What was testificate in Minecraft?

Testificate in Minecraft is something that goes back to the game's early release. Even though the original version has no story about the origins of Steve or the different mobs such as the creeper, endermen, zombies, and illagers, fans of the game have always theorized about the game world’s history. One of the crucial bits in this theory is the presence of testificates.

Players who have never heard of this word might not even understand the question. What exactly is a testificate in Minecraft? Let’s find out.

---

What was testificate in Minecraft?

The term testificate in Minecraft was used to refer to a villager. So, it was a villager, and all of them were the testificates. It's difficult for anyone to remember, but during the game's early release, the villagers would have this word hovering over them, just like a player’s name hovers in multiplayer gameplay.

Another question that follows is why the developers initially named the villagers testificates. The word is Latin, which means "to witness" or just "witness" in English. This means that the developers wanted to portray the villagers as witnesses of something.

There have been many great fan theories about Minecraft, and most of them point to a time during the war between the people of the Overworld and the Piglins of the Nether. Perhaps the villagers who witnessed this war are the reason they're called testificates.

Testificates were just the villagers in the game's early release (Image via Mojang Studios)

Minecraft Legends confirmed the war as well as showed how the villagers needed saving from the piglins. Since villagers couldn't fight, they were just there to witness the destruction that ensued.

Another reason villagers were called testificate in Minecraft was because the villagers don't mine and do not plant crops—they have crops growing, but once removed, it doesn't grow back. Even when they are attacked by hostile mobs such as zombies or skeletons, they do not fight back.

In a way, these villagers are just there to witness things. They cannot do anything by themselves but just rely on others for help. They trade items with the player, and new villagers can only spawn if the player puts a bed nearby. The villagers are passive observers who are just there to watch whatever is happening around them.

Perhaps this retconned explanation is not why villagers were called testificates in the first place. Since these villagers would just stand and watch the player, they were called so. But it is always exciting to have different theories about Minecraft that add more depth to the game.