Minecraft 1.21 Villager Guide: All Variants, How to Trade, & More

(Estimated Read Time: 10 Minutes)

Villagers are an important part of almost any Minecraft playthrough and exist as one of the most in-depth features the game has to offer. So, today, we explore the villager in our Minecraft 1.21 villager guide, including their trades, variants, and some tricks to gain discounts for any item you buy.

All Minecraft 1.21 Villager Variants

Desert Biome

Made up almost entirely of sandstone, desert villages offer one of the most visually and structurally unique villages players can find. They are also the exclusive spawn locations of camels.

Jungle Biome

Jungle villages and villagers do not generate naturally. However, villagers born or cured within a jungle biome will become jungle villagers.

Plains Biome

Plains villages and villagers were the original villagers added all the way back in Minecraft 1.0. Today, they still act as the default when a villager is cured or spawned in a unique location, such as the end.

Savanna Biome

Much like desert villages, savanna biomes offer one of the most visually and structurally unique villages players can find, this time with orange wood, multicolored clay, and raised buildings.

Snowy Biome

Snowy villages include igloos and buildings made of packed ice. They also generate with lanterns rather than the usual torches.

Swamp Biome

Swamp villages and villagers do not generate naturally. However, villagers born or cured within a swamp biome will become swamp villagers.

Taiga Biome

Taiga villages boast roofs made entirely of spruce logs with a base of often mossy cobblestone. Sadly, this village type is most prone to wacky unintended generation due to their often hilly and mountainous locations.

Villager Professions

Unemployed

The default state of nearly all villagers except for nitwits. Unemployed villagers will seek out available job blocks to gain a profession. They offer no trades until a profession is gained.

Armorer

Job Block: Blast Furnace Can Possibly Buy:

• Coal
• Lava Buckets

Can Possibly Sell:

• Bell
• Chainmail Boots
• Chainmail Chestplate
• Chainmail Helmet
• Chainmail Leggings
• Diamond
• Enchanted Diamond Boots
• Enchanted Diamond Chestplate
• Enchanted Diamond Helmet
• Enchanted Diamond Leggings
• Iron Boots
• Iron Chestplate
• Iron Helmet
• Iron Leggings
• Lava Bucket
• Shield

Butcher

Job Block: Smoker Can Possibly Buy:

• Coal
• Dried Kelp Block
• Raw Beef
• Raw Chicken
• Raw Mutton
• Raw Porkchop
• Raw Rabbit
• Sweet Berries

Can Possibly Sell:

• Cooked Chicken
• Cooked Porkchop
• Rabbit Stew

Cartographer

Job Block: Cartography Table Can Possibly Buy:

• Compass
• Glass Pane
• Paper

Can Possibly Sell:

• Any Color Banner
• Empty Map
• Globe Banner Pattern
• Item Frame
• Ocean Explorer Map
• Trial Explorer Map
• Woodland Explorer Map

Cleric

Job Block: Brewing Stand Can Possibly Buy:

• Gold Ingot
• Nether Wart
• Rabbit's Foot
• Rotten Flesh
• Turtle Scute

Can Possibly Sell:

• Bottle o’ Enchanting
• Ender Pearl
• Glowstone
• Lapis Lazuli
• Redstone Dust

Farmer

Job Block: Composter Can Possibly Buy:

• Beetroot
• Carrot
• Melon
• Pumpkin
• Wheat

Can Possibly Sell:

• Apple
• Bread
• Cake
• Cookie
• Glistering Melon Slice
• Golden Carrot
• Pumpkin Pie
• Suspicious Stew

Fisherman

Job Block: Barrel Can Possibly Buy:

• Coal
• Pufferfish
• Raw Cod
• Raw Salmon
• String
• Tropical Fish

Can Possibly Sell:

• Boat
• Bucket of Cod
• Campfire
• Cooked Cod
• Cooked Salmon
• Enchanted Fishing Rod

Fletcher

Job Block: Fletching Table Can Possibly Buy:

• Feather
• Flint
• Gravel
• Stick
• String
• Tripwire Hook

Can Possibly Sell:

• Arrow
• Bow
• Crossbow
• Enchanted Bow
• Enchanted Crossbow
• Flint
• Tipped Arrow

Leatherworker

Job Block: Cauldron Can Possibly Buy:

• Flint
• Leather
• Rabbit Hide
• Turtle Scute

Can Possibly Sell:

• Leather Boots
• Leather Cap
• Leather Horse Armor
• Leather Pants
• Leather Tunic
• Saddle

Librarian

Job Block: Lectern Can Possibly Buy:

• Book
• Book and Quill
• Glass
• Ink Sac
• Paper

Can Possibly Sell:

• Bookshelf
• Clock
• Compass
• Enchanted Book (Including Mending)
• Lantern
• Name Tag

Mason

Job Block: Stonecutter Can Possibly Buy:

• Andesite
• Brick
• Chiseled Stone Bricks
• Clay Ball
• Diorite
• Dripstone Block
• Granite
• Nether Quartz
• Polished Andesite
• Polished Diorite
• Polished Granite
• Stone

Can Possibly Sell:

• Any Color Glazed Terracotta
• Any Color Stained Terracotta
• Block of Quartz
• Chiseled Stone Bricks
• Quartz Pillar

Nitwit

When a villager spawns or is born, it has a small chance of being a nitwit. These unfortunate villagers can never obtain a profession, meaning they can also never trade. However, they can still breed with other villagers should there be sufficient beds.

