Withering Heights
Summon the Wither
Requirements: Place 4 soul sand or soul soil in a T-shape and place 3 Wither Skeleton skulls on top of the soul sand/soil.
Advancement Made!Withering HeightsOverview
Withering Heights is a task advancement in the Nether tab of Minecraft's advancement system, carrying the in-game description "Summon the Wither." It branches directly off Spooky Scary Skeleton, so that earlier advancement is its prerequisite and must be earned first. The Nether tab covers advancements for exploring and conquering the Nether dimension, from entering the portal to brewing potions. Withering Heights was added in Minecraft 1.12 and is still in the 26.2 advancement set.
It is rated Hard difficulty on this site: requires significant effort, rare resources, or dangerous encounters. It uses the standard task frame, meaning it is a normal step in the tree rather than a goal or challenge milestone. One further advancement, Bring Home the Beacon, is gated behind it.
In tree terms, Withering Heights sits third along its line: the full path from the Nether root reads Nether -> A Terrible Fortress -> Spooky Scary Skeleton -> Withering Heights. That means 3 advancements must be completed before this one becomes available, and Withering Heights is one of 23 total advancements in the Nether tab. No other advancement shares its parent, so it is the only thing that branches from Spooky Scary Skeleton.
How to Complete Withering Heights
Earning Withering Heights comes down to the following, performed in order:
- Place 4 soul sand or soul soil in a T-shape and place 3 Wither Skeleton skulls on top of the soul sand/soil.
- The last block placed must be one of the skulls, and it can be any of the three.
- Summon the Wither in a contained area underground for safety.
Tips & Fastest Route
Tips & Fastest Route- Fastest route: Build the soul-sand T and place 3 wither skeleton skulls; whichever skull goes on last summons it.
- Summon it inside a sealed bedrock or obsidian box; the Wither's spawn explosion and attacks shred terrain.
- Soul soil works in place of soul sand for the base.
- Make sure Spooky Scary Skeleton is already ticked off before you start, otherwise Withering Heights will not be tracked even if you perform the steps correctly.
- At Hard difficulty, Withering Heights rewards preparation over speed: line up the items and conditions in the steps first rather than improvising mid-attempt.
Common Mistakes
Common Mistakes- Remember that Withering Heights will not appear as available until Spooky Scary Skeleton is done, since the game only tracks an advancement once its parent has been unlocked.
Reward & What It Unlocks
Reward & What It UnlocksWithering Heights grants no experience directly; its value is progression rather than a point payout.
Earning it unlocks Bring Home the Beacon, which becomes the next step along this branch of the tree.
Details
- Advancement ID
minecraft:nether/summon_wither- Icon Item
- Nether Star
- Category
- Nether
- Difficulty
- Hard
- XP Reward
- None
- Version Added
- 1.12
Advancement ID
Category
Version AddedAdvancement Tree
Parent Advancement
