How to Keep a Wandering Trader from Despawning in Minecraft

The Wandering Trader is a unique and often frustrating mob in Minecraft. Known for their eclectic inventory and high prices, they appear seemingly at random, offering potentially valuable but sometimes overpriced goods. One of the biggest frustrations players face is their tendency to simply vanish after a set time. So, how do you prevent a Wandering Trader from despawning? The short, and perhaps disappointing answer is: you can’t permanently prevent them from despawning by normal game mechanics.

Wandering Traders are programmed to despawn after being loaded for approximately 48,000 game ticks, which translates to 40 minutes or two full Minecraft days. This timer runs continuously even if the player is not actively engaging with the trader, but it does pause if the player has the trading UI open. Unfortunately, common methods like naming them with a name tag or placing them in a boat or minecart have absolutely no effect on their despawn timer. The game is specifically designed for them to despawn, offering a fresh inventory and encounter later.

The design intent seems to be to keep the game feeling dynamic and somewhat unpredictable. Wandering Traders are meant to be fleeting opportunities rather than permanent fixtures. Their despawning is as much a part of their mechanics as their trades.

Understanding Wandering Trader Despawning

The Despawn Timer

As previously stated, the despawn timer is the primary mechanic controlling when a Wandering Trader disappears. It’s a countdown starting from the moment the trader spawns into the loaded chunks of a player’s world. This means that if a trader is near a player’s base, their despawn timer will run. If they’re spawned in an area the player has not loaded, then the timer won’t start until the player loads it.

Factors That Don’t Prevent Despawning

It’s crucial to understand what doesn’t prevent a Wandering Trader from despawning. Many players believe that the following actions could keep the trader around, but they are incorrect:

• Name Tags: Naming a Wandering Trader with a name tag has no effect on its despawn timer.
• Vehicles: Placing the trader in a boat or minecart does not prevent it from despawning.
• Trading: Even if you’re engaging in trades, the timer is still ticking down. However, having the trade UI open does pause the timer.
• Locking Trades: While locking a trade by buying all the items in it may cause the trader to despawn sooner, it doesn’t prevent it from eventually doing so.

The Role of Locked Trades

Interestingly, locking all trades with a Wandering Trader will cause them to despawn sooner than the 40-minute limit. This mechanism encourages players to engage with traders, but not indefinitely.

Limited Control

Ultimately, Minecraft is structured in a way that players have very limited control over a Wandering Trader’s lifespan. The primary design goal is for these encounters to be temporary and to ensure that players can encounter new trades periodically.

Frequently Asked Questions about Wandering Traders

1. Do Wandering Traders Despawn if You Name Them?

No, naming a Wandering Trader with a name tag has absolutely no effect on its despawn timer. They will still despawn after roughly 40 minutes of being loaded, regardless of their name.

2. Can You Lock a Wandering Trader?

You can lock trades with a Wandering Trader by purchasing all of a particular item they offer. Unlike villagers, they cannot unlock these trades. A locked trade will remain locked, and once all trades are locked, the trader may despawn sooner.

3. Can You Reset a Wandering Trader’s Trades?

The trades on a Wandering Trader cannot be reset directly by a player. The trader must despawn on its own and another one must spawn later in the world, with a completely new set of trades.

4. Does Killing a Wandering Trader Affect Spawn Rates?

Yes, killing Wandering Traders will decrease their spawn rate. There is a hidden “popularity” system. Killing one reduces this value, which leads to fewer traders spawning, and when they do, the quality of their trades can be lower.

5. How Can I Keep a Wandering Trader?

You cannot permanently keep a Wandering Trader. The game is structured in a way that they will always despawn after a set time. This happens even if you name them, put them in vehicles or lock all their trades.

6. Is Killing Wandering Traders Bad?

Yes, killing Wandering Traders is generally bad. It decreases their spawn rate and can lead to lower-quality trades when they do appear. Killing them offers no real benefit since they do not drop XP.

7. Can Wandering Traders Sell Cherry Trees?

Yes, Wandering Traders can sell cherry saplings. They are one of the ways players can obtain these plants in survival mode, making them valuable to find. This applies even if experimental settings are off.

8. Can Wandering Traders Go Invisible?

Yes, Wandering Traders will drink an invisibility potion to hide from mobs at night. They become visible again in the morning after consuming a bucket of milk.

9. Do Villagers Need to Sleep to Reset Trades?

No, villagers do not need to sleep to restock their trades. They simply need to be able to access their workstations, and they will restock their trades twice a day. However, they do need beds to breed.

10. Can You Tame a Trader Llama?

If a player kills a wandering trader and waits a while, the llamas that come with the trader become tame. You can ride them and put carpets on them. Tamed trader llamas will not despawn. If they are killed, a death message will be shown to the player.

11. Can Wandering Traders Use Doors?

Yes, Wandering Traders can open doors to try and trade with someone new, but like most mobs, they cannot open iron doors. They can also leash their llamas to fences. They can re-leash a llama even if it has been unleashed.

12. What is the Downside to Killing a Wandering Trader?

The primary downside is that you will not gain any experience points and will decrease their spawn rate and trade quality on future spawns.

13. Do Wandering Traders Go Invisible at Night?

Yes, they will drink an invisibility potion to hide from mobs during the night, and a bucket of milk in the morning to become visible again.

14. How Do You Trap a Wandering Trader?

Wandering traders can be trapped by placing a bell on a platform in a location where mobs cannot spawn, for example in the ocean. Put a hole around the bell with trapdoors. Add a water stream to transport the trader towards a chosen point. This is helpful, but it will not prevent them from despawning.

15. Can Wandering Traders Breed?

No, Wandering Traders cannot breed, unlike villagers. They are designed as unique, non-breeding entities. They are meant to provide unique interactions, and their spawn frequency is controlled separately from a breeding mechanism.

Conclusion

Wandering Traders are intentionally designed as temporary visitors to the Minecraft world. While the idea of keeping them around permanently is appealing, their despawn timer ensures they remain a fleeting, unpredictable opportunity rather than a permanent fixture. Understanding their mechanics, limitations and unique features will make your Minecraft experience more enjoyable. Focus on making the most of the limited time you have with each Wandering Trader, and you’ll find that their unpredictability is part of the game’s charm.