How to Deal with Pillagers in Minecraft: A Comprehensive Guide
Fast answer first. Then use the tabs or video for more detail.
- Watch the video explanation below for a faster overview.
- Game mechanics may change with updates or patches.
- Use this block to get the short answer without scrolling the whole page.
- Read the FAQ section if the article has one.
- Use the table of contents to jump straight to the detailed section you need.
- Watch the video first, then skim the article for specifics.
Pillagers in Minecraft are hostile mobs that can quickly become a nuisance, especially for players establishing their bases or exploring new areas. These crossbow-wielding illagers patrol the Overworld, participate in raids, and are generally a thorn in the side of peaceful Minecraft life. Effectively dealing with pillagers requires a multi-faceted approach, combining preventative measures, combat strategies, and an understanding of their behavior.
The most effective way to deal with pillagers involves a combination of these actions:
- Preventing their spawns through proper lighting and terrain management around your base or village.
- Knowing how to handle them in combat, using strategy like blocking with a shield, utilizing water to slow them down, and employing ranged attacks when possible.
- Eliminating pillager outposts and avoiding situations that trigger raids.
- Understanding their behavior and taking necessary countermeasures.
Let’s delve into each aspect to give you a complete understanding of how to handle pillagers in Minecraft.
Understanding Pillager Behavior
Before we dive into tactics, it’s crucial to understand what makes pillagers tick. They are hostile towards players, iron golems, wandering traders, and adult villagers. Their primary goal seems to be controlling the Overworld and harassing the peaceful villagers. Pillagers are more adventurous than other illagers, frequently patrolling the world, making them a common sight.
They are equipped with crossbows, which allow them to attack from a distance, and they aren’t afraid to charge when they get close. Pillagers can open doors just like villagers. They also sometimes spawn in patrols, which are more frequent in open areas. The game attempts to spawn a pillager patrol every 10 minutes, but there is only a 20% success rate, making encounters somewhat unpredictable.
Importantly, pillagers can also attempt to loot chests, barrels, and shulker boxes during raids on normal difficulty or higher.
Preventing Pillager Spawns and Outposts
Light Up Your Surroundings
One of the easiest and most effective ways to prevent pillager encounters is to light up the area around your base, village, or any location you want to protect. Like other hostile mobs, pillagers cannot spawn in brightly lit areas. Ensure that there are no dark corners or unlit areas around your settlement. Torches, lanterns, or glowstone can all be used to achieve this.
Manage Terrain
Pillagers can spawn on grass and sand blocks regardless of the light level. Therefore, in addition to lighting, you should consider replacing these blocks around your protected area with blocks that do not allow mob spawning, such as transparent blocks (like glass), or slabs. Bottom slabs of any type are a great choice for this.
Eliminating Pillager Outposts
Pillager outposts are another common source of unwanted pillager encounters. If you find an outpost, you should remove it as soon as possible. To do this effectively:
- Engage and Eliminate: Eliminate all pillagers at the outpost.
- Purge Bad Omen: After defeating the pillagers, if a banner-carrying pillager captain was among them, you will gain the Bad Omen effect. Drinking a bucket of milk will remove this status effect, preventing unwanted raids.
- Modify the Area: Cover or remove all grass and sand blocks in the area to prevent future pillager spawns at this location.
Combat Strategies for Pillager Encounters
When you encounter pillagers, you need to be ready to engage them effectively. Here are some combat tactics:
Shield and Sword
A basic but very effective tactic is to use your shield and sword. Use your shield to block arrows, then quickly switch to your sword to hit the pillagers. You can knock them back to gain some distance, and then reposition yourself to avoid their crossbow fire.
The Power of Water
Water can be used to your advantage. If you place a water bucket at a pillager’s feet, it will slow them down significantly. Then, you can use a bow from a safe distance to take them down easily. Pillagers will attempt melee attacks while in water, further making them an easy target with a bow.
Range Advantage
Always try to engage pillagers from a distance using a bow or crossbow. The distance allows you to avoid their melee attacks and to manage the number of enemies attacking you at once. This also lets you snipe pillagers in outposts or even in raids.
