Custom Loot & Drops

This guide covers how items get dropped in LCE, both from mobs dying and blocks being broken. We will look at the actual drop systems, every mob’s drops, and show you how to add your own custom loot.

How Mob Drops Work

When a mob dies, Mob::die() in Minecraft.World/Mob.cpp handles the whole loot pipeline. Here is the real code:

void Mob::die(DamageSource *source)
{
    // ... scoring and kill tracking ...

    dead = true;

    if (!level->isClientSide)
    {
        int playerBonus = 0;
        shared_ptr<Player> player = dynamic_pointer_cast<Player>(sourceEntity);
        if (player != NULL)
        {
            playerBonus = EnchantmentHelper::getKillingLootBonus(player->inventory);
        }
        if (!isBaby())
        {
            dropDeathLoot(lastHurtByPlayerTime > 0, playerBonus);
            if (lastHurtByPlayerTime > 0)
            {
                int rareLoot = random->nextInt(200) - playerBonus;
                if (rareLoot < 5)
                {
                    dropRareDeathLoot((rareLoot <= 0) ? 1 : 0);
                }
            }
        }
    }

    level->broadcastEntityEvent(shared_from_this(), EntityEvent::DEATH);
}

There are a few important things happening here:

1. Looting enchantment is read from the player’s held weapon via getKillingLootBonus(). This gets passed as playerBonus to the drop functions.
2. Baby mobs never drop loot. The isBaby() check gates everything.
3. Regular drops happen through dropDeathLoot(), which gets a bool for whether a player was involved and the looting bonus level.
4. Rare drops have a 2.5% base chance (5 out of 200). Looting increases this by subtracting from the random roll, so each looting level adds another 0.5% chance.
5. All of this only runs server-side (!level->isClientSide).

The Three Drop Methods

Every mob has three virtual methods that control what it drops:

Method	Purpose
getDeathLoot()	Returns a single item ID. Used as the fallback drop.
dropDeathLoot(bool, int)	Main drop logic. Override this for custom drop tables.
dropRareDeathLoot(int)	Rare/special drops. The int param is the looting quality level.

Every Mob’s Drops

Here is every mob in the codebase and exactly what it drops, pulled straight from the source files.

Passive Mobs

Cow

File: Cow.cpp

Drop	Count	Looting	Notes
Leather	0-2	+1 per level	Base random->nextInt(3)
Raw Beef	1-3	+1 per level	Base 1 + random->nextInt(3)
Cooked Beef	1-3	+1 per level	Drops instead of raw beef if on fire

Pig

File: Pig.cpp

Drop	Count	Looting	Notes
Raw Porkchop	1-3	+1 per level	Base 1 + random->nextInt(3)
Cooked Porkchop	1-3	+1 per level	Drops instead of raw if on fire
Saddle	1	No	Only if the pig was saddled

Chicken

File: Chicken.cpp

Drop	Count	Looting	Notes
Feather	0-2	+1 per level	Base random->nextInt(3) + random->nextInt(1 + playerBonusLevel)
Raw Chicken	1	No	Always 1
Cooked Chicken	1	No	Drops instead of raw if on fire

Sheep

File: Sheep.cpp

Drop	Count	Looting	Notes
Wool	1	No	Only if NOT sheared. Aux value matches sheep color.
(nothing)	0	No	If sheared, drops nothing on death

Sheep are unique. Unsheared sheep drop 1 wool block matching their color. Sheared sheep drop nothing:

void Sheep::dropDeathLoot(bool wasKilledByPlayer, int playerBonusLevel)
{
    if (!isSheared())
    {
        spawnAtLocation(shared_ptr<ItemInstance>(
            new ItemInstance(Tile::cloth_Id, 1, getColor())), 0.0f);
    }
}

Squid

File: Squid.cpp

Drop	Count	Looting	Notes
Ink Sac	1-3	+1 per level	Base 1 + random->nextInt(3)

Wolf

File: Wolf.cpp

Drop	Count	Notes
(nothing)	0	getDeathLoot() returns -1

Ocelot

File: Ozelot.cpp

Drop	Count	Notes
(nothing)	0	dropDeathLoot() is empty

Snow Golem

File: SnowMan.cpp

Drop	Count	Looting	Notes
Snowball	0-15	No	Base random->nextInt(16)

Iron Golem

File: VillagerGolem.cpp

Drop	Count	Looting	Notes
Rose	0-2	No	Base random->nextInt(3)
Iron Ingot	3-5	No	Base 3 + random->nextInt(3)

Hostile Mobs

Zombie

File: Zombie.cpp

Drop	Count	Looting	Notes
Rotten Flesh	(base Mob)	Yes	Uses getDeathLoot() which returns rotten flesh

Rare drops (2.5% base, player-kill only):

Drop	Chance
Iron Ingot	1/3 of rare drops
Carrot	1/3 of rare drops
Potato	1/3 of rare drops

The source has commented-out rare drops for iron sword, iron helmet, and iron shovel. These were removed.

