Zombies are solidly among the creepier mobs in Minecraft, and there are few that are iconic and well known than they are. Their undead reflection of the default player skin and tireless pursuit are hallmarks any seasoned Minecraft survival player knows very well.
But although they're very well known, there are a lot of subtle bits of trivia that escape the scrutiny of many players. From chicken riders to zombie villagers, here are 10 things most players never knew about zombies in Minecraft!
10 Zombie Sieges
When night falls at a village, there's a chance that a horde of zombies will attack it in an event known as a "siege."
The scale of the threat depends on the difficulty being played, but in harder difficulties zombies are perfectly capable of breaking down the doors of village houses. Larger villages, at least, will have Iron Golems running around to defend them.
9 They Turn Into Drowned If Left Underwater
There are quite a few different variants of zombies populating their respective biomes, and the second-most well known of them would have to be the Drowned, considering their propensity to pop up in and around any body of water.
But did you know that a regular zombie, if left underwater for a period of time, can actually become a Drowned? Nice touch, Minecraft!
8 You Can Use Them To Find Underground Locations
Have you ever been running around the Overworld during the day, then found yourself unreasonably startled by a zombie grunting from somewhere unseen?
If so, then it's entirely likely it was coming from beneath your feet! The sounds of zombies (or other mobs, for that matter) cropping up in places where you don't think they could possibly be would indicate that a mine or natural cave is just beneath you, ready to be dug out and explored!
7 Helmets Protect Them From Sunlight
Players have little to fear of zombies during the day because most of the time once the sun comes up they'll just die naturally. If the zombie can't find shade, then the sun will catch them on fire, burning them away into death. Again.
However, one comically neat nuance to this is that zombies wearing helmets are (at least temporarily) resistant to the ravages of the sun. Eventually, the helmet will break down and things will be business-as-usual with the fiery death and everything, but still, it's a funny little detail to catch.
6 Villagers Can Be Turned Into Zombies (& Turned Back)
If players have any NPC friends in villages throughout their world they might want to consider keeping a close eye on them, if not building a wall. In addition to the looming threat of zombie sieges, they can also actually be turned into zombies.
It's possible to cure a zombie villager using a few items, though it takes a bit of work and resources. The thankful villager will remember you though, raising your reputation with their neighbors to get better trade deals.
5 You Can Hurt Them With Healing Potions
Undead enemies being weak against healing magic and items is a dedicated RPG staple, apparently being such a time-honored tradition of game design that even Minecraft pays its dues.
Using a healing potion on a zombie will, you guessed it, hurt them pretty good. There are likely more responsible uses for your hard-earned tonics, but it's a nice little detail and nod to RPG convention.
4 Zombies & Gear
Zombies have a chance to spawn with gear, ranging anywhere from a simple shovel to an entire set of upper-tier armor, and they very much benefit from the gear they're wearing.
However, they also have a chance to spawn with enchanted gear. Since getting a free piece of possibly enchanted gear is always a good deal, it's definitely worth scoping out the zombies you're passing up in your travels in case you're missing out on some sweet free items.
3 Chicken Jockeys
Baby zombies aren't just incredibly cute, but they're also trained in the art of riding animals, apparently - namely chickens. Although these baby enemies are quick by default, they can get even faster by hopping onto a chicken to ride.
If a player happens to see one of these enemies coming toward them, they need to become a priority target, despite how ridiculous they look. They're quick and can shell out surprising amounts of damage faster than you should be comfortable with.
2 They Mostly Come Out At Night...
Zombies will only spawn at a lighting level of seven or lower, so this limits their outdoor spawning to night time for the most part.
However, it's important to note that this is tied to the lighting level, and not the time of day. Zombies can potentially spawn anywhere below that lighting level, so it's always best to keep an eye out when venturing through mountainous terrain with lots of caves, nooks, and crannies. And light up frequent travel spots or mines with torches!
1 There Are 5 Different Types
As far as the types of zombies that will actually spawn in game, there are five different flavors (discounting any "baby" variants). The most commonly found are likely the basic, regular zombie, the drowned, and zombie villagers.
In addition to this are zombie pigmen and husks -- husks, in particular, are notable in that they don't take damage from the sun, spawning in desert biomes. Zombie pigmen are generally only encountered in the nether, but can spawn in the overworld if a pig is struck by lightning.