Rarest Minecraft Mob Variants

Minecraft has filled its blocky world with many kinds of mobs and will only keep adding more. Certain mobs have unique variants that are rare to spawn naturally. While many players explore to find the rarest items in Minecraft, other players venture to find rare mob variants. Maybe players have seen some of these mob variants on their adventures but are unaware of how rare they are.

For players seeking a side adventure in their Minecraft world, building a zoo with these rare mob variants is a cool flex. Many of these mob variants are so rare that players should count themselves as lucky to see them. Players will not know of the existence of some of these mob variants due to their low chances of spawning.

Updated March 4, 2025 by Mati Kent-Nye: One of Minecraft’s standout features is its diverse array of mobs. From the hostile to the friendly, every mob has a unique appearance, behaviors, and locations in which it can be found, encouraging players to explore every corner of this world. In any nook and cranny could hide a fascinating new creature just waiting to be discovered!

Players already well acquainted with the more common creatures of Minecraft should try their hand at tracking down these rare mob variants. Bountiful adventures are sure to await! With two new variants added to this list, now is a perfect opportunity for players to don their detective caps and jump back into the wonderful world of Minecraft.

1

Drowned With Fishing Rod

Requirements: Dark Water & Patience

• Found in dark underwater areas.
• Incredibly rare in Bedrock edition.

While drowned aren’t a rare mob, one spawning with a fishing rod is. In Java and Bedrock editions, drowned have a 3.75% and 0.85% chance of spawning with a fishing rod, respectively. In the Bedrock edition, obtaining a fishing rod from a drowned must be preserved, as it can easily be considered a collector’s item.

It’s worth noting that drowned have a higher chance of spawning with a trident or nautilus shell than with a fishing rod. Adding all the rare fishing enchantments to the fishing rods is a great way to celebrate obtaining the rarest drop from a drowned.

2

Zoglin

Requirements: Crimson Biome & Player Intervention

• Found nearby nether portals in the overworld.
• A zombified variant of hoglins.

Most players have a nether portal near their base. Hoglins frequently spawn in crimson forests, which is one of many biomes in the nether. Players first need to have a nether portal in a crimson forest if they are to produce a zoglin.

Hoglins are afraid of nether portals and will always keep a distance from them. With some player intervention, a hoglin that is forced through a nether portal will transform into a zoglin after 15 seconds. Zoglins have the appearance of a zombified hoglin, and players can use a leash to guide them.

3

Skeleton Horses

Requirements: Thunderstorms

• The higher the difficulty, the less rare this mob is.
• Generated by lightning strikes.

Skeleton horses require natural lightning to generate a skeleton trap horse, and their chances differ depending on game and region difficulty. The spawn rates increase with higher difficulties, ranging from 0.75% on easy, 1.5% on normal, and 2.25% on hard. Regional difficulty increases the odds by 1% on easy, 2.5% on normal, and 4.5% on hard.

The skeleton horse trap activates when players are within 10 blocks of the trapped horse. Playing on hard difficulty is the best way to increase the odds of finding a trapped skeleton horse. All skeleton horses are rare as they cannot be bred, unlike normal horses.

4

Baby Brown Panda

Requirements: Jungle & Luck

• Found in Jungles.
• An uncommon panda variant.

Finding pandas is already difficult in Minecraft, as they only spawn in jungles. Pandas are significantly rarer than other common jungle mobs and are always celebrated when found by a player. Pandas are undoubtedly one of the cutest mobs in the game, and finding one in a different color is a must-see. Brown pandas are rare to spawn naturally, with only a 2.04% spawn chance.

Transporting a panda is time-consuming but is worth it when players have a rare brown panda near their base. Players should take care when transporting their rare brown panda and not end up in a panda transportation accident that ends in disaster. A brown panda has a 5% chance of spawning as a baby brown panda, making them even rarer.

5

Spider Jockey

Requirements: Darkness & Time

• Can spawn anywhere a spider can.
• Requires darkness to appear.

One of the oldest mob variants, spider jockeys are comprised of a skeleton riding a spider. With only a 1% spawn chance, this is one of the rarer mobs that players can encounter under the cover of darkness, whether above ground or in the deep depths of caves. They’re also one of the more dangerous, as the spider and skeleton will attack the player simultaneously. The skeleton is particularly troublesome for melee characters, peppering them full of arrows as they approach.

Spider jockeys can come in a number of shapes and sizes depending on the spider and skeleton variants they’re composed of, making for some truly deadly combos. Cave spider jockeys are a particular menace as they can poison players.

6

Blue Axolotl

Requirements: Lots Of Axolotl Breeding

• Requires intensive breeding of axolotls.
• Does not spawn naturally.

No aquarium in Minecraft can be complete until players have the rarest aquatic mob in the game. The blue axolotl can only be obtained via breeding.

There is a 1/1200 chance for a blue Axolotl to spawn when breeding two adult axolotls. Consistently breeding Axolotls is the secret to eventually getting lucky and being blessed with a Blue Axolotl. Once the Blue Axolotl arrives, be prepared to give it a special name using a name tag to celebrate the rare spawn rate.

7

Charged Creeper

Requirements: Lightning

• Produced when a creeper is struck by lightning.
• Possess incredible explosive strength.