Skeleton

File: Skeleton.cpp

Drop	Count	Looting	Notes
Arrow	0-2	+1 per level	Base random->nextInt(3 + playerBonusLevel)
Bone	0-2	+1 per level	Base random->nextInt(3 + playerBonusLevel)

Rare drops:

Drop	Condition
Enchanted Bow	If rareLootLevel > 0 (looting helped). Enchanted at level 5.
Plain Bow	If rareLootLevel == 0 (no looting boost)

Creeper

File: Creeper.cpp

Drop	Count	Looting	Notes
Gunpowder	(base Mob)	Yes	Uses getDeathLoot() which returns sulphur (gunpowder)

Spider

File: Spider.cpp

Drop	Count	Looting	Notes
String	(base Mob)	Yes	Uses getDeathLoot() which returns string
Spider Eye	0-1	Looting bonus	33% chance OR if looting bonus roll succeeds. Player-kill only.

The spider eye logic checks: if (wasKilledByPlayer && (random->nextInt(3) == 0 || random->nextInt(1 + playerBonusLevel) > 0)).

Enderman

File: EnderMan.cpp

Drop	Count	Looting	Notes
Ender Pearl	0-1	+1 per level	Base random->nextInt(2 + playerBonusLevel)

Slime

File: Slime.cpp

Drop	Count	Looting	Notes
Slimeball	0-2	No	Only from smallest size (size 1). Base random->nextInt(3).
(nothing)	0	No	Larger slimes drop nothing (they split into smaller slimes)

Ghast

File: Ghast.cpp

Drop	Count	Looting	Notes
Ghast Tear	0-1	+1 per level	Base random->nextInt(2 + playerBonusLevel)
Gunpowder	0-2	+1 per level	Base random->nextInt(3 + playerBonusLevel)

Blaze

File: Blaze.cpp

Drop	Count	Looting	Notes
Blaze Rod	0-1	+1 per level	Player-kill only. Base random->nextInt(2 + playerBonusLevel).
Glowstone Dust	0-2	+1 per level	Player-kill only. 4J console addition. Base random->nextInt(3 + playerBonusLevel).

Note

The glowstone dust drop is a 4J addition for console. Java Edition blazes do not drop glowstone. This was added because the Nether is smaller on console and glowstone is harder to farm.

Magma Cube (LavaSlime)

File: LavaSlime.cpp

Drop	Count	Looting	Notes
Magma Cream	0-2	+1 per level	Only from size > 1. Base random->nextInt(3 + playerBonusLevel).
(nothing)	0	No	Smallest size drops nothing

Zombie Pigman (PigZombie)

File: PigZombie.cpp

Drop	Count	Looting	Notes
Rotten Flesh	0-1	+1 per level	Base random->nextInt(2 + playerBonusLevel)
Gold Nugget	0-1	+1 per level	Base random->nextInt(2 + playerBonusLevel)

Rare drops:

Drop	Condition
Enchanted Gold Sword	If rareLootLevel > 0. Enchanted at level 5.
Gold Ingot OR Gold Sword OR Gold Helmet	If rareLootLevel == 0. Random pick from 3.

Mob Drop Summary Table

Mob	Regular Drops	Rare Drops	Notes
Cow	Leather (0-2), Beef (1-3)	None	Cooked if on fire
Pig	Porkchop (1-3)	None	Cooked if on fire. Saddle if saddled.
Chicken	Feather (0-2), Chicken (1)	None	Cooked if on fire
Sheep	Wool (1) or nothing	None	Only unsheared sheep drop wool
Squid	Ink Sac (1-3)	None
Wolf	Nothing	None
Ocelot	Nothing	None
Snow Golem	Snowball (0-15)	None
Iron Golem	Rose (0-2), Iron (3-5)	None
Zombie	Rotten Flesh	Iron/Carrot/Potato
Skeleton	Arrow (0-2), Bone (0-2)	Bow (plain or enchanted)
Creeper	Gunpowder	None
Spider	String + Spider Eye	None	Eye is 33% player-kill only
Enderman	Ender Pearl (0-1)	None
Slime	Slimeball (0-2)	None	Smallest size only
Ghast	Ghast Tear (0-1), Gunpowder (0-2)	None
Blaze	Blaze Rod (0-1), Glowstone (0-2)	None	Player-kill only. Glowstone is console-exclusive.
Magma Cube	Magma Cream (0-2)	None	Size > 1 only
Zombie Pigman	Rotten Flesh (0-1), Gold Nugget (0-1)	Gold Ingot/Sword/Helmet or Enchanted Gold Sword

