Overview
Walls, doors and a sealed roof are worth nothing against a Vex, because it flies through solid blocks. That is the defining property and the reason a mansion fight goes badly when players retreat into a room: the room does not exist as far as this mob is concerned. It carries an iron sword, hits for 9 on Normal, and has only 14 health, so it dies quickly if you can actually connect — the difficulty is entirely about where it is, not how tough it is. It glows red just before it charges in, which is the tell worth learning. A Vex never spawns on its own. Three at a time are summoned by an Evoker, and more are released from vaults and trial spawners in trial chambers, which means the correct response is almost always to kill the summoner first and then swat the survivors. Left entirely alone a Vex slowly takes damage and dies out on its own, so a fight you flee will resolve itself eventually. It drops its iron sword at roughly 8.5% and 3 experience, which is not why anyone fights one.
Nothing worth farming — an occasional iron sword at 8.5%. The Vex matters as a threat to plan around, since it is the only hostile mob that ignores walls entirely.
Vexes fly through solid blocks, so walls, doors and a sealed room provide no protection at all, and they hit for 9 on Normal with an iron sword despite having only 14 health. They glow red when charging in. Left alone they slowly take damage and die out on their own. The correct answer is almost always to kill the evoker first so no more are summoned, then swat the survivors.
Vex is a hostile mob in Minecraft Java Edition 1.21.4. You will need to deal 14 damage — 7 hearts — to kill one. Its attacks do 9 damage on Normal.
Killing one drops 3 experience.
Properties
Vex has 14 health, which is 7 hearts. It drops up to 3 experience when a player kills it. Its hitbox is 0.4 blocks wide and 0.8 tall, which is what decides whether it fits through a gap or a one-block-high opening.
- Dimension
- Overworld
- Added in
- 1.11
Damage by difficulty
Vex hits for 5 on Easy, 9 on Normal and 13 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 | 5 | 2.5 |
| Normal | 9 | 4.5 |
| Hard | 13 | 6.5 |
Spawns in
Never spawns on its own. Summoned three at a time by evokers, and released from vaults and trial spawners in trial chambers.
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
- 1.11
Dimension: Overworld · Added in 1.11
Drops
Killing Vex drops Iron Sword, plus up to 3 experience. Looting raises the maximum on most of these by one per level.
- Iron Sword: 1 (9%)
How it behaves
The Vex 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 3 experience; killed any other way it drops none.
Command
In a world with cheats on, this spawns one Vex where you are standing.
Summon
/summon minecraft:vex ~ ~ ~Guides and tools that cover this
Frequently asked questions
Can vexes go through walls?
Yes. A Vex flies through solid blocks, so no enclosure protects you from one.
Where do vexes come from?
Summoned three at a time by an evoker, and released from trial spawners and vaults in trial chambers.
How much damage does a Vex do?
9 on Normal, 5 on Easy and 13 on Hard, with an iron sword, despite having only 14 health.
Do vexes despawn?
They take gradual damage over time and eventually die on their own if left alone.
How much health does the Vex have in Minecraft?
The Vex has 14 health points, which is 7 hearts.
What does the Vex drop?
It drops Iron Sword, plus 3 experience when killed by a player.
Where does the Vex spawn?
Never spawns on its own. Summoned three at a time by evokers, and released from vaults and trial spawners in trial chambers.
How much damage does Vex do?
9 on Normal difficulty — 4.5 hearts — with 5 on Easy and 13 on Hard.
Related pages
How to get it
Vexes never spawn naturally. An evoker summons 3 at a time, and trial spawners and vaults release them inside trial chambers. Each has 14 health, drops its iron sword about 8.5% of the time, and gives 3 experience.
Tips
- Kill the evoker first: no summoner means no replacements, and the vexes already out will die on their own.
- Do not retreat into a sealed room, because a Vex passes through blocks and a closed door changes nothing.
- Watch for the red glow, which signals a charge, and swing on the approach rather than chasing it.
- Use a sword with Sweeping Edge in a mansion corridor, where three vexes tend to arrive in a tight group.