Piglins vs wither skeletons in Minecraft: How different are the two mobs?

Two of the most common mobs Minecraft players will interact with in the nether are piglins and wither skeletons.

Both undoubtedly add to the terror of the nether realm, but how different are the two mobs? Most Minecraft players know that these two creatures have both an abundance of similarities as well as differences. This article will examine how these mobs compare and contrast with each other.

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Piglins vs wither skeletons in Minecraft

Similarities

Both are classified as hostile and fight players with swords (Image via Minecraft)

As mentioned earlier, gamers can only find both of these mobs within the nether realm. Both are classified as hostile and fight players with swords.

However, not every piglin will have a sword. Other than these aspects, piglins and wither skeletons surprisingly do not have too much in common.

Differences

Wither skeletons and piglins are sworn enemies (Image via Minecraft)

One major difference between piglins and wither skeletons is their natural spawn locations. The former can be found in various nether biomes, such as crimson forests, nether wastes, and near bastion remnants. Wither skeletons, on the other hand, are only found within nether fortresses.

Although they don’t often interact with each other due to their standard locations, wither skeletons and piglins are sworn enemies. They will attack each other immediately upon seeing the other. These mobs are generally evenly matched, so the victor of their battle could be either one.

Additionally, while piglins are hostile, they will not attack players wearing some form of gold armor. However, wither skeletons will attack regardless of attire, adding an extra challenge for those exploring a nether fortress.

Piglins

Piglins can be incredibly useful to players (Image via Minecraft)

Piglins have some specific advantages that simply do not compare to wither skeletons. The former are mobs that can be incredibly useful to players.

When offered gold ingots, piglins will trade them for random items that can often be of great value, such as ender pearls or obsidian.

There are also different variants of this mob, such as zombified piglins and piglins brutes, each with very different rules coded into them. For example, zombified piglins are not hostile until attacked first by a player, and piglin brutes are always aggressive to players.

Wither skeletons

Wither skeletons and their damaging effect often make navigating the nether fortress a frightful endeavor (Image via Minecraft)

Wither skeletons have similar appearances to regular skeletons in the overworld. However, with these darker, scarier mobs, players cannot gain much, if anything at all.

Not only do they attack gamers to inflict damage to their health, but being hit by a wither skeleton enacts the wither effect onto players. This means that even when the mob is not directly hitting them, gamers still lose health.

Wither skeletons and their damaging effect often make navigating the nether fortress a frightful endeavor.

Unlike piglins, there are no other variants of this mob. The most comparable mobs would be the aforementioned overworld skeletons or the intensely powerful boss mob, the Wither.

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Regardless of which mob a player encounters, it is clear that they should be well equipped for a potential battle before entering the nether.