Do Skeleton Horses Disappear in Minecraft? Understanding Despawning Mechanics
Yes, skeleton horses can disappear in Minecraft, but not always under the same circumstances as other mobs. The mechanics of their disappearance are quite specific and understanding them is crucial if you’re trying to collect these rare undead steeds. Initially, when spawned via a skeleton trap, these horses are subject to a 15-minute despawn timer. However, once the skeleton riders are eliminated, and the horse is tamed, it transitions to a different status that makes it permanent, and will no longer despawn naturally.
The Initial Despawn Timer: The 15-Minute Window
The Skeleton Trap and Temporary Horses
The skeleton trap is a unique Minecraft event that occurs during thunderstorms. When lightning strikes a horse, there’s a chance it triggers the trap, spawning four skeletons on skeleton horses. These initially-spawned skeleton horses are distinct because they come with a built-in 15-minute despawn timer, or roughly 18,000 game ticks. If you don’t interact with them within this timeframe, they will vanish. This is the main reason many players find skeleton horses difficult to keep, particularly before they understand the mechanics. It’s vital to note that this despawn timer only applies to the horses that spawn during a skeleton trap event before the skeletons are killed.
Behavior During the Initial Timer
These initial skeleton horses are not tameable and are controlled by the skeleton riders. The horses and riders will actively seek out the player, as this is their spawned behavior pattern. If the riders are not dealt with, the horses will eventually despawn. However, if the riders are killed, the horses move to a new category, and no longer fall under the initial despawn rule.
Becoming Permanent: Taming and Despawning
The Taming Process and Its Importance
Once you’ve defeated the skeleton riders, the skeleton horses can be tamed like regular horses. The method varies slightly by game edition, but typically, it involves attempting to ride the horse repeatedly until it is tamed. Once tamed, these skeleton horses will not despawn naturally. They are considered “friendly” mobs and adhere to the same rules as other tamed animals.
The Saddle and Horse Persistence
An important step after taming is to equip the skeleton horse with a saddle. Doing so solidifies the horse’s permanence. It also allows you to control its movement. Once saddled, the skeleton horse is essentially yours to keep indefinitely. It will remain in the game world even if you leave the area and return later.
Despawning Factors That Don’t Affect Tamed Skeleton Horses
It’s important to clarify that tamed skeleton horses are not affected by the common despawn triggers that apply to other mobs. They do not disappear because of distance from the player or because they are unloaded from the game world. The core mechanic that shifts their despawning behavior is that they are recognized as tamed entities.
Other Factors That Influence Despawning and Horse Behavior
Other Methods of Spawning
While the most common way to encounter skeleton horses is through a skeleton trap, it’s crucial to understand that these are the only instances of the initial despawn timer. Spawn eggs or commands will spawn skeleton horses that are not tied to that 15 minute window. These horses may not behave the same as horses spawned with a skeleton trap.
Behavior of Undead Horses: Sunlight and Attacks
Unlike regular zombies and skeletons, skeleton horses do not burn in sunlight. This makes them convenient for daytime travel. They are also passive and will not attack a player, even if provoked. The only exception is the initial skeleton horse, which will attack the player as its skeleton rider attacks.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) About Skeleton Horse Despawning
1. Can a skeleton horse despawn if it’s not tamed?
Yes, if spawned from a skeleton trap, a skeleton horse will despawn after 15 minutes (18000 ticks) if it is not tamed.
2. Does naming a skeleton horse prevent it from despawning?
If the horse is tamed, naming it is redundant to prevent despawning, as tamed horses do not despawn, naming is only useful for identification. But, while it’s useful for other mobs, unnamed skeleton horses can despawn if not tamed, regardless of other actions. Naming an untamed horse will not prevent despawning.
3. Can skeleton horses despawn if they are leashed?
If a skeleton horse is leashed, that will not prevent it from despawning if it is still within the 15-minute despawn timer. If it is tamed, it does not need to be leashed, as taming will prevent despawning and leashing would be purely for keeping it in the location.
4. Is there a way to farm skeleton horses?
While there isn’t a direct way to farm them, you can try to create conditions that increase lightning strikes near a pen of horses during a thunderstorm. However, even if lightning strikes, the skeleton trap is not guaranteed to spawn. Lightning rods do not trigger the trap, they only redirect lightning strikes, which has a random chance of being the one that triggers a skeleton trap, but will not guarantee one.
5. How rare are skeleton horses in Minecraft?
Skeleton horses are relatively rare, as they only spawn during thunderstorms, where lightning can strike a horse, and even then, it’s not a guaranteed spawn. The random chance of a lightning strike being the one that spawns a skeleton trap is low, but the horses themselves are not inherently rare outside of this condition.
6. Can you stable skeleton horses in the Depths?
The “Depths” you’re referring to appear to be a reference to the Legend of Zelda, not Minecraft. While there are unique horses in that game, they do not correlate to this context. There are no unique Depths horses in Minecraft.
7. Why do skeleton horses disappear even when I’m close by?
The 15-minute despawn timer is a hard limit, so if the horse was a part of the initial trap, it will disappear even if you’re nearby. Only taming and saddling will remove the despawn timer.
8. Do skeleton horses need to be penned to prevent despawning?
Penning an untamed skeleton horse will not prevent despawning if it was part of the skeleton trap, and is still within the initial 15-minute limit. Tamed skeleton horses are permanent and are not affected by pen size. However, it is useful to contain untamed horses during the taming process.
9. Can a skeleton horse despawn after a server restart?
Tamed skeleton horses persist through server restarts. But untamed skeleton horses from skeleton traps can disappear after server restarts if their 15-minute despawn timer expires.
10. Can skeleton horses spawn from a mob spawner?
No, skeleton horses cannot spawn from mob spawners. They only spawn as part of the skeleton trap event during thunderstorms (and spawn egg or command).
11. Can you breed skeleton horses?
No, skeleton horses cannot be bred. They are unique entities that do not follow standard animal breeding rules.
12. Are skeleton horses faster than regular horses?
While skeleton horses have a slightly faster base speed than most regular horses, it may not be very noticeable. They have an advantage of not needing to be healed when injured, as they are undead, but are not much faster.
13. What is the difference between a skeleton horse and a regular horse?
Skeleton horses are undead, don’t need healing, and don’t burn in the sun. Regular horses require healing and do burn in the sun.
14. Can you put horse armor on a skeleton horse?
Yes, just like regular horses, skeleton horses can wear horse armor. This can be useful for increasing survivability if you encounter enemies.
15. Do skeleton horses drop anything when they despawn?
Skeleton horses do not drop anything when they despawn due to the 15-minute timer. If they are killed, they will drop bones. They also will drop any items they are carrying, such as horse armor or a saddle if equipped.
Understanding the nuances of skeleton horse despawning in Minecraft is key to ensuring you keep these unique, undead companions. Remember, it all comes down to that initial 15-minute timer and the crucial steps to tame and saddle them. With these tips, you’ll be riding your own permanent skeletal steed in no time.