Exploring the world of Minecraft, you might stumble upon a unique type of zombie: the zombie villager. These mobs, unlike regular zombies, are zombified versions of villagers. While they are uncommon in natural spawns, they can appear when a regular villager is defeated by a zombie, especially depending on the game’s difficulty settings.
While defeating them is an option, curing a zombie villager unlocks the “Zombie Doctor” achievement. More importantly, upon being cured, the villager reverts to its original profession and trading inventory. This makes curing zombie villagers a valuable strategy, especially if your own villagers have turned into zombies. Here’s a comprehensive guide on how to heal a zombie villager and bring them back to their normal self.
Finding and Trapping Your Zombie Villager
Cured zombie villagers are incredibly useful in Minecraft, particularly for establishing beneficial trading relationships. However, before you can cure one, you need to find and safely secure a zombie villager. This section will guide you through the best methods to locate and trap these unique mobs.
Locating a Zombie Villager: Spawn Methods
There are several ways to encounter a zombie villager in Minecraft:
| Method | Description | Probability & Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Natural Zombie Spawn | During nighttime zombie spawns, there’s a small chance (5%) that a zombie villager will appear instead of a regular zombie. | Uncommon, requires patience and nighttime exploration. |
| Villager Conversion | When a standard zombie attacks and kills a villager, there’s a possibility the villager will transform into a zombie villager. The probability increases with higher difficulty levels. | Dependent on zombie attacks on villages, can be influenced by bringing zombies to villages. |
| Igloo Basements | Every igloo with a basement contains a guaranteed zombie villager and a cleric villager. | Reliable source, igloos are found in snowy biomes. These zombie villagers will not despawn. |
| Abandoned Villages | In a small percentage (2%) of newly generated villages, some are abandoned and may contain zombie villagers. | Uncommon village variant, zombie villagers in abandoned villages also do not despawn. |
Trapping a Zombie Villager: Safety First
Once you’ve located a zombie villager, trapping it safely is essential for the curing process. Here’s what you’ll need and how to do it:
Materials:
- Building Blocks: Any type of solid block (cobblestone, wood, etc.) to create a small enclosure.
- Door or Gate: To seal the enclosure and prevent the zombie villager from escaping.
Steps:
- Build a Small Enclosure: Construct a simple, roofed structure. The roof is crucial as it protects the zombie villager from sunlight, which will harm them during the day.
- Lure the Zombie Villager: Carefully get the zombie villager’s attention and let it follow you towards the entrance of your enclosure. Zombie villagers, like regular zombies, are attracted to players.
- Secure the Enclosure: Once the zombie villager is inside, quickly exit and place the door or gate to seal the entrance. Ensure the enclosure is well-lit inside to prevent other mobs from spawning.
Important Note: Remember that standard mobs can despawn if no players are within a 128-block radius. To ensure your trapped zombie villager doesn’t disappear, stay within this proximity or have another player remain nearby.
Gathering the Necessary Materials for the Cure
Curing a zombie villager requires specific items that you’ll need to gather and prepare. Here’s a detailed breakdown of each material and how to obtain it:
| Material | How to Obtain | Purpose in Cure |
|---|---|---|
| Brewing Stand | Craft using 1 Blaze Rod (from Blazes in the Nether) and 3 Cobblestone (bottom row of crafting table). Can also be found in villages and churches. | Essential for brewing potions. |
| Fermented Spider Eye | Craft using 1 Spider Eye (from Spiders), 1 Brown Mushroom, and 1 Sugar. | Key ingredient for the Potion of Weakness. |
| Golden Apple | Craft by surrounding an Apple with 8 Gold Ingots. Can also be found as loot in mineshafts, dungeons, ruins, and Woodland Mansions (rare). | Used to feed the zombie villager after applying Weakness, triggering the curing process. |
| 3 Water Bottles | Craft Glass Bottles (3 glass blocks in a ‘V’ shape on crafting table) and fill them with water from any water source. | Base for brewing potions. |
| Gunpowder | Obtained by defeating Creepers, Ghasts, and Witches. Can also be purchased from Wandering Traders or found in chests. Creepers are the most common source. | Used to make the Potion of Weakness into a Splash Potion. |
| Blaze Powder | Craft by placing a Blaze Rod in the crafting grid. Each Blaze Rod yields 2 Blaze Powder. | Fuel for the Brewing Stand. |
Crafting the Splash Potion of Weakness
The crucial step in healing a zombie villager is creating a Splash Potion of Weakness. This potion, when thrown at the zombie villager, makes them vulnerable to the Golden Apple’s curing effect. Follow these steps to brew your potion:
- Prepare the Brewing Stand: Place your Brewing Stand and fuel it with Blaze Powder in the bottom left slot.
- Brew Potions of Weakness: Place the three Water Bottles in the bottom slots of the Brewing Stand. Put the Fermented Spider Eye in the top slot. Wait for the brewing process to complete. The Water Bottles will transform into Potions of Weakness.
- Create Splash Potions: Once you have Potions of Weakness, place them in the bottom slots of the Brewing Stand. Now, put Gunpowder in the top slot where the Fermented Spider Eye was previously. Wait for brewing to finish. The Potions of Weakness will now become Splash Potions of Weakness.
The Healing Process: Curing Your Zombie Villager
With the Splash Potion of Weakness and Golden Apple in hand, you are ready to cure your zombie villager. Follow these final steps to revert the zombie villager back to a normal villager:
- Apply Weakness: Throw the Splash Potion of Weakness at the zombie villager. Ensure the potion effect hits the mob.
- Feed the Golden Apple: Quickly select the Golden Apple in your hotbar and use it on the zombie villager by right-clicking (or using the ‘use’ button on your platform) while facing it.
- Observe the Transformation: After feeding the Golden Apple, you’ll notice grey swirling particles around the zombie villager turning into red swirling particles. The zombie villager will begin to shake and tremble.
- Patience is Key: The curing process takes a few moments in real-time. Be patient and wait. Do not attack or move the zombie villager during this time.
- Villager Reversion: Once the process is complete, the zombie villager will transform back into a regular villager, retaining its original profession and trades.
Cured villagers offer a significant benefit: they will trade with you at discounted prices as a sign of gratitude for saving them. This price reduction makes trading with cured villagers extremely advantageous.
This method of curing zombie villagers is not only a way to obtain specific villager professions but also a practical approach to establishing or expanding your own villages, especially in areas where natural villages are scarce. Instead of the often tedious task of transporting villagers over long distances, curing a local zombie villager can be a more efficient way to kickstart your village development.
Ensure you have a bed within a nearby structure ready for the cured villager. This allows them to claim it as their home and fully integrate into your settlement.
