How to Heal a Zombie Villager in Minecraft
Healing a zombie villager in Minecraft is a crucial skill that can help you repopulate villages, gain access to better trades, and improve your overall survival experience. Many players overlook the importance of curing zombie villagers, but doing so provides multiple benefits. This guide will explain everything you need to know about how to heal a zombie villager effectively.
Why Heal a Zombie Villager
There are several reasons why curing a zombie villager is beneficial. Healed villagers often offer discounted trades, which can help you save emeralds and gather valuable resources more efficiently. Curing zombie villagers also allows you to rebuild abandoned villages or start a new one from scratch. Additionally, breeding villagers after curing them can help you create a well-functioning trading system. If you are an achievement hunter, curing a zombie villager will grant you the “Zombie Doctor” advancement, marking your progress in the game.
Finding a Zombie Villager
Zombie villagers spawn in multiple ways. They have a small chance of appearing naturally at night alongside regular zombies. During village raids, zombies may infect villagers, turning them into zombie villagers. You can also find them in dungeons if there is a zombie spawner present. If a normal villager is attacked by a zombie, especially in Hard mode, it has a higher chance of turning into a zombie villager instead of being killed outright.
Once you find a zombie villager, you need to trap it safely. If the zombie villager is exposed to daylight, it will burn and die. The best way to protect it is to build a simple enclosure around it using blocks. Alternatively, you can use a boat or minecart to immobilize it while you prepare for the curing process. If you are near a village, leading the zombie villager into a house and blocking the exits will also keep it secure.
Required Items for Curing
To cure a zombie villager, you will need two essential items: a Splash Potion of Weakness and a Golden Apple.
How to Obtain a Splash Potion of Weakness
A Splash Potion of Weakness can be brewed using a Brewing Stand. First, you will need Blaze Powder as fuel for the Brewing Stand. Then, you must prepare a Water Bottle and add a Fermented Spider Eye to create a standard Potion of Weakness. To make it splashable, add Gunpowder. This will allow you to throw the potion at the zombie villager instead of drinking it yourself. If you have not progressed in brewing, you can sometimes find Weakness Potions in igloo basements or obtain them from Wandering Traders.
How to Get a Golden Apple
A Golden Apple is another essential item required for curing. You can craft one by surrounding a regular apple with eight Gold Ingots in a Crafting Table. Golden Apples can also be found in various chests in dungeons, mineshafts, and bastions.
Curing Process
Step 1: Throw the Splash Potion of Weakness
Once you have the required items, you can begin the curing process. First, throw the Splash Potion of Weakness at the zombie villager. If done correctly, you will see gray particle effects around the zombie villager.
Step 2: Feed the Golden Apple
Next, feed the Golden Apple to the zombie villager by right-clicking (or tapping, if playing on mobile). You will hear a hissing sound, and red particle effects will appear around the zombie villager, indicating that the curing process has started.
Step 3: Wait for the Transformation
The transformation takes between two and five minutes in real-time. During this time, ensure that the zombie villager is safe from other hostile mobs. If it is attacked during the process, you may lose the opportunity to cure it.
Step 4: Speed Up the Process (Optional)
If you want to speed up the curing process, you can place iron bars and beds around the zombie villager. This method reduces the healing time by approximately ten percent. While not necessary, this technique can be helpful if you are curing multiple zombie villagers and want to save time.
What Happens After Curing
Once the transformation is complete, the zombie villager will turn into a normal villager. If you cured it in a safe location, you can now move it to a village or a trading hall. The easiest way to transport a villager is by using a minecart or a boat. Healed villagers often offer discounted trades as a reward for curing them, making it easier for you to trade valuable resources.
To prevent another zombie attack, ensure the area is well-lit and protected. Placing torches, fences, and Iron Golems around the village will help keep villagers safe from future zombie invasions.
Common Mistakes to Avoid
Not Trapping the Zombie Villager
Many players forget to trap the zombie villager before starting the process. If the zombie villager is left unprotected, it might escape or burn in sunlight.
Using the Wrong Potion
Some players mistakenly assume that a Poison or Harm potion will work instead of a Weakness Potion. Only a Weakness Potion will allow you to cure the zombie villager.
Not Protecting the Villager During Transformation
Neglecting to protect the zombie villager during transformation can result in it being attacked by other hostile mobs. It is crucial to secure the area to avoid losing the villager before it fully heals.
