A Witch is a ranged mob added in 1.4.2 - The Pretty Scary Update.[1] Witches are hostile and are found mostly in swamp biomes wandering around their houses. When a witch gets hit by a player, they begin to viciously attack them with splash potions. Witches also can regenerate health. It fires splash potions of weakness, slowness, poison, and instant harming to weaken a player so it makes it easier to attack a player. Because of this, a player's armor is rendered useless, regardless of the armor's material and/or enchantments.
Since 1.7.2, witches now spawn naturally, though they are rarer than Endermen. Before this update, they could only be found in witch huts. They also spawn when a villager is struck with lightning.
A witch relies on using harmful potions, such as poison, for ranged attack. The best way to fight a witch is to get in close and not let it get away. Keep hitting it, and they will fall quickly. Damage must be consistently dealt to a witch to kill it, as it can use healing potions to regenerate health.
Another effective way is to take it out with a bow, as a player will outrange the witch's splash potions. As with melee fighting, a constant barrage of arrows must be maintained to ensure the witch cannot continually drink health potions.
The witch is the second gender-specific mob in Minecraft, the first being the Ender Dragon.
As of 15w49a/1.9, witches now make sounds.
Witches are the only mob that uses potions to attack and heal themselves and others.
A witch's nose magically wiggles.
A witch's texture is a texture that is worked off from the villager.
Witches have mouths, but they are very tiny. It can be seen if they decide to drink a potion.
A villager will turn into a witch if struck by lightning. However, witches do not attack villagers.
If a baby villager is struck by lightning, they will still become an adult witch.
In 1.14, witches are a part of Illager Raids, supporting the illagers with healing potions. Despite being part of raids, they will not attack villagers.
In the same update, witches were formerly neutral to the player and were wearing a hood. Sadly, this feature has been reverted due to it being an unintentional change.
A player can change what a witch is holding with the /replaceitem command.
By using this command, the witch in question will appear to drink something by raising its nose. The witch's face will be stuck like this until it drinks a potion.