The Creeper is the face of Minecraft and is the most iconic mob in the game. Many players will be shocked to know that Creepers have a rare variant. During a thunderstorm, if a Creeper is struck by lightning, it will transform into a Charged Creeper.

Charged Creepers are capable of powerful explosions and should be approached with caution. Players can capture a regular Creeper and turn it into a Charged Creeper when using a Trident with channeling during a thunderstorm.

8

Screaming Goat

Requirements: Patience, Exploration, & Goat Breeding

• Obtained by breeding or through natural spawning.
• Makes a distinct screaming sound.

This mob variant is the only one on the list that has no special visual differences that make it stand out from normal goats. Screaming goats are a rare variant of Goats that make a special screaming noise and are more prone to ram players than other goats.

Screaming Goats have a 2% chance of being produced whenever a goat is spawned, whether naturally or through breeding. Breeding a Screaming Goat with a regular goat gives a 50% chance for the offspring to be a Screaming Goat variant, and 100% if both parents are Screaming Goats.

9

Naturally Spawning Full Diamond Armor Zombie

Requirements: Low Light Levels & A Lot Of Luck

• Spawns in darkness.
• An incredibly rare zombie variant.

Any player who’s died to a zombie will know the frustration of having their powerful armor equipped by them, turning all that much-needed defense against the player. Picking up the player’s equipment is not the only way diamond armor-clad zombies can appear, however. They can also spawn naturally, albeit at only a 0.04% chance.

These zombies can be incredibly dangerous, especially when armed with a sword, as they are both able to deal and tank a huge amount of damage. New characters are best off fleeing from these zombies. For those more well-equipped, however, this variant offers a great opportunity to collect some powerful, and potentially enchanted, diamond armor.

10

Brown Mooshroom

Requirements: Mushroom Biome & Thunderstorm

• To obtain it, find a mushroom biome and wait for a thunderstorm.
• Produced when a red mooshroom is struck by lightning.

Many players do not know that brown mooshrooms exist in the game and are a variant of the normal red mooshroom. The first challenge of finding a brown mooshroom is finding a mushroom biome. The mushroom biome is the rarest biome in Minecraft and will require lots of exploration to find.

After finding a mushroom biome, players need to find a red mooshroom and wait for a thunderstorm. Once struck by lightning, the red mooshroom will transform into a brown mooshroom. The lighting can be caused by a thunderstorm or a player using a trident with the channeling enchantment. Capturing brown mooshrooms and escorting them to another location will be easy as mushroom biomes prevent hostile mobs from spawning.

11

Naturally Spawning Snow Golem

Requirements: Snow Village & Enderman Involvement

• Found naturally by exploring snow villages.
• Requires a very niche set of events to generate.

Naturally spawned snow golems are practically impossible to find in Minecraft, as they require three separate factors to occur. First, it requires a snow village and the second requires pumpkins to be present in the village.

The third factor is the rarest, and it depends on an enderman picking up a pumpkin and placing it on two vertical snow blocks. The third factor can be mitigated if a pumpkin block is generated on top of two snow blocks. There’s no measurement of how rare this spawn is, but capturing the naturally spawned snow golem is a must.

12

Baby Pink Sheep

Requirements: Lots Of Exploration & Breeding

• Incredibly rare sheep variant.
• One of the oldest mob variants in the game.

Spotting a pink sheep is considered a very rare occurrence as finding one naturally is incredibly different. Pink sheep was introduced in the Beta version of Minecraft and has a 0.164% chance of spawning. This caused Pink Sheep to be the oldest rare sight for players back in the day. Such a low chance makes finding a pink sheep more of a fable.

Since the addition of baby sheep, the chances of finding a baby pink sheep are even lower at just 0.0082%. Since the baby sheep will eventually grow into an adult sheep, getting a screenshot of the occurrence is a must.

13

Villager With Mending

Requirements: Village With A Librarian & Luck

• Requires finding a village with a librarian.
• Incredibly difficult to find a villager that sells a mending book by default.

Mending has vastly changed how players treat their tools and armor in Minecraft and is perhaps one of the best enchantments in the game. The best way to obtain mending books is directly from a villager, though finding a villager with a mending book is rare as there are over 40 enchanted books.

Players can reroll the odds of a villager having mending by breaking their lectern table and placing it again. The possible cost ranges for a mending book vary from 10 to 38 emeralds. Villagers selling mending books for lower prices must be protected at all costs.

14

Baby Zombie Chicken Jockey

Requirements: Darkness & Luck

• Encountered by exploring unlit areas.
• Spawn more frequently on higher difficulties.

Every player hates baby zombies due to their small hitboxes and fast speed. It was a baby zombie that ended a 5-year hardcore Minecraft world after all. Baby zombies have a 5% chance of spawning instead of a normal zombie, while chicken jockeys have a 0.25% chance to spawn if no chickens are nearby. Add those probabilities together and players get a very rare mob variant indeed. That’s definitely one to screenshot!

Like baby zombies, baby zombie chicken jockeys are incredibly dangerous. They’re fast, incredibly hard to hit, and can often be found wielding weapons or donning powerful armor. Given this mob does not give any unique drops, it is best admired from afar unless players are looking to truly test their agility and strength.