# What Is a Mending Villager?
In Minecraft 1.21, a "mending villager" is a librarian villager who offers the ultra-valuable Mending enchanted book in exchange for emeralds. This book is essential for endgame tools and gear because it repairs them using XP orbs. Once enchanted with Mending, your diamond pickaxe or Elytra could essentially last forever.
Oh btw, if you want to know about what the best elytra enchantments are, you're in luck! We have a recently written blog about this! We also have a blog about the best pickaxe enchantments too!
We go into detail about the librarian villager in this blog but if you're interested in a full breakdown of all Minecraft villager jobs we've got your covered.
Pro tip: Mending cannot be obtained via enchantment tables—it’s considered a treasure enchantment, which makes getting it through a villager your best bet.
# Why Mending Is So Powerful
The Mending enchantment repairs your gear automatically using the XP you earn while playing. It works on:
- Armor
- Tools
- Weapons (excluding ones with Infinity)
Any item in your main hand, off-hand, or armor slots can be repaired this way. That means fewer anvils, fewer diamonds wasted, and a longer life for your most prized gear.
# How to Get Mending Villager: Bedrock and Java (1.21+)
# Step 1: Craft a Lectern
You’ll need a Lectern to convert any jobless villager into a librarian.
Lectern recipe:
- 4x Wooden Slabs
- 1x Bookshelf
Place the bookshelf in the center, 3 slabs on the top row, and 1 slab at the bottom-center. Boom—lectern crafted.
# Step 2: Find a Swamp Biome (For Bedrock 1.21+)
Swamp biomes are now a big deal. As of the Villager Trade Rebalance experimental toggle (available in Bedrock and Java), only swamp librarian villagers can offer Mending reliably.
You can find a swamp by:
- Exploring naturally
- Using
/locate biome swamp(if cheats are enabled) - Buying a swamp map from a cartographer villager
# Step 3: Build a Basic Swamp House
Create a simple home in the swamp:
- 2+ beds
- A door
- Some space for villagers to move
- Your lectern
No need to go full mansion—just keep it villager-friendly.
# Step 4: Get Swamp Villagers
You’ve got two main routes here:
# Option A: Breed Villagers in the Swamp
- Bring 2 regular villagers into your swamp house (via boats or rails).
- Feed them bread, carrots, or potatoes to encourage breeding.
- Their children will become swamp villagers (you want this!).
# Option B: Cure a Zombie Villager in the Swamp
- Find a zombie villager at night in the swamp.
- Trap them safely.
- Use a Splash Potion of Weakness + a Golden Apple.
- Wait for the transformation.
# Step 5: Place the Lectern and Reroll for Mending
When your swamp villager grows up (takes ~20 minutes real-time), place your lectern near them. They’ll turn into a librarian.
Open their trade screen to check if they offer Mending.
# Didn’t Get Mending?
- Break the lectern.
- Place it again.
- Check the trades.
- Repeat until you get the Mending book.
This can take a while, but it’s 100% worth it. Make sure you haven’t traded with them yet—once you trade, their job and trade options lock in!
# How to Get Mending Villager in Minecraft 1.21 Bedrock (Shortcut)
If you're on Bedrock 1.21 and have the Villager Trade Rebalance experiment enabled, there's an easier path:
- Create a world with "Villager Trade Rebalance" turned on (under Experiments).
- Follow the steps above—use a swamp villager and level them to Master Librarian.
- Mending becomes a guaranteed trade at Master level!
# How to Enable Villager Trade Rebalance in Bedrock
- Go to “Create New World.”
- Click “More Options.”
- Find “Experiments.”
- Toggle Villager Trade Rebalance ON.
- Create your world and play!
# How to Get Mending Book from a Villager
Once you've got your swamp librarian set up and offering Mending, here’s how to get the book:
- Trade paper, books, or emeralds with the villager to level them up.
- Eventually, their Master-level trade will offer the Mending book.
- Stock up on emeralds ahead of time—these books are usually 10–30 emeralds.
You can also:
- Use a zombie discount (infect and cure them) to lower the price to 1 emerald.
- Trap the villager in a safe location so zombies can't get them!
# Other Ways to Get Mending (Less Reliable)
If villagers aren’t your thing, here are a few other options to try—though none are as reliable:
- Fishing – Rare, treasure-only loot
- Loot Chests – Try ancient cities, bastions, and strongholds
- Raid Drops (Bedrock Only) – Rare drop from killing raiders
- Trading with Wandering Traders – Uncommon, unreliable
# Pro Tips for Managing Your Mending Villager
- Name tag your villager to prevent despawn.
- Trap them indoors to avoid zombie attacks.
- Trade regularly to keep their profession stable.
- Use bookshelves and workstation decor to increase immersion if you’re building a themed village!
# Minecraft How to Get Mending Villager
If you’re wondering how to get a mending villager, this guide has your back. Whether you’re on Minecraft Bedrock 1.21, Java, or still rocking 1.20, your best bet is a swamp librarian with a lectern and a bit of patience.
From rerolling trades to breeding swamp babies, it’s a grind—but the moment you slap that Mending book on your Netherite pickaxe, it’s all worth it. Time to say goodbye to broken tools and hello to invincible gear!
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