How do you get the Tears music disc in Minecraft?

Kill a ghast by deflecting its own fireball back into it. The disc drops at the spot where the ghast dies, and you earn the Return to Sender advancement at the same time.

Where do ghasts spawn in the Nether?

Ghasts spawn in the Nether Wastes, Soul Sand Valley and Basalt Deltas. They never spawn inside Nether Fortresses, though they may fly around them.

How much health does a ghast have?

A ghast has five hearts (10 health points), so one or two reflected fireballs are enough to kill it. The challenge is aiming the deflection, not dealing damage.

What else does the ghast drop with the Tears disc?

Alongside the disc you can get its normal drops, a ghast tear or gunpowder. Collect everything quickly if the fight happened near lava.

How to Get the Tears Music Disc in Minecraft

Most music discs hide in chests or drop from elaborate creeper setups. Tears, one of the new tracks from the Chase the Skies drop, asks for something with a bit more flair: you have to kill a ghast using its own fireball. It is one of Minecraft's great party tricks, it completes the Return to Sender advancement, and this guide walks through it step by step.

Step 1: Find a Ghast in the Nether

Build your obsidian portal, light it with flint and steel, and pack for a fight: a sword, a shield, at least a full set of iron armor, and some spare blocks for a quick barricade. Ghasts drift over three Nether biomes:

Nether Wastes — the most open and forgiving hunting ground.
Soul Sand Valley — plenty of ghasts, but watch your footing on soul sand.
Basalt Deltas — workable, though the lava pools everywhere make recovering drops risky; lure the ghast away from lava before the kill.

On Java, ghasts can spawn in groups of up to four, while Bedrock spawns them one at a time. They do not spawn inside Nether Fortresses, though they happily float around the outside of one in the right biome.

Step 2: Deflect the Fireball

A ghast only has five hearts of health, so this fight is about timing, not damage. When it spots you it starts lobbing explosive fireballs, and each one is an opportunity.

Raise your shield and block the first couple of fireballs. This is practice: get a feel for the travel time at your distance.
When you are ready, watch the next fireball all the way in.
Just as it reaches you, attack with your sword to smack the fireball straight back at the ghast.
Repeat until one connects. A reflected fireball typically finishes a ghast in one or two hits, though its constant drifting makes aim the real challenge.

If your shots keep sailing past, change your angle rather than your timing; standing slightly to the side of its flight path gives the return shot a much easier line.

Step 3: Collect the Disc

The moment the ghast dies to its own fireball, the Return to Sender advancement pops and the Tears music disc drops where the ghast died, alongside the usual ghast tear or gunpowder. Grab it quickly in lava-heavy terrain, carry it home, drop it into a jukebox, and enjoy the one disc in the game you genuinely had to earn with style.

Missed the drop because the ghast died over lava? Do not despair. The method works on every ghast, so the next one you meet is another chance, and by then your deflection timing will be far better than it was on your first attempt.

Tips for a Cleaner Kill

A few small habits raise your success rate a lot. Fight over solid ground so the disc never lands in lava or falls into a ravine. Keep your crosshair at the ghast's height rather than your feet, since returned fireballs fly flat and low shots dig into the floor. If several ghasts are drifting together on Java, thin the group out first or pick the loner at the edge, because a second ghast's fireball can explode yours mid-flight. Finally, bring a spare sword and shield rather than your best gear: the Nether is unforgiving about retrieval runs, and this challenge can take a few attempts while your timing sharpens.