Bats are one of the most underrated mobs in the world of Minecraft. They not only make your cave adventures exciting by adding fear to their ambiance. But, you can also use bats in Minecraft to make your base scarier. So, join us and discover everything you need to know about these nocturnal creatures.
Bats in Minecraft (2023)
Note: Our guide also covers the upcoming bats from the Minecraft 1.21 update. They are still an experimental feature and subject to change in the final release.
What are Bats in Minecraft
Bats are passive flying mobs in Minecraft that only add to the ambiance of the game. They are relatively small, with a long, black body and distinctive purple ears. In terms of size, they are smaller than Allay and larger than Endermites. 
You can find them in dark underground areas, often hanging upside down from the roof. If you get close to a bat, it starts flying aimlessly, trying to get away from you.
What Do Bats Eat in Minecraft
Unfortunately, there is no way to feed bats within Minecraft. Moreover, they don't even hunt or eat food on their own. This mechanic also corresponds with their health, which doesn't regenerate and is only 6 HP.
Can You Tame Bats in Minecraft
Taming and food go hand-in-hand within Minecraft. But, since bats don't eat anything, you have no option to tame bats or gain their trust. Furthermore, you can't even use leads or buckets to trap them.
Where Do Bats Spawn
Bats only spawn in the underground areas of Minecraft, below the height of Y=63 and at a light level of 3 or less. Furthermore, they also need a space of two blocks to spawn without any error. This means that you can only find bats inside the cave biomes of Minecraft. These include:
- Lush Caves
- Deep Dark Caves
- Dripstone Caves
- Regular Caves (areas that count as regular overworld biomes but are underground)
Halloween Spawn Rate
On the Java edition, the spawn rate of bats increases between October 20 and November 3, in celebration of Halloween. During this period, the game starts spawning these ambient mobs with a light level of 6 or less. So, if you want to make a spooky base on the best Minecraft servers, this is the best time period.
What is the Point of the Bats in Minecraft?
Other than adding to the spooky aesthetics, bats don't serve any practical purpose in Minecraft. Even when you kill a bat, it neither drops items nor XP orbs. They don't even interact with any other mob or Redstone components in the game.
But, they are still not as useless as you might think. Here are all the ways you can use bats in Minecraft:
- Finding Caves: Bats randomly make a squeaky sound which is hard to miss. So, while you are mining underground, you can rely on this sound to find caves near you.
- Ambiance: As you might know already, bats are great to add a spooky vibe to your builds. They fit perfectly with the scary Minecraft seeds as well as Halloween-themed builds.
- Traps: The movements and squeaking of bats can activate Sculk blocks to spawn the Warden. You can combine this mechanic with the fact that bats fly whenever a player goes near them to make unique traps.
New Texture of Bats in Minecraft
After years of existing within the shadows of your Minecraft world, bats finally got an upgrade in 2023. The older bats featured a small body with extremely large wings. Their ears were tiny and almost indistinguishable from the bat's head.
Meanwhile, the new bats have distinct purple ears with a larger body that's relatively the same size as their wings. Furthermore, they also have more minute details, cleaner animations, and an overall enhanced look.
Find and Hunt Bats in Minecraft (2023)
Flapping their large wings, bats have made their way into your Minecraft world. But, are you going to give them a place in your base? Or will you stick with items like Froglights for ambiance? Share your thoughts on our Discord server and discover how other builders are using bats in Minecraft.