Parched

Parched is a hostile skeleton variant found exclusively in desert biomes, serving as the desert-specific counterpart to the standard skeleton. Like all undead mobs, the Parched shares the same weaknesses associated with that mob type — however, it notably does not ignite under sunlight, cannot transform into a stray, and is susceptible to freeze damage. Compared to a regular skeleton, the Parched has reduced health and fires its bow at a slower pace. Its most distinctive trait is that it shoots Arrows of Weakness rather than ordinary arrows, inflicting the Weakness status effect on targets for 30 seconds.

The Parched spawns at night or during thunderstorms within desert biomes, effectively replacing a portion of skeletons that would otherwise generate there. In Java Edition, they appear in groups of four under open sky and account for roughly half of skeleton spawns in the desert. In Bedrock Edition, groups of one or two spawn and make up about one-third of such spawns. The Parched can also appear as a passenger riding a camel in a husk jockey configuration, and in Bedrock Edition has an 80% chance to serve as the rider in a desert spider jockey.

When killed by a player or tamed wolf, the Parched may drop 0–2 bones, 0–2 regular arrows, and up to one Arrow of Weakness, though the Arrow of Weakness only drops under those specific kill conditions. It naturally carries a bow, which occasionally spawns with an enchantment, and may also wear pieces of armor. In Java Edition during Halloween, there is a small chance the Parched will spawn wearing a carved pumpkin or jack o'lantern on its head.