How to pacify pillagers in Minecraft in 2022

Pillagers are hostile mobs in Minecraft, but there is a rare situation where they can be pacified and rendered harmless to players and other mobs. This tactic isn't easy to accomplish and will take plenty of patience, but it can allow players to keep pillagers around without the threat of them harming anybody.

Pacifying a pillager can also be a dangerous endeavor in Minecraft, so players may want to equip some armor to be on the safe side. Collecting a sizable number of shields for the pacification method will also be essential. Usually, five or six per pillager a player wishes to pacify. Below, players can find a quick guide on how to pacify a pillager.

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Pacify a pillager using shields

A pacified pillager standing in a player-made guard post (Image via u/pufferducks/Reddit)

Rendering a pillager harmless in Minecraft requires players to fend off its attacks until its weapon is no longer used. Like players, pillagers have durability values for their weapons, meaning they're capable of breaking.

With that in mind, players will essentially need to break the pillager's weapon to make it relatively harmless by comparison. Since players can't simply damage their pillager's weapons directly, they must let the pillager use up the weapon's durability on its own.

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Pacifying a Pillager as of Version 1.19

1. If players wish to keep their pillager long-term, before beginning pacification, they'll want to apply a nametag to the pillager.
2. Once the pillager has a defined name, approach it again with a shield equipped. The pillager should begin to fire its crossbow. If players would like to keep the pillager stationary during this, they can place the pillager into a boat or minecart.
3. Raise your shield and allow the pillager to shoot it constantly. Eventually, the crossbow's durability will deplete, and the weapon will break.
4. The pillager has now been effectively pacified, as it's incapable of continuing to attack the player directly that its crossbow has been broken.

Alternatively, players can also use the shieldless method of pacification for pillagers in Minecraft. This requires players name-tagging the pillager and placing it in a hole.

With the pillager inside the hole, players should approach the ledge of the hole. The pillager should attempt to fire at the player, but it will only be capable of hitting the blocks surrounding it. Eventually, like the shield method, the pillager's crossbow will break due to overuse.

It's worth keeping in mind, however, that while these methods work for pillagers, the whole method won't apply to other illagers in Minecraft, such as indicators. The good news is that indicators can still break their axes due to the shield method.

It's also important to note that not every illager in the game is capable of being pacified, as mobs such as evokers use magic to attack players and have no limit to how many times they may cast spells to attack or summon vexes.