Can You Spawn a Pillager Without a Crossbow? The Definitive Guide

Yes, you absolutely can spawn a pillager without a crossbow in Minecraft! While naturally spawned pillagers almost always carry their signature weapon, there are several ways to bring crossbow-less pillagers into your world using commands. This opens up interesting possibilities for custom maps, challenges, and just plain experimentation. Let’s dive into the how-to and explore the fascinating world of pillager spawning.

Methods for Spawning Pillagers Without Crossbows

There are two primary methods to spawn a pillager sans crossbow:

1. Using Specific Commands: This is the most direct route. By utilizing the /summon command with specific NBT (Named Binary Tag) data, you can dictate precisely what a pillager spawns with. For example:

   • /summon pillager ~ ~ ~ {} – This command spawns a basic, passive pillager that does not attack, essentially rendering its crossbow moot.
   • More complex NBT data can be used to remove the crossbow entirely or replace it with another item. You can even use the HandItems tag to ensure the pillager spawns with empty hands.

2. Exploiting Weapon Durability (Java Edition Only): This method is far less reliable and only applicable in Java Edition, but it’s worth mentioning. A pillager’s crossbow, like any item with durability, can break. Through repeated use, the crossbow will eventually shatter, leaving the pillager unarmed. This is a time-consuming process, requiring hundreds of shots.

Diving Deeper into Command-Based Spawning

The power of the /summon command lies in its ability to modify entity attributes through NBT data. This essentially lets you customize every aspect of a mob, including its inventory.

• Empty Hands: To ensure a pillager spawns with nothing in its hands, you could use a command similar to this:

  /summon pillager ~ ~ ~ {HandItems:[{},{}]}

  This command essentially specifies that both the main hand and off-hand slots are empty.

• Replacing the Crossbow: You can replace the crossbow with any other item using the HandItems tag. For example, to give the pillager a stone axe:

  /summon pillager ~ ~ ~ {HandItems:[{id:"minecraft:stone_axe",Count:1},{}]}

  Note that the {id:"minecraft:stone_axe",Count:1} specifies the item ID and quantity.

• Modifying Attributes: Besides item-related tags, NBT data allows you to adjust other attributes, such as the pillager’s health, whether it’s a patrol leader, and even its AI.

Implications and Uses

Spawning pillagers without crossbows has several practical and creative applications:

• Custom Maps and Challenges: Map makers can use unarmed pillagers to create unique challenges where players need to employ different strategies. For example, a map might require players to sneak past harmless pillagers or use their presence to trigger traps.
• Roleplaying and Storytelling: Unarmed pillagers can be incorporated into roleplaying scenarios, perhaps as villagers who have been captured and forced to live among the hostile illagers.
• Testing and Experimentation: Developers and modders can use unarmed pillagers to test game mechanics or experiment with new AI behaviors.
• Mob Farms: While pillagers without crossbows might seem counterintuitive for a mob farm focused on crossbow drops, they could be useful in farms designed to collect other resources from illagers or in farms where pillagers are used as bait for other mobs.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) About Pillagers

1. What are the requirements for pillagers to spawn naturally?

Pillagers naturally spawn on any valid opaque block (except leaves) as long as the sky light level is 11 or lower and the block light level is 8 or less. They cannot spawn on blocks that emit a light level of 14 or greater. There’s a 6% chance a pillager will spawn as a patrol leader.

2. How do you summon a friendly pillager?

You cannot inherently summon a “friendly” pillager in the sense that it will act like a pet. However, you can summon a passive pillager using the command /summon pillager ~ ~ ~ {}. This pillager will not attack anything. Note, this pillager is not friendly in the normal sense as it will still run away from you.

3. Can villagers turn into illagers?

When villagers get their health down to 5 hearts (or lower) out of 20, they have a 1/10 chance of becoming a zombie villager. You can then cure the zombie villager to return it to normal. However, normal villagers never turn directly into illagers.

4. Do ominous banners attract pillagers?

No, ominous banners do not attract pillagers. Pillager patrol spawns are determined by the biome and the game’s spawning mechanics. Ominous banners are simply a cosmetic reward for defeating a raid captain.

5. Do pillagers just keep spawning?

Yes, pillagers will continue to spawn around pillager outposts or as part of patrols. To prevent them from spawning in a specific area, you need to light it up adequately (block light level of 9 or higher).

6. Do pillager outposts have a secret room?

Yes, pillager outposts often have a hidden basement or a secret room under the main structure. This room typically contains a ravager and a chest with valuable loot, and maybe an illusioner.

7. Can Piglin crossbows break?

In Java Edition, piglin crossbows can break if they run out of durability. In Bedrock Edition, their crossbows never break.

8. Why is my pillager outpost not spawning?

Pillagers may naturally spawn on any valid opaque block (except leaves) as long as the block light level is 8 or less. They cannot, however, spawn on blocks that emit a light level of 14 or greater.

9. How do you stop bad omens in Minecraft?

You can remove the Bad Omen effect by drinking milk. Simply use a bucket on a cow to get milk, then drink it.

10. Can pillagers take stuff from your chest?

During a raid, pillagers will attempt to loot chests and other storage items like barrels and shulker boxes on Normal difficulty and higher.

11. What is the difference between Illager and pillager?

A pillager is a type of illager. Illagers are a group of hostile, villager-like mobs that also includes vindicators, evokers, illusioners, and witches.

12. Do pillagers spawn in normal difficulty?

On Easy and Normal difficulties, only pillagers will spawn during a raid. On Hard difficulty, 80% of the illagers will be pillagers, while 20% will be vindicators.

13. Can I burn down a pillager outpost?

Yes, you can burn down a pillager outpost. Fire can spread to the wooden structures, potentially destroying the entire outpost.

14. Do pillager raids expire?

If a raid goes on for 48,000 ticks (40 minutes in real-time), the raid boss bar disappears, and a message appears saying “raid expired.” However, any living illagers will remain until killed.

15. What do pillagers hate?

Pillagers are hostile towards players, iron golems, wandering traders, and adult villagers. They will actively attack these entities.

Conclusion

Spawning a pillager without a crossbow is entirely achievable in Minecraft, primarily through the use of commands and NBT data. This opens up a world of possibilities for custom content creation and gameplay experimentation. While naturally spawning pillagers will always come armed, mastering the art of command-based spawning lets you break the rules and create unique and engaging experiences in your Minecraft world. Now, go forth and experiment! Perhaps your next map design will leverage the mechanics described and you can share your creation with the Games Learning Society at GamesLearningSociety.org to contribute to the knowledge base.