Despite having been around or a full decade now, Minecraft has continued to be one of the most popular games in the world. On the face of it, the game looks really basic and even a little too simplistic.
But, first impressions can be wrong. And, seeing as the game is ever evolving through mods and the like, new challenges still crop up – even if you have been playing the game since early on!
One such element of the game that continues to challenge new and old enthusiasts alike is unruly villagers. Though 100% necessary for maintaining a productive farm, villagers just seem to do whatever they like, whenever they like. They will wander off randomly, never to return.
They will seem to go out of their way to get themselves killed. They will refuse to change professions. Overall, they really can be a nightmare to babysit. However, there is absolutely no doubt that you will need a steady supply of them.
So, this brings up a few questions. Is it best to simply attempt to breed them? Or, should we make an attempt to lure them in as we go? For us, we find a healthy mix of the two techniques brings the best results. But, luring in willing villagers can be tough.
So, how do we make a village an attractive enough prospect for a wandering villager to want to stay? Below, we will show you the best techniques to help you along the way!
How to Lure Villagers in Minecraft
The first thing you should know about luring in new villagers is that there is no one solution that works by itself. Instead, you will need to make sure a total of 5 conditions are met. Once you have all of these in order, you will have a new generation of villagers in no time at all! So, without further ado, let’s get right into it!
- Make Sure they have a Boat
Though this may sound a little strange, there is a logical reason for it. Villagers seem to be much more willing to follow you if you build a boat and put it near them. Once you have done this, the chances are pretty good that they will just hop into the boat.
After that, it is simply a case of bringing the boat to wherever you want them to go. However, there is one thing that you should watch out for while you are doing this. If you happen to be on some pretty jagged terrain, you will need to use some pistons when you are building the boat.
This will raise the height of it, allowing it to maneuver where you need it to go. As a method of luring villagers, we will admit that this one is a little slow, but it does work!
- Build a Mine Cart
Here comes another tip that revolves around simply transporting the villager to where you need them. N the same way that you can move a villager with a boat, the same is the case with a mine cart. So, all you need to do is build one near the villager and then move them around in it. As an added bonus, the mine cart is much quicker over land than the boat.
- Bring a Zombie Back!
Okay, we will admit it. This sounds like a crazy idea if you have never done it before. But, bear with us, there is some sort of logic at work here! There are a few ways to do this, each of which will allow you to have some fun with it. For us, the best way to go about it is to find a zombie villager.
Then, allow that zombie to start chasing you, all the while leading it back towards your village or wherever you want them to go. Then, as soon as you get to where you want to be, you hit them with the cure, turning them into a regular villager.
Of all of the methods, this is the most fun. So, depending on how you play the game, this one might be the best trick of them all for you. As for the process of curing the zombie, it is relatively easy once you know how2. Just follow these steps:
- First, you will need to make the Splash Potion of Weakness.
- When you come across a zombie villager, trap them. Make sure that they are protected from the sun too, otherwise they will just burn up.
- Next up, give them that potion you have made and a golden apple.
- Now all you have to do is wait for them to turn back into a normal villager. It doesn’t take all that long. Once you have done this, you can then move them to where you need them using one of the above two tips.
- Funnel them in!
On occasion, we do end up feeling a bit bad for the villagers we capture in this way, but needs must. In this tip, you will need to build a long hallway around a villager that you want to capture. Then, close off the access point behind them, leaving only a direct route right to your village.
Admittedly, this method can also be a little time consuming, but it is worth trying at least once if you haven’t done it before. For extra bonus hilarity, you can also add in a zombie villager to the mix.
If you really want to hurry things along, this will definitely get it done! One thing that we should note before you try this is that it gets really difficult to pull off if you are trying to ‘herd’ more than one villager at a time.
- Getting Multiple Villagers using Boats
As we mentioned briefly in the above tip, moving more than one villager at a time can be really tough. So, this last tip is designed to show you how to do this while minimizing the risk that you will lose any. There are a few different ways you can lay the foundations for this move.
You can either dig a deep canal so that they can’t escape, or you could use a system of fences and gates. In general, we tend to go for the canal method, as let’s face it, taking something apart is much quicker than building something. Once you have the canal dug, you can then set up a ‘taxi service’ of boats to get your new villagers home.
Of all of the methods we have used, it seems like the boats are your best bet. The others can be fun and add a bit of variety, but putting a boat near a prospective new villager is just way easier. Then, once they have reached the land, destroy the boat and the villager will hop into a waiting mine cart.
The Last Word
So, that’s about all we have on luring new villagers in Minecraft. However, we will leave you with one bit of advice before we wrap this up. Always make sure that you have at least some of the infrastructure in place before you attempt to lure them in.
In the long run, it makes things way easier if there’s a mine cart waiting for a villager after they get off the boat. Likewise, if the canal is already at least partially dug, you don’t have to worry so much about escapees. We hope that this article helped clear up a few things for you. Thanks for reading!