Iron Golem Farm — Unlimited Iron on DonutSMP
Iron is one of the most consumed resources in Minecraft. An Iron Golem farm turns a few villagers into an infinite iron factory — no mining required.
Materials Needed
- • 20+ Beds
- • 20+ Villagers (Zombie Villager curing recommended)
- • 1 Zombie or Pillager for scaring
- • Building blocks (any solid)
- • ~30 Hoppers
- • Chests
- • Water buckets
- • Lava bucket (for kill chamber)
- • Glass (for observation)
- • Name tags (to prevent despawning)
1. How Iron Golem Spawning Works
Iron Golems spawn when villagers are scared and can see a bed they have claimed. You need at least 3 villagers who have slept in beds and been scared by a zombie or pillager. The game checks for spawning opportunities every 35 seconds. By creating the right conditions, you can force Iron Golems to spawn in a controlled area where they can be killed automatically.
2. Choosing a Location
Build at least 100 blocks away from any existing village to prevent interference. The farm should be high enough that the kill chamber underneath has space. A flat area at Y=200+ works well to avoid other mob spawning interference. On DonutSMP, check that you're in a claimed chunk to prevent grief.
3. Building the Villager Pod
Create a 16×16 platform with walls 2 blocks high around the edges. Place beds in rows inside — each villager needs one bed. Add workstations (composters or lecterns work well) so villagers can link to professions. The villagers should be able to see the sky briefly and reach their beds.
Place the villagers inside. The recommended method is to cure Zombie Villagers by throwing a Splash Potion of Weakness and feeding a Golden Apple — this gives trade discounts as a bonus.
Leave one spot with a trapdoor arrangement where a Zombie can see the villagers but not reach them. Name tag the Zombie to prevent despawning.
4. Building the Spawning Platform
Iron Golems need a 2×2×3 space to spawn. Create a flat spawning area around the villager pod — a ring or cross pattern works. The floor should be solid blocks, with the edges open or lined with water to push golems toward the center kill point.
Use water streams to guide spawned Iron Golems to a central drop point or collection canal. The water should flow toward a single point where the golems will fall.
5. Kill Chamber & Collection
At the bottom of the drop, place a kill mechanism:
**Lava Method** (simplest): Place lava above a hopper line. Golems take lava damage and drop iron into the hoppers below. Cover lava with signs to prevent it from flowing onto hoppers.
**Suffocation Method**: Use pistons with a block that pushes into the golem's head. More reliable but needs redstone.
Connect hoppers to chests for automatic iron and poppy collection.
6. Optimizing Output
- More villagers = more spawning attempts (20 is ideal) - Ensure all villagers can see the zombie and have beds linked - Keep the area well-lit to prevent hostile mob spawns that interfere - Build multiple pods separated by 100+ blocks for even more output - AFK at the right height — golems spawn 6 blocks around the village center horizontally and up to 6 blocks above/below the beds
7. Troubleshooting
- **No golems spawning?** Check that villagers have linked to beds (green particles). They need to have slept at least once. - **Golems spawning outside?** Add blocks around the intended spawning area to restrict valid spawn points. - **Villagers not scared?** The zombie must have line-of-sight to the villagers. Use glass or iron bars between them. - **Low rates?** Ensure you're standing within the simulation distance of the farm.
