About This Guide

A fully automated raid farm that spawns and kills pillagers and ravagers for their drops — totems of undying, crossbows, saddles, and emeralds. Triggers on bad omen and funnels raiders into a lava kill chamber with water sweep collection. One of the highest-value loot farms in the game. This advanced mob grinder build works in Minecraft Java Edition, version 1.20+ and above. Budget around 60-90 minutes for construction — have all materials in your inventory before you begin.

Difficulty: Advanced

This is an Advanced build. It demands solid familiarity with at least one of Minecraft’s complex systems — redstone timing, mob AI behavior, or intricate 3D spatial layout. Gather every material before placing the first block, and expect to debug. The payoff in automation, efficiency, or aesthetics is well worth the effort.

Materials You’ll Need

Material	Quantity
Cobblestone	200
Lava Bucket	4
Water Bucket	2
Hopper	6
Chest	4
Redstone Dust	32
Redstone Comparator	4
Observer	4
Glass Block	32
Iron Door	2

Total distinct materials: 10. Gather everything listed above before you start — mid-build supply runs break your momentum.

Step-by-Step Instructions

Step 1: Build the Raid Platform

Lay a 7x7 cobblestone base platform at least 3 chunks from the nearest village. This is the raid trigger zone where you'll activate bad omen. The platform must be solid cobblestone — no transparency or gaps that raiders could path around.

💡 Tip: Build the platform close enough to a village that the raid triggers, but far enough that villagers don't pathfind to your farm.

Step 2: Build the Kill Chamber Walls

Raise cobblestone walls 4 blocks high around the entire 7x7 perimeter. This fully enclosed chamber is where raiders get funneled. Leave no gaps — pillagers will shoot through any opening. The walls also contain the lava and water in the next steps.

💡 Tip: Cobblestone is better than glass here — it absorbs crossbow bolts and you can't see raiders taunting you from inside.

Step 3: Add the Lava Kill Ring

Inside the chamber at height 2, place lava in a ring around the inner perimeter (leaving the center 1x1 open as a drop shaft to the collection below). Lava kills most raiders in seconds. Ravagers are immune to fire, so they need fall damage — the center drop handles them.

💡 Tip: Position lava at exactly height 2 — too low and items burn before reaching hoppers; too high and raiders survive.

Step 4: Install Water Sweep

At height 3, place water source blocks along one wall to flow across the chamber floor. This water current sweeps drops (totems, crossbows, emeralds) toward the center drop shaft. Time it correctly and 100% of loot makes it to the collection chest.

💡 Tip: One water source at one end of the chamber creates a full 7-block current — exactly enough to sweep the whole floor.

Step 5: Add Redstone Detection and Collection

Below the drop shaft, place a hopper chain feeding into storage chests. Above the chamber roof, place redstone comparators at the corners that detect raid waves starting — this lets you automate the bad-omen trigger mechanism. Connect observers to a lava toggle for cleanup between waves.

💡 Tip: Dedicate separate chests for totems of undying — they're your most valuable drop. A sorted hopper system saves hours of inventory management.

Step 6: Trigger and AFK

Kill a pillager captain (the one with a banner on their back) to gain bad omen. Enter the platform with bad omen active to trigger a raid. AFK safely outside the kill chamber. Each raid wave spawns 3-8 minutes apart. Full 7-wave raids yield 4-10 totems and hundreds of emeralds.

💡 Tip: Bad Omen stacks up to V in 1.20+ — higher levels spawn harder raids but give more totems. Farm omen level V for best efficiency.

Tips & Tricks

Build the platform close enough to a village that the raid triggers, but far enough that villagers don't pathfind to your farm.
Cobblestone is better than glass here — it absorbs crossbow bolts and you can't see raiders taunting you from inside.
Position lava at exactly height 2 — too low and items burn before reaching hoppers; too high and raiders survive.
One water source at one end of the chamber creates a full 7-block current — exactly enough to sweep the whole floor.
Dedicate separate chests for totems of undying — they're your most valuable drop. A sorted hopper system saves hours of inventory management.
Bad Omen stacks up to V in 1.20+ — higher levels spawn harder raids but give more totems. Farm omen level V for best efficiency.
Light up all caves within 128 blocks of the farm to maximize mob spawning rates inside your structure.
Take a screenshot of the finished build from multiple angles — you’ll thank yourself when you want to recreate it in a future world.
Label a nearby chest with a sign so you can dump leftover materials immediately and keep your inventory clean.