Overview
Roughly 15% of Drowned spawn holding a trident, and that number is the reason anyone deliberately seeks them out. A thrown trident deals 8 damage from well outside melee range, punches through unarmoured players fast, and is the only weapon in the game you can enchant with Loyalty, Riptide, Channeling or Impaling — and killing its owner is the only renewable way to get one. The same mob is also the most reliable nautilus shell source, needed in pairs for a conduit, and a steady copper supply at an 11% player-kill chance. In exchange it is a genuine threat. A Drowned has 20 health, 2 armour points, hits for 3 on Normal, swims faster than you do, and climbs onto beaches at night to reach players ashore. Fighting one in open water is how players drown: it drags the fight downward while your air bar empties. Fight from land, from a boat, or from a one-block ledge instead. They spawn in water below sea level in oceans, rivers and swamps at light level 7 or below, densest in rivers and around ocean ruins, and any ordinary Zombie that stays underwater for 45 seconds converts into one.
Tridents, nautilus shells and copper. A trident is the only throwable melee weapon in the game, 8 nautilus shells plus a heart of the sea make a conduit, and copper ingots drop at about 11%.
Drowned patrol the sea floor and climb onto beaches at night to reach players on shore. The dangerous ones carry tridents, which they throw for 8 damage from well outside melee range, punching through unshielded armour fast. They are the only renewable source of tridents and the most reliable source of nautilus shells — shells also come from fishing treasure and wandering traders — and they drop copper. They burn in daylight only if not in water, and they will drag you down if you fight them while swimming.
In Minecraft, Drowned is classified as a hostile mob. It has 20 health points, or 10 hearts. On Normal difficulty each hit costs you 3 damage.
It is worth 5 XP.
Properties
Drowned has 20 health, which is 10 hearts and 2 points of natural armour. It drops up to 5 experience when a player kills it. Its hitbox is 0.6 blocks wide and 1.95 tall, which is what decides whether it fits through a gap or a one-block-high opening.
- Size
- 0.6 × 1.95
- Dimension
- Overworld
- Added in
- 1.13
- Burns in daylight
- Yes
Damage by difficulty
Drowned hits for 2 on Easy, 3 on Normal and 4.5 on Hard — the site's stat strip shows the Normal figure, which is the one most guides quote.
A full set of diamond armour cuts that by up to 80% against a small hit and less against a large one, and Protection IV on all four pieces — 16 EPF — takes a further 64% off what is left.
| Difficulty | Attack damage | Hearts |
|---|---|---|
| Easy | 2 | 1 |
| Normal | 3 | 1.5 |
| Hard | 4.5 | 2.25 |
Spawns in
Spawns in water below sea level, most densely in rivers and in ocean ruins. Zombies that drown convert into drowned after 45 seconds.
It is restricted to Ocean, River, Swamp, Mangrove Swamp, Deep Ocean and 2 more, so it will never turn up outside those biomes however dark it gets.
- Dimension
- Overworld
- Light level
- ≤ 7
- Biomes
- Ocean, River, Swamp, Mangrove Swamp, Deep Ocean, Cold Ocean, Frozen Ocean
- Added in
- 1.13
Dimension: Overworld · Added in 1.13
Drops
Killing Drowned drops Rotten Flesh, Copper Ingot, Trident, and Nautilus Shell, plus up to 5 experience. Looting raises the maximum on most of these by one per level.
- Rotten Flesh: 0–2
- Copper Ingot: 1 (11%) — Only when killed by a player.
- Trident: 1 (9%) — Only from the roughly 15% of drowned that spawn holding one.
- Nautilus Shell: 1 (3%) — A drowned that spawns holding a nautilus shell always drops it.
How it behaves
The Drowned attacks on sight within its detection range, so light, walls and distance are all valid answers. Most hostile mobs notice you inside about sixteen blocks, though a few — ghasts especially — see very much further.
Killed by a player it drops up to 5 experience; killed any other way it drops none.
Command
In a world with cheats on, this spawns one Drowned where you are standing.
Summon
/summon minecraft:drowned ~ ~ ~Guides and tools that cover this
Frequently asked questions
How do you get a trident?
Only by killing a Drowned that spawned holding one. About 15% do, and those drop it at roughly 8.5%, improved by Looting.
Can you get a trident from a converted zombie?
No. Zombies that drown never spawn with a trident, so only naturally spawned Drowned can drop one.
Where do Drowned spawn?
In water below sea level in oceans, rivers, swamps and mangrove swamps at light level 7 or lower.
What else do Drowned drop?
Rotten flesh, copper ingots at about 11% on a player kill, and nautilus shells from the ones that spawn holding them.
How much health does the Drowned have in Minecraft?
The Drowned has 20 health points, which is 10 hearts.
What does the Drowned drop?
It drops Rotten Flesh, Copper Ingot, Trident, and Nautilus Shell, plus 5 experience when killed by a player.
Where does the Drowned spawn?
Spawns in water below sea level, most densely in rivers and in ocean ruins. Zombies that drown convert into drowned after 45 seconds.
How much damage does Drowned do?
3 on Normal difficulty — 1.5 hearts — with 2 on Easy and 4.5 on Hard.
Related pages
How to get it
Drowned spawn in water below sea level at light level 7 or lower, most densely in rivers and ocean ruins, and zombies convert after 45 seconds underwater. Only about 15% carry a trident, and only those can drop one at roughly 8.5%.
Tips
- Fight from dry land or a boat — never trade blows underwater, where your air bar runs out before their health does.
- Target only the Drowned visibly holding a trident; the rest drop nothing you cannot get more easily elsewhere.
- Use a bow or crossbow: a Drowned with a trident out-ranges your sword and will throw before you close.
- Build a river-based farm if you want tridents in quantity, because the 8.5% drop rate needs volume to pay off.