Ender Pearl Maneuvers
Ender pearls can be an invaluable tool during combat, allowing you to quickly reposition to evade attacks, or to get to a better strategic position. For example, they can be used to quickly climb to the top of the outposts, or to escape from a swarm of pillagers.
Dealing with Pillager Raids
Raids occur when you enter a village with the Bad Omen effect, usually gained by killing a pillager captain. These raids involve multiple waves of illagers attacking a village. Here’s how to deal with them:
Clearing Waves
The most direct way to stop a raid is to defeat all the illagers in each wave. Multiple waves will spawn and keep coming until you defeat them.
Utilize Your Environment
Take advantage of walls, fences, water, or other structures that can provide you with cover and defensive positions.
Ranged Combat is Key
Remember the earlier advice, use your range weapons for damage and melee to clear any close by mobs.
Abandoning Raids
If you find yourself overwhelmed, leaving the area can be a temporary measure to stop the immediate raid. However, pillagers might pursue you for some distance. Raids will naturally expire after two to three Minecraft nights, at which point the pillagers will despawn.
Preventing Raids in the Future
To prevent raids, ensure you do not enter villages with the Bad Omen effect. If you do get Bad Omen, drink milk to clear the status effect.
Additional Tips and Tactics
-
Keep Cats: Cats scare away creepers, which can be very handy in a raid or when defending your base.
-
Pillagers as Defense: While not ideal, you can use pillagers in PvP scenarios as distractions or even to target enemy players.
-
Taming Pillagers (Limited): You can remove the crossbow of a pillager to “tame” it. However, it will still be hostile.
Frequently Asked Questions About Pillagers
Here are some commonly asked questions about pillagers to further enhance your understanding:
Can pillagers come into my house?
Pillagers will not randomly enter your house unless it is located within the boundaries of a village, especially if you are raiding. Generally, they target villages, not standalone structures.
Can pillagers steal from your chest?
During a raid, pillagers can attempt to loot chests, barrels, and shulker boxes on normal or hard difficulty.
Can you ignore pillagers in Minecraft?
You can try to ignore pillagers, but they will continue to be a persistent threat. Removing the outpost in the area and preventing spawns is a more sustainable way to deal with them.
Will pillagers eventually go away?
Pillagers in a raid will eventually despawn if a raid expires or if they wander too far from a patrol. But they will spawn again if the conditions for their spawn are met.
Can pillagers open doors?
Yes, pillagers can open doors just like villagers.
What does it mean when you see pillagers?
Seeing pillagers usually means they are on patrol or that a raid is starting. Pillagers are hostile and will attack players and villagers.
What is the difference between Illager and pillager?
Pillagers are a sub-type of Illager, more adventurous and are more often found roaming the overworld.
How often do pillagers come to you?
Pillager patrols attempt to spawn every 10 minutes, but the rate of success is only about 20%.
Do pillagers take your loot?
Yes, during raids, pillagers can loot your storage containers on normal or hard difficulty.
What triggers a pillager raid?
A raid is triggered when a player with the Bad Omen effect enters a village.
What do pillagers want?
Pillagers seem to seek to control the Overworld, they are hostile to villagers, and attack the Iron Golems that protect the villages.
Why do I keep getting raided by pillagers?
Raids are caused by entering a village while under the influence of the Bad Omen effect. This is achieved when killing a pillager captain. Drinking milk or waiting for the Bad Omen to expire will stop them.
Can you leash a pillager?
No, you cannot put a lead on a pillager.
What effect does a pillager give you?
Killing a pillager patrol captain gives you the “Bad Omen” effect.
Can you stop a pillager raid?
You can stop a pillager raid by defeating all pillagers in all the raid waves.
Conclusion
Effectively dealing with pillagers in Minecraft requires a comprehensive approach. By understanding their behavior, employing preventative measures, and mastering combat strategies, you can significantly reduce the threat they pose. Remember to light up your areas, manage the terrain, take out pillager outposts, and be ready to defend yourself in raids. By combining all the techniques described in this guide, you can navigate the world of Minecraft much more safely and efficiently.