In the vast and infinitely customizable world of Minecraft, building is a cornerstone of the gameplay experience. From humble dirt huts to grand castles, the materials you use define your creations. For players focused on architecture and intricate designs, having a steady supply of diverse stone and decorative blocks is crucial. This is where the Mason villager becomes an indispensable ally in your settlement.
This specialized villager, an expert in stonecraft and construction materials, offers you the ability to exchange raw materials like clay balls and various stone types for valuable emeralds. In return, they provide an array of unique decorative blocks such as terracotta, glazed terracotta, and even quartz pillars. If you have an abundance of common stone, the Mason can quickly become one of your most important trading partners, allowing you to access beautiful and specific blocks without extensive crafting. In this comprehensive guide, we’ll delve into everything you need to know about the Mason villager: how to find or convert one, what their trades are at each level, and how you can optimize their presence to elevate your building projects in Minecraft.
Who is the Mason Villager and Why Are They Essential for Your Builds?
The Mason villager is a professional villager type in Minecraft who specializes in trading various stone-based and decorative blocks. Their role is invaluable for builders and those looking to convert common mined materials into more refined or aesthetically pleasing blocks, often saving significant crafting time.
Their primary utility lies in their capacity to purchase large quantities of clay balls and various common stone types like stone, granite, diorite, and andesite. This makes them an excellent source of emeralds if you have automated stone generators, efficient mining operations, or clay farms. In exchange, they offer convenient and often visually appealing blocks, including different types of terracotta and quartz blocks.
The Stonecutter
For an unemployed villager or one with a different profession to convert into a Mason villager, they need to access and claim a Stonecutter block. This is their specific job site block and is fundamental for the Mason to refresh their trades and level up.
The Stonecutter is crafted with 3 stone and 1 iron ingot. It’s a utility block that allows you to craft stone-related blocks more efficiently and with more options than a regular crafting table. When you place a Stonecutter near an unemployed villager, there’s a high probability they will adopt the Mason profession, provided it’s daytime and the block isn’t already claimed by another villager.
How to make a Mason Villager
There are two primary ways to obtain a Mason villager in your Minecraft world:
- Finding Them in a Village: Naturally generated villages in the game can contain villagers with various pre-assigned professions. Look for a villager already interacting with a Stonecutter or one wearing the Mason‘s distinctive outfit (a gray apron with stone-colored accents).
- Converting an Unemployed Villager: This is the most controlled method for getting the Mason you need:
- Step 1: Locate a villager who doesn’t have a profession (their outfit will be basic) or one whose profession you wish to change. Important: A villager who has already traded with you in their current profession will not be able to change jobs, so choose wisely!
- Step 2: Place a Stonecutter near the villager. Ensure it’s the only accessible job site block for them.
- Step 3: Wait. During Minecraft’s daytime (between 2,000 and 9,000 game ticks), the villager will interact with the Stonecutter, and their outfit will change to that of a Mason.
Conversion Process and Locking Trades
Once the villager becomes a Mason, they will generate a random set of trades. If you haven’t traded with them yet, you can break and replace the Stonecutter to reset their offers. This is particularly useful if you’re looking for specific decorative blocks at favorable prices. However, once you trade with them at least once, their trades become “locked” permanently.
All Mason Villager Trades by Level
The Mason villager has five profession levels, and their trades unlock as you gain experience with them through commerce. Emeralds are the primary currency, and common building materials are their main input resources.
Here’s a comprehensive images of possible trades (prices and quantities may vary slightly based on player reputation and other in-game factors):
Novice
Apprentice
Journeyman
Expert
Master
Strategies to Optimize Trading with the Mason
To get the most out of your Mason villager, the key is a consistent supply of input materials and optimizing your prices.
Efficient Sources of Clay and Stone Variants
The most efficient way to obtain large quantities of clay balls for trading with the Mason villager is by locating large clay deposits in shallow water bodies or by creating automated clay farms (though these are often complex). For stone variants (stone, granite, diorite, and andesite), simply mining them in caves, quarries, or setting up simple cobblestone generators that lead to stone smelting can provide an endless supply. Converting these common, abundant blocks into emeralds is a very efficient trading strategy.
Discount Trades: The Benefits of Curing Zombie Villagers
As with other villagers, the “zombify and cure” strategy works perfectly with the Mason villager. If you zombify a Mason (by letting a zombie hit them on normal or hard difficulty) and then cure them (with a Potion of Weakness and a Golden Apple), they will offer massive and permanent discounts on all their trades. This means you can sell your clay balls and stone variants for significantly more emeralds or buy those decorative glazed terracotta and quartz pillars for just 1 emerald, making them incredibly cheap and accessible for large building projects!
Advantages of Having a Mason Villager at Your Base
Incorporating a Mason villager into your villager trading hall or base provides significant benefits for your building endeavors and resource management:
Access to Diverse Building and Decorative Blocks
The Mason villager provides a renewable source for a variety of useful and aesthetic building materials. Beyond basic stone and sandstone, they offer terracotta (which can be dyed), glazed terracotta (with its unique patterns for floors, walls, and detailing), and quartz pillars. These blocks are essential for adding depth, texture, and color to your builds, allowing for much more intricate and visually appealing designs without having to rely on complex crafting recipes or hazardous trips to the Nether for large amounts of quartz.
A Reliable Source of Emeralds from Common Materials
By consistently selling common blocks like stone, granite, diorite, andesite, and clay balls to the Mason, you establish a steady income stream of emeralds. These resources are often abundant and easy to acquire, making the Mason one of the most accessible sources of emeralds in the game. This currency can then be used to trade with other villagers for items like enchanted books, tools, or armor, making your base even more self-sufficient.
Frequently Asked Questions About the Mason Villager (FAQ)
Conclusion: The Mason, The Master Builder’s Best Friend
The Mason villager is an exceptionally useful NPC in Minecraft, especially for players who are passionate about building and creating aesthetically pleasing structures. Their ability to transform your common mining byproducts like stone and clay into emeralds, and in turn, provide you with unique and decorative blocks like terracotta and quartz pillars, makes them an invaluable asset for any construction project.
By strategically setting up a Mason in your village and optimizing their trades—such as feeding them an endless supply of stone and curing them for discounts—you’ll unlock a creative freedom that was previously restricted by resource limitations. Don’t underestimate the quiet power of this block specialist; the Mason villager is a vital link in your journey to become a master builder in Minecraft.
