Minecraft villager professions: all jobs and trades

How villager professions work

Villagers are passive mobs that live in Minecraft villages. Each villager can have one of 13 professions, which determines what items it sells and buys. A profession is assigned automatically when an unemployed villager gets access to a free job site block within 48 blocks.

When a villager "takes a job", its outfit changes: every profession has a unique outfit and an apron in a distinctive color. During the day the villager regularly walks up to its job site and "works" there, restocking its trades at the same time.

Profession assignment follows a few key rules:

• One villager = one job site. Each job site can be claimed by one villager. If you place two smithing tables, two villagers can become toolsmiths.
• An unemployed villager looks for a job site. An unemployed villager (brown outfit, no apron) actively looks for a free job site and walks up to it to get a profession.
• A nitwit never works. A villager of the nitwit type (green outfit) will never take a profession, no matter which job sites are available.
• Children don't work. Baby villagers don't take professions. Only after growing up can they look for a job site.

Job site table

The table below matches all 13 professions with their job sites:

Trade levels

Every villager has 5 trade levels. Leveling up happens automatically after enough trades. Each level unlocks new offers, and offers from lower levels stay available.

In Java Edition 26.3 a Master-level villager has 8 to 10 offers in total. At each level the game rolls at most 2 offers from the profession's pool (if the pool has only one entry, the villager gets just that one), which is why two librarians can have different enchanted books.

A villager earns trade XP for every completed trade. The amount of XP depends on the profession and the specific offer: expensive trades give more XP. Once the required XP is collected, the villager advances to the next level, which shows as green particles and a change of badge.

Librarian

Job site: lectern, crafted from 4 wooden slabs and 1 bookshelf.

The librarian is the most important profession in the game. It sells enchanted books, which makes it the only reliable source of specific enchantments, including the most valuable ones like Mending, Silk Touch or Sharpness V. By resetting the profession before anyone trades with the villager, you can "roll" the exact enchantment you need.

Librarian trades

The table shows Java Edition 26.3. From Novice to Expert, a librarian rolls 2 offers from that level's pool, so not every librarian has every entry in the table. For example, a novice librarian may not have an enchanted book. A book can get almost any enchantment (40 of 43 in 26.3, excluding Soul Speed, Swift Sneak and Wind Burst), and Mending, Frost Walker and the curses cost double.

The most valuable enchantments from a librarian: Mending, Silk Touch, Unbreaking III, Efficiency V, Sharpness V, Protection IV, Fortune III, Looting III, Feather Falling IV.

Armorer

Job site: blast furnace, crafted from 5 iron ingots, 3 smooth stone and 1 furnace.

The armorer is the profession for players looking for enchanted diamond armor. At Expert and Master level it sells diamond armor pieces with random enchantments, which makes preparing for boss fights like the Ender Dragon or the Wither much easier.

Armorer trades

From Novice to Journeyman, an armorer rolls 2 offers from the pool, so not every armorer has every entry in the table. At Expert and Master the pool has only 2 offers each, so a master armorer sells all four enchanted diamond armor pieces. The iron buying trade (4 ingots per emerald) and the bell at Apprentice level are also offered by the weaponsmith and the toolsmith.

The armorer is especially valuable in Hardcore mode, where diamond armor with protective enchantments can save your life. After you cure a zombie villager, prices drop drastically: a full set of enchanted diamond armor can cost as little as 4-8 emeralds in total.

Weaponsmith

Job site: grindstone, crafted from 2 planks, 2 sticks and 1 stone slab.

The weaponsmith specializes in swords and axes. At higher levels it offers enchanted diamond swords and axes, which makes it a great source of weapons without mining diamonds.

Weaponsmith trades

At Journeyman level the weaponsmith gets just one offer (buying flint), and at Master level only the enchanted diamond sword.

Toolsmith

Job site: smithing table, crafted from 2 iron ingots and 4 planks.

The toolsmith is a source of enchanted diamond tools: pickaxes, shovels and axes, without mining diamonds below Y -59. Enchantments are rolled like at an enchanting table with a level of 5-19, so a toolsmith's pickaxe won't get Efficiency IV or V. You'll get those levels from a librarian's book.

Toolsmith trades

Farmer

Job site: composter, crafted from 7 wooden slabs.

The farmer is the best source of emeralds in the game. It buys wheat, potatoes, carrots, beetroots and pumpkins, all of which are easy to grow in large amounts. A single 9x9 wheat farm can pay for trading with several villagers at once.

Farmer trades

At Novice level a farmer rolls 2 of 5 offers, and at Apprentice level 2 of 3, so not every farmer buys wheat or pumpkins.

Cleric

Job site: brewing stand, crafted from 1 blaze rod and 3 cobblestone.

Clerics offer magical and brewing items. Their most valuable ware is ender pearls at Expert level, which makes them an alternative to hunting endermen. They also sell bottles o' enchanting, lapis lazuli, redstone dust and glowstone.

