Pillager Outposts spawn pillagers and their captain. Killing the captain gives Bad Omen, which triggers a Raid at any village you enter. Raids are 7-wave combat events rewarding Totems of Undying, emeralds, and the Hero of the Village effect.
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Outpost Basics
| Property | Details |
|---|---|
| Biomes | Plains, Desert, Savanna, Taiga, Snowy Plains, Meadow |
| Distance from Village | At least 300 blocks (often near villages) |
| Structure | Dark oak watchtower with tents, cages, and targets |
| Mob Spawning | Pillagers spawn continuously in and around the tower |
| Captain | One pillager with Ominous Banner — killing gives Bad Omen |
💡 Allay rescue: Some outpost cages contain Allays — friendly mobs that collect and deliver items. Break the cage to free them. Give an Allay any item and it will find and bring you more of that item.
Outpost Loot
| Item | Quantity | Chance |
|---|---|---|
| Wheat | 3-5 | 72.5% |
| Potato | 2-5 | 57.5% |
| Carrot | 3-5 | 57.5% |
| Iron Ingot | 1-3 | 30.5% |
| Sentry Armor Trim | 2 | 25.0% |
| Enchanted Book | 1 | 11.0% |
| Crossbow | 1 | Common |
| Dark Oak Log | 2-3 | Common |
| Goat Horn (Java only) | 1 | Varies |
| Bottle o' Enchanting | 1 | Common |
Bad Omen Mechanic
- Kill a Pillager Captain (banner-wearing pillager) → receive Bad Omen status
- Bad Omen lasts 100 minutes (real time)
- Enter any village with Bad Omen → raid begins
- Drink milk to remove Bad Omen if you don't want a raid
- In 1.21+, Bad Omen becomes Raid Omen which triggers near villages
⚠️ Accidental raids: If you kill a captain by accident, drink milk immediately to remove Bad Omen. Walking into your home village with Bad Omen will trigger a raid on your own base.
Raid Preparation
| Item | Priority | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Diamond/Netherite Sword (Sharpness V) | Essential | Fast mob kills, especially Ravagers |
| Shield | Essential | Blocks crossbow bolts and most attacks |
| Diamond+ Armor (Protection IV) | Essential | Survive Ravager charges and Vindicator axes |
| Bow (Power V) | Very Useful | Snipe Pillagers and Witches at range |
| Milk Buckets (×3) | Useful | Cure Bad Omen or negative effects |
| Golden Apples | Useful | Emergency healing in tough waves |
| Totem of Undying | Useful | Insurance against death by Ravager |
All 7 Raid Waves (Hard Difficulty)
| Wave | Enemies | Difficulty |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Pillagers ×4 | ⭐ Easy |
| 2 | Pillagers ×3, Vindicators ×2 | ⭐ Easy |
| 3 | Pillagers ×3, Ravager ×1 | ⭐⭐ Moderate |
| 4 | Pillagers ×3, Witches ×3 | ⭐⭐ Moderate |
| 5 | Pillagers ×4, Vindicators ×4, Evoker ×1, Witch ×1 | ⭐⭐⭐ Hard |
| 6 | Pillagers ×4, Vindicators ×2, Evoker ×1, Ravager-Rider ×1 | ⭐⭐⭐ Hard |
| 7 | Pillagers ×2, Vindicators ×5, Evokers ×2, Ravager-Riders ×2, Witch ×1 | ⭐⭐⭐⭐ Very Hard |
🔥 Kill Evokers FIRST! Evokers summon Vexes — small flying mobs that pass through walls. Shields barely help against them. Prioritize killing Evokers before they summon a second wave of Vexes.
Key Enemy Breakdown
| Enemy | HP | Damage | Strategy |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pillager | 24 (12♥) | Crossbow shots | Shield blocks all shots; rush and melee |
| Vindicator | 24 (12♥) | High axe damage | Shield + counterattack; don't let them flank |
| Ravager | 100 (50♥) | 12 damage + knockback | Kite with bow; shield stuns them briefly |
| Evoker | 24 (12♥) | Fang attack + Vex summon | Kill immediately; drops Totem of Undying |
| Witch | 26 (13♥) | Splash potions | Rush and melee; they heal if given time |
| Vex | 14 (7♥) | Sword attacks through walls | Despawn eventually; kill the Evoker to prevent more |
Totem of Undying
Dropped by Evokers (100% drop rate) — one of the most powerful items in Minecraft:
- Hold in main or off hand — activates automatically when you take lethal damage
- Grants 5 seconds of Regeneration II + Absorption II + Fire Resistance
- Restores 1 HP and clears all negative effects
- Single use — consumed on activation
- Works against all damage except
/killand void damage
💡 Totem count per raid: On Hard difficulty, waves 5-7 spawn 3-4 total Evokers, giving you 3-4 Totems per raid. On Normal, expect 1-2 Totems.
