Skeleton

Strategy

Skeletons can be one of the most difficult hostile-mobs to combat. Because of their climatic abilities in accuracy and fire-rate, skeletons are difficult to combat from a short range, with their maximum range being from 16 blocks away. Skeletons are best taken out with a bow and, if available, a strong Smite sword. Because skeletons drop arrows, it is suggested to use the bow in this situation. Also, skeletons can't shoot through vines, but you can.

Another way of attacking it is to quickly sprint at it and go inside it (skeletons are non-solid)constantly and hit it with a sword, when you are inside it, the skeleton can't hurt you with its arrows.

Skeletons are notorious for having enchanted bows and armor, exaggerating the need for ranged combat even more. Skeletons are usually best left alone if a player is not prepared, as they burn sunlight and are aware of their surroundings when they are on fire.

Drops

Skeletons will drop bones and arrows upon death, and rarely a bow or even an enchanted one. Bones can be crafted into bone meal or used to tame wolves . If a Skeleton's arrow kills a creeper, the creeper will drop any music disc . Note that any bow the skeleton drops will probably be damaged (more often heavily than not).

Farming

In Survival Mode, "farming" skeletons is almost impossible. You'll need full diamond armor for the farming process to ensure you stay alive. There are five ways to farm Skeletons.

Try to trap them in a glass block building. Make sure to build the roof with non-transparent blocks, so that they will not burn in the daylight.

Find a Mob Spawner , and surround it with stone. Make a 4 block-deep water pit. You'll need a hole in the floor to receive all the bones. Once you've acquired those bones, pour water, and skeletons will appear.(Glitch soon to be fixed)

Make a deep hole. (At least 3 blocks deep.) Then set a trapdoor . Then make a lever , connected to the trapdoor using Redstone . When night comes, wait for a Skeleton to come over the trapdoor, pull the lever and the Skeleton will fall in.

Set a shade with piston door. Then when it's day, the skeletons will run to shade, then quickly shut the piston door.

Dig a 4x4 area 1 block deep with no corners. Fill the holes with sticky piston, then go inside to the center part of it and put pressure plates inside the trap, then put dirt blocks on top of the sticky pistons then make a 3x3 roof 3 blocks above the ground inside it so the skeletons will go inside when it's day, then wait until a skeleton spawns then wait until the skeleton burns when or if it's day then it'll go inside and when they step on the pressure plates the sticky piston activates so they can't escape and you just jump up and hit they're heads until they die then break one of the pressure plates and get inside so you don't get trapped in.

Trivia

• Skeletons make a creaking noise when moving, this can cue in players to their presence.
• They have the ability to climb ladders, although their AI usually prevents this.
• There is a very rare chance a Skeleton will spawn riding a Spider, known as a Spider Jockey . It has 1% chance of spawning instead of a spider.
• It takes three hits from a Diamond Sword to kill a Skeleton.
• Although uncommon, Skeletons can drop bows upon death. Very rarely it will be an Enchanted Bow.
• While players can retrieve their own missed arrows, they cannot retrieve the missed arrows from a Skeleton, as it would provide an extremely easy farming method.
• You can make Skeletons wear armor and pumpkins and wield swords by aiming at them then pressing Q. However, it will be a very bad idea to do this in Survival, Adventure, or Hardcore Modes because this will make the skeleton more dangerous (especially if the player gives them a helmet or pumpkin which prevents them from burning in daylight), and can lead to the player's unlucky death.
• Skeletons can survive at daytime if it is wearing any kind of helmet or pumpkin, or if it is in shade, cobweb or water.
• Skeletons can spawn in the Nether. Although it is a rare chance for that to happen in Survival mode, they can spawn in the Nether instead of Wither Skeletons with a 20 % chance.
• Skeletons appear to be afraid of Wolves. This is similar to Creepers which are afraid of any tamed Ocelot . This is a reference in cartoons that dogs like to eat bones.
• In 1.9-onwards, the skeleton has a shooting animation.
• A skeleton's accuracy is based on your difficulty setting.
• Skeletons are the only mob that spawn in both the Nether and the Overworld. However, in Minecraft 1.10 , this will change since Enderman are also going to do that.
• However, in Minecraft 1.10 , this will change since Enderman are also going to do that.
• On halloween, skeletons and zombies have a chance of spawning wearing pumpkins.
• If a charged creeper kills a skeleton, a skull will drop.
• Skeletons without bows will run much faster, This is because the skeleton shares the same entity ID as a wither skeleton.
• Skeletons can't see through most transparent blocks, This can easily be used against them.
• In older versions of minecraft, skeletons held their bow as if it was any other item.
• Skeletons have a 0.04% chance of spawning wearing a full set of Diamond armor.
• It is possible to give a Skeleton a sword. This can potentially weaken a Skeleton, as they can no longer do far range damage. But it will make them faster.
• If a Skeleton is inside a Cobweb then it will not burn in the day.