Combat profile
Values below are the current Minecraft 26.3 / NeoForge defaults, before wave scaling and additional equipment. Existing server configurations can differ. Edit this mob's own registry entry in base stats and abilities; changes are not inherited from the ordinary Skeleton entry.
Multishot ranged attacks
Spawns holding a Multishot I crossbow and fires three arrows per ranged volley, against creatures and the Nexus. It inherits Skeleton navigation and supported abilities, with its own configuration entry. It has only Tier 1 and no baby form or separate Tier-2 egg. While retreating from or waiting for its TNT, it pauses ranged attacks.
TNT placement and retreat
Rather than using the ordinary mining goal, the Breacher places primed TNT at its position when an allowed obstruction blocks its route. It recognizes walls behind free path nodes and near the end of an incomplete path. It waits about 20 blocked ticks (1 second) and requires the mining ability for this obstacle-clearing trigger. During TNT use it shows TNT and flint and steel in separate hands.
A visible, living, attackable enemy within 3 blocks can trigger voluntary TNT immediately, without the obstruction delay. Disabling mining does not disable this close-combat trigger.
Both cases require Mob Griefing and, on versions that provide it, TNT Explodes. Voluntary placement also requires a complete escape path that does not need mining and reaches beyond the dangerous area. Without such a path, the Breacher does not place that charge.
It retreats at increased navigation speed and waits for the explosion. While it remains less than 10 blocks from voluntarily placed TNT, the fuse is held at a minimum of 20 ticks. Thus voluntary TNT may take longer than four seconds to explode. With several charges it reacts to the nearest surviving charge, and an unfinished retreat can resume after loading.
Target the head layer or TNT backpack
A projectile or a targeted player melee attack hitting the outer head layer or TNT backpack can prime one TNT charge at the Breacher. Only the struck part disappears, permanently; head and backpack can each trigger once. Lost parts survive saving. Ordinary body hits do not trigger these zones. Melee targeting respects reach, viewing direction and block cover; protected Versus allies cannot trigger their teammate's TNT this way.
This still requires Mob Griefing and TNT Explodes, but does not require a complete escape route. The forced charge keeps the native 80-tick (4-second) fuse, even if the Breacher cannot reach safety. It prepares a retreat before spawning the charge and can use shorter or incomplete escape paths. Hitting the second zone is not necessary to make the first charge explode.
Counterplay
Keep distance from its three-arrow volleys and avoid standing within three blocks if you want to prevent close-combat TNT placement. Attack from cover; choose a body hit to avoid triggering a forced charge, or deliberately hit a TNT part and move away immediately. A four-second forced fuse also endangers nearby defenders and terrain. It does not have the Builder's five-hit helmet.
Drops
The dedicated table gives 0–2 arrows and 0–2 bones before Looting, plus 0–3 TNT. Its held crossbow can drop under the normal equipment rules instead of the ordinary Skeleton's bow; it is not a guaranteed drop. It independently rolls a 25% chance of 1 Small Remnants.
0–2 arrows • before Looting
0–2 bones • before Looting0–3 TNTCrossbow • equipment-drop chance
1 Small Remnants • 25%Spawning and configuration
Selected by active wave themes or created with its dedicated spawn egg. The default spawn location is default: use the invasion's selected layer, normally ground, with the global spawn-layer rule taking precedence. To choose a per-mob layer, see spawn locations. Ordinary vanilla Skeleton replacement does not guarantee this specialist.
Default themes: SWARM, ARMORED, RANGED, UNDERGROUND, MIXED, RANDOM, RANDOMHELL, UNDEAD, SKELETONS, SIEGE. Use theme editing to change selection. Wave cost is a budget value, not an egg crafting recipe.
With command permission: /give @s invmod:skeleton_breacher_spawn_egg. The icon here is the original vanilla family texture referenced by the mod item model; the egg has its own item and entity IDs. See Nexus equipment and team binding for egg spawns.
Related: Skeleton, Skeleton Builder, Wither Skeleton Builder, Skeleton Breacher.