Overview
Ten health on a mob four blocks across sounds like a joke until you realise a Ghast never lets you near it. It drifts through open Nether caverns and lobs explosive fireballs from up to a hundred blocks away, and the explosion itself rarely kills — what kills is the hole it blows in the bridge you were standing on, dropping you into the lava below. That is the real threat model, and it is why building across a basalt delta or a soul sand valley means building with a wall on the fireball side. The counter is generous. A fireball can be deflected by hitting it with anything: a sword swing, an arrow, a snowball, or a shield block timed right, and a deflected fireball that returns to its sender kills the Ghast outright, because 10 health does not survive its own explosion. The scream is the tell — you hear the Ghast charge before you see the projectile. A Ghast needs a 5×4×5 open space to spawn, so enclosed tunnels are naturally safe, while soul sand valleys have by far the highest spawn rate in the dimension. Its tears brew Regeneration potions.
Ghast tears, which brew the Potion of Regeneration and craft end crystals. Gunpowder is the secondary drop, and a caught fireball is a free ranged weapon against anything else nearby.
Ghasts drift through open Nether caverns and lob explosive fireballs from up to a hundred blocks away, and the explosion destroys blocks and knocks you into lava, which is what actually kills people. They have only 10 health, and a fireball can be deflected straight back with any attack or a well-timed shield hit, killing the ghast instantly. Their tears brew Regeneration potions. Screaming is their tell that a fireball is coming.
In Minecraft, Ghast is classified as a hostile mob. It has 10 health points, or 5 hearts. On Normal difficulty each hit costs you 6 damage.
It is worth 5 XP.
Properties
Ghast has 10 health, which is 5 hearts. It drops up to 5 experience when a player kills it. Its hitbox is 4 blocks wide and 4 tall, which is what decides whether it fits through a gap or a one-block-high opening.
- Dimension
- The Nether
- Added in
- 1.0.0
Damage by difficulty
Ghast hits for 6 on every difficulty; its damage does not scale the way most hostile mobs' does.
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 | 6 | 3 |
| Normal | 6 | 3 |
| Hard | 6 | 3 |
Spawns in
Needs a 5x4x5 open space to spawn. Soul sand valleys have a much higher ghast spawn rate than anywhere else.
It is restricted to Nether Wastes, Soul Sand Valley, and Basalt Deltas, so it will never turn up outside those biomes however dark it gets.
- Dimension
- The Nether
- Light level
- Any
- Biomes
- Nether Wastes, Soul Sand Valley, Basalt Deltas
- Added in
- 1.0.0
Dimension: The Nether · Added in 1.0.0
Drops
Killing Ghast drops Ghast Tear and Gunpowder, plus up to 5 experience. Looting raises the maximum on most of these by one per level.
- Ghast Tear: 0–1
- Gunpowder: 0–2
How it behaves
The Ghast 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 Ghast where you are standing.
Summon
/summon minecraft:ghast ~ ~ ~Guides and tools that cover this
Frequently asked questions
How do you kill a Ghast quickly?
Hit its fireball back at it. A reflected fireball deals far more than its 10 health and kills it instantly.
Where do ghasts spawn?
Nether wastes, soul sand valleys and basalt deltas, at any light level, wherever a 5x4x5 open space exists.
What are ghast tears used for?
Brewing the Potion of Regeneration, and crafting end crystals together with glass and eyes of ender.
How far can a Ghast shoot?
Up to about 100 blocks, well beyond the distance at which most players notice it.
How much health does the Ghast have in Minecraft?
The Ghast has 10 health points, which is 5 hearts.
What does the Ghast drop?
It drops Ghast Tear and Gunpowder, plus 5 experience when killed by a player.
Where does the Ghast spawn?
Needs a 5x4x5 open space to spawn. Soul sand valleys have a much higher ghast spawn rate than anywhere else.
How much damage does Ghast do?
6 on Normal difficulty — 3 hearts — with 6 on Easy and 6 on Hard.
Related pages
How to get it
Ghasts spawn at any light level in nether wastes, soul sand valleys and basalt deltas wherever a 5x4x5 open space exists. Each drops 0 to 1 ghast tear and 0 to 2 gunpowder, with soul sand valleys giving the highest rate.
Tips
- Deflect the fireball with any melee swing — a returned fireball kills a Ghast in one hit at 10 health.
- Tunnel rather than bridge across open Nether caverns; a Ghast cannot spawn or aim inside a 2-block corridor.
- Bring a bow: an arrow reaches further than a Ghast's own targeting and it dies to 2 or 3 shots.
- Listen for the scream before the shot, then break line of sight, because nether travel and survival is mostly sightline management.