Can You Tell if a Baby Villager Will Be a Nitwit?
The question of whether you can predict if a baby villager will grow up to be a nitwit is a common one among Minecraft players. The short answer is: no, you cannot tell if a baby villager will become a nitwit before it grows up. There are no visual or behavioral cues that distinguish a baby nitwit from a regular baby villager. The determination happens only when the baby matures into an adult. Let’s delve deeper into the mechanics of nitwits and the factors surrounding their existence in the game.
Nitwit Mechanics: What Makes Them Unique?
Nitwits are a unique type of villager characterized by their inability to take on a profession. Unlike other villagers who can become farmers, librarians, or blacksmiths, nitwits are eternally unemployed, identifiable by their distinctive green robes on top. While their lower robes depend on the biome they spawned in, their unchanging green tops are a dead giveaway.
This lack of profession means nitwits cannot participate in trading. They are, in essence, the village loafers. Despite this, nitwits play a crucial role in the village ecosystem. They can breed and contribute to the village population, even though they cannot contribute economically. They also don’t need workstation blocks to spawn Iron Golems as of the 1.16 update. However, it should be noted that while they don’t need work stations, they also can’t trigger iron golems to spawn, as of recent testing in the provided data.
How Nitwits Spawn
Nitwits do not change from other villager types. They must be born or spawned as nitwits. This means a regular villager cannot become a nitwit, and vice versa. If you find a nitwit in your world, they were either spawned as such in a village or bred into the population by other villagers. Nitwit villager breeding is an important game mechanic.
Baby Nitwits and Their Unpredictability
As mentioned earlier, a baby nitwit looks identical to any other baby villager. Their future role as a nitwit is determined when they grow into an adult. This introduces an element of chance, particularly in the Bedrock Edition, where baby villagers have a 10% chance of becoming a nitwit upon reaching adulthood. The odds of a baby villager becoming a nitwit in Java Edition is far more complex, and dependent on villager genetics from it’s parents. Therefore, unless playing on Bedrock Edition, no single percentage chance can be applied universally to the likelihood of a baby becoming a nitwit.
The Role of Zombie Villagers
The only way to encounter a baby nitwit in survival mode is by curing a baby zombie villager who was initially a nitwit. It is important to note that while zombie villagers can be unemployed, they cannot be nitwits. If a nitwit is transformed into a zombie villager, they will revert to an unemployed zombie villager. If cured, however, the nitwit will remain a nitwit. Zombie villagers can also spawn as babies, so this is the only method to encounter baby nitwits in survival. The process of curing a zombie villager is a standard one: throw a Splash Potion of Weakness at them and then use a Golden Apple.
Breeding Nitwits: A Population Strategy
Despite their lack of a profession, nitwits can still breed like regular villagers. They require the same conditions to become “willing” to breed – an adequate supply of food. Providing them with items like bread, carrots, potatoes, or beetroot will trigger their willingness to breed, ultimately leading to new baby villagers. This includes nitwits breeding with other nitwits, or nitwits breeding with standard villagers. This makes them a key part of any village’s ability to expand its population. Even though their offspring might become nitwits, the continued population helps maintain your iron farms (as long as they are not made solely of nitwits, as nitwits themselves cannot contribute towards iron golem spawns).
Nitwits and Golem Farms
While nitwits themselves cannot actively spawn Iron Golems, they can still contribute to iron golem farms. Villagers don’t need jobs or work times to spawn iron golems, however, nitwits are not considered “villagers” when it comes to iron golem spawning. It is essential to make sure all villagers in your farm are employed, as nitwits may dilute the number of villagers who can contribute to iron golem spawning. If all villagers are nitwits, no Iron Golems will be spawned.
The Curing Discount
If a cured zombie villager was a nitwit, it will remain a nitwit after being cured. Curing a nitwit, as with any other villager, will spread minor_positive gossip through the villager gossip system. A cured villager offers a trading discount, however nitwits are not used for trading, so this benefit is limited to normal villagers. Additionally, if a cured villager was a nitwit, it cannot trade with you, so the discount is irrelevant to it. It should also be noted that discounts do not wear off, but if you save and quit while a villager is still being cured, upon returning the villager will forget they have been cured before.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
To further enhance your understanding of nitwits and their role in Minecraft, here are 15 frequently asked questions:
Can a cured villager be a nitwit?
Yes, if a zombie villager was a nitwit before being zombified, it remains a nitwit after being cured.
Can nitwits be zombie villagers?
Technically, no. Zombified nitwits become unemployed zombie villagers.
Can nitwits make golems?
While villagers do not need jobs or work times to spawn iron golems, nitwits themselves are not considered villagers when it comes to iron golem spawning. Nitwit villages are unlikely to spawn Iron Golems, and will need villagers with jobs as well to trigger spawns.
Can two nitwits breed in Minecraft?
Yes, two nitwits can breed with each other, and with other types of villagers. You simply need to provide them with enough food for them to be willing.
Can you breed 1 villager?
No, villagers must be in groups of two to be able to breed. Ensure you have enough beds for the current number of villagers, and an extra bed for a future baby.
Do villager breeders work with nitwits?
Yes, you can create a villager breeder using nitwits, though you will only get more nitwits as a result.
How long is a villager a baby?
Baby villagers remain as babies for 20 minutes as long as they are within render distance.
Can you cure a baby villager?
Yes, you can cure baby zombie villagers using the standard method of a Splash Potion of Weakness and a Golden Apple.
Does tick speed affect baby villager growth?
Yes, higher tick speed results in faster baby growth and quicker curing times for zombie villagers.
Why do villagers have green sparkles?
Villagers emit green particles when they join a village, set a bed, or acquire a job site/profession.
Can nitwits be bread?
Nitwits can breed like normal villagers and will have the same likelihood of having an offspring nitwit as a normal villager.
Why did my iron farm stop working?
Make sure your golems aren’t spawning on any surfaces nearby, that you have the correct blocks, and that the boat zombie is parked correctly, as these will break an iron farm. Also, make sure you have a good balance of nitwits and villagers with jobs in your farm, otherwise it will not work.
Can villagers breed infinitely?
Yes, villagers will breed indefinitely if there are enough beds and food. They have a 5-minute breeding cooldown between offspring.
Do villagers forget you cure them?
If you save and quit while a villager is still being cured, upon returning the villager will forget if it has been cured before, and will not receive multiple discount prices.
Why is my green villager not taking a job?
Green-robed villagers are nitwits and cannot take jobs. They are purely used for breeding, and can sometimes be used to spawn iron golems.
In conclusion, while you can’t predict a baby villager’s future as a nitwit, understanding their mechanics and role within the game is crucial for managing your villages and resources effectively. Whether you choose to embrace them or strategically use them for population growth, nitwits remain a fascinating part of Minecraft’s villager ecosystem.