How Looting Works

The Looting enchantment is checked through EnchantmentHelper::getKillingLootBonus():

int EnchantmentHelper::getKillingLootBonus(shared_ptr<Inventory> inventory)
{
    return getEnchantmentLevel(Enchantment::lootBonus->id, inventory->getSelected());
}

This scans the player’s held item for the Looting enchantment and returns its level (0-3). Mob drop methods receive this as playerBonusLevel and typically use it like random->nextInt(3 + playerBonusLevel) to increase drop counts.

For rare drops, the looting level subtracts directly from the random roll, making rare drops more likely. Each looting level effectively adds 0.5% to the base 2.5% chance.

Looting Level	Rare Drop Chance
0 (none)	2.5% (5/200)
I	3.0% (6/200)
II	3.5% (7/200)
III	4.0% (8/200)

Adding Custom Mob Drops

To give your mob custom drops, override dropDeathLoot and optionally dropRareDeathLoot:

void MyMob::dropDeathLoot(bool wasKilledByPlayer, int playerBonusLevel)
{
    // Always drop 1-3 items, with looting adding more
    int count = 1 + random->nextInt(3 + playerBonusLevel);
    for (int i = 0; i < count; i++)
    {
        spawnAtLocation(Item::diamond_Id, 1);
    }

    // Conditional drop: cooked version if on fire
    if (isOnFire())
    {
        spawnAtLocation(Item::beef_cooked_Id, 1);
    }
    else
    {
        spawnAtLocation(Item::beef_raw_Id, 1);
    }

    // Player-only drop
    if (wasKilledByPlayer)
    {
        spawnAtLocation(Item::expBottle_Id, 1);
    }
}

void MyMob::dropRareDeathLoot(int rareLootLevel)
{
    // rareLootLevel is 1 when looting applies, 0 otherwise
    if (rareLootLevel > 0)
    {
        // Enchanted item drop
        shared_ptr<ItemInstance> sword(new ItemInstance(Item::sword_diamond));
        EnchantmentHelper::enchantItem(random, sword, 10 + random->nextInt(10));
        spawnAtLocation(sword, 0);
    }
    else
    {
        spawnAtLocation(Item::goldIngot_Id, 1);
    }
}

How Block Drops Work

Block drops follow a different pattern. When a player breaks a block, Tile::playerDestroy() runs the drop logic:

void Tile::playerDestroy(Level *level, shared_ptr<Player> player,
                         int x, int y, int z, int data)
{
    // ... stats tracking ...

    if (isSilkTouchable() && EnchantmentHelper::hasSilkTouch(player->inventory))
    {
        shared_ptr<ItemInstance> item = getSilkTouchItemInstance(data);
        if (item != NULL)
        {
            popResource(level, x, y, z, item);
        }
    }
    else
    {
        int playerBonusLevel = EnchantmentHelper::getDiggingLootBonus(
            player->inventory);
        spawnResources(level, x, y, z, data, playerBonusLevel);
    }
}

The flow is:

1. Check for Silk Touch first. If the block supports it, drop the block itself.
2. Otherwise, get the Fortune level and call spawnResources().

The Block Drop Pipeline

Tile::spawnResources() loops over the drop count and spawns items:

void Tile::spawnResources(Level *level, int x, int y, int z,
                          int data, float odds, int playerBonusLevel)
{
    if (level->isClientSide) return;
    int count = getResourceCountForLootBonus(playerBonusLevel, level->random);
    for (int i = 0; i < count; i++)
    {
        if (level->random->nextFloat() > odds) continue;
        int type = getResource(data, level->random, playerBonusLevel);
        if (type <= 0) continue;
        popResource(level, x, y, z, shared_ptr<ItemInstance>(
            new ItemInstance(type, 1, getSpawnResourcesAuxValue(data))));
    }
}

Key virtual methods for block drops:

