Do Villagers Turn Into Zombies on Normal? The Definitive Guide
The short answer is yes, villagers can indeed turn into zombies on Normal difficulty in Minecraft. However, it’s not a guaranteed transformation. When a zombie kills a villager on Normal difficulty, there’s a 50% chance that the villager will become a zombie villager. The other 50% of the time, the villager is simply gone.
Understanding Zombie Villager Mechanics
Minecraft’s mechanics surrounding villagers and zombies are more nuanced than many players realize. The game’s difficulty setting heavily influences the likelihood of a villager becoming zombified upon death by a zombie. Let’s delve into the specifics:
Difficulty Settings and Zombification
- Easy Mode: On Easy difficulty, villagers will never turn into zombie villagers. If a zombie kills a villager, it’s a permanent loss. There’s no chance of rescue or redemption through curing.
- Normal Mode: This is where the 50% chance comes into play. Every time a zombie successfully eliminates a villager, the game rolls the dice. Heads, the villager becomes a zombie villager, tails, they’re gone forever.
- Hard Mode: Hard mode is the zombie villager enthusiast’s playground. Here, the transformation is guaranteed. Every villager killed by a zombie will become a zombie villager, without exception.
Why is This Important?
Understanding these mechanics is crucial for several reasons:
- Villager Preservation: If you’re playing on Hard and a zombie attacks your village, you know to act fast, as a converted villager is better than a dead one since you can cure them.
- Trade Optimization: Curing zombie villagers provides significant trading discounts. Strategically infecting and curing villagers can lead to exceptionally cheap trades.
- Strategic Planning: Knowing the probabilities on Normal difficulty allows you to weigh the risks. Should you fortify your village against all zombie attacks, or take a calculated risk knowing half your villagers might become curable zombie villagers?
Curing Zombie Villagers: A Brief Overview
If a villager does become a zombie villager (either by chance on Normal or by default on Hard), you have the opportunity to cure them. This involves two key steps:
- Applying Weakness: Use a Splash Potion of Weakness on the zombie villager.
- Offering the Golden Apple: Right-click the weakened zombie villager with a Golden Apple.
The zombie villager will then begin to shake and emit red particles. Keep it safe during the curing process (3-5 minutes) as hostile mobs will still attack it. Once the transformation is complete, you have a regular villager back, ready for trading (and potentially re-zombification for even better deals!).
Baby Villagers and Zombification
Even baby villagers aren’t immune. If a baby villager is killed by a zombie during a siege, it will transform into a baby zombie villager. These mini-zombies are notably faster and, unlike their grown-up counterparts, don’t age.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
1. Can you only zombify villagers on Hard mode?
No! As covered above, villagers can be zombified on Normal difficulty with a 50% chance upon death by a zombie. Hard mode guarantees the transformation, while Easy mode prevents it entirely.
2. Do Zombie Villagers Despawn?
Zombie villagers, like other zombies, will naturally despawn under certain circumstances, such as being far away from the player. However, in Java Edition, a zombie villager will not despawn if the player has traded with it at least once prior to its zombification. This makes trading with villagers before an inevitable zombie attack even more valuable!
3. Is it worth curing villagers?
Absolutely! Curing zombie villagers unlocks significant discounts on traded items. The same villager can be cured multiple times, further increasing the discounts until the buying price of items is drastically reduced, sometimes down to a single Emerald.
4. What happens if you cure a villager multiple times?
The cured villager offers a permanent discount on all trades. Minecraft players exploit this to get insane trading discounts from Villagers by constantly infecting them and curing them back.
5. Can two villagers make a baby?
Yes, but certain conditions must be met. Villagers need enough beds for the existing villagers plus one extra bed for the baby. They also need to be “willing” by having sufficient food. Provide each villager with 14 food points (e.g., 4 bread, 14 potatoes). Then, leave them in an enclosed space with the required beds, and a baby villager should appear within 20 minutes.
6. How many times should you cure a villager?
The theoretical limit is five times in Vanilla Minecraft, offering significant discounts on villager trades. Many SMP servers cap this at one or two cures to prevent players from overly exploiting the system.
7. How do you revive a zombie villager?
As mentioned earlier, revive a zombie villager by applying a Splash Potion of Weakness followed by a Golden Apple. Ensure the villager is in a safe, enclosed space during the 3-5 minute curing process.
8. Why won’t my zombie infect my villager?
Zombies need to be able to physically reach the villager to attack. Ensure the zombie can pathfind to the villager. If the zombie cannot jump to the same elevation as the villager, it won’t be able to attack effectively. Also, check that the villager is a normal villager as Nitwits can’t be infected.
9. Why did my villager turn into a zombie?
Villagers turn into zombie villagers when killed by a zombie, with the likelihood depending on the game’s difficulty setting. Normal mode has a 50% chance, Hard mode has a 100% chance, and Easy mode has a 0% chance.
10. Can you zombify a nitwit?
Yes, Nitwits can be zombified and then subsequently cured, resulting in a regular villager with a profession.
11. What difficulty do villagers get infected?
Zombie Villagers may occur in any game mode or difficulty except Peaceful.
12. Do villagers forget you cure them?
Normally, villagers retain their memory of being cured, with each cure granting better discounts. However, if you save and quit the game while the villager is still being cured, the villager may forget that it was ever cured, losing the intended discount bonus upon your return to the game.
13. Why do my villagers keep raising their prices?
Villagers raise their prices after you trade with them, regardless of curing discounts. This is a natural game mechanic. Prices will return to normal after a few cycles of the villager working at its workstation.
14. Why should you cure villagers?
Aside from achieving the “Zombie Doctor” advancement/achievement, curing zombie villagers provides significant trading discounts, allowing you to acquire valuable resources and items at significantly reduced costs. You can also save your favorite villagers that were attacked and turned into zombies!
15. Do villagers restock after being cured?
In most cases, villagers will restock their trades after being cured. However, there have been reported instances where they may not restock if they were not traded with prior to their zombification. Testing and observation are key.
Minecraft’s complexities are what make it such a compelling and endlessly replayable game. Learning about the interplay between villagers, zombies, and difficulty settings is crucial for maximizing your gameplay experience. For more in-depth analyses of gaming and learning, explore the resources available at the GamesLearningSociety.org.