There are quite a few blocks that have multiple functions, as in a game about crafting, having diverse uses for resources can grant some interesting yet natural complexity to the gameplay. Looms are blocks that the player can either find or craft themselves from a few simple components.

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Gamers interested in making Banners in Minecraft should be sure to acquire one of these crafting-related blocks in their base of operations, however, it would be good to place a Loom in a village as well to create some lucrative trading opportunities.

How To Get A Loom

a loom on some grass.

There are only 2 ways of obtaining a Loom: by either finding it in a village or crafting one from scratch, neither of which are difficult to accomplish, though, finding one in a village will depend a bit on luck as they are not guaranteed to spawn within settlements.

How To Find A Loom In A Village

Look around all of the houses and other structures, as well as within them, to find a Loom. If players can spot a Shepherd villager, it would be good to follow them, as they will likely eventually lead gamers to a Loom, as it is the Job Block that gives Shepherd their profession.

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How To Craft A Loom

The formation of a Loom is one of the simplest out of any Job Block or crafting-related block. It can even be made in the player's inventory crafting menu as the recipe is only 4 components arranged in a square. To craft a Loom, place 2 Wooden Planks beside each other and 2 pieces of String over the Wooden Planks.

How To Use A Loom

player placing an ink sac into a loom.

Using A Loom For Crafting Banners

While opening a Loom's menu can be a bit intimidating at first due to the complexity compared to other crafting blocks, looking at it one section at a time can help players figure out how to use them to make Banners.

On the left, there are the 3 component slots; 1 for a blank Banner (top left), 1 for any kind of Dye (top right), and 1 for an optional Banner Pattern (bottom).

Next, there are the buttons that allow one to select what kind of pattern they want to create on their Banner if one does not have a Banner Pattern in the bottom of the component slots.

Players should note that when taking a finished Banner out of the Loom, only the blank Banner and Dye will be used up, leaving any optional Banner Patterns unconsumed.

Using A Loom To Employ A Shepherd

If an unemployed villager interacts with a Loom, they will become a Shepherd and players can trade with them for Emeralds as well as items and blocks that relate to Looms.

Novice Trades

  • Give 18 Wool Blocks (any color) for 1 Emerald
  • Give 2 Emeralds for 1 Sheers

Apprentice Trades

  • Give 12 Dye (White, Black, Gray, Lime, or Light Blue) for 1 Emerald
  • Give 1 Emerald for 1 Wool Block (any color)
  • Give 1 Emerald for 1 Carpet (any color)

Journeyman Trades

  • Give 12 Dye (Light Gray, Red, Pink, Orange, or Yellow) for 1 Emerald
  • Give 3 Emeralds for 1 Bed (any color)

Expert Trades

  • Give 12 Dye (Green, Purple, Magenta, Cyan, Brown, or Blue) for 1 Emerald
  • Give 3 Emeralds for 1 blank Banner (any color)

Master Trades

  • Give 2 Emeralds for 3 Paintings

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