Method	Purpose
getResource(data, random, bonus)	Which item ID to drop
getResourceCount(random)	Base number of items to drop
getResourceCountForLootBonus(bonus, random)	Drop count with Fortune applied
getSpawnResourcesAuxValue(data)	Aux/data value for the dropped item

Silk Touch

Silk Touch is checked with EnchantmentHelper::hasSilkTouch():

bool EnchantmentHelper::hasSilkTouch(shared_ptr<Inventory> inventory)
{
    return getEnchantmentLevel(Enchantment::untouching->id,
                               inventory->getSelected()) > 0;
}

Blocks opt into Silk Touch support by overriding isSilkTouchable() and getSilkTouchItemInstance(). Some examples:

• Glass returns true for isSilkTouchable() (normally drops nothing)
• Leaves return the leaf block with the correct type mask: new ItemInstance(id, 1, data & LEAF_TYPE_MASK)
• Ender Chests support silk touch, dropping the full block instead of obsidian
• Ice has special handling to avoid placing water when silk-touched
• Most cube-shaped, non-entity tiles are silk-touchable by default

Fortune (Digging Loot Bonus)

Fortune is read through EnchantmentHelper::getDiggingLootBonus():

int EnchantmentHelper::getDiggingLootBonus(shared_ptr<Inventory> inventory)
{
    return getEnchantmentLevel(Enchantment::resourceBonus->id,
                               inventory->getSelected());
}

Ores override getResourceCountForLootBonus() to multiply drops with Fortune. Here is the real ore logic:

int OreTile::getResourceCountForLootBonus(int bonusLevel, Random *random)
{
    if (bonusLevel > 0 && id != getResource(0, random, bonusLevel))
    {
        int bonus = random->nextInt(bonusLevel + 2) - 1;
        if (bonus < 0)
        {
            bonus = 0;
        }
        return getResourceCount(random) * (bonus + 1);
    }
    return getResourceCount(random);
}

Fortune only applies to ores that drop items different from the block itself (coal, diamond, lapis, emerald, nether quartz). Iron and gold ore drop themselves, so Fortune does nothing to them.

Lapis ore has a special base drop count of 4-8:

int OreTile::getResourceCount(Random *random)
{
    if (id == Tile::lapisOre_Id) return 4 + random->nextInt(5);
    return 1;
}

Ore XP Drops

Ores also drop experience when mined (unless silk-touched). The OreTile::spawnResources() method handles this after the regular item drop:

void OreTile::spawnResources(Level *level, int x, int y, int z,
                             int data, float odds, int playerBonusLevel)
{
    Tile::spawnResources(level, x, y, z, data, odds, playerBonusLevel);

    if (getResource(data, level->random, playerBonusLevel) != id)
    {
        int magicCount = 0;
        if (id == Tile::coalOre_Id)
            magicCount = Mth::nextInt(level->random, 0, 2);
        else if (id == Tile::diamondOre_Id)
            magicCount = Mth::nextInt(level->random, 3, 7);
        else if (id == Tile::emeraldOre_Id)
            magicCount = Mth::nextInt(level->random, 3, 7);
        else if (id == Tile::lapisOre_Id)
            magicCount = Mth::nextInt(level->random, 2, 5);
        else if (id == Tile::netherQuartz_Id)
            magicCount = Mth::nextInt(level->random, 2, 5);
        popExperience(level, x, y, z, magicCount);
    }
}

Ore	XP Drop Range
Coal Ore	0-2
Diamond Ore	3-7
Emerald Ore	3-7
Lapis Ore	2-5
Nether Quartz	2-5
Iron Ore	0 (drops itself)
Gold Ore	0 (drops itself)

Leaf Drops

Leaves have their own spawnResources() override. Oak leaves have a 1/20 chance to drop saplings and a 1/200 chance to drop apples. Jungle leaves have a 1/40 sapling chance:

void LeafTile::spawnResources(Level *level, int x, int y, int z,
                              int data, float odds, int playerBonusLevel)
{
    if (!level->isClientSide)
    {
        int chance = 20;
        if ((data & LEAF_TYPE_MASK) == JUNGLE_LEAF)
        {
            chance = 40;
        }
        if (level->random->nextInt(chance) == 0)
        {
            int type = getResource(data, level->random, playerBonusLevel);
            popResource(level, x, y, z, shared_ptr<ItemInstance>(
                new ItemInstance(type, 1, getSpawnResourcesAuxValue(data))));
        }

        if ((data & LEAF_TYPE_MASK) == NORMAL_LEAF
            && level->random->nextInt(200) == 0)
        {
            popResource(level, x, y, z, shared_ptr<ItemInstance>(
                new ItemInstance(Item::apple_Id, 1, 0)));
        }
    }
}

Using shears on leaves bypasses this entirely and drops the leaf block itself.

