Give an unemployed villager a job block, trade once to lock its profession, then level it up. The best trades are librarian books like Mending. Curing a zombie villager gives a big permanent discount. In 26.3, the librarian trade rebalance is still experimental.
- Job blocks set professions; one trade locks it in forever.
- Librarians on a lectern can sell Mending books.
- Cure zombie villagers for a big permanent discount.
- Hero of the Village cuts prices up to 55%.
- Librarian rebalance is still experimental in 26.3.
01Which job block gives which profession?
Unemployed villagers claim a free job site block nearby and take its profession. There are 13 professions:
| Profession | Job block | Good for |
|---|---|---|
| Armorer | Blast Furnace | Diamond armor |
| Butcher | Smoker | Selling meat for emeralds |
| Cartographer | Cartography Table | Explorer maps, banners |
| Cleric | Brewing Stand | Ender pearls, bottles o' enchanting |
| Farmer | Composter | Easy emeralds from crops |
| Fisherman | Barrel | Emeralds from fish |
| Fletcher | Fletching Table | Emeralds for sticks |
| Leatherworker | Cauldron | Saddles, leather gear |
| Librarian | Lectern | Enchanted books |
| Mason | Stonecutter | Decor blocks |
| Shepherd | Loom | Wool, beds, banners |
| Toolsmith | Smithing Table | Enchanted diamond tools |
| Weaponsmith | Grindstone | Enchanted diamond weapons |
Nitwits (green coats) never take a job.
02How do you get a Mending librarian?
- Place a lectern near an unemployed villager.
- Check its novice trades for a book you want.
- Wrong book? Break the lectern and place it again. The villager rerolls its trades.
- Once you see Mending, trade once. That locks the offer forever.
Rerolling only works before the first trade. After that, the villager keeps its job and trades. Put the lectern where you can break it quickly, and keep a spare axe handy, since you may reroll dozens of times.
Keep a few librarians. As they level up they unlock more book trades, so you can collect Protection, Efficiency and more.
03What are the best villager trades?
- Librarian: Mending, Protection IV, Efficiency V and other enchanted books.
- Farmer: crops for emeralds; the easiest emerald income.
- Fletcher: sticks for emeralds.
- Cleric: ender pearls and bottles o' enchanting.
- Armorer, toolsmith, weaponsmith: enchanted diamond gear at higher levels.
- Cartographer: explorer maps to structures like trial chambers and woodland mansions.
Every trade gives the villager XP. It ranks up through five levels: Novice, Apprentice, Journeyman, Expert and Master. Each new level unlocks new trades.
Villagers restock up to twice a day if they can reach their job block. On Bedrock they also need a bed to restock.
Pro tip: pair a farmer villager with an automatic crop farm. Selling crops is a steady, low-effort emerald source.
04How do you get cheaper villager trades?
Cure a zombie villager. Hit it with a splash potion of Weakness, then feed it a golden apple. About five minutes later it turns back and gives you a big permanent discount on most trades.
Since 1.20.2 on Java (1.20.30 on Bedrock), only the first cure counts. Re-zombifying the same villager no longer stacks discounts.
Win a raid. Hero of the Village cuts prices by 30% at level I and up to 55% at level V, for a limited time.
Don't hit villagers. On Java, attacking them raises your prices.
05How do you breed and move villagers?
Need more librarians? Breed them.
- Each villager needs food to be willing: 3 bread, 12 carrots, 12 potatoes or 12 beetroots. Throw it at them.
- Place free beds with at least two empty blocks above them. Babies only spawn if there is an unclaimed bed.
- Job blocks are not needed to breed. Babies grow up unemployed, ready for a lectern.
To move villagers, use a boat on land for short trips, or a minecart on rails for long ones. Build your trading hall close to where they spawn if you can.
Lock them in small cells with their job block in reach. That keeps them from wandering off and still lets them restock.
06Is the villager trade rebalance in the game yet?
Partly. As of Java 26.3, the librarian, armorer and other profession changes are still behind the Villager Trade Rebalance experiment. You only get them if you turn on that experiment when you create a world.
- Cartographer and wandering trader changes left the experiment in Java 1.21.5 and Bedrock 1.21.70. Those are now normal.
- In the experiment, librarians sell books based on their biome. Mending is a special master trade from swamp librarians.
- Java 26.1 gave master librarians three trade slots, so the experiment always offers a book.
Here are the special master-level books per biome in the experiment:
| Librarian biome | Special book |
|---|---|
| Desert | Efficiency III |
| Plains | Protection III |
| Savanna | Sharpness III |
| Snowy | Silk Touch |
| Taiga | Fortune II |
| Jungle | Unbreaking II |
| Swamp | Mending |
Want to try it? Turn on the Villager Trade Rebalance experiment when you create a new world. Java 26.3 itself did not change villager trades for players.
07Build a trading hall with friends
CHEAT SMP is a Java 26.3 survival server with vanilla villagers, so this whole guide applies. Protect your trading hall with claims, and team up using the tips on playing with friends. Join at play.cheatsmp.dev.
FAQFrequently asked questions
How do you reset a villager's trades?
Break and replace its job block before you trade with it. After the first trade, its trades are locked.
Is the villager trade rebalance permanent?
Not fully. In Java 26.3 the librarian and smith changes are still an optional experiment; only cartographer and wandering trader changes are in the base game.
Does curing a villager twice give a bigger discount?
No. Since 1.20.2 on Java and 1.20.30 on Bedrock, only the first cure gives the big discount.
Why won't my villager restock?
It must reach its job block. On Bedrock it also needs to be linked to a bed.
Like this? Play it with powers.
CHEAT SMP runs vanilla Java 26.3 villagers, and /claim lets you protect a trading hall from other players.
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Published Oct 30, 2026. Written for Minecraft Java 26.3; we update posts when the game changes. Not affiliated with Mojang or Microsoft.
