Pillager in Minecraft: Patrols, Outposts and Raid Captains
Pillagers shoot crossbows from outposts and patrols. The captain with the banner drops an ominous bottle that starts a raid. Pillager stats and tactics.
Pillagers are the crossbow-carrying illagers you meet at outposts, in roaming patrols and in village raids. They’re hostile to players, villagers, iron golems and wandering traders, and they shoot from range. The one with a banner on its head is a captain, and killing it is how most raids begin.
| Stat | Value |
|---|---|
| Health | 24 HP (12 hearts) |
| Crossbow damage | Java: 2-3 / 3-5 / 5-7 HP. Bedrock: 3-4 HP |
| Spawns | Pillager outposts, patrols, raids |
| Drops | Crossbow (8.5%), captains drop an ominous banner and ominous bottle |
| XP | 5 |
Where pillagers come from
Outposts. A pillager outpost is a dark oak watchtower that spawns pillagers continuously in a large box around the top floor, as long as the spawn spot is dark enough. Some outposts also hold caged allays or an iron golem.
Patrols. After about five and a half in-game days, small groups of pillagers can spawn anywhere in the Overworld, 24-48 blocks from a player. One member is always a captain. On Java, a patrol can also include vindicators and ravagers that join near the captain.
Raids. Pillagers make up most of the early waves. In later waves some of them ride ravagers.
Captains and raids
The captain wears an ominous banner. When you kill one outside a raid it drops an ominous bottle (level 1 to 5), plus the banner. Drinking the bottle gives Bad Omen for 100 minutes. Walk into a village with it and Bad Omen turns into Raid Omen, and 30 seconds later the raid starts. Milk cures Bad Omen if you’d rather not deal with it.
This bottle system is new in 1.21 on both editions. Older guides say a captain gives you Bad Omen instantly on death; that’s no longer true. Bad Omen also triggers ominous trials in trial chambers.
Raids pay well: emeralds, totems of undying from evokers, and the Hero of the Village discount from every villager in town.
Fighting pillagers
Close the distance. A pillager reloads between every shot, and a sword hits much harder than its crossbow. A shield blocks the bolts completely, so raise it while you approach and drop it when you’re in range.
For a group, break line of sight and make them come to you around a corner. On Java their sight range is 32 blocks; on Bedrock it’s 16, so Bedrock patrols are easier to sneak past.
Drops
On Java, a pillager has an 8.5% chance to drop its crossbow (more with Looting), sometimes enchanted. Bedrock raiders can also drop arrows, emeralds and the odd enchanted book or iron gear. The ominous banner can’t be crafted, so keep one if you want it for a build.
If you want a crossbow, crafting one is faster than farming pillagers.
Edition differences
- Java crossbows can break; Bedrock pillagers’ never do.
- Java pillagers strafe and can hold arrows or rockets in their off-hand.
- Bedrock caps an outpost at eight pillagers; Java has no cap.
All illagers, from vindicators to evokers, are on the mobs hub.
Common questions
Does killing a pillager captain start a raid?
Not directly in 1.21. The captain drops an ominous bottle. Drinking it gives Bad Omen, which becomes Raid Omen when you enter a village, and the raid starts 30 seconds later.
Do pillager outposts keep spawning pillagers?
Yes. Pillagers keep spawning around an outpost's tower on dark-enough blocks, which is why outposts make good raid farm sites.
When do pillager patrols start?
After about five and a half in-game days. Patrols can spawn anywhere in the Overworld, not only near outposts or villages.
Sources & verification
Facts on this page are checked against these references and in-game behavior for the stated edition(s). how we verify.
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