Leaf Type	Sapling Chance	Apple Chance
Oak	1/20 (5%)	1/200 (0.5%)
Spruce	1/20 (5%)	None
Birch	1/20 (5%)	None
Jungle	1/40 (2.5%)	None

Crop Drops

Crops use data values (0-7) to track growth. Only fully grown crops (data 7) drop the plant item. Immature crops drop seeds:

int CropTile::getResource(int data, Random *random, int playerBonusLevel)
{
    if (data == 7)
    {
        return getBasePlantId();  // e.g., Item::wheat_Id
    }
    return getBaseSeedId();  // e.g., Item::seeds_wheat_Id
}

Fully grown crops also have a chance to drop bonus seeds:

void CropTile::spawnResources(Level *level, int x, int y, int z,
                              int data, float odds, int playerBonus)
{
    Bush::spawnResources(level, x, y, z, data, odds, 0);

    if (level->isClientSide) return;
    if (data >= 7)
    {
        int count = 3 + playerBonus;
        for (int i = 0; i < count; i++)
        {
            if (level->random->nextInt(5 * 3) > data) continue;
            popResource(level, x, y, z, shared_ptr<ItemInstance>(
                new ItemInstance(getBaseSeedId(), 1, 0)));
        }
    }
}

Adding Custom Block Drops

To make a custom block with special drop behavior, override the relevant methods in your Tile subclass:

int MyOreTile::getResource(int data, Random *random, int playerBonusLevel)
{
    // Drop a custom item instead of the block
    return Item::myCustomGem_Id;
}

int MyOreTile::getResourceCount(Random *random)
{
    // Drop 1-3 items
    return 1 + random->nextInt(3);
}

int MyOreTile::getResourceCountForLootBonus(int bonusLevel, Random *random)
{
    // Apply fortune: multiply base count
    if (bonusLevel > 0)
    {
        int bonus = random->nextInt(bonusLevel + 2) - 1;
        if (bonus < 0) bonus = 0;
        return getResourceCount(random) * (bonus + 1);
    }
    return getResourceCount(random);
}

bool MyOreTile::isSilkTouchable()
{
    return true;  // Allow silk touch to get the block itself
}

shared_ptr<ItemInstance> MyOreTile::getSilkTouchItemInstance(int data)
{
    return shared_ptr<ItemInstance>(new ItemInstance(id, 1, 0));
}

Quick Reference

Mob Drop Chances

Factor	Effect
Baby mob	No drops at all
Non-player kill	wasKilledByPlayer is false, some mobs skip drops
Looting I-III	Increases playerBonusLevel by 1-3
Rare drop base	2.5% chance (5/200)
Rare drop + Looting	+0.5% per looting level
Fire kill	Some mobs drop cooked meat instead of raw

Block Drop Enchantments

Enchantment	Helper Method	Effect
Silk Touch	hasSilkTouch()	Drop block itself instead of resource
Fortune I-III	getDiggingLootBonus()	Multiply resource drop count
Shears (item)	Checked manually	Leaves drop leaf block, tall grass drops itself

Key Source Files

File	What it does
Minecraft.World/Mob.cpp	Base die() and dropDeathLoot() pipeline
Minecraft.World/Tile.cpp	playerDestroy(), spawnResources(), and silk touch
Minecraft.World/OreTile.cpp	Fortune logic, ore XP drops
Minecraft.World/LeafTile.cpp	Leaf drop chances and shears behavior
Minecraft.World/CropTile.cpp	Growth-based crop drops
Minecraft.World/EnchantmentHelper.cpp	Looting, fortune, and silk touch checks
Minecraft.World/Cow.cpp	Cow drops (leather + beef)
Minecraft.World/Pig.cpp	Pig drops (porkchop + saddle)
Minecraft.World/Chicken.cpp	Chicken drops (feather + chicken)
Minecraft.World/Sheep.cpp	Sheep drops (colored wool)
Minecraft.World/Skeleton.cpp	Skeleton drops (arrow + bone + rare bow)
Minecraft.World/Zombie.cpp	Zombie drops (rotten flesh + rare items)
Minecraft.World/Blaze.cpp	Blaze drops (blaze rod + glowstone)
Minecraft.World/PigZombie.cpp	Zombie pigman drops (flesh + gold)