When I started playing Minecraft in survival mode with my kids on our Xbox 360, I knew there would be tough challenges to face. But I also knew that tackling these challenges together would be a lot of fun. So we loaded up our inventories with weapons and supplies, put on our strongest armor, and set out to destroy some monsters. Continue reading to learn how to defeat a monster spawner on Minecraft.
Individual monsters aren’t too hard to fight, especially if you explore in a careful and systematic way, lighting your path as you go and blocking off auxiliary tunnels that could leave you trapped between enemies. Monster spawners, however, are another story on Minecraft.
What is a monster spawner?
Monster spawners are blocks that create new monsters. They look like little, lighted cages with a storm of tiny monsters swirling inside them. Each spawner creates a specific type of monster. Spawners are usually found deep in mines, sometimes in abandoned mineshafts or near strongholds.
Preparing for the Encounter
Some preparation goes a long way before rushing headlong into a den of monsters spawner.
- Gear Up: Think of it as suiting up for a battle. Strong armor, preferably iron or diamond, will shield you from the brunt of attacks. A sword, especially one enchanted with something like Sharpness, can help you strike down mobs more effectively.
- Inventory Check: Imagine being surrounded by zombies only to find you’ve run out of torches! Ensure you’re stocked with essentials:
- Torches: Vital for lighting up the area and disabling the spawner.
- Food: To replenish health.
- Shields and Potions: Shields can block incoming attacks, while potions, like Healing or Strength, provide temporary benefits.
- Blocks: Useful for barricading and creating strategic pathways.
- Know Your Enemy: Depending on the spawner, you might face zombies, skeletons, spiders, or more. Each mob has its quirks. For instance, skeletons shoot arrows, so a shield becomes invaluable.
How do you destroy a spawner?
A spawner is relatively easy to destroy. You simply hit it repeatedly with a pick axe. The stronger your pick axe, the faster you can destroy the spawner. But getting within reach of the spawner is the hard part because until it is destroyed, it continuously spawns monster after monster, and these must be killed in order to get up close.
Strategies for Tackling the Monster Spawner
With preparation done, let’s delve into the action!
- Lighting the Area: Here’s a fun fact – monster spawners hate light. Placing torches around the spawner reduces its efficiency, halting the spawning of monsters. So, as soon as you spot a spawner, light up the area.
- Strategic Approach: Don’t rush in recklessly. Use blocks to shield your path or to create a secure retreat route. Sometimes, tackling enemies from behind a barrier is better than face-to-face.
- Combat Techniques: Master the art of combat. Use your shield to block incoming attacks, especially arrows from skeletons. Remember, enemies have a brief cooldown between attacks. Use this window to strike back!
You have a decision to make once you’ve dispatched the immediate threats.
Disabling vs. Destroying? If you destroy the spawner with a pickaxe, it’s gone for good. But keeping it intact can be beneficial. How? Later, you can convert it into a ‘mob grinder’, a contraption that automatically farms mobs for experience and drops.
After the battle, there’ll be experience orbs and possibly other drops. Collect them! Sometimes, nearby chests also contain valuable loot. So, keep an eye out.
Some monsters are easier than others
One of the first Minecraft monster spawners my kids and I fought was a skeleton spawner. We made a full frontal attack, diving in together headlong down a tunnel of doom. After some of us died, we tried a different approach, digging a tunnel around a curve next to the spawner and attacking from the flank. That worked much better.
Unfortunately, when we came up against a cave spider spawner, none of the techniques we’d tried previously worked at all. Every time we made a bit of progress toward the spawner, we’d either die or the cave spiders would drive us back.
How we defeated the cave spiders on Minecraft
Finally, after much trial and error, we figured out a perfect way to defeat the cave spiders and reach the spawner. We used fences to create a barrier between the spiders and ourselves. The spiders couldn’t reach us through the fence panels, but we could strike them with our swords.
Once we cleared the spiders away from a section of fence, we’d quickly advance our panels forward just a block or two and rebuild the wall, always maintaining a ceiling of dirt overhead, so the cave spiders couldn’t drop down on top of us. Moving our wall of fence panels forward one space at a time was tedious, but it allowed us to slow progress toward the spawner and eventually destroy it with relative ease.
Hints
That once-threatening spawner can be a goldmine.
- Creating Mob Grinders: Consider this setting a trap for the monsters. With the right setup, you can channel spawned mobs into a space where they can be easily defeated or even automatically killed, allowing you to harvest their drops and experience them with minimal risk.
- Safekeeping the Area: After your victorious battle, ensuring the area is secure from other lurking threats is a good idea. Place torches generously and seal any entrances that might invite unwanted visitors.
In conclusion, while monster spawners in Minecraft may seem daunting initially, they offer a rewarding challenge for those prepared to face them. Not only do they test your combat and strategic skills, but they also offer a chance to turn a threat into an advantage. With the right gear, strategy, and mindset, you can conquer these obstacles and turn them into valuable assets in your Minecraft journey.
Do your monster spawner stories or unique strategies? Share them with us! Your experiences could be the guiding light for many others in the Minecraft community. And if there’s another Minecraft challenge you’d like us to tackle. Keep crafting, keep exploring, and above all, keep having fun!