Cleric trades

Verdict: The cleric is very useful early in the game. It buys rotten flesh (which usually goes to waste at zombie farms) and sells the ender pearls you need to activate the End portal. 12 ender pearls for 60 emeralds is a fair price if you don't want to hunt endermen at night. At Expert level a cleric rolls 2 of 3 offers, so roughly two out of three clerics sell ender pearls.

Fletcher

Job site: fletching table, crafted from 2 flint and 4 planks.

After the farmer, the fletcher is the best source of emeralds. At Novice level it can buy 32 sticks for 1 emerald, and sticks are one of the easiest resources to get in the game. At higher levels it sells enchanted bows and crossbows and tipped arrows.

Fletcher trades

At Novice level a fletcher rolls 2 of 3 offers, so not every fletcher buys sticks. At Master level it rolls 2 of the 3 offers in the last row of the table.

The fletcher complements the farmer well, and together they give you a steady flow of emeralds. Sticks are easy to farm from bamboo (an automatic bamboo farm + a crafting table) or by chopping birch trees.

Cartographer

Job site: cartography table, crafted from 2 paper and 4 planks.

The cartographer sells explorer maps that lead to structures: villages in other biomes, swamp huts, jungle temples, trial chambers, ocean monuments and woodland mansions. At higher levels it offers banners, item frames and a banner pattern.

Cartographer trades

The Woodland Explorer Map leads to a woodland mansion, where evokers spawn and drop the totem of undying. The cartographer only sells it at Master level. The Ocean Explorer Map (Journeyman level) makes it easier to find an ocean monument with sponges.

Fisherman

Job site: barrel, crafted from 6 planks and 2 wooden slabs.

The fisherman buys raw fish and sells cooked fish and enchanted fishing rods. It's useful if you have an automatic fish farm or fish a lot. At Journeyman level it sells a fishing rod with a random enchantment, for example Luck of the Sea or Lure.

Fisherman trades

Shepherd

Job site: loom, crafted from 2 string and 2 planks.

The shepherd trades wool, carpets, dyes, beds, banners and paintings. It's handy for decorating bases and for earning emeralds from wool, which is easy to automate (a sheep farm with dispensers and shears).

Shepherd trades

Butcher

Job site: smoker, crafted from 4 logs and 1 furnace.

The butcher buys raw meat and sells cooked food. It's a useful emerald source if you have a big animal farm: raw porkchops and chicken are easy money.

Butcher trades

Leatherworker

Job site: cauldron, crafted from 7 iron ingots.

The leatherworker buys leather and sells leather armor in various colors. It's considered one of the least useful villagers, because leather armor protects poorly. Its most valuable ware used to be the saddle at Master level, but since Java 1.21.6 (Bedrock 1.21.90) you can craft a saddle yourself. The recipe is in the box under the table.

Leatherworker trades

Mason

Job site: stonecutter, crafted from 1 iron ingot and 3 stone.

The mason trades building blocks: bricks, stone blocks, quartz blocks, terracotta and glazed terracotta. It's ideal for players who build a lot and need decorative blocks in large amounts.

Mason trades

The mason is underrated but extremely useful for builders. It buys stone and clay (both easy to farm) and sells rare decorative blocks. Glazed terracotta is some of the best-looking building material in the game.

Nitwits and unemployed villagers

Besides the 13 professions, there are two types of villagers you can't trade with:

Nitwit

The nitwit is a special type of villager in a green outfit. It never takes a profession, no matter which job sites are available. It doesn't trade, doesn't work and doesn't react to job site blocks. All it does is wander around the village and sleep in a bed. Nitwits make up about 5% of newly generated villagers.

Nitwits have three uses:

• Villager breeding - a nitwit can breed with other villagers. Their offspring doesn't have to be a nitwit.
• Iron golem spawning - a nitwit counts as a villager when spawning an iron golem (you need 3+ villagers with beds).
• Zombie bait - in zombie villager curing setups, a nitwit can serve as bait.

Unemployed villager

An unemployed villager (brown outfit, no apron) is a villager without an assigned job site. Unlike a nitwit, it actively looks for a free job site and takes a profession when it finds one. Unemployed villagers appear when a new villager is born in a village with no free job sites, when you destroy the job site of a villager nobody has traded with, or when a villager can't reach its job site.

Curing zombie villagers: huge discounts

The most effective way to lower villager prices is curing zombie villagers. A cured villager gives the player who cured it a lasting discount on all its trades, as long as it had a profession before turning into a zombie. Further cures of the same villager no longer give an extra discount (in Java Edition since 1.20.2).

