Do You Need a Swamp Villager for Mending in Minecraft?
The short answer is a resounding yes. If you’re hunting for the coveted Mending enchantment in Minecraft, you absolutely need a swamp librarian villager. This crucial change in villager trading mechanics makes acquiring Mending more of a targeted endeavor rather than a stroke of luck. Let’s delve deeper into why this is the case and how you can navigate this change to get your hands on that essential Mending book.
The Shift in Mending Availability
Previously, any librarian villager in any village could potentially offer the Mending enchantment. However, with updates to villager trading, this is no longer the case. Only swamp librarians now offer the Mending trade, making them incredibly valuable. This means that you cannot get Mending from other types of villagers like those found in plains, taiga, or desert villages. This change has made Mending a bit more challenging to acquire but also more rewarding once you successfully establish a swamp-based trading hub.
Why Swamp Librarians?
The decision to restrict Mending trades to swamp librarians was part of a larger effort by the Minecraft developers to create more specialized roles and mechanics for different villager types. Swamp villages themselves were not introduced with the 1.14 Village & Pillage update, meaning you can’t just stumble across a natural swamp village. This has added another layer of complexity to securing a Mending villager since you have to create the situation from scratch.
How to Obtain a Swamp Librarian
Since you cannot find swamp villages naturally, you’ll have to engineer your own. Here’s a breakdown of the steps involved:
- Locate a Swamp Biome: The first step is finding a swamp biome in your world. This is where you’ll establish your villager trading hub.
- Build a Basic Structure: Build a simple house or structure in the swamp biome. This will become the living quarters and workstation for your villager. You will need at least one bed and the location needs to be enclosed.
- Get a Swamp Villager: Swamp villagers are not found naturally. To get one, you must either breed a villager within the confines of the swamp biome or cure a zombie villager that spawned in a swamp. This is the most vital part of the process.
- Breeding Method: To breed villagers, ensure you have multiple beds within the structure and provide them with food, such as bread, carrots, or potatoes. When villagers have enough food, they will breed and a baby villager will eventually grow up.
- Curing Method: Look for a zombie villager that spawned in the swamp biome, then weaken it and use a splash potion of weakness followed by a golden apple. Wait for the curing process to finish and the villager will emerge.
- Place a Lectern: Once you have a swamp villager, place a lectern near the villager inside of the house. This will assign the librarian profession to that villager.
- Check the Trades: The villager will then adopt the job of a librarian, and you can now open the trade menu to check if they have the Mending trade. If not, remove the lectern and place it again to reroll the trades. Continue until you get a Mending trade.
Mending Trade Details
The first trade a librarian villager offers has a 1/72 chance of being Mending. This is because the librarian will first offer either a book or a bookshelf. If a book is offered, the chance of it being mending is a 1/36. So, this requires patience and persistence. Once you have your mending trade locked in you will be able to trade a certain amount of times before the trades lock. Be aware that villagers need to restock their trades and to do that they need to link to the workstation and bed you provided.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
1. Can a level 1 (Novice) librarian sell Mending?
Yes, Mending can be the very first trade offered by a librarian villager. You don’t need to level up a villager to unlock Mending.
2. What items besides librarians can give me Mending?
Mending is considered a “treasure enchantment,” and can also be found in jungle temple, stronghold, and ancient city loot chests, through fishing, or as a rare raid drop (Bedrock Edition only).
3. What are the odds of a librarian selling Mending?
The odds of a librarian offering Mending as their first trade are 1/72. This is due to the 1/2 chance of the trade being a book and then a 1/36 chance of that book being Mending.
4. How do I get a swamp villager to spawn?
Swamp villagers cannot spawn naturally. You have to obtain them by either breeding villagers within a swamp or curing a zombie villager that spawned in a swamp.
5. What is the best villager for Mending?
Swamp librarians are the only villagers that will offer mending trades.
6. What if my swamp librarian isn’t offering Mending?
If your captured villager doesn’t have the Mending book trade, break and replace the lectern. This will reset the villager’s trades, allowing you to try again. Keep repeating until you find the trade you are looking for.
7. Is Mending a level 1 villager trade?
Yes, Mending can be a level 1 (novice) trade for a librarian villager. There’s no need to level up the villager for it.
8. How do I know if a villager will have Mending before trading?
Place a lectern and allow the villager to take the librarian job. Then, right-click the villager to open the trade menu and see what book trade they are offering. If you do not like the offered trade, reset the villager by breaking the lectern and placing it again.
9. Is Mending 1 worth it?
Absolutely! Mending is one of the most powerful enchantments in Minecraft, allowing you to repair tools, weapons, and armor using XP. This makes it extremely valuable and convenient.
10. Why is Mending so good?
Mending repairs durability of tools and armor by simply collecting XP orbs. This essentially makes enchanted items indestructible as long as you actively gain experience.
11. Is there a Mending 2?
There is no Mending II enchantment obtainable through normal means or through enchanting tables. The maximum level for Mending is Level 1. However, if you combine two mending books with an anvil, it doubles the repair rate.
12. How do I know if my librarian has Mending?
After placing a lectern, right-click on the librarian and check the trade window. If you see the Mending book icon as one of the offered trades, you’ve got it!
13. Can other villager types sell mending books?
No, only swamp librarian villagers sell Mending books. Other villagers from different biomes cannot offer this trade.
14. What is a good price for Mending from a villager?
The cost for a Mending book is between 10 and 38 emeralds, plus the book itself. This trade can be made about 12 times before it needs to be refreshed by having the villager relink with its workstation and bed.
15. Is Mending better than Unbreaking?
Mending is generally considered better than Unbreaking because it repairs items by collecting XP, thus making them nearly unbreakable. Unbreaking only slows down the rate of durability loss, and the item will eventually need to be repaired.
Final Thoughts
Securing a swamp librarian with a Mending trade may take patience and persistence, but the payoff is incredibly worthwhile. Mending is an essential enchantment that will greatly enhance your Minecraft experience. By following these tips, you’ll be well on your way to acquiring your own Mending book from a specialized swamp librarian. Remember, it’s all about locating the right biome and knowing the steps to get the specific villager profession that you need. Good luck with your enchanting adventures!