Spiders are one of the most agile mobs in minecraft and can often wait for a player before ambushing them. They’re one of the wider sized mobs in minecraft. They’re 2 blocks wide and long, and 1 block tall.
Once killed a spider will drop 0-2 string and 5 xp points. It could also drop a spider eye, but only if the killing blow comes from a player. Spider eyes are used in brewing and create potions with a negative effect. String is used to make bows and wool, though farming sheep is much more effective for wool.
Occurence and Behavior
Spiders can spawn anywhere in the Overworld, though the require a light level below 8. Spider spawners can be found in dungeons, though the chance of a dungeon containing a spider spawner is 1/4. Spider spawners could be used to create a spider farm, which is a great way to farm huge amounts of spider eyes, just make sure the spiders aren’t killed by the farm, but by you. However, it’s often advised to use other mob spawners if you’re looking for an xp farm, because it’s harder to create a spider farm due to their ability to climb and see through walls.
Technically, spiders are neutral mobs, as they’ll only attack a player under certain conditions, which is at dark or when the player attacks the spider first. Though because it’s dark every 10 minutes on the surface and almost always underground, spiders are often considered as hostile mobs.
Spiders will turn hostile if the light level falls below 10, after which they’ll start attacking any player within their line of sight, which extends up to 16 blocks. Note that the shade under trees and other blocks can be dark enough to turn a spider hostile, so always pay attention to spiders around you. Unlike most mobs, spiders can see through walls and will stalk a player for as long as it’s within 16 blocks from the spider, so spiders could be lurking around a dark corner.
Spiders will only become neutral if they aren’t already attacking a player, changing the light levels will not affect aggressive spiders.
Spiders don’t have the same intelligent AI as skeletons and zombies. They will jump in lava, walk through fire and fall off of cliffs to get to you.
Spiders attack by jumping forward up to 3 blocks. This makes running away from them quite tricky, especially because they’re almost as fast as a walking player. Luckily spiders are quite weak, so even if you get hit in the back, it would take a considerable amount of hits to die. If you’re wearing armour, especially diamond, it’s easier to simply kill the spider, even if you don’t have a weapon.
Spiders will often hide on the ceilings by climbing up the walls above an opening. They’ll wait for the player and drop down when the player walks under them. This is a very effective technique as players are often caught off guard. Their size also allows them to squeeze through 2×1 gaps in walls, so if you decide to block their path, make sure it’s only 1 block wide.
Killing and Surviving Spiders
Spiders are the only mob that can climb blocks, which makes it a bit tricky to defend your base against spiders. An easy solution is by creating an overhang on your walls, spiders will be blocked by the overhang and unable to climb over it. Another method is to build a lava moat or a wall of fire, though this is often much harder to build in survival mode.
A wall of cacti works great against spiders due to their size. A spider is 2 blocks wide, so it’s impossible for them to fit through the 1 block gap you have to leave between cacti.
Killing a spider isn’t too difficult as long as you face it. Their jumps can be interrupted by a well timed hit and the knock back effect of swords will keep them at a distance. Multiple spiders can pose a threat, so trying to run away is often advised.
If you cannot sprint away from a spider it will often be able to attack you a few more times. This could be a real problem when you’re low on health. To get away from a spider without running is difficult in open areas, though it can be done. The thing to do is block yourself or the spider out. Simply place blocks around you or the spider so you cannot attack each other anymore. It’s easier to block yourself in than to block the spider.
Once blocked in, you can either open a 1 block wide gap through which you can attack the spider or you can dig or run in the opposite direction. Remember that spiders can see through walls, so you have to put 16 blocks of distance between you and the spider for it to lose interest in you.
Spider Jockey
When a spider spawns, there’s a small chance (1/100) it spawns as a spider jockey, which is nothing more than a spider with a skeleton riding on top. However, this combination can be very deadly.