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Do Nitwits Count as Villagers in Minecraft?

Yes, nitwits absolutely count as villagers in Minecraft. They are a specific type of villager distinguished by their green robes and lack of a profession. While they can’t trade and might seem like the village layabouts, they play a crucial role in the ecosystem and can even be transformed into productive members of the community. They are an integral part of the villager population.

Understanding the Nitwit

What is a Nitwit Villager?

A nitwit villager is easily recognizable by their distinctive green robe. Unlike other villagers who wear clothing indicating their profession (farmers in brown, librarians in white, etc.), nitwits wear green and have no profession. They are often seen wandering aimlessly around the village, seemingly without purpose.

The Role of the Nitwit

Though nitwits cannot trade, they are still considered villagers and contribute to the overall village population. This is significant for a few reasons:

Breeding: Nitwits can breed with other villagers, including other nitwits, helping to increase the village population.
Golem Spawning: Villager presence, regardless of profession, is a key factor in iron golem spawning. Therefore, nitwits contribute to the village’s defense.
Curing Potential: While initially unemployed, nitwits have the potential to become valuable members of the village through zombification and curing.

Transforming a Nitwit

The Zombification and Curing Process

The process of transforming a nitwit into a working villager is a multi-step process involving zombification and curing:

Zombification: The nitwit must first be turned into a zombie villager. This can occur naturally if a zombie attacks a villager on Hard difficulty.
Curing: To cure the zombie villager, you need a Potion of Weakness and a Golden Apple. Throw the potion at the zombie villager to apply the weakness effect, then use the Golden Apple on them. The zombie villager will begin to shake and emit particles, indicating the curing process has begun.
Wait: The curing process takes several minutes. During this time, it’s best to keep the villager confined in a safe space. Iron bars and a bed nearby will shorten the curing process by approximately 4%.
Transformation: Once cured, the zombie villager will transform back into a regular villager, but this time, they will be unemployed.

Finding a Profession

An unemployed villager will seek out a workstation to claim a profession. Place available workstations within the village, such as a composter for a farmer, a lectern for a librarian, or a grindstone for a weaponsmith. The unemployed villager will eventually claim one of these workstations and adopt the corresponding profession.

Nitwits and Village Mechanics

Impact on Iron Golem Spawning

As mentioned earlier, nitwits contribute to iron golem spawning. The game requires a certain number of villagers to be present for golems to spawn and defend the village. While nitwits don’t actively work or trade, their presence fulfills this population requirement.

Breeding with Nitwits

Nitwits can breed with other villagers, regardless of whether those villagers are employed or also nitwits. To encourage breeding, ensure the village has enough beds and food. Throwing food items like bread, carrots, or potatoes at the villagers will encourage them to breed. For more in-depth knowledge on how gameplay dynamics can be tied with educational concepts, check the Games Learning Society at https://www.gameslearningsociety.org/.

FAQs: All About Nitwits

1. Are Nitwits Useless?

Not entirely. While they can’t trade, they contribute to population counts for breeding and iron golem spawning. Plus, they can be cured after zombification to gain a profession.

2. How Do I Identify a Nitwit?

Nitwits are easily identified by their distinctive green robes. No other villager profession wears green.

3. Can I Change a Nitwit’s Profession Directly?

No. You cannot directly assign a profession to a nitwit. They must be zombified and then cured.

4. Does Killing Nitwits Affect Village Reputation?

Yes. Killing any villager, including nitwits, negatively impacts your village reputation. This can lead to higher prices from other villagers and hostility from iron golems.

5. Do Nitwits Have Different Sleeping Habits?

Yes, it has been observed that they sleep for 2 minutes longer than the normal villagers.

6. Can Nitwits Open Doors?

Yes, nitwits can open doors just like other villagers.

7. Do Nitwits Gather Around the Village Bell?

No, nitwits do not interact with village bells or attend village gatherings.

8. Can Baby Villagers Grow Up to Be Nitwits?

In Bedrock Edition, baby villagers have a 10% chance of becoming a nitwit upon growing up.

9. Do Nitwits Need Beds?

Yes, nitwits need beds like other villagers. Beds are essential for breeding and maintaining a healthy village population.

10. Why Won’t My Villager Take a Job?

Villagers need access to a bed and a valid workstation to take a job. Make sure there are enough beds for all villagers and that the appropriate workstations are available.

11. Can Nitwits be Cured?

Yes, Nitwit villagers can be changed into Zombie villager , then into employable villager when cured.

12. Do nitwits make more nitwits?

Yes, Nitwit Villagers breed with each other and with other villagers.

13. Can you use nitwits in an iron farm?

As of 1.16, villager do not need jobs or working times to spawn iron golems. So yes, you can use nitwits in your iron golem farms and you don’t need to place job blocks.

14. Can two nitwits breed in Minecraft?