Have you ever found yourself trading with villagers, only to be taken aback by sudden price hikes? Or perhaps you have accidentally hit these mobs and pumped the prices? If any of these situations sound familiar then you are a witness of villager inflation in Minecraft. It is a powerful trade mechanic that affects your every interaction with a villager. So, let's unfold what this unique mechanic is and find the best ways to counter it.
Villager Inflation in Minecraft
From causes to solutions, our guide goes over everything you need to know about villager inflation in Minecraft. It's best to explore each section to unlock the cheapest trades in the game.
What is Villager Inflation in Minecraft
The only way to understand this unique mechanic of Minecraft is with a short lesson in economics. Generally, inflation means an increase in the price of goods over time and with an increase in demand. Some unpredictable negative and positive events can also impact the same. Things aren't much different in Minecraft as well.
Inflation in Minecraft refers to the increase in the cost of villager trades. This increase can be due to a variety of reasons including demand, fines, and more. But, there are certain positive actions that can also bring it down - just like the real world.
What Causes Villager Inflation
There are three main factors that can cause inflation in Minecraft:
- Demand: When you buy up all copies of an item from a villager, that particular trade becomes disabled. Later, when they restock the item, they tend to set a higher price.
- Harm: Attacking a villager harms your reputation and raises the prices of all trades across the village. It also makes the Iron Golem attack you.
- Kill: Taking the life of a villager has serious consequences in Minecraft. It leads to much higher inflation than just hitting a villager.
Moreover, unlike demand, harming or killing villagers affects the trade of an entire village. This is possible due to their unique communication system.
Tip to Prevent Inflation
You can follow these simple tips to avoid getting villager inflation in Minecraft:
- Don't hit or kill villagers even accidentally.
- Learn how to find a village in Minecraft to have backups for accidentally harming villagers.
- Let villagers replenish their trades instead of emptying them out all at once.
- Craft many job blocks and breed villagers to have more than one mob for each profession
How to Fix High Villager Prices
There are a bunch of ways to reduce villager inflation in MInecraft. Let's go over each of them to find the one that fits your situation.
Hero of The Village
When you save a village from a Pillager raid, Minecraft gives you the "Hero of The Village" status effect. As long as the effect of this effect lasts, the villagers offer temporarily cheaper trades. Moreover, they also shower you with a variety of gifts for absolutely free. For example, farmer villagers throw bread at players who end a raid.
You can easily start a raid by visiting a Pillager Outpost and killing its Pillagers. Though, defeating a raid isn't as easy as initiating it. It's best to keep a diamond sword, and a few Minecraft potions handy.
Cure Zombie Villager
If the plan of fighting a bunch of hostile Pillagers doesn't sound appealing then handling one zombie might be a better pick. You just need to trap a zombie villager and cure it by feeding it a golden apple, while it is under the effect of Weakness.
We already have a dedicated guide that goes over how to cure zombie villagers in Minecraft. You can rely upon it to easily fix these mobs and reduce villager inflation in Minecraft. Though, you should keep a shield in your hand to avoid getting hurt during the process.
Decrease Demand
You can also use a real-world tactic to villager inflation in Minecraft. All you have to do is ignore the trades that appear overpriced. The villagers will notice the drop in demand and automatically reduce the item's prices.
But if you are playing on the best Minecraft survival servers, other players can interact with the same villagers. So, you must keep your villagers in a safe spot to prevent others from influencing their trades.
Regular Trading
When you trade regularly with a villager, it upgrades the trading levels of that mob. While doing so, you also improve your own reputation around that villager and unlock cheaper trades. It is one of the easiest methods to counter villager inflation in Minecraft. But, it is also not that powerful when compared to the others.
Frequently Asked Questions
How long does villager inflation last?
The inflated price in Minecraft usually lasts for a few in-game days. But, you can counter it immediately by using a few reliable solutions from our guide.
Do villagers raise prices if you hit them?
Hitting or killing villagers in Minecraft leads to negative gossip which increases trade prices.
Why do my villager trades keep getting more expensive?
If you constantly keep demanding a high volume of items from villagers, it leads to an increase in demand. This demand makes the villagers inflate the prices of all the trades.
Control and Reduce Villager Inflation in Minecraft
Just like that, you now know how to control and tackle villager inflation in Minecraft. But what if you could change the sellers to avoid it altogether? That's exactly what you get by trading with Piglins in Minecraft. They sell you a variety of items, just like the villagers but never inflate prices. The same logic also applies to Wandering Traders in Minecraft who trade with fixed prices. Having said that, do you consider villager inflation in Minecraft to be fair or unnecessary? Share your opinions on our Discord server and find other ways to counter inflation.