The Unnerving Secrets of Minecraft's Illagers | Deep Dive

Illagers are perhaps the most mysterious group of mobs in Minecraft. Who are they, and what are they doing? Join me as we take a deep dive into their many secrets...

Music by RetroGamingNow:
"Illager Overture"
"The Totem of Undying"

[RetroGamingNow]

Welcome back everyone! What are you interested in seeing me do next?'

[TylerYoshi]

"Huge wool animal statues, such as a duck"
Sir, that is a chicken.

[neiliousdyson]

"villagers to illagers are nothing more than farms"

Hello welcome to episode 15 today we're making a villager farm

[darthtoast]

I think they kill a village when it gets too advanced. This also explains why the illagers only attack villages with the player, because those villages are likely to be more advanced under the player's influence. This would make it so the illagers could secretly trade and get XP, and so the villagers don't get advanced enough to overthrow them.

[Syz_gy]

Honestly, my (probably far fetched) theory about the Illagers is that they're *literally* ill. They're diseased. That's why they've got the grey skin. Between the totems and the ability of evokers to summon what look like spirits, as well as a number of the rooms scattered throughout the mansions, it feels like, to me, they're desperately searching for a cure to this disease they've been infected with.

There's also the supporting idea that the illagers were driven out of their villages when they got sick, which is why they harbor such a hate for the villagers. Tie that into this idea of a farm you've got going on, and the idea of experimentation with life and death- as well as the presence of the ravager, whose head looks uncannily like an Illager- And what might've started out as hate and a desire for revenge could now be nothing more than a desire to find this cure at all costs. Even to the point of kidnapping or killing to harvest experience. To the point of working out some of the fundamentals of death, and learning skills and creating things (like the totems) to try and circumvent it.

And now for another probably large leap- what if the Illagers are sick with the same disease that might've caused the extinction of the Builder race? What if this disease never died down, but instead laid dormant until being unearthed and infecting the populace again? We know that the undead disease is something that can infect both the Builders *and* villagers, given both types of zombie, so what if this is another form of that same apocalyptic disease? Or it could be another sickness that's going down the same course as the one that killed the Builders, except this time its victims are far less advanced.

[Qawsed]

This is super terrifying, honestly imagine stumbling upon a woodland mansion in real life and slowly discovering the truth

[enething.official]

It's also quite interesting that wandering traders often use invisibilty potions. This could the reason that they are able to travel to around the world without being killed by the Illagers.

[justsomeguy]

The fact that illagers only raid villages that the player enters after killing a captain implies that they're targeting villages that they think are strong enough to stand up to them. Squashing the possible rebellion in the process.

[darowchdawg]

The idea that the Illagers succesfully do a summoning experiment everytime a Steve spawns in a new world is pretty sick

[sussyyybaka]

I’m glad that people are finally paying attention to the Illagers! They’re extremely interesting lore wise, and some of the most unique mobs in the base game.

[creativeengineer]

I always thought the Illagers were just some sort of mafia

[isesca]

Remember that in 1.17 we almost got Iceologer that would have expanded the lore, but youtubers said that squid reskin was better.

[raygozajr.german]

yo if he makes this a series, like legit (idk how to explain the excitement)

[Chiefwhitmore]

I never knew something so simple was so complex

[swaggasaurus]

I like to imagine that Ravagers are a type of failed Illager experiment. Their minds have been melted due to overexposure of magic, turning them into submissive war beasts.

[BlueGhostofSeaside]

Honestly, the Illagers have such neat culture and personality, despite being violent and raiding innocent villages. A group with advanced technology, vast and detailed mansions, and a deep connection to magic. They must be more than just violence. They are definitely intriguing.

[ediscaptain]

If Steve is made by the illagers, we're the frankenstein's monster of looters, That's kinda cool

[jimjam]

this is a lot darker than i thought it would be, and as someone who doesn't play a lot of minecraft and has never really explored the mansions, all the hidden rooms feel really ominous

[alexswordsman]

Imagine Illagers being able to summon Herobrine in the future

[dialga]

As of 1.18, I believe the "Villagers are Pillager XP Farms" theory is even more likely, since Pillagers were updated to not attack baby villagers in 1.18.