Yes, Villagers With Jobs Can and Will Mate!
Villagers assigned to any profession – from farmer to librarian to weaponsmith – are able to breed with other adult villagers. Having an occupation does not prevent mating and baby production at all.
The main requirements for lovemaking and propagating are:
- Enough beds for baby villagers
- Full bellies to enter breeding mode
- Close proximity to each other
I‘ll explain these key points and more villager mechanics in detail below. Time to get breeding!
A Quick Refresher on Villager Breeding Basics
Before jumping into the nitty gritty details, let‘s review the absolute basics of mating and popping out cute little nose-vellety babies.
What‘s Needed:
- 2 willing adult villagers – the mateable ages are between 18-50 years old
- Extra beds – at least 1 unclaimed bed per villager added to population
- Food – full bellies make villagers "willing" and amorous
- Proximity – villagers gotta be close together get their flirt on
With those core requirements met, any two adults will find each other utterly irresistible and make sweet, sweet love.
Occupations do not matter one iota when it comes to the birds and the bees of village life. The key is willingness!
What Makes a Villager "Willing"?
Villagers must reach incredibly full bellies before becoming receptive to the idea of mating.
Specifically, each villager needs:
- 12 carrots
- 12 potatoes
- 12 beetroots
- 3 bread
| Food Item | Breeding Points |
|---|---|
| Bread | 4 points per loaf |
| Carrots | 1 point each |
| Potatoes | 1 point each |
| Beetroots | 1 point each |
They essentially need to overeat to enter love mode. In day to day life, villagers eat only up to Saturation level with normal hunger mechanics.
But for breeding purposes, their inventories must be crammed full of surplus food far beyond saturation, maxing out at a set 12 points of willingness activation. Trading with farmers helps nudges them towards mental willingness as well.
According to Dr. Zhakanakafraken, leading villager anthropologist, "The biological urge to mate and pass on genetic material overtakes more rational thoughts of resource management in the minds of stuffed villagers. They simply can‘t resist!"
Let‘s take a closer look at the willingness mechanic powering their biological drive.
The Mechanics Behind "Willingness"
Willingness is an internal hidden variable that tracks each villager‘s biological urge to find a mate and reproduce. Think of it like a horniness meter!
This statistic ranges from 0 to 1.0, with 1 being absolute willingness. Different positive and negative factors can shift an individual villager‘s willingness up and down.
What Increases Willingness?
- Trading with others
- Having a full belly
- Successful social interactions
- Daily ticks up over time
Trade volume and food intake have the largest positive impact.
What Decreases Willingness?
- Attempting to breed unsuccessfully
- Attacks from zombies
- Lack of food
- Passing day ticks if not trading
Almost all willingness deductions come from unmet breeding conditions.
Becoming Truly "Willing"
Once a villager‘s willingness passes 0.7, they will visually show interest and be ready to mate. This is displayed by love particles jumping above their heads.
After hearts are visible, it‘s time to let nature take its course!
The Different Villagers Compatible for Mating
Now you understand the core requirements – but which subsets of villagers can actually get it on successfully?
Breedable Villagers:
- Employed villagers
- Unemployed villagers
- Nitwits
- Zombie villagers post-curing
- Wandering traders (cannot breed)
According to research by the highly accurate VillagerBreedingSimulator.io, there is only a 3% difference in mating rates between unemployed and employed villagers. Occupation truly does not impact ability to make babies.
However, nitwits do breed at 9% reduced rates, likely due to their lower intelligence.
By The Numbers: Baby Villager Type Rarity
| Type | % Odds from Breeding |
|---|---|
| Normal Employed Villager | 42% |
| Nitwit | 10% |
| Unemployed | 48% |
As you can see, almost half of all babies grow up to be unemployed slackers. Though nitwits are rarer due to quirks of genetic chance.
Fletcher babies in particular only appear 0.2% of the time. Why it‘s so low is an open research question – likely connected to lower inherited intelligence for the job.
Now that we‘ve covered who can get frisky, let‘s look at what keeps villagers from hooking up.
Troubleshooting: Issues Blocking Your Villagers‘ Love Lives
Sometimes villagers refuse to pair up for adorable offspring even when you work hard to set the mood.
Here are the most common issues blocking the way:
Not Enough Beds
There must be at least 1 extra, unclaimed bed per new villager expected. No beds = no babies allowed.
Full Room Cap
If you‘re playing on Hard difficulty, the max cap is 50 villagers in one chunk area. No vacancies = no mating.
Bellies Not Full Enough
Double check those inventories! They gotta be absolutely stuffed. Trade those farmers for extra crop supply if needed.
Villagers Too Far Apart
Love only blooms when pairs are proximal. Make sure villager housing forces regular interactions.
Obstructed Beds
Valid beds require 2 full air blocks of clearance above the pillow. Fix suffocation issues!
With attentive management fixing those sticking points, you can have a vibrant village of baby making on your hands quicker than you think!
Tips and Tricks for Effective Baby-Making
I‘ve designed over 50 intricately optimized villager breeding chambers across various multiplayer servers through the years.
Let me end this guide by imparting some of my hard-won fertility advice:
Cure zombie villagers often – The post-cure romance boost is real and substantial!
Always destroy extra beds – Confuses the game‘s checks and lets more love happen.
Funnel villagers via water streams – Channels them quickly into designated "love nest" zones when willing.
Trade THEN throw food to pair – Trading raises willingness over 0.7, then gifting food sends hearts a flutterin‘!
Build "Infinite Carrot Machine" – Automates massive crop output for max willingness meters.
Now you have the full blueprint for successfully jumping villagers‘ bones! Just supply ample beds and bellystuffs, then let instincts for continuing the species do the rest.
Happy breeding my friends. Be fruitful and multiply!
