Top 15 Best Minecraft Villager Jobs and Villager Trades

Ever since they were first added to the game in 2012, Villagers have become an absolutely critical part of the Minecraft experience. They’re one of the main reasons why Minecraft‘s world genuinely feels like a living, vibrant place.

And of course, carving out your own place in that world often involves frequent interaction and trading with these Villagers.

But the thing is, there are no less than 15 different professions that your Minecraft Villagers can take on, each one of them affecting what that villager produces.

Many players find themselves struggling to decide which professions they ought to allow their Villagers to take on, which ones produce the most critical stuff, and which ones are best for turning a profit.

Below, we’ve listed the 15 available jobs for your Minecraft Villagers, ranked from worst to best. Let’s take a look at their merits.

Best Minecraft Villagers

15. Nitwit Villager

You probably don’t need us to explain why these fellows are at the bottom of the list. Not only do they not have jobs, but they can’t take on jobs at Jobsite blocks, either.

Villagers aren’t especially useful or productive when literally all they can do is wander around.

Still, don’t give up on Nitwit Villagers entirely. They can be cured through a rather elaborate process of allowing them to be turned into a zombie, then curing them with a Potion of Weakness and a golden apple.

This ought to turn them into an ordinary Unemployed Villager, who can then be given a job.

It might sound like a bit more trouble than it’s worth, but as we’ve probably made clear here, every new working villager is invaluable in carving out your place in this world.

14. Unemployed Villager

We’re just throwing this one in for the sake of completeness. But don’t look too unkindly on unemployed Villagers; they’re ready to take on whatever profession would best serve your community and playstyle.

Just set up the right Jobsite block for them, and they’ll be happy to head for it.

13. Leatherworker Villager

Leatherworkers spawn at the Cauldron Jobsite block. These guys only sell you leather armor, which isn’t too useful once you’re past the initial stages of the game.

Still, they’ll also buy leather from you, which makes them a decent sort of profit since that’s another common material you’ll probably get a decent amount of early on.

12. Mason Villager

The Mason Villagers, who spawn at Stonecutter Jobsite blocks, are most useful as a source of profit. They’ll give you emeralds for stone, one of the most common materials in the game.

And if you’re the sort who’s fond of outdoor decoration, they’ll also sell you one of 16 different kinds of terracotta once they Expert level.

11. Weaponsmith Villager

Weaponsmith Villagers spawn at Grindstone Jobsite blocks. Of course, there is room to argue that they become a little redundant once you get the Mending enchantment.

After all, this enchantment tends to be most effective on weapons, as the player tends to have them equipped while gathering XP. The net effect is that weapons tend to last longer, and replacing them becomes less necessary.

Still, it’s nice to have at least one weaponsmith around. They, along with armorers and toolsmiths, are a handy way of making some profit off all the excess coal and iron you’ll eventually find yourself carting around.

Moreover, once they’re properly experienced, they can sell you some diamond weapons, which might be handy to bear with the armorer’s diamond armor when you’re headed somewhere dangerous and don’t feel properly armed.

10. Shepherd Villager

Admittedly, the usefulness of the shepherd Villager (created with a Loom) is kind of dependent on whether or not you yourself raise sheep.

However, if you do, a shepherd will prove another easy source of profit, as of right from the beginning, they’ll give you emeralds in exchange for wool.

In addition, once they get a bit of experience, they’ll sell you wool and carpets in one of 16 different colors.

This is extremely handy if you’re trying to give your Minecraft home a particular interior aesthetic or color scheme but don’t have the time to seek out the ingredients necessary for a particular dye color.

9. Fletcher Villager

Fletchers spawn, unsurprisingly, at Fletching Tables. If you’re fond of ranged combat, you’ll probably want at least one of these guys around. Even early on, they can sell you arrows – which we probably don’t need to tell you, you’ll always need more of.

And don’t worry, you can make a profit off them easily too – they’ll buy stuff as common as sticks and flint.

And once they reach Master level, they’ll sell you one of 15 different kinds of Tipped Arrow.

Having someone who can offer that kind of edge in ranged combat is tremendously convenient for players who enjoy picking off enemies from a distance.

