Spiders vs cave spiders in Minecraft: How different are the two mobs?

Cave spider in Minecraft (Image via feedback.minecraft.net)
Cave spider in Minecraft (Image via feedback.minecraft.net)

Spiders and cave spiders have a lot of features and traits in common in Minecraft. Many players, and especially new players, get these two different mobs confused.

Cave spiders are a spider variant that only spawns inside of caves or from cave spawners. These cave dwellers are commonly found within mineshafts and usually have many cobwebs surrounding their areas.

Regular spiders, on the other hand, spawn in caves and all-around Minecraft's overworld. These mobs are neutral during high light levels and hostile in the dark.

Spiders are a very interesting mob in Minecraft. There's a lot that players may not know about the similarities and differences between spiders and cave spiders. Here are a few things that players should know about spiders and cave spiders.


Differences between spiders and cave spiders in Minecraft

Color

Cave spider color (Image via Minecraft.gamepedia)
Cave spider color (Image via Minecraft.gamepedia)

Spiders and cave spiders may look very similar in the dark, but when exposed to light, players will be able to see that spiders have a black appearance, while cave spiders have a very dark-tinted blue one. This is the easiest way to tell the difference between the two mobs.

Attacking

youtube-cover

The other main difference between cave spiders and regular spiders is that cave spiders attack with poison, whereas regular spiders attack the player by jumping at them and inflicting physical damage. Cave spiders take it one step further and inflict a poisonous effect that slowly drains the player's health.

Health points

Small cave spider (Image via planetminecraft)
Small cave spider (Image via planetminecraft)

Regular spiders are a bit stronger than cave spiders. Many Minecraft players would assume that the two have the same amount of health, but cave spiders have 12 health points and regular spiders have 16.

Different eggs

Lego cave spider egg (Image via kettupena.fi)
Lego cave spider egg (Image via kettupena.fi)

In Minecraft's creative mode, players have the ability to spawn certain mobs with spawning eggs. Also, in the creative inventory, there are different eggs for spiders and cave spiders.


Similarities between spiders and cave spiders in Minecraft

Appearance

Regular spider appearance in Minecraft (Image via strangegaming.blogspot.com)
Regular spider appearance in Minecraft (Image via strangegaming.blogspot.com)

Spiders and cave spiders share the same physical body and traits in Minecraft. They each have eight legs and a slender body that crawls close to the ground. These spiders are both only one block tall as well.

Behavior

Spiders crawling up a wall (Image via minecraftwiz.blogspot.com)
Spiders crawling up a wall (Image via minecraftwiz.blogspot.com)

Spiders and cave spiders both have the same behavior towards players. At low light levels, both of these mobs are hostile towards players and will attempt to kill them. At higher light levels, these mobs are neutral towards players.

Spider jockeys

Spider jockey in Minecraft (Image via gethelponminecraft.blogspot.com)
Spider jockey in Minecraft (Image via gethelponminecraft.blogspot.com)

Both spiders and cave spiders can spawn into Minecraft as spider jockeys. Spider jockeys are when spiders spawn with skeletons riding them, and the mobs work together as a team.


Who would win in a fight?

youtube-cover

Spiders and cave spiders are very evenly matched as far as attacking goes. Both variants are immune to poison, so the cave spider's poisonous attack wouldn't have any effect on the regular spider.

More likely than not, the regular spider would win since it slightly has more health points than the cave spider.

Also read: Spider Jockey in Minecraft: Everything players need to know.