Curing the Tiny Terror: A Comprehensive Guide to Reversing Baby Zombie Villager Infections in Minecraft
Alright, listen up, fledgling Minecraft medics! You’ve stumbled across a baby zombie villager – a rare, terrifying, and surprisingly speedy little critter. Your first thought is probably “How do I make this pint-sized menace not try to eat my brains?” The answer, thankfully, is achievable. So how long does it take to cure a baby zombie villager? The curing process for baby zombie villagers is identical to that of adult zombie villagers. Once you’ve applied a Splash Potion of Weakness and fed the little tyke a Golden Apple, the transformation back to a regular baby villager will take approximately 3-5 minutes in the Java Edition and 1-2 minutes in the Bedrock Edition. The time it takes for the cure to take effect can be shortened by placing beds or iron bars near the baby zombie villager. Now, let’s dive into the nitty-gritty of how to safely and effectively execute this mini-miracle, plus address some burning questions you might have about these diminutive undead.
Understanding the Baby Zombie Villager
Before we get into the curing process, it’s important to understand what exactly we’re dealing with. Baby zombie villagers are a relatively rare spawn in Minecraft. They inherit the worst traits of both zombies and baby villagers: the speed and relentless pursuit of a zombie, combined with the unnerving, high-pitched gurgles, and surprisingly small hitbox of a baby.
How Do Baby Zombie Villagers Spawn?
There are a few ways you might encounter one of these diminutive terrors:
- Natural Spawn: While rare, baby zombie villagers can spawn naturally as part of the general zombie population. The odds are low, though, clocking in at a meager 0.25% chance (1 in 400) of a newly spawned zombie being a baby zombie villager.
- Zombie Infection: If a zombie (or any variant, like a husk or drowned) kills a baby villager, there’s a chance the baby villager will turn into a baby zombie villager. The likelihood of infection depends on the difficulty setting.
- Chicken Jockeys: Possibly the most terrifying scenario is encountering a baby zombie villager riding a chicken. These “chicken jockeys” are a rare sight and combine the speed of a baby zombie with the mobility of a chicken, making them a real pain to deal with.
The Cure: Turning Undead Back to Playful
The method to cure a baby zombie villager is exactly the same as for an adult zombie villager. It involves using the power of potions and gold to reverse the effects of the undead curse.
The Curing Process: A Step-by-Step Guide
Here’s a breakdown of the steps you’ll need to follow to successfully cure a baby zombie villager:
- Containment is Key: Your first priority is safety. Baby zombie villagers are fast and can easily overwhelm you. Lure it into a secure, enclosed space. This could be a fenced-in area, a small room, or even a pit. The important thing is that you can safely approach it without being attacked.
- Potion of Weakness: You’ll need a Splash Potion of Weakness. You can brew this using fermented spider eye and gunpowder. This potion weakens the zombie, making it susceptible to the Golden Apple. Throw the potion at the baby zombie villager. The zombie will be surrounded by gray swirling particles, indicating that the potion has taken effect.
- Golden Apple: Now for the golden touch! You’ll need a Golden Apple. Craft this by surrounding an apple with eight gold ingots. With the Splash Potion of Weakness still active, approach the baby zombie villager and “use” the Golden Apple on it. This is typically done by right-clicking on the zombie villager while holding the Golden Apple.
- The Waiting Game: Once you feed the baby zombie villager the Golden Apple, it will start to shake violently and emit red, swirling particles. This indicates that the curing process has begun. Now, patience is key! As noted previously, the curing process will take around 3-5 minutes in Java Edition and 1-2 minutes in Bedrock Edition.
- Optional Acceleration: While waiting, you can speed up the process a little by placing beds or iron bars around the zombie villager. The exact mechanics behind this aren’t entirely clear, but many players swear it reduces the curing time.
- Protection: Make sure to protect the baby zombie villager during the curing process! Direct sunlight will still damage the villager while it’s being cured and any mobs, will still want to attack it. So keep it safe!
- The Transformation: After the waiting period, the red particles will disappear, and the shaking will stop. Congratulations! You’ve successfully cured the baby zombie villager. It will now be a normal baby villager again.
