Minecraft has seven heads, and four of them only drop one way: killed by a charged creeper's explosion. That makes mob heads one of the quieter collector goals in the game. Here is how to get every one, the reliable way to make a charged creeper, and the things heads do besides look good on a wall.
Quick answers
| Head |
How to get it |
| Zombie head |
Zombie killed by a charged creeper explosion |
| Skeleton skull |
Skeleton killed by a charged creeper explosion |
| Creeper head |
Creeper killed by a charged creeper explosion |
| Piglin head |
Piglin killed by a charged creeper explosion |
| Wither skeleton skull |
2.5% drop from wither skeletons (more with Looting), or a charged creeper |
| Dragon head |
On the bow of every End ship |
| Player head |
Creative inventory or commands only |
Image: SyntaxMine, made from Minecraft's own textures.
The charged creeper method
A charged creeper is a creeper that has been near a lightning strike. It glows blue, and when it explodes, any zombie, skeleton, creeper, piglin or wither skeleton it kills drops its head.
Making one on purpose
Waiting for lightning to hit a creeper by chance takes forever. The reliable way is a trident with Channeling:
- Get a trident (from drowned; our trident farm guide covers it) and enchant it with Channeling.
- Wait for a thunderstorm.
- Throw the trident at a creeper standing under open sky. Lightning strikes it, and it becomes charged.
The creeper has to be exposed to the sky, and Channeling only works during a thunderstorm, not plain rain.
Getting the head
Now lure the target next to the charged creeper and let it explode. Two rules matter:
- One head per explosion. If the blast kills several mobs, only one head drops, chosen at random among them.
- Keep your distance. A charged creeper explosion is much bigger than a normal one. Stand well back, and do not do this next to your base.
Trap the target mob first (a hole, a boat, a fence pen) so it stays put while the creeper walks up. For a creeper head, let one charged creeper blow up beside an ordinary creeper.
The piglin head is the awkward one. Creepers do not spawn in the Nether and lightning never strikes there, so the piglin has to come to you: lead it through a portal into the Overworld and have the charged creeper waiting on the other side. Work fast, because a piglin in the Overworld turns into a zombified piglin after about 15 seconds, and a zombified piglin does not drop the piglin head.
Wither skeleton skulls
Wither skeletons drop their skull 2.5% of the time, rising to 5.5% with Looting III. You need three skulls to summon the Wither, and the Wither drops the nether star you need for a beacon. A wither skeleton farm on a nether fortress turns that grind into a steady supply; the fight itself is covered in how to kill the Wither.
The dragon head
Every End ship, the floating ship next to some end cities, carries one dragon head on its bow. You get it the same trip you get your elytra: break it with any tool and it drops. Each ship has exactly one, so you need to find more ships for more heads.
What heads actually do
Heads are more than trophies:
- Disguise. Wearing a zombie, skeleton, creeper or piglin head halves how far away that mob type notices you. A creeper head lets you walk past creepers much more closely. It does not work for wither skeletons.
- Note block sounds. Put a head on top of a note block and it plays that mob's sound instead of a note. A creeper head plays the hiss.
- Moving parts. A dragon head powered by redstone opens and closes its mouth, and a powered piglin head flaps its ears. Both also animate when worn by a walking player or armor stand.
- Locator bar. Wearing any head hides you from other players' locator bar.
- Crafting. A creeper head and paper make the creeper charge banner pattern; a wither skeleton skull and paper make the skull charge pattern. Any head in a firework star gives a creeper-face burst.
Heads go on the floor in 16 rotations or on walls, and since 1.21.9 a renamed head keeps its name when you place and mine it again.
A note on player heads
Player heads cannot be obtained in survival. On servers they come from commands or plugins. If you want your Minecraft head somewhere, our site does it the easy way: a SyntaxMine profile turns your skin into a head avatar.
Frequently asked questions
How do you get mob heads in Minecraft?
Most heads drop when a charged creeper's explosion kills the mob: zombies, skeletons, creepers and piglins. Wither skeletons also drop skulls on their own at a 2.5% chance, and dragon heads sit on End ships.
How do you make a charged creeper?
Throw a trident enchanted with Channeling at a creeper under open sky during a thunderstorm. The lightning turns it into a charged creeper.
What is the wither skeleton skull drop rate?
2.5% per wither skeleton killed by a player, rising by one percentage point per Looting level to 5.5% with Looting III.
Can you get a player head in survival?
No. Player heads are only available in creative mode or through commands. Charged creepers do not drop player heads.
What does wearing a creeper head do?
It halves the distance at which creepers notice you, so you can get much closer before they start following you. Zombie, skeleton and piglin heads do the same for their own mob.
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