How to Start Raids in Minecraft (and Survive Them)

Whether you want to get the powerful Totem of Undying or unlock cheaper trades, raids are the way for you. They are the ultimate test for your survival skills and a great way to practice for Minecraft survival servers. So, how can you best approach and conquer these thrilling in-game events? Join us as we uncover how to start raids in Minecraft and tackle them every single time.

How to Start Raids in Minecraft 1.20

Our guide goes over everything you need to know about raids in Minecraft. But, if you are only interested in starting them, please feel free to skip ahead.

What is A Raid in Minecraft

The overworld of Minecraft is divided between two clans of mobs. On one side, we have we have the villagers, leading peaceful lives filled with trading and farming. Meanwhile, on the other end are ruthless Pillagers, ready to go any length to hunt every last villager. But, this hostile relationship goes to the next level with the occurrence of a raid.

Raids are an organized attack by the Pillagers on a chosen village in Minecraft. They aim to kill every single villager or die trying. Though, much like wars in the real world, raids only trigger with a catalyst. The raids in Minecraft begin when a player with the Bad Omen effect enters a village. But, more on that later.

What Mobs Spawn During a Raid

You can expect to see the entire family of Illager mobs in Minecraft during a raid. The list includes:

Pillager: Mobs that often spawn in a large group and use crossbows to hunt their targets.
Vindicator: Powerful variant of the Pillagers that spawn with an iron axe and rush at their enemies.
Ravager: Massive rideable mob that bites and tackles their enemies.
Witch: Unique hostile mob that can use potions to heal itself and poison its opponents.
Evoker: Spell-casting Pillager that can summon sword-wielding vexes and armor-piercing fangs.

Raid events generally unfold in 3-7 waves, with each new wave spawning more mobs than before. Furthermore, the amount of monsters also increases if you are playing on a higher difficulty. So, you make sure to get some Minecraft potions to keep yourself safe.

Get Bad Omen Effect

You can only start a raid in Minecraft when you enter a village with the Bad Omen status effect. Follow these easy steps to get the Bad Omen status effect in Minecraft:

1. First, make a sword or any other weapon in Minecraft. You will need it to start the raid and even during the raid.

2. Then, find a Pillager Outpost in your world. It can spawn in any biome that has the ability to spawn a village in the game.

3. Alternatively, you can also search for a Pillager patrol. It is a group of pillagers wandering around and killing any player or villager they find. Often, outposts are easier to locate than the patrol.

4. Once you find a patrol or an outpost, search for the Pillager captain. It is the leader of the entire group and carries a banner over its head.

5. Finally, kill the Pillager captain and get the Bad Omen status effect. It will show up on the right side of your inventory and you don't need to kill the remaining Pillagers.

Levels of Bad Omen

In Minecraft, the Bad Omen status effect has 5 levels. As the level of this effect increases, the Pillagers become more dangerous. They get enchanted weapons, an increase in number, and the ability to spawn stronger pillagers.

Unfortunately, killing the captain of a Pillager Outpost only gives you the first level of Bad Omen. To unlock higher levels, you need to kill multiple patrol captains. Moreover, you can also use a tamed wolf in Minecraft to do the killing without putting yourself at risk.

How to Get Rid of the Bad Omen Effect

If you accidentally get the Bad Omen effect or are not ready for a raid, it's best to remove it before entering a village. Here's how:

1. First, get three iron ingots in your world. You can use our guide on how to find iron in Minecraft to speed up the process.

2. Then, use those iron ingots to make a bucket in Minecraft.

3. Then, search for a cow and use a bucket on it to collect milk.

4. Finally, drink the milk from your bucket by right-clicking while holding it. You can drink milk to get rid of any effect in the game including Bad Omen.

How to Start a Raid in Minecraft

Once you have the bad omen effect, it's really easy to start a raid in Minecraft. Just explore your world until you locate a village, then enter it. The Bad Omen effect lasts for 1 hour and 40 minutes. So, you have plenty of time to find a village in Minecraft.

Upon entering the village, a progress bar will appear at the top of your screen. This bar decreases as you eliminate Pillagers and resets at the start of each new wave. Furthermore, the Pillagers also blow their goat horns before surrounding and charging into the village. They plan to kill all the villagers in the area and your mission is to hunt down every Pillager that enters the village.

Tips to Win a Raid in Minecraft

Now that you know how to start a raid in Minecraft, it's time to ensure that you win it. So, follow these tips and prepare yourself to defeat the Pillagers.

