Is the zombie horse better than a regular horse in Minecraft?

Minecraft is about to get the zombie horse mob in the Survival and Hardcore mode. The reason for the distinction is because these mobs have been present in the game for a long time. However, they could not spawn naturally and the only way to summon them was by using commands or using the spawn egg.

The upcoming Mounts of Mayhem update will bring these undead mobs into the normal gameplay. This leads to the question; is the zombie horse better than the regular horse in Minecraft? If given the choice, should you go with the zombie horse or stick to the regular horse in the blocky world? This article will answer the question in detail.

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What makes the zombie horse better than a regular horse in Minecraft?

The Minecraft zombie horse spawns naturally in savanna and plain biomes at night (Image via Sportskeeda Gaming || Mojang Studios)

While most of the attributes of the zombie horse are the same as the normal horse, there is one specific quality that gives the undead version the edge; it can breathe underwater.

One of the most annoying aspects of riding a normal horse is being able to cross waterbodies. But just like the skeleton horse, the zombie horse will have no issue staying underwater for as long as you want.

You can also equip this mob with all the horse armor variants to add an extra layer of protection. This should lead you to believe that the zombie horse is better than the regular version. But there are some caveats.

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Zombie horses have some trade-offs

There are some trade-offs that come with the zombie horse (Image via Sportskeeda Gaming || Mojang Studios)

During gameplay, the advantage of being able to breathe underwater is situational. This means that the zombie horse will be better than a regular horse only if you need it to stay underwater. But this comes with some trade-offs.

For example, normal horses have a range of different health points making some stronger than others. The range lies from 15 to 30 health points. However, as of now, the zombie horse only has a fixed health point of 25. This means that if you get the strongest horse, it will be better than the zombie horse.

Another interesting aspect is spawning. Zombie horses always spawn with a rider and never alone. This means that you will have to fight the zombie equipped with a spear to get access to the undead horse. While defeating it is not a big challenge, you certainly need good gear to achieve it.

For early gameplay when you do not have strong weapons or armor, trying to get a zombie horse would be a challenging and risky thing. So for early gameplay, the regular horse is a better option.

The advantages of any mob or item depends on your gameplay and things change as you progress ahead. This means that while there is no objective way of saying the zombie horse is better than the regular version, you might find one variant to be more useful than the other depending on your situation in Minecraft.