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The 1.14 update was all about changing the way villagers and villages work in Minecraft. It also introduced a lot of changes to trading, and to this end introduced a brand new passive mob known as the Wandering Trader. In addition to his blue garb, he can be recognized by his two signature llamas and unique appearance compared to regular villagers.

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The Wandering Trader allows players to trade for some rarer items, plants, and dyes regardless of their location. While his prices are very different from the rather expensive prices of regular villagers, his inventory is also much smaller and he can't be leveled up, nor can his trades be rerolled and manipulated. Here's what to know if you plan on trading with him.

Updated on July 14, 2021 by Anastasia Maillot: Following the first half of the Caves and Cliffs update, or the 1.17 version of Minecraft, the Wandering Trader hasn't changed that drastically. That being said, he does receive a few new trades that allow you to get your hands on some of the unique decorative items of the new update.

On top of that, the Wandering Trader's bucket of tropical fish trade is actually more important and valuable now that it's been confirmed to be the primary source of food for axolotls. If you're looking to breed this brand-new mob and can't catch fish, the Wandering Trader is a good option.

Who Is The Wandering Trader?

Minecraft Wandering Trader With Llama

The Wandering Trader can be recognized by his blue outfit and two special llamas that typically accompany him. He also makes a unique villager-like sound effect, which makes him much easier to distinguish or find.

During the nighttime, the Wandering Trader will actually stay close to the player and drink an invisibility potion to hide from mobs. When morning comes, he drinks a bucket of milk to reappear once more. If he's ever attacked, his llamas will protect him by spitting on the enemy, whether it's the player or a hostile mob.

Minecraft Wandering Trader Llama

Killing the Wandering Trader is an option, though it's generally much more beneficial to simply trade with him. However, if you do slay him while he's consuming milk or his potion of invisibility, he has a slight chance of dropping either. He drops no experience points.

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Occasionally, the Wandering Trader will accidentally unleash his llamas, which allows the player to collect free leads from the ground. When he despawns, he also won't take his unleashed llamas with him, which basically means free llamas for the player. So keep an eye on his leads, as without slime it's an item that's fairly difficult to craft.

How To Find A Wandering Trader

Minecraftt Wandering Trader In A Village

Unlike normal villagers who stick to their villages for the entirety of their lives, the Wandering Trader cannot be returned to over and over again whenever the player so desires. First of all, only one trader can spawn at a time, and this can start happening as early as 20 minutes of real-time, which is roughly one day within the game itself.

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Wandering Traders are not limited by the environment when it comes to spawning. They can spawn in even the most remote locations, including underground if the player happens to be mining inside a cave. They can also spawn in bodies of water, so even if you live on a small island, you'll still get a chance of trading with him.

Minecraft Invisible Wandering Trader

After the 20-minute mark, the chance of him spawning increases. Typically, it takes about three and a half hours for a Wandering Trader to spawn, but he can also take longer or arrive earlier. Once he has arrived, he will despawn again after 40 minutes or more. This can't be prevented in any way, not even by trapping or naming him.

All Of The Wandering Trader's Trades

Minecraft Wandering Trader Selling Nautilus Shells

The real reason why the Wandering Trader is important is due to his trades. Many of them might seem extremely random, but they can be surprisingly useful for players who need a rare resource only found in biomes far away from them. As such, the Wandering Trader is useful for rare saplings, flowers, or even blue ice and podzol.

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His best trade is most definitely his Nautilus Shell trade for 5 emeralds, which can make building a Conduit with a Heart of the Sea much easier. Since Nautilus Shells are so rare to find while fishing or when fighting Drowned mobs, a Wandering Trader with this trade is extremely useful.

The primary trade options consist of five trades, randomly picked from the following options:

1 Emerald trades

  • Most flowers
  • All seeds
  • Vines
  • Brown and red mushrooms
  • Ferns
  • Dyes
  • Sugar cane
  • Pumpkin
  • Red sand
  • Lily pads
  • Pointed dripstone
  • Moss block
  • Rooted dirt
  • Small dripleaf

2 Emerald trades

  • Sea pickle
  • Glowstone

3 Emerald trades

  • Cactus
  • All coral block variants

4 Emerald trades

  • Slimeballs

5 Emerald trades

  • All saplings
  • Nautilus shell

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Minecraft Wandering Trader Selling Podzol

The secondary trade option, which is typically found at the bottom of the list and is considered the most valuable, is picked randomly from the following options. The more expensive the trade, the less the Wandering Trader will have in stock.

1 Emerald trades

  • Gunpowder

3 Emerald trades

  • Packed ice
  • Podzol

5 Emerald trades

  • Bucket of tropical fish
  • Bucket of pufferfish

6 Emerald trades

  • Blue ice

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