14 Best Villagers To Have In Minecraft (2024)

Minecraft’s Villages are populated by Villagers: friendly mobs who will trade with players for a wide variety of items both common and rare, transforming sleepy hamlets into lively trading hubs. Trading with Villagers gives players easy access to resources that can be extraordinarily tricky to find in Minecraft’s Overworld or the Nether. Even if self-sufficiency is the ultimate goal for many players in Survival Mode, Villager trading can fill some gaps when gathering resources.

Villagers in Minecraft can take on specific job roles or Professions, such as Cartographers, Butchers, and Farmers, and will trade items based on these Professions. Villagers adopt Professions after claiming special “job site blocks” such as Cartography Tables or Grindstones. This gives players some flexibility, and they can create new Minecraft Villager types by helping Villagers find jobs.

14 Leatherworker

Saddle Up

As you might expect from the name, the Leatherworker deals in leather-based goods in Minecraft. This can be exceptionally useful for players early on in their world as the trader sells both leather and leather armor.

The best item that the Leatherworker sells is undoubtedly the saddle. The saddle is the hardest to craft out of all leather-based goods in Minecraft. This item is only sold by Master villager-level Leatherworkers and costs a whopping six emeralds, making it one of the more pricey items in Minecraft across all village merchants.

This critical item can help you tame, ride, and even breed horses in Minecraft. If you have the emeralds to spare, then this can definitely save you some time. It may be best to craft it yourself if you aren’t quite ready to part with that many emeralds at once.

13 Wandering Trader

A Rare Merchant

Villagers can occasionally spawn utterly separate from regular village settlements. Whereas some are hostile pillagers, others are closer to the peaceful Wandering Trader in Minecraft.

You can often spot the Wandering Trader traveling between two nearby villages in Minecraft or walking adrift in the middle of a field. No matter where you find this NPC, it is always best to check and see what the Wandering Trader has in stock for you.

The Wandering Trader offers blocks from far-off biomes and only deals in exchange for emeralds. If you are searching for a type of block that is either difficult to craft due to the required reagents or is found in a completely separate biome nowhere near you, the Traveling Merchant can be a massive benefit.

Given the NPC’s name and occupation, you cannot rely on the Wandering Merchant as a stable source of blocks or other resources, but he can still be accommodating.

12 Shepard

An Emerald Factory.

The Shepard is an incredible villager for players who want to set up a sheep farm. Players can acquire up to 18 wool for just one emerald, which is a great way to kick-start any sheep farm.

If you elect to evolve the Shepard, you can significantly increase the materials this merchant sells. Dyes are some of the most labor-intensive items to gather in Minecraft. At an expert villager level, you can start to trade dyes and banners for Emeralds. Given how cheap these items are, it may be worth the effort to upgrade these villagers if you frequently use dyes and similar materials.

11 Fisherman

Peer Into This Merchant's Tackle Box

The Fisherman merchant NPC in Minecraft sells exactly what he advertises. If you have any fishing or fish needs, this is the best villager to take care of it. The Fisherman is also one of the easiest ways to farm emeralds in the game.

For only ten coal, the Fisherman gives out an emerald. Given just how plentiful coal is in Minecraft, this is a straightforward way to increase your emeralds early on if you are lucky enough to run into this village along the way.

Regarding the best sell from the Fisherman, the Master level unlocks biome-specific boats. For only one emerald, you can get a boat that can survive even the harshest biomes in Minecraft. Considering how much effort it can take to make boats for the various biomes in the game, it is well worth it to simply go to the villager Fisherman instead and make this trade. Other items, such as pufferfish, tropical fish, and certain fishing rods, can also be purchased easily from the fisherman.

10 Farmer

Kick Start Your Farm

According to the Minecraft Wiki, Farmer Villagers will happily trade crops for Emeralds. Emeralds are the main currency players need for trade, but unfortunately, naturally occurring Emeralds are extremely rare. Instead, players will need to trade with Villagers to obtain them. Trading crops is one of the most efficient ways to get Emeralds, as players can set up a basic farm with nothing more than a wooden hoe, some seeds and access to a water source.

Potatoes and wheat are particularly good for trading with Farmer Villagers. These crops are among the best crops players can farm in Minecraft, as players get multiple crops and extra seeds for each individual seed planted.

Players can rapidly expand their farms, producing crops for trading on a practically industrial scale. However, players will want to stick with the basic trades with Farmer Villagers. At higher levels, Farmers will sell food items such as Cake, Suspicious Stew and Golden Carrots, but they’re relatively easy to make and aren’t worth spending Emeralds on.

9 Butcher

Fight Off Hunger

For a slightly darker twist on the crops-for-Emeralds trade, players can also breed animals such as cows and pigs for meat. Butcher Villagers will trade meat for Emeralds: a great option if players have managed to set up animal farms. Unfortunately, the exchange rate isn’t much better compared to selling crops.

However, in a pinch, players can trade Emeralds with Butcher Villagers for raw meat to cook and eat, as well as purchase Rabbit Stew at a 1:1 rate. Rabbit Stew is a great food item that restores up to 10 Hunger, essentially allowing players to fill up their hunger meters.

8 Mason/Stonemason

Find All Decorative Stone Blocks

Mason Villagers (Stonemasons in Minecraft Bedrock Edition) trade Emeralds for special stone blocks such as Polished Andesite and Colored and Glazed Terracotta. Unlike Minecraft’s Smooth Stone blocks, which are used in a few crafting recipes, these stone blocks are essentially only decorative. However, they can be hard to find elsewhere in the Overworld, and dedicated players looking for the perfect materials for their latest Minecraft builds might like to trade for them.

