Overview
The Illusioner is the mob Mojang built and then forgot to release. It has no spawn condition anywhere in any biome or structure, does not appear in raids, does not generate in woodland mansions, and has no loot table beyond experience — the only way to meet one is the /summon command or a spawn egg where the creative inventory offers it. That makes this page a curiosity rather than a survival guide, but the kit is genuinely interesting and entirely unique. It carries 32 health, fires a bow like a skeleton for around 4 damage, casts Blindness on its target, and then does the thing it is named for: it splits into four identical copies that move independently and scatter, so your arrows and swings land on illusions while the real one keeps shooting from somewhere in the group. Kill the true Illusioner and every copy vanishes at once. Players who summon one for a fight find the mirror images hard to read without turning the difficulty down, and the Blindness makes bows almost useless in return. Compare the Evoker and Vindicator, which use the same illager model in fights you can actually find.
Nothing in survival. The Illusioner is an unused illager kept in the game files, useful only to map makers and command-block builds that want a blinding, duplicating ranged enemy.
An unfinished illager that was added and then never given a spawn condition. It fires a bow like a skeleton, casts Blindness on its target, and splits into four identical mirror images that mislead your aim while the real one keeps shooting. Killing the true illusioner removes the copies instantly. It has no loot table beyond experience, and it does not appear in raids or mansions.
Illusioner sits under Hostile mobs in Minecraft 1.21.4. Health sits at 32 points (16 hearts). It deals 4 damage on Normal difficulty.
Expect 5 experience per kill.
Properties
Illusioner has 32 health, which is 16 hearts. 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.
- Dimension
- Overworld
- Added in
- 1.12
Damage by difficulty
Illusioner hits for 4 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 | 4 | 2 |
| Normal | 4 | 2 |
| Hard | 4 | 2 |
Spawns in
Does not spawn naturally anywhere. Only obtainable with the /summon command or a spawn egg from the creative inventory in some versions.
It has no biome restriction, so anywhere in the Overworld that meets the light and space conditions is a valid spawn.
- Dimension
- Overworld
- Added in
- 1.12
Dimension: Overworld · Added in 1.12
How it behaves
The Illusioner 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 Illusioner where you are standing.
Summon
/summon minecraft:illusioner ~ ~ ~Guides and tools that cover this
Frequently asked questions
Where does the Illusioner spawn?
Nowhere. It has no spawn condition in any version of Java Edition and must be summoned with a command.
What does the Illusioner do?
It shoots a bow, casts Blindness on its target, and splits into four identical copies that mislead your aim.
Does the Illusioner drop anything?
No items at all, only experience. It has no loot table.
How do you kill the copies?
You do not. Kill the real one and all four illusions disappear instantly.
How much health does the Illusioner have in Minecraft?
The Illusioner has 32 health points, which is 16 hearts.
What does the Illusioner drop?
It drops no items, only 5 experience.
Where does the Illusioner spawn?
Does not spawn naturally anywhere. Only obtainable with the /summon command or a spawn egg from the creative inventory in some versions.
How much damage does Illusioner do?
4 on Normal difficulty — 2 hearts — with 4 on Easy and 4 on Hard.
Related pages
How to get it
There is no natural spawn. Use /summon minecraft:illusioner, or a spawn egg where one is available, to place an Illusioner directly. It has 32 health, drops no items at all, and gives 5 experience.
Tips
- Summon it in a confined arena, because the four illusions scatter and become unreadable in open ground.
- Fight it in melee: the Blindness it casts makes aiming a bow or crossbow almost impossible.
- Watch for the copy that keeps firing arrows — only the real Illusioner actually deals damage.
- Do not expect drops; it has no loot table, so there is no reward for the fight beyond 5 experience.