Everything you need to know about Minecraft's Creepers

Minecraft Creepers are one of those rare video game enemies that has entered into popular culture, like the aliens from Space Invaders or Pac-Man's ghosts. There's good reason why Minecraft's green, mean exploding machines are so universally respected. Put simply, they’re terrifying. Moving silently around Minecraft's world, they're able to sneak up on you and hide around corners. Unless you react immediately, they'll blow you and your creations to smithereens.

This guide will tell you everything you need to know about the enemy Minecraft fans love to hate. So read on in this Minecraft Creeper guide, and keep your ears peeled for any hissing noises.

What is a Minecraft Creeper?

The Creeper is an incredibly volatile enemy in Minecraft, probably the most dangerous one you’ll encounter in the overworld. It’s a tall green monster with four legs and a strange frowning face. As the name suggests, you’ll rarely see or hear a Creeper approaching. They spawn in areas of low light and make almost no noise as they scuttle about. Unless one approaches you head-on, you’ll only know one is nearby when you hear the hissing sound they make seconds before they detonate. 

When a Creeper explodes, it causes damage not just to the player, but the world around it, too. This makes them the bane of many budding builders, blowing holes in their carefully crafted creations. Consequently, you should always keep the grounds around your house well-lit to discourage them from spawning, lowering the risk of property damage as a result. 

What you need to know about Creepers

Creepers were originally pigs. Not according to Minecraft lore, but in a design sense. When messing around with the models for the feral hogs, the designer mistakenly mixed up the length and height of the body. The resulting creature was deeply unpleasant. But instead of fixing the model, it was given a dark green texture and unleashed upon the world. 

Creepers have always been exploding pains in the backside, but the way they interact with the world has changed a lot. They used to attack anything that attacked them, whereas now they tend to hunt down players and ignore other mobs.

Creepers can also become more powerful if struck by lightning. At this point, they become Charged Creepers. A Charged Creeper's explosion is twice as powerful, so they’re to be feared, but they're also useful, since their explosion can cause heads to drop as an item from skeletons, zombies, other creepers, and even piglins as of Minecraft 1.20.

On the plus side, Creepers they suffer from ailurophobia, meaning they will run away from both ocelots and cats if one is within six blocks. Proof that cats are good for more than just petting and internet memes.

Finally, if you can kill them before they explode, Creepers are a great source of gunpowder. This makes them an integral part of late game crafting and exploration, since you can turn that precious gunpowder into rockets for your Elytra or TNT for mining. They can also be used as a source for Music Discs, dropping one if killed by a Skeleton or a Stray. So if you want some new tunes to listen to, try encouraging some bone-on-boom violence.