How Many Times Should I Cure My Villager? A Comprehensive Guide
The simple answer to “how many times should I cure my villager?” is: as many times as possible. In Minecraft, curing a zombie villager provides a significant benefit: heavily discounted trades. Each successful cure further reduces the price of goods, leading to potentially enormous savings on essential items like enchanted books, tools, and resources. The discounts accumulate until the cost of an item hits the minimum of one emerald.
Curing a villager repeatedly is an intentional game mechanic that skilled players use to their advantage. However, there are nuances to this process, making it essential to understand the specific mechanics involved. This article dives into the depths of villager curing, exploring how to maximize the benefits and addressing common questions players might have.
Understanding the Mechanics of Villager Curing
The core idea is straightforward: a zombie villager, when cured, remembers being healed, and this memory translates into better trading prices. Here’s the breakdown:
- Initial Cure: The first cure grants a significant discount on all of the villager’s trade offers. This is a considerable improvement over the base prices.
- Subsequent Cures: Each subsequent cure compounds this effect, further reducing prices. The discount is cumulative; it doesn’t reset with each cure.
- Minimum Price: The discounts continue until the price of an item reaches the minimum of one emerald. Once this point is reached, further cures won’t provide additional discounts for that item.
- Area of Effect: When you cure a zombie villager, not only does it affect the villager in question, but it also provides a slightly smaller discount to other villagers within a close radius. This makes it worthwhile to position your trading station strategically.
The intention behind this mechanic is likely to encourage players to engage in zombie villager curing as a more resource-efficient alternative to manually farming villagers. It creates an interesting gameplay loop that rewards persistence.
How to Cure a Zombie Villager
The process is simple, but requires careful preparation:
- Isolate the Zombie Villager: First, trap the zombie villager in a secure area. You do not want other zombies getting in the way or attacking the villager.
- Splash Potion of Weakness: Throw a splash potion of weakness at the zombie villager. You will know if it has worked because it will start to show a purple swirl effect.
- Golden Apple: Quickly use a golden apple on the weakened zombie villager.
- Wait: The villager will begin to shake, and after a period, it will return to being a normal villager. In Java, it takes around 3-5 minutes. In Bedrock, it takes about 1-2 minutes. Placing beds or iron bars nearby can decrease this wait time.
Once the villager returns to its normal state, you will notice the discounted trading prices. For the maximum discounts, ensure you repeat this process multiple times.
Maximizing Your Curing Efforts
Here are some tips to make villager curing even more effective:
- Strategic Placement: When constructing a curing area, leave space for multiple villagers. This allows you to benefit from the area-of-effect discounts, resulting in even better overall prices.
- Safe Curing Area: Make sure the area is well-lit and secure to prevent additional hostile mobs from interfering with the curing process.
- Patience and Resources: Be prepared to repeat the curing process multiple times and to invest in the required potions and golden apples.
- Trading Efficiency: Once the villager is cured, optimize your trade routes to get the most out of your new discounts. You can achieve this with multiple villager workstations and well organized pathways.
- Mindful Server Rules: If you are on a multiplayer server, be aware that there may be rules and limitations regarding villager curing. Some servers may restrict the maximum number of cures.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Here are some common questions about curing villagers in Minecraft:
1. How many times can you cure a villager?
You can cure a villager an unlimited number of times, however, once the discounts reach the minimum of one emerald, there is no further discount to be given. This is a good stopping point.
2. Do cured villager discounts stack?
Yes, discounts from multiple cures stack, each one making the trades cheaper, until the price is the lowest it can be (one emerald).
3. Do other villagers get discounts when one is cured?
Yes, villagers in the immediate vicinity of a cured zombie villager receive a smaller discount on their trades. This can create a powerful advantage if you group your trading center.
4. Can you cure a baby zombie villager?
Yes, baby zombie villagers can be cured just like their adult counterparts, and they will grow up and retain discounts.
5. Do villagers forget being cured?
Normally, the memory of being cured persists, but there is a glitch: saving and quitting the game while a villager is in the middle of the curing process will cause the villager to forget it was ever being cured and it will lose the discount.
6. Why do my villager prices keep going up?
Villager prices increase due to demand. If you repeatedly trade the same item, it will become more expensive until the villager restsocks.
7. Do cured villagers restock their trades?
Yes, cured villagers restock their trades, just like any other normal villager. However, if the villager was never traded with before the curing, there is a possibility they may not restock.
8. Can you cure villagers on multiplayer servers?
Yes, curing works on servers, but the discounts are typically player-specific. Only the player that cures the villager gets the discount on the trades. Other players will have to cure them themselves to get the discounted trades.
9. Does curing a villager affect its profession?
No, curing a zombie villager does not change its profession. It retains all trades that it previously had.
10. Are green villagers (nitwits) worth curing?
No, green-robed villagers (nitwits) have no trades, and even when cured, will not trade, making curing pointless.
11. How long does it take to cure a villager?
The curing process takes about 3-5 minutes in Java Edition, and 1-2 minutes in Bedrock Edition.
12. Do villagers need beds to restock?
No, villagers **do not need beds to restock** their trades, but they do need access to their workstation. Beds do, however, help with the curing process.
13. What is the best villager for emeralds?
The Librarian is an excellent source of emeralds. They will purchase paper, and they offer enchanted books for trade, among other items.
14. What happens when a zombie kills a villager?
On **Easy** difficulty, the villager will always die. On **Normal**, there is a 50% chance of death, and a 50% chance of the villager becoming a zombie villager. On **Hard** difficulty, the villager will always turn into a zombie villager.
15. Can you cure a zombie villager riding a chicken?
Yes, when you cure a baby zombie villager riding a chicken, it will remain riding the chicken as a standard villager.
Conclusion
Repeatedly curing zombie villagers is a powerful technique to maximize efficiency in Minecraft. The accumulated discounts can turn even the most expensive trades into incredible deals, helping players obtain rare and valuable resources. With an understanding of how the curing mechanics work, and some careful planning, you can create a trading system that will greatly benefit your Minecraft world. So, get out there and cure those zombie villagers as many times as you can!