Does One Trade Lock a Villager? A Comprehensive Minecraft Guide
Yes, trading with a villager even once will lock their trades permanently. This means that the specific selection of items they offer at each level becomes fixed and cannot be changed without employing more advanced (and sometimes destructive) methods. This mechanic is a crucial element of Minecraft’s villager trading system, influencing how players strategize their villager management and trading networks. This article will explore the nuances of this mechanic, provide detailed explanations, and answer your most pressing questions about villager trading in Minecraft.
Understanding the Locking Mechanism
How It Works
The core idea behind the “lock” is that once you interact with a villager by making a trade, the game registers that villager’s trade offers as permanent for that particular game session. This single interaction solidifies the trades, meaning that they will no longer reset or refresh naturally like those of an untraded villager. Before you engage in a trade, a villager’s trades are dynamic and can change when they refresh their trades, but after one trade the game registers their current trade pool.
What Happens Before a Trade
Before you make that pivotal first trade, the villager’s trades are subject to change and will typically reset every once in a while. You might encounter a villager with a desirable trade, like a librarian offering enchanted books you need. It’s important to look before you leap, as you only get one shot at solidifying their trade offers.
The Consequences of Locking
The permanent locking of trades means a few things:
- No natural trade resets: The villager will no longer automatically change the trades they offer, like before a trade was made. If you don’t like the offer, tough luck.
- Strategic planning is key: Players need to be strategic about selecting a villager to trade with, ensuring that they offer something useful at all levels.
- Breeding becomes more important: If you have a villager with bad trades, breeding is the best method for getting better trades.
- Advanced tactics might be necessary: Players might need to resort to methods like zombifying and curing or destructive tactics to alter the trades of locked villagers.
Managing Locked Villagers
Accepting Trades
Sometimes, a villager’s initial trade is exactly what you need. Perhaps they have the perfect book, the right enchanted tool, or some much-needed resources. When that happens, trading locks them in, allowing you to buy this item whenever the trades restock.
When to Avoid Trading
On the other hand, a villager’s first trade might be disappointing. If the initial trade is undesirable, avoid trading with them at all costs. Players have to wait for the villager to naturally reset their trades by not trading, and then checking what they are selling next time the trades reset, and deciding whether that is the trade they want to lock them in with. Players might need to break and replace the job block associated with the villager. This tactic can be annoying to do in a trading hall with a lot of villagers, so a better option is to breed until you find a villager with good trades.
Advanced Techniques
While most of the time, you will have to be happy with what you have or breed for more villagers, there are some advanced techniques players use.
- Zombification and Curing: Curing a zombified villager can provide reduced prices and a permanent profession if the original villager had one, but the trades won’t reset for java players.
- Indirect Destruction: Players will often use indirect methods to destroy a villager when the trades are bad, such as making a creeper explode or allowing a zombie to attack them. This allows players to avoid the reputation drop of attacking a villager directly.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
1. Are Villager Trades Limited?
Yes, in Java Edition, villagers can have a maximum of 10 trades. Each level unlocks a maximum of two new trades. In Bedrock Edition, they have 7–10 slots. If a level can pull from more than two trades, the two offered trades are chosen randomly.
2. How Do I Lock a Villager in Place?
Placing a trapdoor above the villager’s head, attached to a wall, will prevent movement, regardless of the trapdoor’s position (open or closed).
3. Why is My Villager Not Unlocking Trades?
Villagers need to be able to access their workplace (the job site block) to unlock trades. They must be able to move around freely and have access to the job block.
4. How Long Does It Take for a Villager Trade to Unlock Again?
Villager trades restock a maximum of twice a day. They must work at their workstation to reset their stock. The trade will remain disabled until the villager restocks.
5. Do Villagers Need to Sleep to Reset Trades?
No, villagers do not need to sleep to restock their trades. They only need access to their workstations and will restock twice a day. However, they need beds to breed.
6. Why Do Villagers Stop Trading?
Villagers stop trading because they have either exhausted all of their trades for the day or they have become unhappy, either because they don’t have access to a bed or are not getting enough food.
7. How Do You Make a Villager a Trader?
Any villager (except a nitwit) without a profession can be turned into a trader by placing a specific job site block in front of them. The type of trader depends on the block you use.
8. Is Trading with Villagers Worth It?
Trading with villagers is generally worth it, especially for valuable resources, enchanted items, and rare tools. While basic trades from Farmer villagers might not always be the best, higher-level trades and certain professions offer extremely useful items.
9. How Many Times Can You Trade Before a Villager Runs Out?
Trades can be done around 4 times before the stock runs out. Villagers will restock twice a day. If an item isn’t traded for, the price will decrease over time.
10. Do Villagers Lose Their Trades After Being Cured?
In Java Edition, curing a zombified villager will not reset their trades and they will keep their custom name and profession. Bedrock may behave differently.
11. Can Villagers Lose Their Trades?
If you trade even once with a villager, their trades are locked forever. Breeding is the best way to get new villagers with different trades.
12. Why is My Villager Not Restocking?
Villagers need their job-specific workstation right in front of them. If you are using a boat or minecart, put them in a room with their workstation. They tend to work at midday.
13. Can You Break a Villager’s Job After Trading?
Yes, you can break a villager’s job site block after trading, but they will keep their profession forever. This does not reset the trades the villager is offering.
14. Why Do Villager Prices Go Up After Trading?
Prices increase due to demand. If an item is traded until it is sold out, the price increases for all players when it restocks.
15. Do Villager Trades Expire?
Yes, if the offer has been used multiple times (3 or more) and it’s not the villager’s only offer, it can randomly deactivate.
Conclusion
The mechanic of “one trade locking a villager” is fundamental to understanding villager management in Minecraft. It encourages players to be thoughtful and strategic about their trading interactions. While the locking mechanic can be frustrating at times, understanding how it works, and using the techniques discussed above, will help players manage and maximize their villager trading networks. Knowing that trading once locks a villager is critical information for new and old Minecraft players.