Overview
Fighting a Guardian in open water is a mistake with two separate causes. First, the beam: it locks on, charges for about three seconds with a visible purple line, and then fires for 6 damage on Normal — and if you break line of sight before it completes, the whole shot is wasted, which is the single most useful thing to know about this mob. Second, the spikes: while they are extended, every melee hit you land reflects 2 damage back at you, so a sword duel with 30 health of fish costs you more than it costs the Guardian. Depth Strider boots, a trident with Impaling, or simply draining the room with sponges are the answers that actually work. Guardians spawn continuously in and around an ocean monument in water, unlike the three Elder Guardian that never come back, which is what makes guardian farms worthwhile: prismarine shards and crystals for sea lanterns and prismarine blocks, cod, and a very high experience rate. On land a Guardian flops helplessly and dies, so a farm that drops them onto a dry floor does most of the killing for you.
Prismarine shards and crystals, which craft sea lanterns and every prismarine building block, plus one of the highest experience rates of any farmable Overworld mob.
A guardian locks onto you with a purple beam that charges for about three seconds and then fires for 6 damage; break line of sight before it completes and the shot is wasted. When its spikes are extended, melee attacks reflect 2 damage back at you, so an unenchanted sword fight in open water goes badly. Depth Strider, a trident with Impaling, or draining the room are the practical answers. They flop and die on land.
In Minecraft, Guardian is classified as a hostile mob. It has 30 health points, or 15 hearts. On Normal difficulty each hit costs you 6 damage.
It is worth 10 XP.
Properties
Guardian has 30 health, which is 15 hearts. It drops up to 10 experience when a player kills it. Its hitbox is 0.85 blocks wide and 0.85 tall, which is what decides whether it fits through a gap or a one-block-high opening.
- Dimension
- Overworld
- Added in
- 1.8
Damage by difficulty
Guardian hits for 4 on Easy, 6 on Normal and 9 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 | 6 | 3 |
| Hard | 9 | 4.5 |
Spawns in
Spawns continuously in and around ocean monuments in water, which makes guardian farms viable.
It does not appear in open terrain: every Guardian comes from Ocean Monument.
- Dimension
- Overworld
- Only in
- Ocean Monument
- Biomes
- Deep Ocean, Deep Cold Ocean, Deep Lukewarm Ocean
- Added in
- 1.8
Dimension: Overworld · Added in 1.8
Drops
Killing Guardian drops Prismarine Shard, Prismarine Crystals, and Raw Cod, plus up to 10 experience. Looting raises the maximum on most of these by one per level.
- Prismarine Shard: 0–2
- Prismarine Crystals: 0–1 (40%)
- Raw Cod: 0–1 (40%)
How it behaves
The Guardian 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 10 experience; killed any other way it drops none.
Command
In a world with cheats on, this spawns one Guardian where you are standing.
Summon
/summon minecraft:guardian ~ ~ ~Guides and tools that cover this
Frequently asked questions
How do you dodge a guardian beam?
Break line of sight during the roughly three-second charge. The shot is cancelled entirely rather than delayed.
Do guardians hurt you when you hit them?
Yes, while their spikes are extended — melee attacks reflect 2 damage back at the attacker.
Where do guardians spawn?
In and around ocean monuments in deep ocean biomes, continuously, which is what makes guardian farms viable.
What do guardians drop?
Prismarine shards, prismarine crystals at about 40%, cod at about 40%, and 10 experience.
How much health does the Guardian have in Minecraft?
The Guardian has 30 health points, which is 15 hearts.
What does the Guardian drop?
It drops Prismarine Shard, Prismarine Crystals, and Raw Cod, plus 10 experience when killed by a player.
Where does the Guardian spawn?
Spawns continuously in and around ocean monuments in water, which makes guardian farms viable.
How much damage does Guardian do?
6 on Normal difficulty — 3 hearts — with 4 on Easy and 9 on Hard.
Related pages
How to get it
Guardians spawn continuously in water in and around ocean monuments in deep ocean biomes. Each drops 0 to 2 prismarine shards, a 40% chance of prismarine crystals, a 40% chance of cod, and 10 experience.
Tips
- Duck behind a block while the beam charges — an interrupted three-second lock deals no damage at all.
- Never melee one while its spikes are out, because 2 damage is reflected on every single hit you land.
- Use a trident with Impaling, which adds damage to every aquatic mob and outranges the beam.
- Drop them onto dry land in a farm: a Guardian out of water suffocates without you swinging once.