Indeed the deadliest monster in Minecraft, the WITHER is probably also one the most destructive ones in our favorite sandbox game. It's even more destructive than the Ender Dragon, which can literally bulldoze gigantic mountains into smoldering ruins in a matter of moments---for one, the Wither is the only creature in MC that possesses enough power to destroy obsidian, the second toughest substance in the game, with its explosive projectiles. Still, have any of you ever wondered where the Wither actually obtains its immense power? (I certainly have, and doing so got me slain in the middle of a fight with the three-headed boss mob. How I hate myself.)

For all we know, obsidian, possessing up to 6,000 points in blast resistance, CANNOT simply be destroyed by an explosion, no matter how downright massive. HOW does the Wither actually blow its way through the purple stuff? After all, the explosion radius of a Wither skull is merely equal to that of a ghast, suggesting that the power of a wither skull explosion should be insufficient to destroy even stone. In fact, according to the official Minecraft Gamepedia, a regular Wither skull is only able to destroy weak blocks with up to 4 points in blast resistance, such as glass and sandstone. However, obsidian, to the Wither’s extra-poisonous BLUE Wither skulls, according to the wiki, is essentially no different from sandstone, and will be obliterated the same way had it possessed only 4 points in blast resistance.



Some of you may suggest that the blue skulls, despite having the same blast resistance, may perhaps pack a more concentrated explosion. However, when engaging a Wither in combat, you might notice that the Wither’s deadliest power is not its explosive projectiles, but its poison. Being highly poisonous, the blue skulls are able to kill a player with its poison in a matter of moments. The blue skulls are so poisonous that it is even reasonable to suggest that they’re actually even corrosive. Perhaps it’s the corrosive property of the blue skulls that enables them to destroy obsidian? Well, then again, if that is indeed the case, the blocks they destroy should be destroyed slowly over a period of time and not instantly like the way it occurs now. But what if what if the skulls are SO corrosive that the blocks are destroyed so fast that, by the time the explosion ends, the blocks have already been destroyed? Hmm, that actually sounds quite plausible.



Still, back on topic: WHERE does the Wither obtain its power? After a bit of analysis I’ve singled out some of the more reasonable sources:

• The three wither skeleton skulls used to summon it. Wither skeletons, alike the Wither itself, are highly poisonous. With the combined poison and corrosiveness of three wither skeletons, the Wither should be perfectly able to destroy blocks as tough as obsidian.
  
• The mobs it has slain. According to Gamepedia, the Wither, after killing a mob of any sort, absorbs its health and adds it to its own 300 HP. Thus, it is possible that, apart from the three wither skeleton skulls, the Wither obtains the rest of its power by absorbing that of the creatures it has killed.
  
• The four pieces of soul sand. When placed nearby lava, soul sand will deal up to 2 HP of damage to entities situated atop it per second, suggesting that it might be able to conduct and absorb heat and energy better than most other substances. Found naturally in the Nether nearby lava pools and fountains, the soul sand, by the time it is harvested by the player, should’ve already absorbed quite a bit of energy from the red-hot magma.
  

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