Timing: If possible, it's best to find a village and prepare it before getting the Bad Omen effect. You can ring a bell to get all the villagers inside their huts and then place blocks at their doors to prevent Pillagers from entering.
Shield: You should make a shield in Minecraft to counter the powerful melee attacks.
Iron Golems: Every village in Minecraft generates an Iron Golem inside it. These powerful mobs can take down a bunch of Pillagers on their own. Moreover, you can also make an Iron Golem in Minecraft to help you during the higher levels of raids.
TNT: The strength of the pillagers lies in their numbers. So, you can make TNT in Minecraft and use it to kill a group of pillagers in a sit hit. Though, you can end up hurting innocent villagers and their huts during the process.
Enchantments: The Pillagers spawn with enchanted weapons when you start a raid with a high level of Bad Omen. This means that you must also get some of the best armor enchantments in Minecraft to counter their powerful attacks.

When Happens If I Lose a Raid or Die

If you are playing in survival game mode or on the best Minecraft survival servers, you can respawn and join the raid even after a Pillager kills you. The raid continues whether you are a part of it or not. As you might expect, the main enemy of the Pillagers is the villagers and not the player.

If all the villagers die or all their claimed beds are destroyed, the Pillagers don't count the village as a village. In this case, the raid bar will indicate "Raid - Defeat," and the Pillagers will celebrate with jumping and celebration sounds.

Uses of Raids in Minecraft

While raids can be extremely challenging and frustrating to tackle, they also provide a bunch of benefits. Here is everything that makes a raid useful in Minecraft:

Experience: When you kill a mob in Minecraft it drops experience orbs. You can rely upon this mechanic to collect a bunch of XP during a raid.
Loot: The mobs that spawn during a raid drop emeralds, enchanted books, and iron gear upon death.
Totem of Undying: You can get a Totem of Undying by killing Evokers. This item allows you to cancel any death in the game. Beyond raids, Evokers only spawn inside the dangerous mansions in Minecraft.
Hero Of the Village: The best benefit of stopping a trade-in Minecraft is the cheap trades. As a way of thanking you, the villagers offer all their trades at much lower prices under the “Hero Of the Village” status effect.
Village Gifts: As soon as the raid finishes, all the villagers shower you with gifts. They throw items related to their profession at you. For example, you can expect a farmer to throw loaves of bread at you.

How to End Raids Without Fighting

Unless you have all the right resources, it can be difficult to win the raid. Luckily, there is a unique mechanic that allows you to end raids in Minecraft within its first wave. Here's how:

1. First, kill all, except one, mobs of the raid. At this point, they are at their weakest and don't pose a serious risk to you.

2. Then, trap the last raider by placing chains or any other building blocks around it.

3. Finally, use a name tag on that raider to prevent it from despawning. It doesn't matter which name you choose but going for "Dinnerbone" will make it fun.

If a raid goes on for 40 minutes, Minecraft automatically ends it with no clear winner. Then, the raiding bar disappears and the game declares "Raid Expired". Consequently, you don't get the discounted trades and the Pillagers don't get to spawn more of them.

Bonus: Igloo Raids

If you want to start a raid in Minecraft but without putting an entire village at risk, Igloos are your best option. This is because they contain a bed and a villager in their basements, which the game treats as a village equivalent.

So, you can simply get the Bad Omen effect and visit an Igloo to start a raid. Doing so keeps your village safe but it also limits all the trade discounts to one villager. But, you can still use igloos to practice dealing with raids in Minecraft.

How to Find the Last Raider in Minecraft

One of the most common problems people face while dealing with raids is finding the last raider. Your game can appear stuck at the 1 pillager mark with the mob nowhere to be seen. If you somehow end up in this situation, consider the following strategies:

Search Thoroughly: The first thing you need to do is search in and around the entire village. At times, the Pillager can get stuck inside huts or in complex terrain. You can also use the best Minecraft PvP texture packs to X-ray through the blocks.
Use Mobs: You can let your Iron Golem or Snow Golem wander around the village. Either they will spot the Pillager or the last Pillager might start moving towards them.
Change Difficulty: One of the easiest ways to win a raid is by changing the game's difficulty to make the raider despawn.
Wait It Out: Lastly, the game can also bug out and not detect the death of a Pillager. In that case, it's best to wait for the raid to end. But, if it continues for more than 5 minutes, it's time to start searching.

Start and Defeat a Raid in Minecraft

With that, you are now ready to take down raids in Minecraft. But, it’s no fun on your own. So, don’t forget to get an Allay or some of your friends from the best Minecraft servers to support you. As for the villagers, it’s best to let them stay inside their cozy beds. With that said, how are you planning to win raids in your world? Share your favorite strategies on our Minecraft Discord server and discover what everyone else is cooking.