8. Armorer Villager

Like toolsmiths, armorers, who are created with Blast Furnace Jobsite blocks, will trade emeralds for common things like coal and iron ingots, making them profitable early on.

And like toolsmiths, the investment is doubly worth it later on, when they’re able to provide you with a full set of enchanted diamond armor.

That moment you’re preparing to wander into an especially dangerous region of the map and realize you aren’t properly protected is the moment you’ll be infinitely thankful you took the time to invest in an armorer.

7. Fisherman Villager

Some people find Minecraft’s fishing feature a bit tedious, but it can also be tremendously rewarding to invest your time in, given the kind of nifty stuff you have a small chance of pulling up.

Of course, an inevitable side effect is that you’ll end up with huge amounts of common fish amidst the few valuable treasures. Raw cod, in particular, is likely to seriously clog up your inventory.

However, with a few fishermen on hand, you’ll be able to sell all this raw cod for emeralds, ensuring that any fishing session will turn profitable no matter what you catch.

Fishermen are created with Barrel Jobsite blocks.

6. Toolsmith

You may not necessarily need to visit them regularly, but you’ll always need at least one toolsmith on hand (you can create them by setting up Smithing Tables). Not only will you always need tools, but tools are apt to wear out quicker.

For one thing, you use them constantly, and for another, even once you’ve got the Mending enchantment, you don’t tend to have your tools out when you’re gathering XP.

In other words, having at least one Villager who’ll sell you new tools when you suddenly find yourself short will always be useful.

Early on, toolsmiths will give you emeralds for common things like coal and iron ingots as a nice bonus. This ensures that they’re a source of decent profit early on, as well as a good investment in the long term.

What’s more, toolsmiths, along with armorers and weaponsmiths, can also sell you bells, which is nifty if you appreciate their decorative value but don’t feel like stealing them.

5. Cartographer

It is a great place to both spend and earn emeralds, any player with a taste for exploration (and let’s be honest, that’s every Minecraft player) ought to have at least one cartographer Villager in their community. They’re created, unsurprisingly, by setting up Cartography Tables.

The maps they provide are tremendously handy in uncovering the world of Minecraft‘s many secrets more effectively and for finding your way home once you’ve done so.

But besides that, cartographers will also buy paper from you. If you’ve got a sugar cane farm, paper is tremendously easy to produce en masse, making this profession another potential source of serious profit.

4. Cleric

Once they’re sufficiently experienced, cleric Villagers, created with Brewing Tables, provide another great way to spend your emeralds, as they offer some extremely handy materials.

After all, while they may be pricey, it’s so much nicer to get Ender Pearls and glowstones by trading emeralds for them if you’re not a fan of wandering around the Nether to find that stuff.

3. Butcher

The butcher Villager, who is created with a Smoker Jobsite block, is another source of easy profit. Whereas farmers purchase vegetables, butchers purchase raw meat.

In other words, if you’re a keen hunter or keep a livestock farm, chances are you can turn a serious profit from having a few butchers on hand.

Rapidly-breeding animals like chickens, in particular, can turn butchers into a positive goldmine.

And if you don’t feel like spending time cooking your next meal and have some extra emeralds, they’re also a handy place to buy some cooked meat.

2. Librarian

If farmer Villagers provide the best way to get emeralds, librarian Villagers, created with Lectern Jobsite blocks, arguably provide the best way to spend them.

As the player levels up, enchanting your weapons, tools and armor become immensely useful, if not critical to survival.

Librarians can provide Enchanted Books in exchange for emeralds. Needless to say, it’s much quicker and more reliable than having to pray you to find them in random chests.

1. Farmer

Much like in real life, farmer Villagers (created with Composter Jobsite blocks) are critical in building a sustainable community and economy.

Of course, there’s the fact that they serve as a source of food for when you find yourself unexpectedly short, a dire situation to be in any circumstance.

More significantly, however, they offer emeralds in exchange for common foods like carrots and potatoes, which are arguably some of the easiest and cheapest things to harvest or gather in high quantities.

In other words, farmers will serve as one of your readiest sources of profit.

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