Minecraft, Ghast Tear is a brewing item. A full stack holds 64. It drops from Ghast.

It goes into exactly one recipe: End Crystal.

How to get it

Kill a ghast in the Nether; each drops 0 to 1 tears, up to 4 with Looting III. Shoot them over solid ground or the drop falls into lava and is lost.

Tips

Deflect a ghast fireball back with a melee hit or an arrow — it kills the ghast instantly and costs no ammunition.
Fight ghasts over land, not over a lava sea, or the tear drops straight into the lava.
Regeneration II from a tear-based potion is what makes the wither fight and an ancient city dash survivable.
Save 1 tear per end crystal you plan to build; each crystal needs a ghast tear and an eye of ender.