Overview
One Magma Cube is never one enemy. A large cube splits into up to four mediums when killed, and each medium splits again into smalls, so the thing bouncing towards you across a basalt delta is really a queue of seven. The listed 16 health and 6 damage on Normal belong to the large size only: mediums have 4 health and hit for 4, and smalls have 1 health and hit for 3, which means the last stage is trivial but numerous. They are fireproof, swim in lava, and spawn at any light level anywhere in the Nether, with by far the highest density in basalt deltas — a biome that is already hard to cross. The bounce is deceptively fast over open ground, and the split happens in the direction you are standing, so killing a large cube in a corridor puts four mediums in your face at once. Only large and medium cubes drop magma cream, and only to a player kill, which is the reason to farm them at all: magma cream brews Fire Resistance and crafts a magma block. Fight them at a doorway a large cube cannot enter, or from above.
Magma cream, which brews the Potion of Fire Resistance — the single most useful potion in the Nether — and crafts magma blocks for damage traps and soul sand bubble columns.
Magma cubes split when killed, a large one into up to four mediums and each medium into smalls, so what looks like one enemy is really seven. The listed stats are for the large size: mediums have 4 health and hit for 4, smalls have 1 health and hit for 3, and only the small ones are harmless enough to ignore. They are fireproof and swim in lava, and they bounce with a distinctive hop that covers ground fast.
In Minecraft, Magma Cube is classified as a hostile mob. It has 16 health points, or 8 hearts. On Normal difficulty each hit costs you 6 damage.
It is worth 4 XP.
Properties
Magma Cube has 16 health, which is 8 hearts. It drops up to 4 experience when a player kills it. Its hitbox is 0.52 blocks wide and 0.52 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
Magma Cube 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 at any light level anywhere in the Nether, and very densely in basalt deltas.
It is restricted to Nether Wastes 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, Basalt Deltas
- Added in
- 1.0.0
Dimension: The Nether · Added in 1.0.0
Drops
Killing Magma Cube drops Magma Cream, plus up to 4 experience. Looting raises the maximum on most of these by one per level.
- Magma Cream: 0–1 — Only from large and medium cubes, and only when killed by a player.
How it behaves
The Magma Cube 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 4 experience; killed any other way it drops none.
Command
In a world with cheats on, this spawns one Magma Cube where you are standing.
Summon
/summon minecraft:magma_cube ~ ~ ~Guides and tools that cover this
Frequently asked questions
Do Magma Cubes split when killed?
Yes. A large cube splits into up to four mediums and each medium into smalls, so one kill becomes several.
Which Magma Cube sizes drop magma cream?
Large and medium only, and only on a player kill. Small cubes drop nothing.
Where do Magma Cubes spawn?
Anywhere in the Nether at any light level, with the densest spawns by far in basalt deltas.
Are Magma Cubes immune to fire?
Yes, and to lava. They swim in it freely, so fire traps do nothing against them.
How much health does the Magma Cube have in Minecraft?
The Magma Cube has 16 health points, which is 8 hearts.
What does the Magma Cube drop?
It drops Magma Cream, plus 4 experience when killed by a player.
Where does the Magma Cube spawn?
Spawns at any light level anywhere in the Nether, and very densely in basalt deltas.
How much damage does Magma Cube do?
6 on Normal difficulty — 3 hearts — with 4 on Easy and 9 on Hard.
Related pages
How to get it
Magma Cubes spawn at any light level throughout the Nether, most densely in basalt deltas and nether wastes. Only large and medium sizes drop magma cream, 0 to 1 each, and only when killed by a player.
Tips
- Fight at a doorway: a large cube is 2.04 blocks wide and cannot follow you through a one-block gap.
- Kill the smalls last — they deal 3 damage each and swarm, but they drop nothing at all.
- Farm in a basalt delta, where the spawn rate is the highest of any Nether biome by a wide margin.
- Bring Fire Resistance for the trip, since brewing every potion starts with the cream these drop.