Since the 1.14 update, Minecraft's worlds have become twice as exciting, with the introduction of an evil and dark version of the regular villager. Illagers are a highly dangerous type of mob, of which there are several sub-types: the classic pillager armed with a crossbow, the fast and scary vindicator wielding an axe, and the powerful evoker mage, who can summon vexes to his aid.

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Illagers spawn in various locations, and depending on where they spawn and when, different types might appear. Most commonly, players will find them during raids, patrols, or when stumbling upon a pillager outpost. Despite how fairly common they are, there's a lot that remains widely unknown about them.

10 They Were Initially Called Ill Villagers

Minecraft Illager Vindicator

Minecraft developers love their little witty play on words, and that wasn't any different when it came to naming the Illagers. The development team reportedly wanted something to match the villagers, but to also act as a hostile force the players would need to fight.

The idea came from the concept of an ill intentioned villager, which was then shortened to "Ill Villager". This interestingly implies Illagers are perhaps under some sort of spell or disease that makes them behave so incredibly violently. Eventually the name was shortened to its current form, "Illager".

9 Their Banners Can't Be Crafted

Minecraft Illager Banner Versions

Illagers can be spotted from afar thanks to their unique armor and appearance. However, another giveaway that an area might be taken over by these evil creatures is their banner. This unique item depicts their face and is often found on captains who spawn randomly.

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Banners are also found on their outposts, so make sure to grab them all when coming across one. This is because the banner is unique and can't be crafted by the player when using the loom.

8 The Shining Easter Egg

Minecraft Vindicator Named Johnny Easter Egg

Minecraft might not be filled to the brim with Easter eggs, but the ones it does have are quite well done and interesting. The greatest example of that is undoubtedly the vindicator Easter egg, which can be activated using a name tag renamed at an anvil as "Johnny".

A Johnny vindicator attacks just about anyone and anything around it, but not other illagers. Even passive mobs like animals won't survive its crazed state. It's all a fantastic reference to The Shining.

7 They Have Mercy On Baby Villagers

Minecraft Two Baby Villagers

Thankfully, illagers aren't all just downright evil monsters. They actually do have a bit of mercy in their cold hearts, which is most likely there to ensure that Minecraft remains a family friendly experience to some of its younger community members.

When attacking a village during a raid, illagers will attack any of the villagers and players on their path, with the exception of baby villagers. Good to know that the smaller ones will still be around to form a next generation in case you're not able to save the village from total destruction.

6 Vindicators Aren't Stopped By Doors

Minecraft Vindicator In Woodland Mansion

Most hostile mobs in Minecraft have limitations when it comes to where they can go. For instance, skeletons, zombies and creepers can't open doors, with the exception of zombies on Hard and Hardcore difficulties.  This makes having shelter a vital part of a good defense in the game.

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Vindicators, however, don't care about doors. They're much more intelligent than zombies, and will swing open any wooden door in their path. If vindicators are a problem for some reason, make sure to invest in an iron door.

5 They Don't Turn On Each Other

Minecraft Village Being Raided By Illagers

Illagers are very different from other beastly hostile mobs. They show an unparalleled intelligence and even team work when attacking a village or when under threat by the player. They'll often try to help each other out if another illager nearby them is getting attack and takes a lot of damage.

Moreover, illagers never hold a grudge against one another. A stray arrow won't turn them on each other, as is often the case with skeletons, zombies and creepers who are by nature selfish and only care about themselves.

4 They Never Respawn In Woodland Mansions

Minecraft Woodland Mansion Overview

One of the best structures to go exploring in within most Minecraft worlds is the Woodland Mansion. Massive in size, it holds some pretty nice loot along with difficult enemies. It's usually full of fast-moving vindicators that will attempt to smack you in the face with an axe, but killing them might not be the best option.

Since this is the best place to find vindicators, players often opt to actually save and trap these vindicators to use them for farming purposes later on. Vindicators and evokers don't respawn in Woodland Mansions, so keeping the former around is pretty important.

3 They're Friends With Witches

Minecraft Witch Hostile Mob

Illagers aren't the only creatures that roam the wilderness of Minecraft and resemble villagers. There's witches too, who spawn naturally in the darkness of night or in caves, or even in witch's huts found in swamp biomes.

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Witches can also appear during raids and will fight on the side of the illagers despite not being an illager themselves. They'll actually use their potions to heal and buff the illagers as they fight, which is a pretty scary combination.

2 The Unused Illusioner Illager

Minecraft Illusioner Mob

Illagers likely will see an expansion of sub-types in the coming Minecraft updates. While the iceologer didn't make the cut, it doesn't completely remove it from being a potential mob in the future. The same goes for the illusioner, which was briefly added into the snapshot version of 1.14 but then removed from the final release.

Illusioners would have actually been a terrifying addition to the 1.14 update due to their ability to go invisible. Imagine fighting them, along with vindicators, pillagers, a ravager and possibly even an evoker. It would have made raids an absolute nightmare to deal with.

1 The Evoker's Weird Passive Spell

Minecraft Evoker Casting Spell With Vexes

The evoker, found most often in Woodland Mansions and highly coveted due to the Totem of Undying he drops, is quite the scary enemy. He'll send Vexes after the player, which are incredibly difficult to hit or track as they phase through walls and chase after you for a good distance.

The evoker doesn't just summon Vexes, however. He also has a weird passive spell which changes the color of blue sheep standing nearby to red. The purpose of this spell is a big question mark, but it might actually be another Easter egg, a reference to Age of Empires where priests could convert enemies into friendly soldiers and therefore also change their color.

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