Complete Villager Trading Guide
Villager trading is one of the most powerful mechanics in Minecraft! Learn to set up efficient trading halls, get the best trades, cure zombie villagers for discounts, and maximize your emerald profits.
🏘️ Finding Villages
Villages are the foundation of trading. Here's how to find and identify them:
Village Spawn Biomes
Villages generate naturally in these biomes:
- 🌾 Plains: Most common village type
- 🏜️ Desert: Sandstone villages
- 🌳 Savanna: Acacia wood villages
- 🌲 Taiga: Spruce wood villages
- ❄️ Snowy Tundra: Snow-covered villages
Finding Villages
- 🔍 Explore on foot or with elytra
- 🗺️ Use Cartography Table to create explorer maps
- 📱 Use our ore finder tool to note village coordinates
- 🌋 Use Nether travel to reach distant villages quickly
👔 Understanding Villager Professions
Each villager profession offers unique trades. Professions are determined by job site blocks:
🌾 Farmer
Workstation: Composter
Best Trades:
- Wheat → Emerald (20:1)
- Carrot → Emerald (22:1)
- Potato → Emerald (26:1)
- Bread → Emerald (1:1 at higher levels)
Use: Easy emerald farming
📚 Librarian
Workstation: Lectern
Best Trades:
- Paper → Emerald (24:1)
- Enchanted Books (all enchantments!)
- Bookshelf → Emerald
Use: Get any enchantment!
⚒️ Toolsmith
Workstation: Smithing Table
Best Trades:
- Coal → Emerald (15:1)
- Iron Ingot → Emerald (4:1)
- Diamond Tools (Fortune, Efficiency)
Use: Get enchanted tools
⚔️ Weaponsmith
Workstation: Grindstone
Best Trades:
- Coal → Emerald (15:1)
- Iron Ingot → Emerald (4:1)
- Diamond Weapons (Sharpness, Looting)
Use: Get enchanted weapons
🛡️ Armorer
Workstation: Blast Furnace
Best Trades:
- Coal → Emerald (15:1)
- Iron Ingot → Emerald (4:1)
- Diamond Armor (Protection, Unbreaking)
Use: Get enchanted armor
🔮 Cleric
Workstation: Brewing Stand
Best Trades:
- Rotten Flesh → Emerald (32:1)
- Gold Ingot → Emerald (1:1)
- Ender Pearl (5 emeralds)
- Redstone Dust
- Glowstone Dust
Use: Get ender pearls, redstone
🎣 Fisherman
Workstation: Barrel
Best Trades:
- String → Emerald (20:1)
- Coal → Emerald (10:1)
- Enchanted Fishing Rods
Use: Get fishing rods
🪵 Fletcher
Workstation: Fletching Table
Best Trades:
- Stick → Emerald (32:1)
- Flint → Emerald (26:1)
- String → Emerald (14:1)
- Enchanted Bows
Use: Get enchanted bows, easy emeralds
🧱 Mason
Workstation: Stonecutter
Best Trades:
- Clay → Emerald (10:1)
- Stone → Emerald (20:1)
- Quartz → Emerald (1:1)
Use: Get building materials
📈 Villager Trade Levels
Villagers have 5 trade levels. Trading unlocks better deals:
1️⃣ Novice
Unlocks: After first trade
Trades: Basic items, emerald costs
2️⃣ Apprentice
Unlocks: After 2-10 trades
Trades: Better items, some discounts
3️⃣ Journeyman
Unlocks: After 10-20 trades
Trades: Good items, enchanted books
4️⃣ Expert
Unlocks: After 20-30 trades
Trades: Excellent items, rare enchants
5️⃣ Master
Unlocks: After 30+ trades
Trades: Best items, diamond gear
Leveling Up Villagers
Trade with villagers to increase their experience. Each trade gives XP. Villagers restock trades twice per day (morning and afternoon). Keep trading to unlock all levels!
🏗️ Building a Trading Hall
A well-designed trading hall organizes villagers by profession for efficient trading:
Trading Hall Design
Choose Location
Build near your base or in a village. Ensure it's well-lit and mob-proof.
Create Villager Cells
Build 1x2x1 cells with a bed and workstation. Use trapdoors or signs to prevent escape.
Assign Professions
Place workstations to assign professions. Break and replace to change profession.