Shepherd

Job Block: Loom Can Possibly Buy:

• Black Dye
• Black Wool
• Brown Dye
• Brown Wool
• Cyan Dye
• Gray Dye
• Gray Wool
• Green Dye
• Light Blue Dye
• Lime Dye
• Magenta Dye
• Orange Dye
• Pink Dye
• Purple Dye
• Red Dye
• White Dye
• White Wool
• Yellow Dye

Can Possibly Sell:

• Any Color Banner
• Any Color Bed
• Any Color Carpet
• Any Color Wool
• Painting
• Shears

Toolsmith

Job Block: Smithing Table Can Possibly Buy:

• Coal
• Diamond
• Flint
• Iron Ingot

Can Possibly Sell:

• Bell
• Diamond Hoe
• Enchanted Diamond Axe
• Enchanted Diamond Pickaxe
• Enchanted Diamond Shovel
• Enchanted Iron Axe
• Enchanted Iron Pickaxe
• Enchanted Iron Shovel
• Stone Axe
• Stone Hoe
• Stone Pickaxe
• Stone Shovel

Weaponsmith

Job Block: Grindstone Can Possibly Buy:

• Coal
• Diamond
• Flint
• Iron Ingot

Can Possibly Sell:

• Bell
• Enchanted Diamond Axe
• Enchanted Diamond Sword
• Enchanted Iron Sword
• Iron Axe

Wandering Trader

Wandering traders spawn naturally throughout the overworld, providing potential trading opportunities outside of villages. Unemployed villagers can not become wandering traders. Can Possibly Sell:

• Acacia Sapling
• Allium
• Any Color Dye
• Azure Bluet
• Beetroot Seeds
• Birch Sapling
• Black Wool
• Blue Ice
• Blue Orchid
• Brain Coral Block
• Brown Mushroom
• Brown Wool
• Bubble Coral Block
• Bucket of Pufferfish
• Bucket of Tropical Fish
• Cactus
• Cherry Sapling
• Cornflower
• Dark Oak Sapling
• Dandelion
• Fern
• Fire Coral Block
• Glowstone
• Gray Wool
• Gunpowder
• Horn Coral Block
• Jungle Sapling
• Kelp
• Lily of the Valley
• Lily Pad
• Light Gray Wool
• Mangrove Propagule
• Melon Seeds
• Moss Block
• Nautilus Shell
• Oak Sapling
• Orange Tulip
• Packed Ice
• Pink Tulip
• Pointed Dripstone
• Podzol
• Poppy
• Pumpkin
• Pumpkin Seeds
• Red Mushroom
• Red Sand
• Red Tulip
• Rooted Dirt
• Sand
• Sea Pickle
• Slimeball
• Small Dripleaf
• Spruce Sapling
• Sugar Cane
• Tube Coral Block
• Vines
• Wheat Seeds
• White Carpet
• White Tulip
• White Wool
• Yellow Wool

Zombie Villager

Zombie villagers have a rare chance of spawning in the overworld with a predetermined profession. While in this zombified state, they differ little from regular zombies but come with the unique opportunity to cure them. Cured villagers will offer their items at a discount. Curing a zombie villager requires a few specific items and steps, which we detailed in a separate guide here. (Coming Soon) Villager Professions Image Credit: Official Minecraft Wiki

How to Trade

Villagers use the in-game resource emeralds as a currency for buying and selling items. To start trading, locate a village and right-click any Minecraft 1.21 villager with a profession to bring up the trade interface. There, players will see that each villager has a career level that begins at novice. This trading level can become as high as master, unlocking better trades as they continue to level up. Villagers gain experience from each successful player trade. It is important to note villagers will only buy and sell an item type a certain number of times before it becomes locked. During a lock, no further trades of that kind can occur until the villager restocks, which happens twice per day. Finally, if a village lacks a desired villager type, unemployed villagers can take up a new profession by placing a job block. The profession section of this guide includes all possible job blocks alongside their corresponding trades. We also offer a “Mending Book in Five Easy Steps” guide here if that happens to be the specific goal of this visit.

Minecraft 1.21 Villager Raids

When many villagers gather together with multiple beds claimed, raid events may occur, resulting in one of two siege types. The first is zombie sieges, which have a 10% chance of occurring at midnight or during thunderstorms. (Exclusive to Java Edition.) They result in a large horde of zombies swarming the village. Pillager raids may also occur, but they are only triggered by a player with the bad omen debuff entering the village. Bad omens are obtained by consuming the contents of an ominous bottle. Both instances require sufficient iron golems to be present or player intervention, as the villagers will otherwise perish. Only pillager raids grant rewards, including the Hero of the Village buff, which provides discounts to the trades we mentioned in the section above.