How to cure a zombie villager, step by step

1. Find or create a zombie villager. Zombie villagers spawn naturally at night (a 5% chance among zombies) or appear when a zombie kills a villager (Normal: 50% chance, Hard: 100% chance).
2. Isolate it. Lock the zombie villager in a small room (2x1x2) so it can't escape or burn in the sun.
3. Throw a splash potion of Weakness. Hit the zombie villager with it. Alternatively, a witch can hit the zombie villager with such a potion, or you can shoot it with a tipped arrow of Weakness.
4. Feed it a golden apple. Right-click the zombie villager while holding a regular golden apple, not an enchanted one.
5. Wait 3-5 minutes. The zombie villager will start shaking and giving off red particles. After 3-5 minutes it turns back into a normal villager with discounts.

The zombie villager strategy pays off especially in Hardcore mode and on survival servers. It lets you build a trading hall where enchanted diamond armor costs a fraction of the normal price, and cheaper items can cost as little as 1 emerald.

Hero of the Village: discounts for defeating a raid

Hero of the Village is a status effect you get after defeating a raid. Since version 1.21, the Bad Omen effect turns into Raid Omen when you enter a village, and the raid starts 30 seconds later.

How to get Hero of the Village

1. Kill a pillager captain (a pillager with an ominous banner on its head) outside a raid. It drops an Ominous Bottle. Drink it to get the Bad Omen effect.
2. Enter a village with the Bad Omen effect. It turns into Raid Omen, and 30 seconds later the raid begins.
3. Defeat all the raid waves (3 waves on Easy, 5 on Normal, 7 on Hard, and one more wave with Bad Omen level II or higher).
4. After defeating the last wave you get the Hero of the Village effect for 40 minutes (2 in-game days).

Benefits of Hero of the Village

• Trade discounts: All villager prices are lowered by 30-55% (depending on the effect level). The effect lasts 40 minutes or until you die.
• Gifts (Java Edition): Villagers toss items related to their profession toward you (for example, a farmer tosses food and a librarian tosses books).
• Stacks with curing: The Hero of the Village effect combines with the discounts from curing zombie villagers, giving the lowest prices possible.

Building a trading hall

A trading hall is a purpose-built structure where villagers are isolated in separate cells with assigned job sites. It lets you trade efficiently with many villagers at once and control their professions.

Design rules

• Separate cells. Each villager gets its own 1x1 or 2x1 cell. Trapdoors block movement but still allow interaction.
• One job site per villager. Each cell has one job site, with a line of sight and a path for pathfinding.
• Lighting. Light level 7+ throughout the hall, so hostile mobs don't spawn.
• A bell. In a central spot: villagers react to a bell and "gossip" more eagerly (Java Edition).

An optimal trading hall should include

• 2-3 librarians - with different enchantments (Mending, Silk Touch, Protection IV and so on)
• 1 armorer - enchanted diamond armor
• 1 weaponsmith - diamond swords and axes
• 1 toolsmith - diamond pickaxes, shovels and axes
• 2-3 farmers - the main source of emeralds
• 1-2 fletchers - the second source of emeralds (sticks)
• 1 cleric - ender pearls and bottles o' enchanting
• 1 cartographer - explorer maps

Trading tips and tricks

Maximizing your emerald income

• Build automatic farms. A piston pumpkin farm, a sugar cane farm, a bamboo farm: sell pumpkins to farmers, paper from sugar cane to librarians and cartographers, and sticks from bamboo to fletchers.
• Several villagers of the same profession. Each villager has a limited number of trades per day. 3 farmers = 3x more emeralds.
• Sell processed materials. Paper to the librarian, glass panes to the cartographer, stone (smelted cobblestone) to the mason.

Resetting trades

• Reset before the first trade. Break and replace the job site to roll new offers. This works indefinitely as long as nobody trades with the villager.
• Restocking. Villagers restock sold-out offers twice a day when they "work" at their job site. Make sure they can reach their job site.

Mistakes to avoid

• Don't trade with a novice too early. If you trade with a villager and don't like the offer, you can no longer reset it: the first trade locks the profession permanently.
• Don't kill villagers. Killing a villager lowers your reputation and raises prices with the other villagers (Java Edition).
• Don't block the job site. If a villager can't reach its job site, it won't restock its offers.
• Don't let the golem die. The iron golem defends villagers, and killing it lowers your reputation.

Java vs. Bedrock differences

• Curing discounts: In Java Edition only the first cure gives a big discount (since 1.20.2), and villagers nearby get smaller discounts as well. In Bedrock Edition, villagers within 16 blocks of the cured one get a small discount that depends on the number of cured villagers (up to 10).
• Biome-based outfits and offers: In both editions villagers wear outfits based on the village biome. In Java Edition 26.3 the biome also changes some offers: the cartographer's maps and banner colors, and the type of boat the fisherman buys.
• Prices: They can differ between editions. The tables above show Java Edition 26.3.

Frequently asked questions

Related articles

• Trading in Minecraft: an overview of trading systems
• Villager professions: trade tables
• Villager farm: breeding and the trading hall
• The best trades in Minecraft: tier list
• Bartering with piglins: drop table
• Zombie villager: mob wiki
• Composter: the farmer's job site
• The enchanting system in Minecraft