Organize by Profession
Group villagers by profession for easy access. Label sections with signs.
Essential Requirements
- ✅ Bed: Each villager needs a bed
- ✅ Workstation: Determines profession
- ✅ Lighting: Prevent mob spawns (light level 8+)
- ✅ Protection: Walls and doors to keep mobs out
- ✅ Access: Easy way to interact with villagers
🧟 Curing Zombie Villagers
Curing zombie villagers gives permanent discounts and hero of the village effect:
Curing Process
Find or Create Zombie Villager
Zombie villagers spawn naturally or convert regular villagers (hard difficulty). Trap them safely.
Apply Weakness
Throw a Splash Potion of Weakness at the zombie villager. Brew with fermented spider eye.
Feed Golden Apple
Right-click the zombie villager with a Golden Apple while it has weakness effect.
Wait for Cure
Curing takes 2-5 minutes. Protect the villager during this time. They'll have permanent discounts!
Curing Benefits
- 💰 Permanent Discounts: Up to 20% cheaper trades
- 🏆 Hero of the Village: Temporary effect, more discounts
- 🔄 Infinite Cures: Can cure same villager multiple times
- 💎 Stack Discounts: Multiple cures stack up to 1 emerald minimum
Pro Tip: Discount Stacking
Cure a villager 5 times to get maximum discounts. Many trades will cost just 1 emerald! Combine with Hero of the Village for even better deals.
💎 Emerald Farming Strategies
Efficient emerald farming ensures you always have currency for trading:
🌾 Crop Trading (Farmer)
Setup: Auto-farm wheat, carrots, or potatoes
Rate: 20-26 crops = 1 emerald
Best Crop: Carrots (22:1 ratio, easy to farm)
Automation: Use villagers to farm, hoppers to collect
📄 Paper Trading (Librarian)
Setup: Sugar cane farm
Rate: 24 paper = 1 emerald
Best For: Easy automation, fast growth
Automation: Zero-tick farms or observer-based harvesters
🪵 Stick Trading (Fletcher)
Setup: Tree farm
Rate: 32 sticks = 1 emerald
Best For: High volume, renewable resource
Automation: Auto tree farms with TNT or pistons
🪨 Stone Trading (Mason)
Setup: Cobblestone generator
Rate: 20 stone = 1 emerald
Best For: Infinite resource, easy to automate
Automation: Lava + water = infinite cobblestone
📚 Getting Enchanted Books
Librarians are the key to getting any enchantment in the game:
Librarian Enchantment Strategy
- Place Lectern: Place a lectern near an unemployed villager
- Check First Trade: Right-click to see the enchanted book offer
- Not the Right Enchant? Break the lectern and replace it
- Repeat: Keep breaking/replacing until you get desired enchant
- Lock the Trade: Trade once to lock the profession
Priority Enchantments
- 💎 Mending: Repairs items with XP (most valuable!)
- 💎 Fortune III: Doubles diamond yield
- ⚡ Efficiency V: 5x faster mining
- 🛡️ Protection IV: Best armor enchant
- ⚔️ Sharpness V: Best weapon enchant
- 🎯 Unbreaking III: Tools last 4x longer
Pro Tip: Enchantment Cycling
If you don't get the enchantment you want, break the lectern BEFORE trading. Once you trade, the profession locks and you can't change it. Keep cycling until you get Mending or Fortune III!
🎯 Best Trades by Profession
Here are the most valuable trades from each profession:
📚 Librarian - Master Level
Best Trade: Enchanted Books (any enchantment!)
Cost: 10-64 emeralds (varies by enchant)
Value: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Priceless for rare enchants
⚒️ Toolsmith - Master Level
Best Trade: Diamond Pickaxe with Efficiency V, Unbreaking III
Cost: 13-16 emeralds
Value: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Best mining tool
🛡️ Armorer - Master Level
Best Trade: Diamond Armor with Protection IV
Cost: 16-19 emeralds
Value: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Best protection
🔮 Cleric - Apprentice Level
Best Trade: Ender Pearl
Cost: 5 emeralds
Value: ⭐⭐⭐⭐ Essential for End access
💡 Pro Trading Tips
🏘️ Ready to Master Trading?
Set up your trading hall and start getting valuable enchanted books, tools, and resources!
