Do Naturally Spawning Zombie Villagers Despawn? A Comprehensive Guide
Yes, naturally spawning zombie villagers do despawn, just like other hostile mobs in Minecraft. However, there are specific conditions and circumstances that determine when and how they disappear. Understanding these mechanisms is crucial for players who want to utilize zombie villagers for trading or other purposes. The core principle governing despawning revolves around distance from the player and, to some extent, specific in-game actions.
The Despawning Mechanics Explained
Minecraft’s despawning system is designed to manage the number of entities loaded in the game to optimize performance. Here’s a detailed breakdown of how it works with zombie villagers:
- Distance-Based Despawning: The primary factor in a mob’s despawning is its distance from the player. If a zombie villager moves more than 32 meters away from the player, it becomes eligible for random despawning. This means that the game has a chance to remove the mob, but it isn’t guaranteed. The longer the mob is outside this radius, the greater the chance of it disappearing.
- Instant Despawn: At a distance greater than 128 meters from the player, mobs, including zombie villagers, will despawn instantly. This is an absolute rule; they don’t have a chance to survive once this threshold is crossed.
- Peaceful Mode Exception: Regardless of distance, if the game’s difficulty is switched to Peaceful mode, all hostile mobs, including zombie villagers, will despawn immediately. This is a simple and quick way to clear all hostile entities in your world.
- Conversion in Progress: Notably, a zombie villager that is currently being cured (meaning it is under the effects of a Splash Potion of Weakness and has been fed a Golden Apple) will not despawn even if the player moves away. This grace period ensures the player can complete the conversion process.
Why Understanding Despawning Matters
Knowing how despawning works is crucial for a few key reasons:
- Trading and Curing: If you’re planning to cure a zombie villager for better trading opportunities, you need to keep them within a safe distance or utilize methods to prevent despawning before you initiate the curing process.
- Mob Farms and Traps: For those looking to create a mob farm that includes zombie villagers, understanding despawning mechanics is vital for designing effective and reliable setups.
- Resource Management: Knowing when and why mobs despawn can help you conserve resources by not attempting to utilize mobs that will likely disappear before you can get to them.
Preventing Zombie Villagers from Despawning
While distance is a significant factor, there are ways to prevent zombie villagers, and other mobs, from despawning:
- Name Tags: The most reliable method for preventing a zombie villager from despawning is to use a name tag on it. Once named, the mob will never despawn naturally, regardless of its distance from the player. Name tags are rare finds in chests, villages, or through fishing.
- Holding an Item: Similar to using a name tag, if a zombie villager is holding a picked-up item, it will not despawn. This is a useful trick if name tags are not readily available, though it can be somewhat unreliable, especially in early gameplay. Hard difficulty settings increase the chance of zombies picking up items.
- Boat or Minecart: Mobs transported by boats or minecarts in Java Edition will not despawn. This can be used to keep a captured zombie villager safe. However, this does not apply to all versions of the game.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) About Zombie Villagers
Here are some common questions and answers that delve deeper into the fascinating world of zombie villagers in Minecraft.
1. What is the natural spawn rate for zombie villagers?
Zombie villagers have a 5% chance of spawning in any biome where regular zombies can spawn. This makes them relatively uncommon compared to regular zombies.
2. How can regular villagers turn into zombie villagers?
Regular villagers have a chance of transforming into zombie villagers after being killed by any type of zombie. The conversion rate is 0% on Easy mode, 50% on Normal, and 100% on Hard mode.
3. Do zombie villagers drop unique items?
The primary drop from zombies, including zombie villagers, is rotten flesh. They also have a rare chance to drop iron ingots, potatoes, or carrots. Even rarer occasions can see zombies drop armor or weapons they spawned with.
4. How do you cure a zombie villager?
You can cure a zombie villager by throwing a Splash Potion of Weakness at it and then feeding it a Golden Apple. The curing process takes several minutes, and the villager will exhibit shaking and hissing sounds during the conversion.
5. Can zombie villagers spawn with armor and weapons?
Yes, zombie villagers can spawn with armor and weapons, similar to regular zombies. The probability of them having these items is low but increases with higher game difficulty.
6. How rare are baby zombie villagers?
Baby zombie villagers spawn naturally, but the combined chance (5% of zombies being villagers × 5% of villagers being babies) makes them very rare. Only about 0.25% (or 1 in 400) of all newly spawned zombies are baby zombie villagers.
7. Can zombie villagers have professions?
Zombie villagers can be unemployed, but they cannot be nitwits. A zombified nitwit villager will become an unemployed zombie villager.
8. Why won’t zombies attack cured villagers?
Sometimes zombies may fail to attack a newly cured villager, especially if the villager was cured within their immediate vicinity. This can be a temporary glitch.
9. Can baby zombie villagers be cured?
Yes, baby zombie villagers can be cured using the same method as adult zombie villagers: with a Splash Potion of Weakness followed by a Golden Apple.
10. Do boats prevent mobs from despawning?
In Java Edition only, mobs riding in a boat will not despawn. This feature allows for mob transportation and storage.
11. Why do villagers sometimes die when attacked by zombies?
Villagers take damage while they are being converted into zombie villagers. If they are attacked multiple times, they may die before the transformation is complete, especially when on lower health.
12. Do villagers respawn naturally?
Yes, if a village is still intact with valid doors, villagers can repopulate naturally over time, given they have enough beds.
13. What is the rarest zombie villager variant?
The rarest zombie villager is the baby zombie villager wearing full enchanted diamond armor, wielding an enchanted iron sword, and riding a chicken. The low spawn rates of each of these elements combined make this a remarkable sight.
14. Do discounts from curing villagers stack?
Yes, a villager will permanently offer a trade discount to the player who cured them. Curing the same villager multiple times further reduces prices, down to a minimum of one emerald per trade.
15. Can drowned turn villagers into zombie villagers?
Yes, if a drowned kills a villager, there’s a chance that the villager will turn into a zombie villager. The chance is 0% on Easy, 50% on Normal, and 100% on Hard mode.
Understanding the spawning and despawning mechanics of zombie villagers is essential for any Minecraft player. Whether you’re planning a villager trading hall, a mob farm, or just want to keep them safe, this guide should help equip you with the knowledge you need to succeed!