What Can You Do With An Illager Banner? A Comprehensive Guide
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An illager banner, specifically the ominous banner dropped by Pillager Captains in Minecraft, is more than just a decorative item. It holds a unique significance and can be used in several interesting ways. The primary function of the banner revolves around triggering raids and displaying trophies. You can also use it to decorate your shield, create other special banners, and, in some editions, even use it to become a Raid Captain yourself. Let’s dive deep into the versatile uses of the illager banner.
Crafting the Pillager War Flag
One of the initial uses of the illager banner is crafting the Pillager War Flag. This process requires a crafting table and specific placement of materials. You place the illager banner in the center slot, add three sticks across the top row, two sticks on either side of the banner, and one stick at the bottom. The resulting Pillager War Flag has a unique function:
- Triggering a Raid: Placing the Pillager War Flag in a village will cause a horn sound to play, the flag will disappear, and a pillager raid will commence. This is a surefire way to challenge yourself and test your combat skills against waves of hostile illagers.
The Ominous Banner’s Purpose
The ominous banner itself serves a more fundamental purpose: it identifies Pillager Patrol Leaders. Only these leaders carry the banner, and they are the only ones who can inflict the Bad Omen effect upon a player. This effect is crucial as it’s the primary trigger for village raids.
Bad Omen and Its Consequences
- Applying the Bad Omen: When you defeat a Pillager Captain, they drop the ominous banner, and the game applies the Bad Omen status effect. This effect means the next time you enter a village, a raid will begin.
- Stacking the Bad Omen: The more Raid Captains you defeat, the higher the Bad Omen effect stacks (up to level 5), making subsequent raids significantly more challenging.
- The Raid Begins: Entering a village with the Bad Omen effect will initiate a raid, where waves of illagers will attack the village, and you’ll have to defend it.
Cosmetic Uses: Shield and Decoration
Beyond triggering raids, the illager banner can be used for cosmetic purposes. It serves as a sort of trophy, showcasing your victories against Pillager Patrols and Outposts.
Shield Decoration (Java Edition Only)
- Unique Designs: In the Java Edition of Minecraft (version 1.9 and above), you can combine the illager banner with a shield to create a unique shield design.
- Banner Variety: You can also combine regular banners with shields to create different designs, expanding your options for personalizing your shield.
- A Mark of Pride: Displaying a shield with a Pillager banner is a clear indicator of your experience and victories against illagers.
Interior Decoration
- House Trophy: The illager banner can be proudly displayed in your house or base as a trophy, similar to displaying a wither skull or other rare loot.
- Storytelling Element: It adds to the lore of your builds and establishes your character as an adventurer who has faced dangerous enemies.
The Risk: Creating a New Captain
Another less well-known aspect is that the illager banner is pickable.
- Pillagers Becoming Captains: If a patrol captain is killed, nearby pillagers can pick up the illager banner and become the next captain. This adds a level of dynamism to pillager groups, especially if you’re caught off guard.
- Raids from Pickups Killing the new captain can trigger a raid if you have the bad omen status.
Banners in Minecraft Raids and Missions
In some Minecraft versions, particularly in the context of missions, banners have evolved further.
- Threat and Mystery Banners: When you defeat a Raid Captain in certain scenarios, they drop banners that either alter the difficulty in specific ways (Threat Banners) or in more unpredictable ways (Mystery Banners).
- Increased Challenge: These banners are designed to increase the challenge of the missions, forcing players to adapt to different gameplay conditions.
Other Key Aspects of Illager Banners
Here are some other essential points to note when dealing with illager banners and illagers in Minecraft.
- No Attraction: Displaying a Pillager banner in your base will not attract pillagers. They do not act that way and will only attack with a bad omen.
- Bad Omen Removal: The Bad Omen status can be removed by drinking milk. This will prevent raids until you earn the bad omen again.
- Duration of Bad Omen: The Bad Omen effect can last up to 1 hour and 40 minutes.
- Illager Variants: Pillagers are different from other illagers in that they explore more, unlike other illager types who prefer to stay in solitude.
- Pillager Captains: Pillager Captains can be summoned using console commands, allowing you to test your skills at will.
- The Vindicator: Vindicators are one of the most dangerous illagers in Minecraft and pose a formidable threat.
- Ravagers: Ravagers are hostile mobs that join pillagers in raids.
- Curing Bad Omen: You can cure a Bad Omen by drinking milk from any animal bucket.
- Transforming Pillagers: Pillagers cannot be turned into villagers by any means other than through the use of confusion potion and golden apples.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
1. Can I use an Illager Banner to make other banners?
While you can’t directly use an illager banner to craft other standard banners, you can use it to craft the Pillager War Flag and combine it with shields for unique designs in the Java Edition.
2. Does hanging a Pillager Banner attract Pillagers to my base?
No, hanging a pillager banner will not attract pillagers to your base. However, having a bad omen status will attract them to villages.
3. Can Pillagers pick up banners?
Yes, when a patrol captain is killed, nearby pillagers can pick up the illager banner and become the new captain.
4. How long does the Bad Omen effect from an Illager Banner last?
The Bad Omen effect lasts up to 1 hour and 40 minutes after killing a Pillager Captain.
5. Can I put an Illager banner on a shield in Minecraft Bedrock edition?
Unfortunately, the ability to apply banners to shields is exclusively available in the Java Edition of Minecraft.
6. How do I remove the Bad Omen status?
You can remove the Bad Omen status by drinking milk from any animal.
7. What is the difference between illagers and pillagers?
While most illagers prefer seclusion, pillagers are more adventurous and explore the world.
8. Is the witch an illager?
No, witches are not illagers. They are peaceful towards villagers and wandering traders, but their potions can hit others by accident.
9. Can I transform a pillager into a villager?
Not in any way other than using a confusion potion and a golden apple.
10. What is the most powerful illager?
The Vindicator is generally considered the most powerful illager in terms of raw strength due to their axe attacks.
11. What does killing a pillager captain do?
Killing a Pillager Captain drops the illager banner and applies the Bad Omen effect to the player.
12. How can I give myself the bad omen effect using commands?
You can use the /effect give @p bad_omen 99999 command in Java Edition or /effect @p bad_omen 99999 in Bedrock Edition to apply the Bad Omen effect.
13. How can I make a pillager captain spawn in Bedrock Edition?
You can spawn a pillager raid captain in Bedrock Edition using the command: /summon pillager ~ ~ ~ minecraft:spawn_as_illager_captain.
14. What happens when I place an Illager Banner in a village?
Placing the banner in a village will trigger a horn sound, consume the banner, and start a pillager raid.
15. Is the Ravager an illager?
The Ravager is a hostile mob that joins pillagers during raids and was formerly known as the illager beast.