Overview
Sunrise does not save you in a desert, because a Husk does not burn. That is the whole reason this variant exists and the reason players who moved to a desert biome keep dying in the morning: it replaces roughly 80% of zombie spawns there, it can spawn on the open surface in daylight, and it simply keeps walking. Its punch inflicts Hunger, which drains your food bar and shuts off natural regeneration exactly when you are trying to recover between fights — far more dangerous than the 3 damage on Normal it actually deals. It carries 20 health and 2 armour points, the same as the parent mob, and wears the same dusty behaviour: slow, relentless, able to break wooden doors on Hard, and it calls other undead towards you when it spots you. There is one useful quirk. Drop a Husk into water and it converts into an ordinary Zombie after thirty seconds, which is how a desert base gets a zombie for testing curing or a farm without importing one. Its drops are unremarkable — rotten flesh, and a 2.5% shared roll of iron ingot, carrot or potato on a player kill.
Rotten flesh in bulk and a small iron trickle, plus a reliable way to get an ordinary zombie in a desert — drop a Husk in water and it converts in 30 seconds.
A husk is a desert zombie that does not burn in sunlight, so mornings in a desert are still dangerous. Its hits inflict Hunger, draining your food bar and stopping natural regeneration exactly when you need it. Drop a husk into water and it converts into an ordinary zombie after thirty seconds. Otherwise it behaves like a zombie: slow, persistent, able to break wooden doors on Hard, and it calls other zombies to it.
Husk is a hostile mob in Minecraft Java Edition 1.21.4. You will need to deal 20 damage — 10 hearts — to kill one. Its attacks do 3 damage on Normal.
Killing one drops 5 experience.
Properties
Husk 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
- 1.10
Damage by difficulty
Husk 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
Replaces roughly 80% of zombie spawns in deserts, and unlike zombies can spawn on the surface in daylight.
It is restricted to Desert, so it will never turn up outside those biomes however dark it gets.
- Dimension
- Overworld
- Light level
- ≤ 7
- Biomes
- Desert
- Added in
- 1.10
Dimension: Overworld · Added in 1.10
Drops
Killing Husk drops Rotten Flesh and Iron Ingot, plus up to 5 experience. Looting raises the maximum on most of these by one per level.
- Rotten Flesh: 0–2
- Iron Ingot: 1 (3%) — Rare drop shared with carrot and potato; only when killed by a player.
How it behaves
The Husk 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 Husk where you are standing.
Summon
/summon minecraft:husk ~ ~ ~Guides and tools that cover this
Frequently asked questions
Do husks burn in daylight?
No. A Husk is immune to sunlight and will chase you across open desert at midday.
What does a Husk's attack do?
3 damage on Normal plus the Hunger effect, which drains your food bar and blocks natural health regeneration.
Where do husks spawn?
Desert biomes, where they replace about 80% of zombie spawns, at light level 7 or below and on the surface at any time.
Can a Husk become a zombie?
Yes. Submerge one in water for 30 seconds and it converts into an ordinary zombie.
How much health does the Husk have in Minecraft?
The Husk has 20 health points, which is 10 hearts.
What does the Husk drop?
It drops Rotten Flesh and Iron Ingot, plus 5 experience when killed by a player.
Where does the Husk spawn?
Replaces roughly 80% of zombie spawns in deserts, and unlike zombies can spawn on the surface in daylight.
How much damage does Husk do?
3 on Normal difficulty — 1.5 hearts — with 2 on Easy and 4.5 on Hard.
Related pages
How to get it
Husks replace roughly 80% of zombie spawns in desert biomes at light level 7 or below, and unlike zombies they also spawn on the surface in daylight. A player kill rolls a 2.5% chance of an iron ingot, carrot or potato.
Tips
- Eat before crossing a desert at night, because Hunger from a Husk hit stops regeneration until your food bar refills.
- Do not count on daylight: husks spawn and survive on the open sand at noon, unlike every other zombie variant.
- Keep a 2-block-deep water pit near a desert base if you want husks converted into zombies for a farm.
- Use a shield — the melee is only 3 on Normal, and blocking it removes the Hunger application entirely.