[MCPE-43736] Phantom not spawning

Note from [~GoldenHelmet]

Phantoms spawn rules are the same as other monsters: the surface block must be spawnable, and the the block space above the surface block must be at light level 7 or below. So even though phantoms spawn high in the air, they will not spawn where the surface is lit or covered with non-spawnable blocks like glass, leaves, lower slabs, carpet, stairs, fences, buttons, etc.

I have lost track on how many days now without sleep and have not had a phantom spawn in game. Both myself and my husband are playing MP LAN and have not seen a phantom spawn since the 1.11.0.7 update. They spawned almost a ridiculous amount in 1.11.0.5.

Linked issues

is duplicated by 3

MCPE-64567 Phantoms doesn't spawn Resolved

MCPE-65702 Phantoms not Spawning at all Resolved

MCPE-95915 Phantoms are extinct Resolved

Comments 14

[Mod] LateLag 2019-03-24T03:18:25Z

Do you have gamerule doInsomnia and doMobSpawning set to true?

Auldrick 2019-03-24T03:30:18Z

As well as checking the doinsomnia and domobspawning rules, are you indoors or under some kind of cover most of the time? Phantoms will only spawn above a player who hasn't slept in 3 days (or longer) and is exposed to the sky. Also, is your difficulty set to normal or hard?

Margaret Tabar 2019-03-26T01:24:42Z

I need to check on the insomnia but mob spawning is on. It is a variation of indoor and outdoor. Difficulty is set to hard.

Auldrick 2019-03-26T03:46:27Z

I have now tested this in 1.11.0.7 and can confirm. After 2 hours real time (6 MC days) and an unknown of prior days that I hadn't slept in the world, the only phantom I saw was the one I summoned to make sure they actually could exist.

Morgwenna 2019-04-08T10:26:27Z

I haven't ever seen a phantom spawn on iOS and skeleton horses either spawning or appearing during thunderstorms disappeared in about release 1.1 never to be seen again in the past 2 or more years. Perhaps there is an underlying issue with spawning general.

4 more comments

Gary Tabar 2019-04-09T10:58:13Z

We don't see them spawn when we start near our successfully developed village, but do see them spawn when we leave the village area at night. It's like something in the village area is preventing hostile mobs to spawn. We don't see any hostile mobs spawn near it unless we move 60 or 70 blocks away.

Auldrick 2019-04-10T03:58:00Z

Since 1.11.0.9 came out, I've spent a lot of time experimenting with protecting a converted old village in creative mode. Every time I set the time to night, phantoms have spawned instantly. (I'm not sure how many days I've gone without sleeping, but it's definitely a lot.) I thought the problem had gone away in 1.11.0.9, until these recent comments. Anyway, it's apparently not that phantoms won't spawn at all, but there may be conditions we haven't yet identified that prevent them spawning.

Daniel P Baye 2020-02-23T03:24:06Z

I am experiencing this on the Nintendo Switch, 1.14.30 (plus previous two updates for certain). Standing in open, at least 4 blocks above sea level, overnight for at least 6 game days in a row. Have tried this on multiple occasions in the past 3 weeks. No phantoms have ever appeared.

Other factors: 1) while outside from sundown to sunrise, I often have to return to my base during the day, which is below sea level. 2) have so far only attempted this on a series of moderate-sized islands in the middle of a largish ocean biome, relatively near world spawn (768, 68, 4; seed 117257946).

Update: A phantom spawned while playing last night. Hadn't slept in 4 days, but was working primarily in an area below sea level, so I wasn't actively trying to attract phantoms. Came above ground a few minutes before daybreak and realized the sound I'd thought was coming from a nearby Nether portal was actually a phantom high overhead. Only one, and while it dove, it never came less than 5 blocks overhead. I killed it with a bow, but only XP dropped. For the next three nights I came above ground around nightfall and waited in the open in the same area, but no further phantoms have spawned.

Further update: Since last edit I've had more phantoms appear. Stopped sleeping entirely and would have a fair chance that one would spawn when I'd first come above ground at night. Once had two appear. If I'm too close to my villager breeder they stay well above sword range (both cats and an iron golem are in the area). When I went to a desert ~600-700 blocks away to dig up more sand for a project, I had multiple phantoms attack that night (as well as creepers and husks). Other than a pass through during the day while mapping the world, this was my first time in that area. While I can't explain the lack of phantoms early game, I've concluded the mob cap is probably always close to full in my base area.

Erik Boyer 2020-03-15T21:33:10Z

I am now experiencing this issue on Windows 10 edition 1.14.30

IonicEcko 2020-03-22T12:33:18Z

Am experiencing this at the moment on a 1.14.32.1 BDS server.

Could possibly be due to mob cap being filled, don't really understand the intricacies there.

Shelly Hardic 2020-04-02T00:29:40Z

Phantoms didn't spawn after 6 days awake. I was next to a village, once I moved away from the village 4 spawned but they would not attack. I am on a realm, currently on Xbox bedrock 1.14.30

GoldenHelmet 2020-05-13T06:02:30Z

Phantoms share the same surface density cap with other monsters, which means they cannot spawn if there are 8 other surface-spawned (or dungeon-spawner-spawned) monsters within 4 chunks of whichever chunk they attempt to spawn in.

They also have the same light level requirement as other monsters. Although they spawn high in the air, I believe the light level check goes by the space immediately above the solid block that they spawn over. If that is the case, then they will be blocked from spawning above by the same lighting that blocks monsters from spawning on the ground.

Finally, phantoms also should only be able to spawn over spawnable blocks, which means not over house roofs made of stairs, or lower slabs, glass, leaves, carpet, etc.

With all of these things considered, does anyone still think there is a problem with phantom spawning?

Eyeth 2020-05-13T08:48:07Z

GoldenHelmet

It seems no one has mention death resetting the statistic, other than the player enters bed. This may be the case for some not realising one of the conditions.

[Mojang] Mega_Spud (Jay) 2020-08-06T08:45:36Z

Cleaning up old tickets: This ticket had been set to 'Awaiting Response', but has not received a response from the reporter (~3 months+) so is being closed as Incomplete. If you feel this is still a valid issue then please comment, or create a new ticket following the Issue Guidelines which includes steps to reproduce the problem.

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