Overview
Gold armour buys you nothing here. A Piglin Brute ignores tribute entirely, never barters, never flees, cannot be distracted, and charges every player it sees with a golden axe that hits for 13 on Normal — enough to take a player in full iron down in three swings. With 50 health it also lasts, which is why a bastion treasure room with four or five of them is one of the hardest non-boss fights in Minecraft. They generate only during world generation inside bastion remnants, most heavily in the treasure-room variant, and no more ever spawn afterwards, so a cleared bastion stays cleared. That is the good news: the fight is finite. Fight it in a corridor so only one can reach you, keep a shield raised between swings, and use the fact that a Brute cannot open doors — a door placed behind you is a wall it will not pass. Each drops 20 experience, the highest of any common Nether mob, and an 8.5% chance of its golden axe. Like every piglin it zombifies outside the Nether in about fifteen seconds, which is occasionally a useful way to remove one.
Nothing you farm — it is an obstacle rather than a resource. Killing them is the price of a bastion's gold blocks, netherite scrap, pigstep disc and enchanted gear.
Piglin brutes ignore gold armour entirely and charge every player they see with a golden axe that hits for 13 on Normal, enough to two-shot iron armour. They never barter, never flee, and cannot be distracted, so a bastion treasure room is one of the hardest fights in the game outside a boss. Bring a shield, fight in a corridor, and use the fact that they cannot open doors. They also zombify outside the Nether.
Piglin Brute is a hostile mob in Minecraft Java Edition 1.21.4. You will need to deal 50 damage — 25 hearts — to kill one. Its attacks do 13 damage on Normal.
Killing one drops 20 experience.
Properties
Piglin Brute has 50 health, which is 25 hearts. It drops up to 20 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
- The Nether
- Added in
- 1.16.2
Damage by difficulty
Piglin Brute hits for 7.5 on Easy, 13 on Normal and 19.5 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 | 7.5 | 3.75 |
| Normal | 13 | 6.5 |
| Hard | 19.5 | 9.75 |
Spawns in
Generates only inside bastion remnants, most heavily in the treasure-room variant. Never spawns after world generation.
It does not appear in open terrain: every Piglin Brute comes from Bastion Remnant.
- Dimension
- The Nether
- Only in
- Bastion Remnant
- Added in
- 1.16.2
Dimension: The Nether · Added in 1.16.2
Drops
Killing Piglin Brute drops Golden Axe, plus up to 20 experience. Looting raises the maximum on most of these by one per level.
- Golden Axe: 1 (9%)
How it behaves
The Piglin Brute 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 20 experience; killed any other way it drops none.
Command
In a world with cheats on, this spawns one Piglin Brute where you are standing.
Summon
/summon minecraft:piglin_brute ~ ~ ~Guides and tools that cover this
Frequently asked questions
Does gold armour work on Piglin Brutes?
No. Brutes attack on sight regardless of what you wear, and they cannot be bartered with or distracted.
Where do Piglin Brutes spawn?
Only inside bastion remnants, placed during world generation. None ever spawn after the structure is created.
How much damage does a Piglin Brute do?
13 on Normal, 7.5 on Easy and 19.5 on Hard, with a golden axe that also disables shields on hit.
How much experience does a Piglin Brute drop?
20, the highest of any common Nether mob.
How much health does the Piglin Brute have in Minecraft?
The Piglin Brute has 50 health points, which is 25 hearts.
What does the Piglin Brute drop?
It drops Golden Axe, plus 20 experience when killed by a player.
Where does the Piglin Brute spawn?
Generates only inside bastion remnants, most heavily in the treasure-room variant. Never spawns after world generation.
How much damage does Piglin Brute do?
13 on Normal difficulty — 6.5 hearts — with 7.5 on Easy and 19.5 on Hard.
Related pages
How to get it
Piglin Brutes generate only inside bastion remnants during world generation, most heavily in the treasure-room variant, and never spawn afterwards. Each has 50 health, drops 20 experience, and drops its golden axe about 8.5% of the time.
Tips
- Fight in a corridor or doorway so only one Brute can reach you at a time, and keep a shield raised.
- Place a door behind you as an escape: a Piglin Brute cannot open doors, unlike an ordinary piglin.
- Bring Fire Resistance and a bow, since 50 health and 13 damage per hit is not a melee trade worth taking.
- Read how to fight every hostile mob before a treasure bastion, because gold armour does not help here.