Using a Normal Apple Instead of a Golden Apple
Some players try using a normal apple instead of a Golden Apple, which will not trigger the curing process. Always ensure you have a Golden Apple before attempting to heal a zombie villager.
Final Thoughts
Healing a zombie villager in Minecraft is a valuable skill that offers numerous benefits. Whether you are repopulating a village, setting up a trading hall, or earning the “Zombie Doctor” advancement, curing zombie villagers can significantly enhance your gameplay. By following the steps outlined in this guide, you can successfully heal zombie villagers and turn them into useful members of your Minecraft world.
FAQs About How To Heal A Zombie Villager
Why is my zombie villager not healing?
Your zombie villager may not be healing because you did not use a Splash Potion of Weakness before feeding it a Golden Apple. Make sure the potion effect is active when you use the apple. Additionally, ensure the zombie villager is not taking damage from sunlight, other mobs, or environmental hazards, as this can interrupt the curing process.
How to cure zombie villager without potion?
The only way to cure a zombie villager without brewing is by using a Weakness Arrow from a skeleton trap or waiting for a Witch to throw a Weakness Potion at it. If a witch is nearby, you can trap the zombie villager and wait for the witch to accidentally hit it with a splash potion, then feed it a Golden Apple. This method is unreliable but possible.
How many golden apples to cure a zombie villager?
Only one Golden Apple is needed to cure a zombie villager after applying a Splash Potion of Weakness. However, some players cure zombie villagers multiple times to increase trade discounts, but this is usually unnecessary. If the curing process fails, check whether the potion effect was properly applied.
How do you heal a zombie villager?
Throw a Splash Potion of Weakness at the zombie villager, then feed it a Golden Apple by right-clicking on it. You will hear a hissing sound, and red swirls will appear around the zombie villager, indicating that the transformation has begun. After 2 to 5 minutes, it will turn into a normal villager.
How to make villagers breed?
Villagers breed when they have enough food such as bread, carrots, potatoes, or beetroots, and there are at least two unclaimed beds nearby. The total number of villagers in a village must be lower than the number of available beds. Once two villagers are willing to breed, a baby villager will appear after a few moments.
Is curing a zombie villager worth it?
Yes, curing a zombie villager is highly beneficial because it offers discounted trades, allows you to repopulate villages, and grants the “Zombie Doctor” advancement. Additionally, if you cure a zombie villager who was previously a librarian, armorer, or toolsmith, you can get valuable trades at significantly lower costs.
What villager gives Mending?
A Librarian villager offers the Mending enchantment book as a trade. You can get a librarian by placing a Lectern near an unemployed villager and repeatedly breaking and replacing it until they offer the Mending book. This process can take time but is the best way to obtain this valuable enchantment.
Can villagers open gates?
No, villagers cannot open fence gates. They can only interact with wooden doors, which they use to enter and exit buildings. If you want to keep villagers inside a specific area while still having access, fence gates are a useful solution.
Do villagers despawn?
Villagers do not despawn naturally, but they can be killed by mobs, drowned, or lost due to world glitches. If a villager disappears, check if it was attacked by zombies or suffocated in a wall. Keeping villagers in a safe and well-lit area can prevent unexpected losses.
Can villagers climb ladders?
Villagers do not actively climb ladders, but they may unintentionally go up if pushed by another entity. However, they cannot descend ladders safely and may get stuck on ledges. If you need to move villagers vertically, using water elevators or minecarts is a better alternative.
How to heal a zombie?
Unlike zombie villagers, regular zombies cannot be cured because they are hostile mobs with no transformation mechanic. The only way to deal with zombies is by avoiding them, fighting them, or using defensive structures like walls and Iron Golems to protect your area.
Can I cure a zombie villager twice?
Yes, you can cure a zombie villager multiple times, but curing the same one again does not stack discounts after the first time. However, some players cure zombie villagers more than once in multiplayer servers to ensure better trades. If you are only playing in survival mode, curing them once is enough.
How do you heal a sick villager?
There is no sickness mechanic for regular villagers in Minecraft, but if you want to heal a zombie villager, you must use a Splash Potion of Weakness and a Golden Apple. To keep villagers safe and “healthy,” ensure they have plenty of food, access to beds, and protection from zombie attacks.
Why is the zombie killed my villager instead of converting?
On Easy mode, zombies always kill villagers instead of converting them. On Normal mode, there is a 50% chance that a villager will turn into a zombie villager instead of dying, and on Hard mode, the chance is 100%. If you want to ensure conversion, play on Hard difficulty or keep a backup villager to replace any losses.