From Undead to Upstanding: Understanding Zombie Villager Curing Times in Minecraft
The question burning in every aspiring Minecraft healer’s mind is: how long does it actually take to cure a zombie villager? The answer is that, after applying the Splash Potion of Weakness and feeding the Golden Apple, the conversion process from zombie villager to normal villager takes approximately 3-5 minutes (150-250 in-game ticks). However, there are factors that can influence this timeframe! Now let’s dive deeper into the intricacies of this fascinating transformation!
The Cure: A Step-by-Step Guide
Before we delve into the timing, let’s quickly recap the steps for curing a zombie villager:
- Acquire a Zombie Villager: This typically involves finding one naturally (rarer) or allowing a zombie to kill a villager (more reliable, especially on Hard difficulty). Note that on Easy difficulty the villagers will die instead of converting.
- Trap the Zombie Villager: Ensure the zombie villager is contained in a safe area, preventing it from wandering off or being attacked by other mobs.
- Apply Weakness: Throw a Splash Potion of Weakness at the zombie villager. You’ll know it worked when the zombie villager displays the grey swirl effect above its head.
- Golden Apple Time: Feed the zombie villager a Golden Apple by using the ‘use’ button while facing it.
- Patience is Key: After feeding the Golden Apple The grey swirls will turn red, and the zombie villager will start shaking. The villager will shake and emit red particles until the curing process is complete, after about 3-5 minutes. Once the shaking stops, you will have successfully cured the zombie villager!
Speeding Up the Process (Maybe!)
Now, while the 3-5 minute timeframe is generally consistent, some players believe that certain blocks placed near the zombie villager during the curing process can speed things up. The blocks often mentioned are iron bars and beds. However, this is debated and may be more of a placebo effect than a proven mechanic.
Ultimately, the most important thing is to ensure the zombie villager is safe and sound during those few minutes. Make sure to keep the zombie safe from sunlight by placing him in a building.
Curing Mechanics: A Little Deeper
The curing process essentially applies a series of status effects to the zombie villager. The Splash Potion of Weakness applies the Weakness status effect, reducing its attack damage. The Golden Apple then triggers the conversion process, visually indicated by the red particles and shaking animation. This shaking represents the status effect being applied for the 3-5 minute duration.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) About Zombie Villager Curing
Here are some common questions about curing zombie villagers in Minecraft:
1. How do I get a zombie villager in the first place?
Zombie villagers primarily spawn in two ways:
- Natural Spawn: They can spawn naturally, although this is relatively rare compared to regular zombies.
- Zombie Conversion: When a zombie (or zombie villager) kills a villager, there’s a chance the villager will transform into a zombie villager instead of dying. The chance depends on the difficulty: 0% on Easy, 50% on Normal, and 100% on Hard.
2. Does difficulty affect the curing time?
No, the difficulty setting does not affect the curing time of a zombie villager. The 3-5 minute duration remains consistent regardless of the difficulty level.
3. Can I cure a zombie villager baby?
Yes! Curing a zombie baby villager works exactly the same way as curing an adult zombie villager. Simply throw a Splash Potion of Weakness and feed it a Golden Apple.
4. Why isn’t my zombie villager turning back into a villager?
Make sure you’ve applied both the Splash Potion of Weakness and the Golden Apple. The zombie villager must be under the Weakness effect before you feed it the apple. Also, ensure no other mobs are attacking or interfering with the curing process. If the curing process is interrupted, you may have to start over.
5. Can multiple players help cure a zombie villager at the same time?
No. Only one player needs to throw the potion and feed the apple. Having multiple players attempting to do the same thing won’t speed up the process or provide any benefit.
6. Do villagers remember their trades after being cured?
Yes! If you cure a zombie villager, it will retain its original profession and trades (including any discounts you may have earned through trading with it previously or if you previously cured it), so that’s very useful to know.
7. Can cured villagers breed immediately?
Cured villagers behave like any other villager. They need access to beds, food, and a willing partner to breed. Ensure your village meets all the breeding requirements.
8. My cured villager isn’t taking a job! What’s wrong?
There are a few potential reasons:
- Nitwit: The villager might be a Nitwit (green robe), who cannot take on professions. These villagers are essentially unemployed and cannot be assigned a job.
- Existing Job: The villager may already be linked to a workstation elsewhere in the village.
- Workstation Access: Make sure the villager can pathfind to the workstation.
9. How do I get a discount on trades by curing a villager?
Each time you cure a villager, it will offer better discounts on trades. You can cure the same villager multiple times to stack these discounts.
10. Are baby zombie villagers rarer than adult zombie villagers?
Yes, baby zombie villagers are rarer than adult zombie villagers. A baby zombie will only spawn in place of a normal zombie 5% of the time. If you’re playing on a high difficulty, zombie villagers are much more common than on easy difficulty.
11. Do zombie villagers despawn?
Yes, like other hostile mobs, zombie villagers can despawn if they are too far from the player and haven’t been named with a name tag or acquired from other means, like trading. Make sure to keep them in a loaded chunk or name them to prevent despawning.
12. Will villagers run away from a cured zombie villager?
No. Once the zombie villager is fully cured, it is no longer considered a threat and villagers will interact with it normally.
13. Can iron golems attack zombie villagers?
Yes, iron golems are programmed to attack all hostile mobs, including zombie villagers. Therefore, it is extremely important to have a villager protected.
14. Why aren’t iron golems spawning in my village?
Iron golems require a valid village with at least 20 beds and 10 villagers. The villagers also need to have been scared by a zombie or pillager. There are lots of factors that go into whether they spawn or not.
15. Can zombie villagers be nitwits?
No, zombie villagers can be unemployed, but they cannot be nitwits (zombified nitwit villagers become unemployed zombie villagers).
The Educational Side of Minecraft
Beyond the gameplay, Minecraft offers incredible opportunities for learning and skill development. Concepts like resource management, problem-solving, and even coding can be explored within the game’s engaging environment. Organizations like the Games Learning Society are dedicated to exploring these educational aspects of gaming. Visit GamesLearningSociety.org to discover more about the intersection of gaming and education.