Do Villagers Pick Up Armor in Minecraft? A Comprehensive Guide
The simple answer is: no, villagers do not naturally pick up armor in Minecraft. While they have four slots for wearing armor, separate from their inventory, they don’t actively seek out or collect armor pieces on the ground. This may seem strange considering villagers collect food items, but it’s a fundamental distinction in their behavior. Instead of picking up armor, villagers need to be equipped with armor through different methods, primarily using a dispenser. This article will delve into how villagers interact with armor and cover other related aspects.
Villagers and Armor: Dispensing is Key
As stated, villagers won’t pick up armor. Instead, you need to use a dispenser to equip them. Here’s how that works:
- Dispenser Placement: Place a dispenser facing a villager.
- Armor Loading: Put the armor pieces (helmet, chestplate, leggings, and boots) into the dispenser.
- Activation: Activate the dispenser using a button or a redstone circuit.
- Automatic Equipping: The dispenser will then automatically equip the villager with the armor pieces.
While dispensers can equip villagers with armor, the equipped armor is not rendered visually, with the exception of carved pumpkins and mob heads. This means you won’t see the villager wearing the armor, but the defensive stats it provides still applies, making them more durable in combat. This mechanic is particularly useful for protecting villagers from zombies and other threats during raids or while exploring dangerous areas.
Why Don’t Villagers Pick Up Armor?
Villagers, unlike zombies or zombie villagers, have different AI priorities. Their primary focus is trading, farming, and maintaining their routines within a village. Their AI directs them to collect food items like bread, carrots, potatoes, wheat, seeds, beetroot, and beetroot seeds that they might come within range of. This is for their breeding purposes. However, picking up armor does not fit into their typical behavior pattern or gameplay mechanics.
Obtaining Armor for Villagers
While villagers won’t pick up armor from the ground, you can obtain armor from trading with the specific villager type – the Armorer. Here’s how that process works:
- Armorer Profession: The armorer villager is the main source for acquiring armor. They use a blast furnace as their workstation.
- Profession Levels: As you trade with an armorer, their profession level increases.
- Armor Trades: At the Apprentice level, you might see trades for chainmail armor. At the Expert and Master levels, they will offer trades for enchanted diamond armor.
- Leveling Up: You can level up a villager simply by repeatedly trading with them. Once their trade bar at the top is full, they level up.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Here are 15 frequently asked questions that delve deeper into the topic of villager behavior related to armor, trading, and mechanics.
1. Can villagers pick up weapons?
Villagers cannot pick up weapons that are simply lying on the ground or dropped nearby. However, similar to armor, you can equip villagers with weapons using a dispenser. This will not be rendered visually, but they will be equipped. A villager can also pick up and hold items if the items they have are not better. So, for instance, if they have a diamond chestplate, they won’t pick up an iron one.
2. Can zombie villagers pick up armor and weapons?
Yes, zombie villagers will automatically pick up and hold any item they come across, except jack o’lanterns, mob heads, and pumpkins (which they wear). They will also pick up and use armor, weapons, or tools they find. This makes zombie villagers a greater threat compared to regular zombies.
3. Can you give armor to villagers?
Yes, you can give armor to villagers, but not through direct hand-to-hand transfer. You need to use a dispenser, which will equip the armor invisibly.
4. What job does a villager need to trade armor?
The armorer villager is the only villager that will trade armor. They are associated with a blast furnace.
5. Can you put armor on villagers in Bedrock edition?
Yes, you can put armor on villagers in Bedrock Edition using a dispenser. The armor will be invisible but still provide defensive benefits.
6. Will villagers wear what you give them?
Villagers will not wear any items handed to them directly. You must use a dispenser to “give” them the armor and it will still not be visible. This behavior is not related to their style or preference, as some online comments may suggest.
7. Can villagers pick up food?
Yes, villagers will collect food items like bread, carrots, potatoes, wheat, seeds, beetroot, and beetroot seeds that are within their range. This behavior is primarily for breeding and is an essential part of villager mechanics.
8. What do villagers do with the food they pick up?
Villagers primarily use the food they pick up for breeding. They need 14 food points to become willing to breed.
9. Will villagers take my items from chests?
No, villagers do not take items from containers like chests, barrels, smokers, or blast furnaces. The only exception is the farmer villager who will take the bonemeal they produce from their composter.
10. Can a villager give you diamond armor?
Yes, an armorer villager can offer trades for diamond armor at the Expert and Master levels.
11. Can a nitwit villager breed?
Yes, nitwit villagers can breed like regular villagers despite not having a profession.
12. What happens if a zombie kills a villager?
On Easy, a villager will always die if killed by a zombie. On Normal, there is a 50% chance they will die and a 50% chance they will turn into a zombie villager. On Hard, a villager will always turn into a zombie villager when killed by a zombie.
13. How do you breed villagers?
To breed villagers, you need to ensure they are willing to breed by providing food points and ensure they are linked to beds. Giving two villagers food (14 food points each) and making sure there are enough beds available will result in a baby villager appearing.
14. Can you cure a zombie villager?
Yes, you can cure a zombie villager by using a Splash Potion of Weakness and then feeding them a Golden Apple.
15. What villager gives you diamonds?
In Bedrock Edition, expert-level armorer, toolsmith, and weaponsmith villagers will buy one diamond for one emerald. In Java Edition, journeyman-level armorer villagers have a 40% chance of offering to buy one diamond for one emerald.
Conclusion
In summary, while villagers have armor slots, they do not actively pick up armor. Instead, armor must be equipped through dispensers, which don’t render it visually, with the exception of mob heads and carved pumpkins. Understanding these limitations and mechanics is crucial for effective village management and ensuring your villagers remain protected from threats within the Minecraft world.