A mob spawner is just as vital in a Minecraft world as a well-tended farm or a thriving villager trading post. Whether you're after XP, loot, or endless resources, a mob farm delivers. Here’s a clear, step-by-step guide to building an efficient mob farm that works seamlessly—day or night.
Step 1: Gather Resources
Before you begin, stock up on building materials. You’ll need a substantial number of blocks, hoppers, chests, water buckets, and torches or slabs. While you can use any block type, cobblestone and wood are ideal thanks to their abundance and ease of collection. Don’t forget ladders or scaffolding for access, and make sure you have enough tools to work quickly.
Step 2: Choose the Perfect Location
Screenshot By The Escapist
The best spot for a mob farm is high in the sky—ideally around 100 blocks above the ground. Building it at this height prevents hostile mobs from spawning elsewhere in the world, especially near you or in underground caves, ensuring all spawns are funneled into your farm.
For even better results, construct your platform above a body of water. Since mobs can’t spawn on water, this minimizes unwanted spawns and maximizes efficiency.
Once you’ve built your platform, add ladders or scaffolding for easy vertical access. Place a chest in the center and attach four hoppers beneath it, pointing inward to collect drops. This will serve as your central loot collection point.
Step 3: Construct the Main Tower
Screenshot by The Escapist
Begin building a 4x4 tower directly above the hoppers. The height of this tower determines your farm’s function:
- 21 blocks high: Mobs survive the fall but are left with minimal health—perfect for XP farming.
- 22 blocks high: Mobs die on impact, ideal for fully automated loot collection.
You can adjust the height later, so plan accordingly. Cap the top of the hoppers with slabs to prevent mobs from spawning inside the collection chute.
Step 4: Build the Water Trenches
Screenshot by The Escapist
Extend four bridges from each side of the tower, each 7 blocks long and 2 blocks wide. Surround each bridge with 2-block-high walls to contain the mobs. Then, place a water source block at the far end of each bridge.
When set correctly, the water current will push mobs toward the center, guiding them over the edge and into the tower. The flow should stop just before the tower opening, ensuring mobs fall straight down.
Step 5: Complete the Structure
Screenshot by The Escapist
Connect all four bridges to form a large square platform around the tower. Maintain 2-block-high walls throughout—this is the minimum height required for mob spawning.
Now, fill in the entire interior with solid blocks, creating a complete floor. This ensures mobs spawn only on the designated surface and not in unintended gaps. Finally, cap the entire structure with a roof made of solid blocks.
Step 6: Light It Up and Prevent Spawns
The final step is crucial: cover the roof with torches or slabs. This prevents hostile mobs from spawning on top of your farm, which could interfere with spawning rates below.
Once complete, wait for nightfall or cover the area in darkness to trigger mob spawns. Watch as zombies, skeletons, and creepers appear, get funneled by water, and plummet to their doom—delivering XP and loot straight to your chest.
Tips to Maximize Efficiency
Your basic mob farm is now operational, but these upgrades will boost its performance significantly.
Link a Nether Portal
Save time on travel by connecting a Nether portal to your mob farm. Since 1 block in the Nether equals 8 in the Overworld, a short walk can bring you straight to your skybase. Alternatively, install a water elevator for quick vertical transit.
Use Pistons to Toggle Between XP and Loot Modes
Want flexibility? Install sticky pistons to extend or retract the floor by one block. With a simple lever flip, switch between 21-block (XP mode) and 22-block (auto-kill) heights—no manual rebuilding needed.
Add a Bed to Boost Spawn Rates
Mob spawn rates increase in areas with beds nearby. Simply placing a bed close to your farm can significantly improve spawn frequency, giving you a steady stream of enemies to dispatch.
Lay Carpets to Stop Spider Spawns
Spiders are a common nuisance—they climb walls and clog up your farm. Since spiders require a 2-block-high space to spawn and other mobs only need 1, placing carpets every other block on the spawning floor blocks spider spawns while allowing others to generate freely.
And that’s how to build a highly efficient mob farm in Minecraft. With smart design and a few tweaks, you’ll have a self-sustaining source of XP, drops, and resources in no time.
Minecraft is available now on PlayStation, Xbox, Nintendo Switch, PC, and mobile.