Curing a Chicken Jockey
Curing a baby zombie villager chicken jockey doesn’t cause it to dismount. You’ll end up with a regular baby villager still riding the chicken. What happens next depends on the villager’s growth and the chicken’s lifespan. The villager can grow up while riding the chicken, and it will function as a normal villager afterward. The chicken, however, will eventually despawn or die.
FAQs: Answering Your Burning Baby Zombie Villager Questions
Here are some of the most frequently asked questions about baby zombie villagers and the curing process:
1. Will the Cured Baby Villager Grow Up?
Yes! Once cured, the baby villager will behave like any other baby villager. After approximately 20 minutes (as long as it’s within render distance), it will grow into an adult villager.
2. Can a Baby Zombie Ride a Zombie?
Absolutely! In the Bedrock Edition, baby zombies (including zombie villagers) can ride on adult zombies, spiders, or other animals. This makes them even more dangerous.
3. How Rare is It to Find a Baby Zombie Riding a Chicken?
Finding a baby zombie or husk riding a chicken has a 5% chance of that occurrence. This means the chicken jockey can also drop any Weapon or Armor they had before mounting the chicken.
4. Can You Speed Up Villager Curing?
Yes, you can slightly speed up the villager curing process by placing beds or iron bars around the zombie villager as the curing process unfolds.
5. Does Curing a Villager Lower Prices Forever?
Yes! A newly-cured villager, if it had a profession prior to being zombified, offers a trading discount to the player who administered the cure. These discounts are permanent. If a villager is cured more than once, the discounts get deeper until the price reaches the minimum of one emerald. This is a fantastic way to get great deals on essential resources.
6. What Happens if You Cure a Baby Zombie Villager Riding a Chicken?
Currently, curing a baby zombie villager jockey does not cause it to dismount, creating a villager chicken jockey.
7. Can You Double Cure a Villager?
Yes, you can! Curing a villager multiple times results in even greater trading discounts. Many players exploit this to get the best possible deals from their villagers. The Games Learning Society has conducted many different experiments to show this result.
8. Can Baby Zombies Grow?
No, baby zombies (including baby zombie villagers) do not grow up on their own. They remain babies indefinitely unless cured.
9. Can a Drowned Turn a Villager into a Zombie?
Yes, a drowned can turn a villager into a zombie villager. The chance of this happening depends on the difficulty setting: 0% on Easy, 50% on Normal, and 100% on Hard.
10. Do Baby Villagers Need Beds to Grow Up?
Baby villagers don’t need beds to grow up into adults, but beds are necessary for villagers to breed and create more baby villagers.
11. Will Baby Villagers Grow Up in a Boat?
Yes! A baby villager becomes an adult 20 minutes after birth, even when in a boat or a minecart. This doesn’t affect their growth cycle.
12. How Do You Get a Zombie Villager 100% of the Time?
If any type of zombie kills a villager, there is a chance that the villager will transform into a zombie villager (100% on Hard difficulty, 50% on Normal, 0% on Easy).
13. Are Baby Zombie Villagers Rare?
Yes, baby zombie villagers are rare. Baby zombie villagers also spawn naturally, but the combined chance (5% villagers × 5% babies) is low at 0.25% (or 1 in 400 chance) of all newly spawned zombies.
14. What are Baby Villagers Attracted To?
Baby villagers will sprint around, entering and leaving houses at will. They will sometimes stop sprinting to stare at an iron golem. If the iron golem is holding a poppy, it might attract any baby villagers near it.
15. Why Won’t a Zombie Hit a Villager?
Given that a zombie can’t jump to the same elevation as a villager, it won’t attack it. There’s not much to be said; to reproduce make sure the zombie is one block below the villager and can’t jump to the same elevation. If done correctly, the villager will never be harmed regardless of proximity to the zombie.
Conclusion: A Life Saved, a Bargain Gained
Curing a baby zombie villager is more than just an act of kindness; it’s a strategic move! Not only are you saving a life, but you’re also unlocking the potential for some seriously discounted trades. So, the next time you encounter one of these miniature menaces, don’t run away! Gear up, brew those potions, and get ready to turn that undead nightmare into a valuable asset to your village. Minecraft’s complex systems and emergent gameplay are often studied by the GamesLearningSociety.org, and villager curing and trading are perfect examples of how players can learn and strategize within the game’s rules.