Overview
The Phantom is the game's bill for not sleeping, and it arrives on the third night. Go three in-game days without sleeping or dying and groups of them spawn above you, at night or during a thunderstorm, but only under open sky and above Y=63 — which means the fix is either a bed or a roof. They circle high overhead, then dive in a long straight line, hit for 2 on Normal, and swoop away, a pattern that is awkward to catch with a sword and trivially easy to block with a shield if you watch the approach. They have 20 health and burn up at sunrise like the other undead. The reason not to simply sleep is the drop: phantom membranes are the only item that repairs an elytra at an anvil and the only ingredient in Potions of Slow Falling, so a number of players skip sleep deliberately and farm them. A cat or an ocelot near your base frightens them off entirely, which is the cheap answer if you want the sleep debt without the dive-bombing. Killing one gives 0 to 1 membrane, and only when a player lands the final blow.
Phantom membranes. They are the only material that repairs an elytra on an anvil and the only ingredient in the Potion of Slow Falling, which makes them worth losing sleep over.
Phantoms are the game's punishment for not sleeping. They circle high overhead, then dive in a straight line to hit you and swoop away, which makes them awkward to hit with a sword but easy to shield against on the approach. They burn up at sunrise. Their membranes repair elytra and brew Slow Falling potions, so some players deliberately skip sleeping to farm them. Cats scare them off.
In Minecraft, Phantom is classified as a hostile mob. It has 20 health points, or 10 hearts. On Normal difficulty each hit costs you 2 damage.
It is worth 5 XP.
Properties
Phantom has 20 health, which is 10 hearts. It drops up to 5 experience when a player kills it. Its hitbox is 0.9 blocks wide and 0.5 tall, which is what decides whether it fits through a gap or a one-block-high opening.
- Dimension
- Overworld
- Added in
- 1.13
- Burns in daylight
- Yes
Damage by difficulty
Phantom hits for 2 on Easy, 2 on Normal and 3 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 | 2 | 1 |
| Hard | 3 | 1.5 |
Spawns in
Spawns in groups above a player who has not slept or died for three in-game days, at night or during a thunderstorm, only with open sky above and above Y=63.
It has no biome restriction, so anywhere in the Overworld that meets the light and space conditions is a valid spawn.
- Dimension
- Overworld
- Light level
- ≤ 7
- Added in
- 1.13
Dimension: Overworld · Added in 1.13
Drops
Killing Phantom drops Phantom Membrane, plus up to 5 experience. Looting raises the maximum on most of these by one per level.
- Phantom Membrane: 0–1 — Only when killed by a player.
How it behaves
The Phantom 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 Phantom where you are standing.
Summon
/summon minecraft:phantom ~ ~ ~Guides and tools that cover this
Frequently asked questions
How do you stop phantoms spawning?
Sleep in a bed, or die. Either resets the counter; they only appear after three in-game days without one.
What are phantom membranes for?
Repairing an elytra at an anvil and brewing the Potion of Slow Falling. Nothing else uses them.
Do phantoms burn in daylight?
Yes. They catch fire at sunrise like other undead mobs and die shortly afterwards.
Where do phantoms spawn?
In the air above the player, under open sky and above Y=63, at night or during a thunderstorm.
How much health does the Phantom have in Minecraft?
The Phantom has 20 health points, which is 10 hearts.
What does the Phantom drop?
It drops Phantom Membrane, plus 5 experience when killed by a player.
Where does the Phantom spawn?
Spawns in groups above a player who has not slept or died for three in-game days, at night or during a thunderstorm, only with open sky above and above Y=63.
How much damage does Phantom do?
2 on Normal difficulty — 1 hearts — with 2 on Easy and 3 on Hard.
Related pages
How to get it
Phantoms spawn in groups above a player who has not slept or died for 3 in-game days, at night or in a thunderstorm, only under open sky above Y=63. A player kill drops 0 to 1 phantom membrane and 5 experience.
Tips
- Block the dive rather than chasing it — a shield stops the whole attack and phantoms commit to a straight line.
- Build a simple roof if you want to skip sleep without the harassment, since they only spawn under open sky.
- Keep a cat inside the base: phantoms flee from cats exactly as creepers do, and stay away entirely.
- Only a player kill drops a membrane, so never let fall damage or sunrise finish one you want to harvest.