Last updated for Minecraft 1.21.11
This guide explains everything you need to know about Minecraft 1.21 villager trading, including librarian enchanted books, emerald prices, discounts, and optional trade rebalance changes.
Villager trading remains the most reliable and efficient way to obtain enchanted books in Minecraft 1.21. This guide explains how librarian trades work, emerald pricing, discount mechanics, and which enchantments are available — without fluff.
Why Minecraft 1.21 Villager Trading Is So Powerful #
Villagers, especially Librarians, offer major advantages over RNG-based enchanting:
- Exact enchantments – Buy the book you need, no enchantment table RNG
- Renewable trades – Librarians restock up to twice per in-game day
- Cheap with discounts – Zombie curing + Hero of the Village can reduce books to 1 emerald
- Easy XP – Every trade grants player XP while levelling villagers
Villagers are still the best legit source for enchanted books in vanilla survival.
How to Set Up a Villager Trading Hall (1.21+) #
Choose a Suitable Location #
- Build near your base or inside a village
- Flat terrain makes transport and expansion easier
Construct Individual Pods #
Each villager should have their own workstation and bed.
| Item | Purpose |
|---|---|
| Bed | Allows sleeping and trade restocking |
| Lectern | Assigns Librarian profession |
| 3×2 solid back wall | Prevents books popping out when rerolling |
| Trapdoor or carpet | Players pass through, mobs cannot |
| Light source | Keeps light level ≥ 1 |
Tip: If villagers can pathfind normally, placing a composter near pods allows nearby Farmers to toss food, enabling passive breeding once spare beds exist.
Lighting & Safety #
- Light every block to light level 1 or higher
- Fully enclose walls and roof
- Use slabs or buttons to spawn-proof roofs
- Avoid iron golems inside pods — they block access to lecterns
Access & Trade Refreshing #
- Use 2-wide corridors for boats or minecarts
- Ensure the lectern is reachable so villagers can restock twice per day
Recruiting & Transporting Villagers #
Cure a Zombie Villager #
- Splash Potion of Weakness
- Feed a Golden Apple
- Wait ~4 minutes
This grants permanent trade discounts.
Breed Villagers On-Site #
- Feed bread, carrots, or potatoes
- Provide spare beds
Move Villagers Efficiently #
- Boat on ice – fastest on flat ground
- Minecart rails – best for elevation changes
- Nether transport – ideal for long distances
Librarian Enchanted Book Prices (Vanilla) #
| Enchantment Level | Price Range* |
|---|---|
| I | 5–19 emeralds |
| II | 8–32 emeralds |
| III | 11–45 emeralds |
| IV | 14–58 emeralds |
| V | 17–64 emeralds |
* Prices shown before discounts.
All trades hard-cap at 64 emeralds.
Treasure enchantments (e.g. Mending) generally start at higher prices but still follow the same cap.
Complete List of Tradable Enchanted Books (1.21) #
Weapons #
- Sharpness V
- Smite V
- Bane of Arthropods V
- Sweeping Edge III
- Looting III
- Fire Aspect II
- Knockback II
- Density V
- Breach IV
Tools #
- Efficiency V
- Silk Touch I
- Fortune III
Armor #
- Protection IV
- Blast Protection IV
- Fire Protection IV
- Projectile Protection IV
- Thorns III
- Aqua Affinity
- Depth Strider III
- Feather Falling IV
- Frost Walker II
Bow & Crossbow #
- Power V
- Flame
- Punch II
- Infinity
- Multishot
- Piercing IV
- Quick Charge III
Trident #
- Impaling V
- Loyalty III
- Riptide III
- Channeling
Fishing Rod & Misc. #
- Luck of the Sea III
- Lure III
- Unbreaking III
- Mending
- Curse of Binding
- Curse of Vanishing
Loot-Only Enchantments #
These cannot be obtained from villagers:
- Wind Burst (Trial Chambers)
- Soul Speed
- Swift Sneak
Villager Discounts & Price Reduction Strategy #
- Zombie curing grants permanent discounts
- Hero of the Village provides a temporary bonus discount
- Discounts stack together
With optimal curing, any enchanted book — including Mending — can cost just 1 emerald.
Important:
Trades must be rerolled before the first trade. Once a trade is completed, that villager’s enchantments are locked permanently.
Villager Trade Rebalance (Experimental) #
Mojang offers an optional experimental datapack called Villager Trade Rebalance.
What Changes? #
| Change | Impact |
|---|---|
| Biome-locked books | Example: Mending only from Swamp librarians |
| Some books removed | Crossbow, trident, and fishing rod books become loot-only |
| Master price caps | Max 45 emeralds for top-tier books |
This datapack is disabled by default and not enabled on Beacoland.
Villager Trading FAQ #
Why won’t my librarian offer Mending?
Break and replace the lectern before trading. If using the rebalance datapack, the villager must originate from a Swamp biome.
Fastest way to reroll trades?
Trap the villager and repeatedly break/re-place the lectern during work hours (morning to noon).
Do discounts stack?
Yes. Zombie curing stacks with Hero of the Village, allowing extreme price reductions.
Key Takeaways #
- Villagers remain the best enchanted book source in Minecraft 1.21
- Zombie curing + Hero of the Village can reduce books to 1 emerald
- The Trade Rebalance is optional and not part of vanilla gameplay
- Proper hall design ensures reliable restocks and safety
