Minecraft Damage Type

Damage Types

This content applies only to Java Edition.

Damage type definition files are the data-driven definitions of damage types in datapacks.

Definition format

Damage types use the DAMAGE_TYPE registry; the datapack path is damage_type (definitions in data/<namespace>/damage_type, tags in data/<namespace>/tags/damage_type).

Definition files use JSON with the following structure:

• JSON file root object
  • death_message_type (string, default default): death message behavior (see below).
  • effects (string, default hurt): sound played when a player takes this damage (see below).
  • exhaustion (float, required): hunger exhaustion added to players who actually lose health.
  • message_id (string, required): death message translation key (see below).
  • scaling (string, required): difficulty scaling behavior (see below).

Definition behavior

Damage type data is loaded only once at server startup; /reload does not reload it — a server restart is required. Built-in DAMAGE_TYPE entries cannot be removed, or the game crashes.

Death messages

With death_message_type: default (the default):

• With an entity source (e.g. mob attack or its arrow): check whether the mob's main hand holds a named item (with custom_name).
  • If the source is not a mob, or the mob holds no named item: death.attack.<msgId> with parameters [victim name, direct damage dealer name].
  • Otherwise: death.attack.<msgId>.item with a third parameter [item name].
• Without an entity source, but the victim was hurt by a mob within 100 ticks (5 s): death.attack.<msgId>.player with [victim name, last attacker name].
• Otherwise: death.attack.<msgId> with [victim name].

With fall_variants: fall death messages are used, independent of msgId.

With intentional_game_design: death.attack.<msgId>.message with [victim name, death.attack.<msgId>.link styled as a link].

Damage scaling

scaling values:

• always: damage is always affected by difficulty.
• never: damage is never affected by difficulty.
• when_caused_by_living_non_player: affected only when the source is a mob.

When affected (base damage d):

• Peaceful: 0.
• Easy: min{0.5d+1, d}.
• Normal: d.
• Hard: 1.5d.

Hurt sounds

When a player takes damage without post-hit immunity, the sound determined by effects plays at the player's position.