Hero of the Village
Completing all waves grants Hero of the Village:
- Lasts 40 minutes (3 in-game days)
- Villagers throw gift items at you (crops, building materials, sometimes emeralds)
- Trade prices massively reduced (similar to cured villager discounts)
- Stacks with existing villager discounts for extremely cheap trades
- Fireworks launch above the village as celebration
Raid Farm Setup
Automated raid farms are among the most powerful farms in Minecraft, producing:
| Drop | Source | Rate |
|---|---|---|
| Totems of Undying | Evokers | 3-4 per raid cycle |
| Emeralds | Vindicators, Pillagers | Massive quantities |
| Enchanted Crossbows | Pillagers | Common |
| Iron Gear | Various | Common |
| Saddles | Ravagers | 100% drop |
| Ominous Banners | Captains | 100% drop |
| XP | All mobs | Extremely high |
Basic Design Concept
- Build near a Pillager Outpost
- Create an artificial village (bed + villager + job site block)
- AFK at the outpost to get Bad Omen from captain kills automatically
- The village triggers the raid → mobs are funneled to a kill chamber
- Raid completes → Hero of the Village → cycle repeats
⚔️ Find Outposts Near Villages
Use MC Seed View to find pillager outposts adjacent to villages for optimal raid farm placement.
Open Outposts Near Villages →Frequently Asked Questions
How do I stop a raid?
Kill all raid mobs to complete it, or break all villager beds to remove the village. The raid will eventually time out. You can also die and return without Bad Omen.
Can raids destroy my base?
Ravagers can break leaves, crops, and some other breakable blocks. They cannot break stone, wood planks, or most building materials. Surround your village with walls or fences.
Do pillagers stop spawning at outposts?
No. They continuously respawn. To stop spawning, light up or slab every spawnable surface within the outpost area — but this defeats the purpose of building a raid farm near one.
How many Totems per raid?
On Hard: 3-4 Evokers spawn across waves 5-7, giving 3-4 Totems. On Normal: 1-2 Evokers, so 1-2 Totems. Always play on Hard for maximum Totem farming.
Can I have multiple raids at once?
No. Only one raid can be active per village. Multiple separate villages can have simultaneous raids, but managing this is impractical.
What's the best way to fight Ravagers?
Use your shield — blocking a Ravager charge stuns it for 2 seconds, giving you free hits. Alternatively, kite with a Power V bow. Never fight a Ravager without a shield in melee range.
What are the best seeds for raid farm placement?
You want a seed where a Pillager Outpost and a village are within 300-500 blocks of each other. Use MC Seed View's outpost finder alongside the village layer to identify ideal pairs. Plains biomes are easiest because the flat terrain simplifies funnel construction.
Does the raid difficulty scale with world difficulty?
Yes. On Easy, raids have 3 waves with fewer mobs and no Evokers. On Normal, 5 waves with 1-2 Evokers. On Hard, 7 waves with 3-4 Evokers. For maximum Totem farming, always play on Hard difficulty.
Hero of the Village Gift Table
After completing a raid, villagers throw profession-specific gifts based on their job:
| Profession | Typical Gifts |
|---|---|
| Farmer | Bread, cookies, cake, suspicious stew |
| Fisherman | Cooked fish, fishing rods, tropical fish |
| Librarian | Paper, books, lanterns |
| Cleric | Glowstone, redstone, lapis lazuli |
| Armorer | Iron armor pieces, chainmail |
| Toolsmith | Iron tools, stone tools |
| Weaponsmith | Iron sword, crossbow |
| Fletcher | Arrows, flint, bows |
| Shepherd | Wool, shears, dye colors |
| Butcher | Cooked meat (steak, chicken) |
| Cartographer | Empty maps, paper |
| Leatherworker | Leather armor, saddles |
| Mason | Stone blocks, clay, terracotta |
Hero of the Village also causes cats to bring you gifts in the morning, similar to tamed cat behavior — expect string, rotten flesh, feathers, rabbits' feet, and occasionally phantom membranes.
The Hero of the Village discount stacks with the permanent discount from curing a zombie villager, making the combination extremely powerful. A cured villager already offers trades at a significant discount; with Hero of the Village active on top, many trades drop to 1 emerald regardless of the base price. Timing your major trading sessions immediately after each successful raid maximizes your emerald efficiency and can allow you to acquire large quantities of enchanted books, gear, and rare materials at minimal cost. Plan to hold your trade stockpiles until after the next raid completes rather than trading continuously at full prices.