Can Pillagers Be Passive? A Deep Dive into Minecraft’s Illagers

The question of whether pillagers, the crossbow-wielding antagonists of Minecraft, can be passive is a fascinating one for any player. The short answer is: yes, pillagers can be passive, but it’s not their natural state and requires player intervention or specific circumstances. While they are inherently hostile towards villagers, iron golems, wandering traders, and of course, players, there are ways to make these aggressive mobs less threatening, or even completely docile. Let’s explore the methods and nuances involved in achieving a passive pillager.

How to Pacify a Pillager

Pillagers are designed to be aggressive, actively seeking out targets. However, their AI includes a critical flaw that players can exploit: their crossbows have a durability. Unlike other mobs, a pillager’s crossbow will break after enough use.

The Disarming Tactic

The primary method of rendering a pillager passive is by breaking its crossbow. This requires a player to withstand a pillager’s attacks while the pillager wastes crossbow shots. Here’s a detailed breakdown:

• Using a Shield: Employing a shield is crucial in this method. When you block with a shield, pillager crossbow bolts are absorbed and don’t cause damage, allowing you to stay within the pillager’s range safely.
• Repeated Blocking: You’ll need to absorb approximately 326 shots before the crossbow breaks. This process can take up to 15 minutes, which makes it essential to be patient and prepared.
• The Outcome: Once the crossbow breaks, the pillager will no longer engage in combat. It will stand there, unarmed, and completely passive. It’s important to note that they still might run from you in a ‘frightened’ way like villagers will.

Name Tagging to Prevent Despawning

After disarming a pillager, it’s important to use a name tag on it. This prevents the pillager from despawning, effectively making it a permanent, passive inhabitant of your world. Otherwise, it may disappear when you leave the area or during a reload.

Transportation with Boats

While no longer hostile, passive pillagers still need a method of transport. The most efficient method is using a boat. You can place a pillager in a boat and navigate it to wherever you wish. This allows you to relocate them for display, experimentation or any other purpose you may have in mind.

The “Naturally” Passive Pillager

There is another way to have a passive pillager: summoning one directly through commands. These pillagers bypass the regular aggro behavior completely. The command:

/summon pillager ~ ~ ~ {}

will spawn a pillager that is passive by default. This method allows players to add non-aggressive pillagers to their builds and scenarios without any prior interaction.

Transforming a Pillager into a Villager

It is also possible, albeit complicated, to transform a pillager into a villager. This is achieved through the use of a Confusion potion (more commonly known as a Potion of Weakness) and a Golden Apple. The process closely mirrors the process of curing a zombie villager. By applying a Confusion potion and then immediately using a Golden Apple on the pillager, it will undergo a transformation into a villager.

This is a fun method if you have some spare ingredients to use. It is a lot harder than just taming or summoning a passive one.

Pillager Outposts: Pacification and Prevention

Pillagers primarily spawn at outposts, along with patrols that wander the world. It is possible to pacify outposts and prevent future spawns. To achieve this, you must:

• Remove Spawning Blocks: Remove all grass, sand, and similar blocks within a considerable radius of the outpost. Pillagers will not spawn on blocks like stone, cobblestone, or wood.
• Light Up the Area: Ensure the area is well-lit by placing torches or other light sources. Pillagers require a low light level to spawn, like other mobs.
• Replace Floors: You can also replace the wooden floors of an outpost with bottom slabs, preventing spawns on these surfaces.

By taking these steps, you can effectively nullify an outpost and create a safe zone around it.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

Here are some common questions about pillagers and their behavior:

1. Do Unarmed Pillagers Still Frighten Villagers?

Yes. While a disarmed pillager no longer presents a direct threat, its appearance still instills fear in villagers. They will run from a tamed pillager just as they would a hostile one.

2. Are Iron Golems Still Hostile to Passive Pillagers?

Yes. An iron golem will still attack a disarmed pillager. Golems attack any mob tagged as hostile by the game, and pillagers don’t lose that designation, even when disarmed.

3. Can Pillagers Steal from Chests?

Yes. During raids, pillagers can loot chests, barrels, and shulker boxes on normal difficulty or higher. This can be a significant challenge if you aren’t prepared.

4. What’s the Difference Between Illagers and Pillagers?

Illagers is an umbrella term for hostile humanoid mobs like pillagers, evokers, and vindicators. Pillagers are a specific type of illager that spawn at outposts, in patrols, and during raids.

5. Do Pillagers Only Spawn at Night?

While darkness encourages mob spawns generally, individual pillagers in a patrol or at outposts can spawn when the block light level is less than 9, regardless of the sky light.

6. How Long Does it Take to Break a Pillager’s Crossbow?

It takes approximately 326 uses for a crossbow to break, which can take up to 15 minutes or so of repeated attacks.

7. What Do Pillagers Hate?

Pillagers are hostile toward players, iron golems, wandering traders, and adult villagers.

8. Can You Give a Pillager a Crossbow?

Yes, pillagers can use crossbows in their off-hand. However, you cannot directly give a pillager a crossbow. They spawn with one and can’t be traded with.

9. Can You Make a Pillager Ride a Ravager?

In Bedrock Edition, unridden ravagers spawn during certain raid waves. Ravagers with a pillager rider also spawn during certain waves and can also be summoned using specific commands. For example: /summon ravager ~ ~ ~ minecraft:spawn_with_pillager_rider

10. Can You Burn Down a Pillager Outpost?

Yes, you can burn down a pillager outpost. This will not prevent spawns, but it is a good option if you are trying to make your area look more unique.

11. What Does Killing an Illager Captain Do?

Killing a pillager captain carrying an ominous banner gives you the Bad Omen status effect. This effect lasts for 100 minutes and can be removed by drinking milk.

12. Why Do Pillagers Stare at You?

Pillagers will stare at a player, even in Creative or with invisibility, until they find an actual threat to attack. This is normal behaviour.

13. What Are Pillagers Good For?

Pillagers don’t have any inherent uses. They are hostile mobs designed to challenge the player. Some players might capture and tame pillagers to use for “base-defense” scenarios or simply for a pet, but they have no specific purpose.

14. Do Pillager Outposts Have a Secret Room?

Yes, pillager outposts have a secret room underneath, containing a ravager and a chest with loot.

15. Can You Stop Pillagers from Spawning in Mansions?

Pillagers don’t naturally spawn in woodland mansions. They are a rare occurrence and do not respawn like other mobs in mansions. To stop them spawning elsewhere, simply light the area using torches or other light sources.

Conclusion

While naturally aggressive, pillagers can be made passive through player intervention, whether by disarming them or summoning them passively through commands. Understanding their mechanics and behavior opens up new possibilities for gameplay and creativity within Minecraft.