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Fireflies

Firefly

Fireflies are flying passive mobs that have a multitude of uses, cosmetic and utilitarian.

  • Health points: 6 (3 hearts)
  • Behaviour: Passive
  • Follow range: 48

Spawning

Natural

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Events

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Drops

Upon death, adult fireflies drop 1–3 experience orbs when killed by a player or tamed wolf.

Upon breeding successfully, 1–7 experience orbs are dropped.

Like other baby animals, killing a baby firefly yields no experience.

Behavior

Fireflies do not fly (like ghasts or the ender dragon), but instead hover a few blocks above the ground similar to bees.

Fireflies are considered arthropods and take increased damage from the Bane of Arthropods enchantment. They also take damage when touching water.

Like most passive mobs, they can be attached to leads.

Fireflies usually keep close together if possible, there’s a chance if it is within 8 blocks of another firefly it will path-find to the other one.

When damaged, a firefly will puff out its dust particles that usually fall from its abdomen.

Honey Blocks

Fireflies really like honey. They can be bred with honey bottles, provided the conditions are right, (see Breeding) and will follow a player around if they are holding either a block of honey or a bottle of honey.

When a firefly has a direct line of sight to a honey block, it will go in to an “entranced” state, and start moving towards the honey block. Once at the honey block, they will stay there for an indefinite amount of time, until the honey block is moved or removed.

Redstone Fireflies

Redstone fireflies will activate Illumerin Lamps in a sphere with a radius of 5 blocks. Baby redstone fireflies have a smaller 3 block radius. Once the lamp is out of the fireflies radius it will turn off. This will not happen if its AI is turned off.

When a redstone firefly is rained on, or it touches water, it will have its coating removed and it will return back to a regular firefly.

Goals

Fireflies do their AI goals in this order (Lower number in the list being higher priority):

  1. Breed
  2. Tempt (Following the player if they hold a honey block or bottle of honey) 2.5 Eat compost (Will choose randomly between Tempt or eating compost)
  3. Entranced by honey
  4. Follow parent (if firefly is a baby)
  5. Wander randomly
  6. Swim when in water

Visuals

Fireflies have a unique visual flashing behavior, with the animation depending on many factors. Baby fireflies will flash very slightly faster than adults. …

When a firefly has the invisibility effect, it will stay completely invisible except for the abdomen particle, making it look similar to other mods that include fireflies.

Fireflies regularly spawn falling “dust” particles that come off the back of their abdomen when it’s on, Redstone fireflies have their dust particles appear as redstone particles.

Abdomen Animations

  • Off - Used for fireflies when it’s daytime and it is not a redstone / illumerin firefly. Abdomen stays constantly off
  • On - Used for Redstone fireflies. Abdomen stays constantly on
  • Default - Used when a firefly is not in a biome that has a special animation for it. Random flashing at a medium pace
  • Calm - When a firefly is in a swamp biome. Random flashing at a slow pace
  • Calm Synchronized - When a firefly is in a dark forest biome. Synchronized flashing at a slow pace
  • Starry Night - When a firefly is in a plains biome. Random flashing at a fast pace
  • Starry Night Synchronized - When a firefly is in a taiga or forest biome. Synchronized flashing at a fast pace
  • Frantic - When a firefly is in the nether, end, or above or below the build limit (> 256 and < 0 respectively). Random flashing at a very fast pace
  • Slow - When a firefly is in a desert biome. Random flashing at a very slow pace
  • Quick Blinks - When a firefly is in a jungle biome. Two quick flashes every so often
  • Illuminated - Used for Illumerin fireflies. Constant pulsing, never turns off fully

Breeding

If fireflies are given a Bottle of Honey, they enter love mode and pair up to create baby fireflies, granting the player 1-7 experience.

To fall in love, they require a light level of 4 or under, in a similar sense to mob spawning. This means they can breed during the nighttime, or when in an unlit room.

Sounds

Fireflies have a very faint flying sound that loops, similar to bees.