Overview
Look at an Enderman's head and you have started a fight you cannot walk away from. Neutral until provoked, it freezes, opens its jaw, and charges the moment your crosshair crosses its eyes, then teleports constantly through the fight, appearing behind you mid-swing with 40 health and a 7-damage hit on Normal. Two counters settle it. Water hurts an Enderman — rain, a splash water bottle, or standing in a shallow pool all do — and it cannot follow you into a space two blocks high, because it stands 2.9 blocks tall. Every enderman farm in the game is built on that second fact: a two-high platform, a hole to stand in, and they queue up unable to retaliate. Wearing a carved pumpkin lets you stare at one safely at the cost of your screen. The payoff is ender pearls, 0 to 1 per player kill and up to 4 with Looting III, which combine with blaze powder into eyes of ender and are therefore the gate to the End. They also pick up and move certain blocks, which is cosmetic in the Overworld and slightly maddening in a build. They spawn in End, warped forests and soul sand valleys in numbers, and in Overworld darkness at a low rate.
Ender pearls. Each pearl plus blaze powder makes an eye of ender, and 12 or more eyes are what find a stronghold and activate the End portal; pearls also teleport you at the cost of 5 damage.
Look directly at an enderman's head and it freezes, opens its jaw, and charges; it will then teleport constantly while fighting, appearing behind you mid-swing. Water, rain and splash water bottles hurt it, and it cannot follow you into a two-block-high space, which is the standard way to farm them. It picks up and rearranges certain blocks. Wearing a carved pumpkin lets you stare safely, and ender pearls are your route to the End.
Enderman is a neutral mob in Minecraft Java Edition 1.21.4. You will need to deal 40 damage — 20 hearts — to kill one. Its attacks do 7 damage on Normal.
Killing one drops 5 experience.
Properties
Enderman has 40 health, which is 20 hearts. It drops up to 5 experience when a player kills it. Its hitbox is 0.6 blocks wide and 2.9 tall, which is what decides whether it fits through a gap or a one-block-high opening.
- Dimension
- Overworld, The Nether, The End
- Added in
- 1.0.0
Damage by difficulty
Enderman hits for 4 on Easy, 7 on Normal and 10 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 | 4 | 2 |
| Normal | 7 | 3.5 |
| Hard | 10 | 5 |
Spawns in
Common in the End and in warped forests and soul sand valleys, and in Overworld darkness at low rates.
It has no biome restriction, so anywhere in the Overworld / The Nether / The End that meets the light and space conditions is a valid spawn.
- Dimension
- Overworld, The Nether, The End
- Light level
- 0
- Biomes
- Warped Forest, Soul Sand Valley, Nether Wastes, The End
- Added in
- 1.0.0
Dimension: Overworld, The Nether, The End · Added in 1.0.0
Drops
Killing Enderman drops Ender Pearl, plus up to 5 experience. Looting raises the maximum on most of these by one per level.
- Ender Pearl: 0–1 — Only when killed by a player. Looting raises the maximum to 4.
How it behaves
The Enderman ignores you until provoked, and once provoked it usually stays provoked — often for the whole group, which is what makes a single mistake expensive.
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 Enderman where you are standing.
Summon
/summon minecraft:enderman ~ ~ ~Guides and tools that cover this
Frequently asked questions
How do you stop an Enderman attacking?
Do not look at its head, or wear a carved pumpkin. Once provoked, water or a two-block-high space ends the fight.
How much health does an Enderman have?
40 health, 20 hearts, and it hits for 7 on Normal difficulty.
Where do Endermen spawn most?
The End, where they are the dominant mob, plus warped forests and soul sand valleys in the Nether.
Does water hurt Endermen?
Yes. Rain, splash water bottles and standing water all damage them and force a teleport.
How much health does the Enderman have in Minecraft?
The Enderman has 40 health points, which is 20 hearts.
What does the Enderman drop?
It drops Ender Pearl, plus 5 experience when killed by a player.
Where does the Enderman spawn?
Common in the End and in warped forests and soul sand valleys, and in Overworld darkness at low rates.
How much damage does Enderman do?
7 on Normal difficulty — 3.5 hearts — with 4 on Easy and 10 on Hard.
Related pages
How to get it
Endermen are common in the End and in warped forests and soul sand valleys, and spawn at low rates in Overworld darkness at light level 0. A player kill drops 0 to 1 ender pearl, up to 4 with Looting III.
Tips
- Fight under a 2-block ceiling, or stand in a 1-block hole — an Enderman cannot reach into either.
- Keep a water bucket handy: an Enderman that steps into water takes damage and teleports away immediately.
- Wear a carved pumpkin if you need to work near them, since it prevents the stare that triggers the attack.
- Gather at least 15 ender pearls before an End trip, since eyes of ender break roughly 20% of the time when thrown.