Unliving to Living: The Comprehensive Guide to Saving Zombie Villagers in Minecraft

Saving a zombie villager in Minecraft is one of the most rewarding experiences in the game. Not only does it net you the “Zombie Doctor” achievement, but it also unlocks a world of economic advantages, transforming a mindless undead horde member into a valuable trading partner. By curing a zombie villager, you restore it to its former self, and if it had a profession before its zombification, it will retain that profession. Moreover, you’ll be rewarded with permanent trading discounts, a crucial benefit in resource-intensive gameplay.

The Curing Process: A Step-by-Step Guide

The process of curing a zombie villager is straightforward, albeit requiring some preparation and a bit of patience. Here’s how it’s done:

1. Secure the Zombie Villager: Before attempting the cure, you need to safely contain the zombie villager. A fenced-in area or a building works perfectly. The goal is to prevent it from wandering off or being attacked by other mobs during the curing process.

2. Splash Potion of Weakness: The first step in the cure is applying a Splash Potion of Weakness. Craft this potion using a fermented spider eye, gunpowder, and a water bottle. Throw the potion at the zombie villager, ensuring it’s affected by the splash.

3. Golden Apple: Next, you need a Golden Apple. This requires eight gold ingots surrounding an apple in the crafting table. Once you have the golden apple, approach the zombie villager and “use” the apple on it.

4. The Transformation: After administering the golden apple, the zombie villager will begin to shake violently and emit red particles. This indicates that the curing process has begun. Be patient during this stage; it takes approximately 3 to 5 minutes for the transformation to complete. Iron bars and beds placed near the villager can slightly speed up the curing process.

5. Protection During Curing: It’s crucial to protect the zombie villager during the curing process. Any interruption, such as an attack from another mob or even the player, can reset the process. Ensure the area is well-lit to prevent other hostile mobs from spawning.

6. The Reward: Once the transformation is complete, the zombie villager will revert to a normal villager, retaining its previous profession (if any) and offering discounted trades.

Why Bother Curing a Zombie Villager? The Benefits Explained

Curing zombie villagers is not just a novelty; it’s a strategic move with several significant advantages:

• Discounted Trades: Cured villagers offer substantial discounts on their trades. These discounts are permanent and can be further increased by re-infecting and re-curing the villager multiple times, eventually driving the price down to a single emerald for some items.
• Achievement Unlocked: Successfully curing a zombie villager earns you the “Zombie Doctor” achievement, a badge of honor for any dedicated Minecraft player.
• Villager Population Growth: Curing zombie villagers provides a reliable method for expanding your village population. This is particularly useful if your village has suffered losses or if you’re trying to establish a new village in a remote location.
• Guaranteed Professions: Unlike finding unemployed villagers and hoping they take on a useful profession, curing a zombie villager guarantees you’ll have a villager with a specific profession, especially if you’ve already invested in setting up their workstation.

FAQs: Diving Deeper into Zombie Villager Curing

Here are some frequently asked questions about curing zombie villagers in Minecraft, along with their detailed answers:

Can you cure a zombie villager child?

Yes! Just like adult zombie villagers, baby zombie villagers can be cured using a Splash Potion of Weakness and a Golden Apple. However, keep in mind that baby zombie villagers are much faster and harder to contain, so you’ll need to be extra careful. Also, remember that cured baby villagers need time to mature into adults.

Will a villager keep its trades after zombification?

In Java Edition, a villager will retain its original profession and trades after being zombified and cured. However, any trades that have been maxed out (indicated by a red “X”) will remain unavailable after the curing cycle.

How many times can you save a zombie villager?

You can cure a villager multiple times to further reduce the trading prices. The discounts stack with each curing cycle, eventually reaching the minimum price of one emerald per trade.

When you cure a zombie villager does the discount last forever?

Yes, the trading discounts gained from curing a zombie villager are permanent. This makes curing zombie villagers a long-term investment in your Minecraft economy.

Can two people cure the same villager?

If you play on a multiplayer server or realm, the trading discounts you receive from curing a villager only apply to you. Other players must cure the same villager themselves to receive the discounted trades.

How do you cure a zombie villager without killing it?

The process of curing a zombie villager inherently involves weakening it and then giving it a Golden Apple, which initiates the transformation back into a normal villager. The critical thing is to protect it during the 3-5 minute transformation period.

Can a cured zombie villager be a nitwit?

No, cured zombie villagers cannot be nitwits. If a nitwit villager becomes zombified, curing them will result in an unemployed villager, not a nitwit.

How long do zombie villagers last?

Zombie villagers, like other zombies, will persist indefinitely unless exposed to sunlight (in which case they burn) or attacked. The curing process itself takes 3-5 minutes after applying the Splash Potion of Weakness and the Golden Apple.

Do villagers forget you cured them?

Generally, villagers don’t forget that you cured them and will continue to offer discounted trades. However, there have been some reports of villagers “forgetting” if the game is saved and quit while the villager is still in the process of being cured.

How do I revive a zombie villager?

The term “revive” and “cure” are the same thing in this context. To revive a zombie villager, you must use a Splash Potion of Weakness and then feed it a Golden Apple.

Do you get better trades if you cure a zombie villager?

Absolutely! Curing a zombie villager is a surefire way to get significantly better trades. The discounts are substantial and make resource acquisition much more efficient.

What happens if you cure a villager multiple times?

Each time you cure the same villager, the trading discounts become deeper, eventually reaching the point where some trades cost only one emerald.

Why won’t my cured villager take a job?

If a cured villager isn’t taking a job, it could be due to several reasons: all available workstations are already claimed, the villager is pathfinding to a different workstation, or the day/work cycle prevents them from connecting to it. Also, if you have already traded with the villager, he/she is locked to that specific profession.

What villager can’t get a job?

Nitwits are the only type of villager that cannot take on a profession. They wear green robes and do not interact with workstations.

What is a nitwit zombie villager?

Zombified nitwits transform into unemployed zombie villagers. In Bedrock Edition, all zombie villagers share the same appearance, resembling unemployed zombie villagers.

Conclusion: The Undead Economist

Curing zombie villagers is a key skill for any serious Minecraft player. The benefits, ranging from the “Zombie Doctor” achievement to the greatly reduced trading prices, are invaluable. It’s a rewarding process that turns a threat into an asset, allowing you to build a thriving and efficient village economy. Remember to protect your villagers during the curing process, and soon you’ll be reaping the rewards of your undead rehabilitation efforts. For more information on the educational aspects of games like Minecraft, consider visiting the Games Learning Society at GamesLearningSociety.org.