Cave Spider
neutral
Health
Damage
XP Drop
Added InOverview
A Cave Spider is a neutral mob: it ignores players until it is provoked, and only then turns aggressive.
You will normally come across cave spiders in the Overworld, where they appear in Mineshafts.
What sets it apart is its behaviour: same as spiders but smaller (1x0.5 blocks) and inflicts Poison on Normal and Hard difficulty.
Stat-wise it sits at 12 health (6 hearts), dropping 5 experience on death.
It was first added in Beta 1.8 and has been a fixture of Minecraft ever since.
A useful detail many players miss — Found only in Mineshaft spawner rooms with cobwebs.
The Cave Spider sits in a useful middle ground — harmless if you respect it, but a real threat if you provoke it, which makes reading the situation important.
Damage by Difficulty
Spawning
Natural spawns for the Cave Spider occur in Mineshafts.
That single-biome restriction means Mineshafts is the only place to look; if you are not there, you will not find one, so locating the biome is the real task.
Spawns from monster spawners in Mineshafts only.
Naturally spawned cave spiders will despawn over time when no player is nearby; naming one with a name tag or leading it away on a lead keeps it permanent.
As a neutral creature it leaves you alone until disturbed, so careful movement lets you share its space without a fight.
Drops
Here is what you can expect to collect from a Cave Spider:
Every kill yields 0–2 String (always, 100% chance).
On top of that, rarer rolls can give 1 Spider Eye (fairly often, 33% chance).
You also collect 5 experience for every Cave Spider you defeat.
Farming cave spiders is the standard way to stockpile string in quantity.
Across many kills the guaranteed items pile up steadily while the chance-based extras trickle in, so consistent farming is the way to build a meaningful stockpile.
| Item | Count | Chance |
|---|---|---|
| String | 0-2 | 100% |
| Spider Eye | 0-1 | 33% |
String
Spider EyeBehavior & Combat
Same as spiders but smaller (1x0.5 blocks) and inflicts Poison on Normal and Hard difficulty. Can fit through 0.5-block gaps.
Its 12 health is modest, falling to roughly 2 hits from a diamond sword.
On the offensive it deals 2 on Easy, 2 on Normal and 3 on Hard, and you will need to chew through 12 health (6 hearts) to bring one down.
To deal with one efficiently, exploit its weaknesses — it is vulnerable to Fire and Bane of Arthropods enchantment.
A sword enchanted with Bane of Arthropods shortens the fight considerably against this mob.
The Cave Spider cannot be bred, so the only way to get more is to find them spawning naturally in their home biomes.
As long as you avoid landing the first blow, you can usually go about your business near a Cave Spider without trouble.
Frequently Asked Questions about the Cave Spider
How much health does a Cave Spider have?
A Cave Spider has 12 health points, which is 6 hearts on its health bar.
What does a Cave Spider drop?
When killed, a Cave Spider drops 0–2 String (100% chance) and 0–1 Spider Eye (33% chance), along with 5 experience.
Where do Cave Spiders spawn in Minecraft?
Cave Spiders spawn in Mineshafts. Spawns from monster spawners in Mineshafts only.
How much damage does a Cave Spider deal?
A Cave Spider deals 2 damage on Easy, 2 on Normal and 3 on Hard difficulty.
How much XP does a Cave Spider drop?
A Cave Spider drops 5 experience points when killed.
What biome is the best place to find Cave Spiders?
Cave Spiders are found in Mineshafts, so any of those biomes is a good place to start looking.