Minecraft Nether Update: Piglin Guide

Minecraft’s massive Nether Update is in full swing, and if you’re jumping in for the first time, there is a lot to unpack. Today, we’re going to be looking at one of the most substantial additions to the Nether: The Piglins.

Piglins are essentially the Villagers of the Nether. However, don’t pretend you can walk up to them and trade like you would with your friends from the Overworld. These anthropomorphic residents of the Nether are very hostile. When they aren’t chasing players, Piglins will wander the Nether and fight things like Wither Skeletons or Hoglins.

So, if Piglins hate players, and will actively attack them when you encounter them, are they just another enemy to fight in the Nether? No. Like I said before, Piglins are more like Villagers than other mobs. However, instead of taking emeralds for payment, Piglins are big fans of Gold. If you have a Gold Ingot, you can throw it on the ground to barter with a Piglin. The Piglin will pick up the Gold Ingot, inspect it for a few seconds, and then toss out an item in exchange.

The only issue with bartering with these demonic pig people is their hostility. They will pause their attack on you for a few seconds to inspect the Gold Ingot, but they will return to slaughtering you once they’ve processed the trade. To resolve this, you need to do the unthinkable: Use more Gold.

Piglins will not attack anyone who is wearing Gold Armor. It does not have to be a set of Gold Armor, even a single piece is enough to quell the hostilities of this new mob. Their love of Gold knows no bounds. However, you still need to be careful. One wrong hit will turn the Piglins hostile, and in an upcoming 1.16.x update (1.16.20 for Bedrock Edition), you will also need to watch out for Piglin Brutes.

The Piglin Brutes are largely meant to guard the Bastions, the ruined homes of the Piglin species. These mobs are stronger and much harder to kill than a regular Piglin, and will not be distracted by Gold items or Gold Armor. Piglin Brutes have 50 Health, making them the 6th healthiest mob in the game after Elder Guardians, Iron Golems, Ravagers, The Ender Dragon, and the Wither. Brutes were supposed to be added in the 1.16 Nether Update, but they were not finished in time. You won’t have to bother with them now, but players will have to be careful exploring Bastions in the future.

The real question is: Why bother? What can players earn from bartering with Piglins that makes it worth going out of your way to get Gold and find them in the Nether? The Answer? A lot. The exact items you can get from a Piglin depends on your version of Minecraft.

If you’re playing Java Edition, Piglins will trade you: an Enchanted Book with Soul Speed; a pair of Iron Boots with Soul Speed; between 9 and 36 Iron Nuggets; a Potion of Fire Resistance or Splash Potion of Fire Resistance; 8 to 16 Nether Quartz; 5 to 12 Glowstone Dust; 2 to 6 Magma Cream; 4 to 8 Ender Pearls, 8 to 24 String, 1 to 5 Fire Charges; 8 to 16 blocks of Gravel; 4 to 10 Leather; a Block of Obsidian; 1 to 3 blocks of Crying Obsidian; or 4 to 16 blocks of Soul Sand. Alternatively, if you’re playing on Bedrock Edition (Minecraft on Consoles, Mobile, and through the Windows Store on PC), they will trade you any of those same things, or a Netherite Hoe.

Hopefully, this brief guide helps you when you go out into the Nether and interact with these new mobs.

Tyler Krasnai
Editor, NoobFeed
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