Apprentice Mason Villagers will also trade 20 Stone for a single Emerald, while Journeyman Mason Villagers will trade 16 Granite, Andesite or Diorite for Emeralds. Stone is extremely common, and players can take advantage of this to trade for piles of Emeralds. Granite, Andesite and Diorite may also be common depending on where players find themselves. Regardless, Mason Villagers are a great way to offload any unwanted materials players get while mining the depths.

Buy Picks, Shovels, And More

Toolsmith Villagers are a great source of enchanted tools, especially at higher levels where they can trade Enchanted Iron and Diamond tools for Emeralds. Enchanting with an Enchanting Table often gives items a random set of enchantments and still requires players to have reached a certain level.

With Toolsmith Villagers, players can keep an eye out for Minecraft’s best tool enchantments, and be a bit more selective about their purchases. Toolsmith Villagers will also trade 15 Coal for 1 Emerald: a great trade if players have excess stockpiles.

6 Weaponsmith

Upgrade Your Arsenal

By trading with Weaponsmith Villagers, players can obtain powerful Enchanted Iron and Diamond Axes and Swords for a very reasonable sum of Emeralds. Players can find Minecraft’s Diamonds easily on specific levels, but they’re still extremely rare resources and assembling a full set of diamond gear can take a considerable amount of time and effort.

Trading with Weaponsmith Villagers gives players the chance to conserve one of their most valuable resources, or to find solid gear quickly after particularly ill-fated expeditions into the Nether. Like Toolsmiths, Weaponsmith Villagers offer their best trades at higher levels. However, they also will trade Coal for Emeralds, so players can build their trading experience quickly.

5 Armorer

Withstand More Damage

Rounding out the equipment merchants are Armorer Villagers, who trade in Iron, Chainmail and Enchanted Diamond armor pieces. It’s generally not worth spending Emeralds on Iron Armor; players can easily find iron ore in Minecraft since it’s particularly abundant underground.

Chainmail is actually slightly less durable than Iron but can’t be crafted, so players who want to roleplay as chainmail-wearing knights in Minecraft can trade for Chainmail armor with Armorer Villagers. Enchanted Diamond Armor pieces are the main reason players will want to trade with Armorers. This lets players save a few Diamonds and replace any lost gear pieces.

4 Cleric

Find Rare Resources

Cleric Villagers sell a wide variety of rare resources such as Lapis Lazuli and Redstone, which have their uses in enchanting and redstone builds. They will also exchange Rotten Flesh, a notoriously useless item obtained from killing zombies, for Emeralds. Players can consume Rotten Flesh to recover some Hunger, but it also has a high chance of inflicting the Hunger debuff, which causes players’ hunger bar to decrease even faster.

It has no real uses beyond extreme situations where players have run out of food, so it’s better to trade it to Cleric Villagers for Emeralds. Cleric Villagers are also the easiest way to obtain Ender Pearls in Minecraft, and will trade 5 Emeralds for a single Ender Pearl. Ender Pearls are rare drops and can be used to craft Eyes of Ender, which players can use to locate and activate portals to reach the End. As such, they’re essential for players looking to travel to the End to confront Minecraft’s Ender Dragon boss.

3 Fletcher

For Odds And Ends

Found near Minecraft’s Fletching Table blocks, Fletcher Villagers offer some particularly excellent trades. At lower levels, players can trade 32 Sticks for 1 Emerald, which is perhaps the best way to obtain Emeralds in Minecraft. Sticks are made from Wooden Planks, which are very cheap to make and easily sourced from wood, another common material, so the exchange rate here is very much in players’ favor.

Aside from trading for Emeralds, players can also save some Flint by trading for arrows, or even trade Gravel for Flint. Gravel isn’t used in any recipes and isn’t aesthetically pleasing either, so most players won’t have any use for it other than trading. Finally, players can also obtain Enchanted Bows, Crossbows and Tipped Arrows.

2 Librarian

A Source For All Enchanted Books & Recipes

Librarian Villagers are the most consistent source of Enchanted Books, which players can combine with items on an Anvil to add enchantments. Players can receive some of the best enchantments in the game by trading, and Enchanted Books are among the most useful items players can purchase with Emeralds.

Librarian Villagers will also trade paper for Emeralds, which gives players another cheap method of obtaining them. Paper is crafted from sugar cane, which can be farmed as long as players have access to water.

1 Cartographer

Map Your World

Cartographer Villagers offer a wide variety of items, ranging from Explorer Maps which aid in exploration to decorative items such as Banners and Item Frames. Players can trade Compasses or Emeralds for Ocean and Woodland Explorer Maps, which guide players to rare structures, such as woodland mansions and monuments.

These structures often contain unique hostile mobs and rare treasure, presenting a challenge for players looking for their next adventure. Players can also trade emeralds for Banners and Item Frames: both great ways to decorate a Minecraft build. Overall, Minecraft’s Villagers offer a wide variety of useful items that benefit players, whether they’re trying to reach new heights with their latest builds or searching for new adventures in the Overworld and beyond.

Minecraft

Platform(s)

PS4 , PS3 , PS Vita , Xbox One , Xbox 360 , Switch , 3DS , PC , Android , iOS , Nintendo Wii U

Released

November 18, 2011

Developer(s)

Mojang

Publisher(s)

Mojang

Genre(s)

Sandbox , Survival

ESRB

E10+ For Everyone 10+ Due To Fantasy Violence

How Long To Beat

N/A

X|S Enhanced

No

File Size Xbox Series

1 GB (December 2023)

Metascore

93

Split Screen Orientation

Vertical or Horizontal

Number of Players

1-4