The Amazing Allay: Your Guide to Minecraft’s Blue Helper
The blue flying things in Minecraft, known as Allays, are incredibly useful mobs that assist players in gathering items. Once you give an Allay an item, it will diligently search the surrounding area for more of that item and bring them back to you (or a nearby note block). They’re essentially your personal, item-collecting assistants, adding a new dimension of automation and convenience to your Minecraft adventures!
Understanding the Allay: More Than Just a Pretty Face
The Allay’s charm goes beyond its adorable blue aesthetic. This mob introduces a gameplay mechanic that streamlines resource collection, freeing players to focus on more complex tasks like building and exploring. Their behaviour, limitations, and interactions with the world are all crucial to understand for optimal utilization. Let’s delve deeper into the specifics of these helpful creatures.
What Makes the Allay Unique?
-
Item Retrieval: The Allay’s primary function is to find copies of an item it’s holding and bring them back to the player or a note block. This makes them invaluable for farming resources, cleaning up after mining sessions, or even retrieving items after a death.
-
Music Lover: Allays are drawn to the sound of note blocks. When near one, they will drop the items they are carrying. This feature allows players to create automated collection systems.
-
Untamable Friend: While you can’t technically tame an Allay, giving it an item effectively makes it your companion. It will follow you until you take the item back.
-
Rescue Mission: Allays are often found imprisoned in Pillager Outposts or Woodland Mansions. Freeing them adds a heroic element to interacting with these mobs.
-
Limited Abilities: Allays can’t break blocks or interact with the environment beyond picking up items. Their usefulness is tied to the existing mechanics of item drops.
How to Find and Utilize Allays
Allays are not found naturally spawning in the Minecraft world. Players must seek them out in specific structures.
- Locate a Pillager Outpost or Woodland Mansion: These structures have a chance of containing Allays imprisoned in cages.
- Free the Allays: Break the cages to release the Allays.
- Give an Item: Interact with an Allay while holding the item you want it to collect. Make sure you are not just dropping the item, but using/placing it whilst looking at the Allay. The Allay will take the item and begin its search.
- Set up a Collection Point: Place a note block near your desired collection area. The Allay will drop the collected items near the note block when it’s activated.
- Enjoy the Efficiency: Watch as your Allay diligently gathers the specified item, saving you time and effort.
Maximizing Allay Efficiency
To get the most out of your Allays, consider these strategies:
- Strategic Note Block Placement: Position note blocks in central locations within your farm or mining area to maximize the Allay’s range.
- Multiple Allays: Using several Allays simultaneously can significantly increase your item collection rate.
- Item Management: Be mindful of the item you give the Allay. Choose items that are easily obtainable in the environment.
- Chunk Loading: Ensure the area where your Allays are working remains loaded to prevent them from despawning or becoming inactive.
- Transportation: Allays will follow you through portals if you are close enough, enabling cross-dimensional item gathering.
Understanding the nuances of Allay behaviour and strategically implementing them into your gameplay can transform your Minecraft experience. This addition showcases the ongoing evolution of Minecraft, providing players with new tools to enhance creativity and efficiency. The Games Learning Society explores how games like Minecraft promote learning and problem-solving skills. Visit GamesLearningSociety.org to discover more.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) About Allays
Here are some frequently asked questions about Allays, providing further insight into these helpful mobs:
1. Can you tame Allay in Minecraft?
No, you cannot technically “tame” an Allay in the traditional sense. However, giving it an item will make it follow you and retrieve more of that item for you, effectively making it a helpful companion.
2. What do you use Allays for?
Allays are primarily used for item retrieval. You can give them an item, and they will search the surrounding area for more of that item and bring it back to you (or a nearby note block). They are incredibly useful for farming resources and collecting dropped items.
3. How do you tame a blue fairy in Minecraft?
Since Allays aren’t tamed, the best way to get them to follow you is by giving them an item. Interact with the Allay while holding the desired item. It doesn’t matter what the item is; the Allay will accept it and follow you.
4. Will Allays fly away?
Yes, Allays will stop following you if you take back the item you gave them. This is because they no longer have a “job” to do, and will resume wandering.
5. Can Allays become Vexes?
According to some sources, there’s a suggestion that if an Allay is too close to an Evoker for too long, it might transform into a Vex. Conversely, giving a Vex slowness and a cookie might turn it into an Allay. However, this is unconfirmed and potentially a suggestion for future game features.
6. Will Allay follow you forever?
An Allay will follow you as long as you are within a 64-block radius and it is holding an item. If you move further away, it will stop following. If you take the item back, it will also stop following.
7. Can Allays find diamonds?
No, Allays cannot find diamonds directly. They can only retrieve items that are already dropped in the world. Therefore, they can’t dig for diamonds or break blocks to find them.
8. How far will Allays follow you?
Allays will follow you within a 64-block cubic area. They will also search for items within a 32-block cubic area of the player.
9. What do the blue Pixies do in Minecraft?
The blue Pixies, or Allays, are motivated by “servitude.” When you give them an item, they’ll follow you and collect more of that item for you, making them incredibly useful for resource gathering.
10. Are Allays actually useful?
Yes, Allays are exceptionally useful. They automate the process of item collection, saving players significant time and effort. This is invaluable for large-scale building projects, resource farming, and recovering items after death.
11. Can Allays put items in chests?
Allays cannot directly put items in chests. However, you can set up a system where they drop items near a note block, which is positioned above a hopper leading to a chest.
12. How do I get my items back from Allay?
To take an item back from an Allay, simply right-click (or use the equivalent interaction button on your platform) on the Allay with an empty hand.
13. Do tamed Allays teleport to you?
Allays holding an item will follow the player through a portal if they are 21 blocks horizontally or 22 blocks vertically from the player’s legs.
14. How do you keep an Allay as a pet?
While you can’t keep an Allay as a traditional pet, you can maintain its loyalty by giving it an item to hold. As long as it has an item, it will follow you and stay within a certain radius.
15. Can you have multiple allays?
There are no restrictions to the amount of Allays you can have. If you happen to come across an Allay while you already have one then you can make both of them follow you.
By understanding the nuances of Allay behaviour, you can integrate these helpful mobs into your Minecraft adventures and enhance your gameplay significantly.