Where Do Silverfish Spawn?
Minecraft Silverfish spawn in infested stone which can be found in a variety of places as you play Minecraft, most commonly from broken infested blocks.
Infested blocks can spawn in the following locations:
- Strongholds
- Underneath Mountains
- Windswept Hills Biomes
- Igloo Basements
- Woodland Mansions
Monster Spawners
Monster spawner blocks can be calibrated to facilitate Silverfish spawn. Minecraft Silverfish spawners generate naturally in End portal rooms of Strongholds, but can only spawn at a certain light level:
- From spawners at light level 11 or lower
- On block types they can infest at light level 11 or lower
These small mobs cannot spawn within 5 blocks of players.
Monster Eggs/ Infested Stone
Players can also find Silverfish in Monster eggs or Infested Stone, which generate in the game as Blobs in the Overworld.
These spawns only occur in certain biomes, one at a time:
- Windswept Gravels Hills
- Windswept Hills
- Windswept Forest
- Meadows
- Snow Slopes
- Jagged Peaks
- Frozen Peaks
- Stony Peaks
These Monster eggs/ Infested Stones are available in creative mode only in the Java edition of Minecraft, they are not available in survival mode.
What Do Silverfish Drop?
When killed by a player or a tamed wolf, Silverfish drop:
- 5 experience points
Will Silverfish In Minecraft Attack Me?
SIlverfish in Minecraft are a hostile mob and will attack players. Silverfish will call other Silverfish to their aid when fighting after just one hit.
If a Minecraft Silverfish is attacking a player around other Silverfish, the other Silverfish will converge on the player and also turn hostile.
If players attack the Minecraft Silverfish and don’t kill Silverfish, or the Silverfish take poision damage, other Silverfish within a 21X11X21 block radius will smash out of Infested Blocks and swarm to the player.
Silverfish can see players through blocks and will pathfind to them to attack them, even being able to target players through walls.
Minecraft Silverfish will also fight iron golems and snow golems. Players can use iron golems and snow golems as distractions when fighting Silverfish.
What Blocks Do Silverfish Infect?
Minecraft Silverfish can infest the following blocks:
- Cracked Stone Bricks/ Stone Blocks
- Mossy Stone Bricks/ Stone Blocks
- Chiseled Stone Bricks
- Cobblestone (rarely)
- Stone Brick (rarely)
- Deepslate
How Do I Get Rid Of Silverfish In Minecraft?
Apart from fighting Silverfish, the best way to get rid of Silverfish in Minecraft is to use a pickaxe enchanted with the Silk Touch enchantment.
Silk Touch allows the player to pick up a block in its original form, meaning Infected Blocks mined with a Silk Touch enchanted pickaxe will give up the normal block type.
How Can I Fight Silverfish In Minecraft?
Minecraft Silverfish are best fought with explosives. TNT used on Infested Blocks is the best way to fight Silverfish, as Silverfish can (and will) quickly swarm and overcome the player.
Using a weapon enchanted with the Bane of Arthropods enchantment is another good tactic, as Minecraft Silverfish are classed as arthropods (insects) in the game, and will take extra damage.
Using splash potions against other Silverfish is not recommended as Silverfish affected will start a ‘Silverfish attack’ after only one hit, luring other Minecraft Silverfish to the player which multiply quickly. This other Silverfish attack quickly becomes unmanagable, and deals large amounts of damage.
Silverfish have 8 health points.
Can Silverfish Infect My Base?
Silverfish can infest your base or house if your base is built out of blocks able to be infested or that Siilverfish spawn in, if the light level is low enough.
How Can I Tell If A Block Has Silverfish?
Blocks infested with Silverfish in the game have particular properties that can be observed when interacting with them, which can help players determine whether or not they are infested.
The following properties can show if a block has Silverfish:
- They will take a shorter time to break
- In the Java edition, placing a note block below an infested block creates a harp sound, where a normal block creates a drum sound
- In the Bedrock edition, placing a note block below an infested block creates a flute sound, where a normal block creates a drum sound
- In the Java edition of the game, a player can use the debug screen to see whether or not Silverfish spawn from the block
Can You Tame A Silverfish?
Minecraft Silverfish cannot be tamed in the world as they are hostile mobs. They don’t eat anything nor do they breed, however they can be personalised and kept as pets by using a name tag.
Using A Name Tag On A Silverfish
To name a Silverfish in Minecraft, you first have to find a name tag and rename it on an anvil.
Once this is done, the best place to find your Silverfish is in a Stronghold. Minecraft Silverfish spawners are only found in these places, and they only appear in low light levels, so make sure you go in the dark.
Once you’ve found the Silverfish you wish to name:
- Hold the name tag in your main hand
- Approach and stand infront of the Silverfish
- Quickly press ‘use’
The SIlverfish can then be kept in a sort of ‘cage’, such as in a glass ‘vivarium’.
What Can You Do With A Silverfish In Minecraft?
Apart from fight, be killed by or name a Minecraft Silverfish, the other thing you can do is use it to create a xp farm.
Xp farms use Silverfish spawners and low light levels to funnel Silverfish into one place and either being able to kill them passively via height or a grinder, or by the player if they stand out of the way when they spawn.
As Minecraft Silverfish give 5 experience points at once, this can yield a large amount of xp, however is not the most effective way to farm XP in the game.
Other Fun Facts About Silverfish
- Silverfish are small mobs, being the 5th smallest mobs in Minecraft
- They will suffocate on Soul Sand
- When attacking, Minecraft Silverfish cause damage to the player on contact when the player or Silverfish ‘jumps’ (travels along the Y axis). Players then perform a ‘damage jump’ when hurt, leading to a loop of damage
- Minecraft Silverfish only deal damage via contact, so can be beaten with a 2 block high pillar
- Creepers can be used to destroy Infested Blocks in the game
- If you move far enough away from Silverfish, they will retreat back into their Infested Blocks