How To Make a Mob Grinder With Spawner: Fast XP Farm

A mob grinder with a spawner is a structure that uses a mob spawner to generate mobs, then efficiently kills them, allowing you to collect experience points (XP) and mob drops quickly. This article will give you a comprehensive mob farm tutorial on building an efficient mob grinder that utilizes a spawner. We’ll explore minecraft spawner grinder design, guiding you through each step of creating the best mob farm spawner. This xp farm building guide will also show you how to automate mob drops.

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Choosing Your Spawner

Spawners can spawn various mobs including Zombies, Skeletons, Spiders, Cave Spiders and Silverfish. The type of spawner dictates the type of mob the grinder will produce. This, in turn, affects the drops and XP gained.

• Zombies: Common, easy to manage, drop rotten flesh, iron, carrots, and potatoes.
• Skeletons: Drop bones, arrows, and occasionally bows. Can be trickier due to ranged attacks.
• Spiders: Can climb walls, making designs slightly more complex. Drop string and spider eyes.
• Cave Spiders: Poisonous, require careful planning to avoid being poisoned. Drop string and spider eyes.
• Silverfish: Small, fast, and can call for reinforcements. Not ideal for XP farms.

Locating a Spawner

Finding a spawner is the first step. They are commonly found in:

• Dungeons: These are small, enclosed rooms found underground. They usually contain a chest with loot and a mob spawner in the center.
• Mineshafts: Cave spider spawners are frequently found in mineshafts. Look for cobwebs as an indicator.
• Strongholds: Silverfish spawners are located in strongholds, near the end portal room.

Basic Spawner Grinder Design

This design utilizes flowing water to move mobs to a central collection point, where they fall to their near demise, allowing for easy one-hit kills. This is an easy mob farm to build.

Materials Needed:

• Building blocks (Cobblestone, Stone Bricks, etc.)
• Water buckets
• Signs or trapdoors
• Hopper(s)
• Chest
• Optional: Lava Bucket, Iron Bars, Glass

Building the Mob Grinding Chamber

1. Securing the Spawner: First, clear out the area around the spawner. Light up the area to prevent mobs from spawning naturally outside the spawner, then destroy the light sources once you are ready to proceed.

2. Building the Room: Enclose the spawner in a room at least 9x9x5 blocks. This allows sufficient space for mobs to spawn without immediately hitting a wall.

   • Ensure the room is completely dark inside to maximize spawn rates.
     3. Water Channels: Place water sources in the corners of the room, aiming towards the center of each side. This will create flowing water that pushes the mobs towards the middle.
     4. Collection Point: Dig a 2×2 hole in the center of the floor. This is where the mobs will fall.
     5. Drop Shaft: Dig a drop shaft below the collection point. The length of the shaft depends on the mob.
     
     

   • Zombies & Skeletons: Generally, a 20-block drop will leave them with very little health, making one-hit kills possible.

   • Spiders & Cave Spiders: May need a slightly shorter drop due to their lower health.
     6. Collection Area: At the bottom of the drop shaft, create a collection area. Place hoppers leading into a chest to collect the drops.
     7. Killing Chamber: Stand in the collection area so you can easily hit the mobs after they drop.

Enhanced Mob Grinder Design with Spawner Cages

Here is an improved design that increases spawn rates and efficiency:

1. The Spawner Cage: This involves manipulating the area around the spawner itself. Clear the area around the spawner and ensure the walls are 2 blocks away from the spawner on all sides.
2. Water Flow: Place water sources diagonally across from each other, flowing toward the center. Ensure there is a space in the center for mobs to fall through.
3. Drop System: Dig a hole in the center of the floor directly beneath the spawner and create a drop shaft. The length of the shaft remains the same as in the basic design.
4. Mob Collection: Place hoppers connected to a chest at the bottom of the drop shaft.
5. Optimize Darkening: Ensure that the spawner room is completely dark.

Automating Mob Drops

To fully automate the process of getting mob drops, the key is to use either a lava blade or to drown the mobs.

Drowning Chamber

1. Modified Drop Shaft: At the bottom of your original drop shaft, create a small chamber.
2. Water Source: Place a water source in one corner of this chamber, creating a current.
3. Collection Point: Place a hopper that feeds into a chest where the current leads. Mobs will be pushed into the collection point by the current.
4. Suffocation: The mobs will drown in the water, dropping their items into the hopper, which then directs them into the chest.

Lava Blade Method

Warning: This method can destroy some items if not designed carefully. Be cautious when setting it up.

1. Lava Placement: Above the collection point, place a row of signs, then place a lava source above the signs. The signs prevent the lava from flowing down completely, creating a thin “blade”.
2. Mob Routing: Mobs will walk into the lava blade.
3. Collection: Hopper will collect all the loot in the collection chamber.
   • The lava will damage the mobs.
   • The items will fall through the lava into the hoppers.

Maximizing Spawn Rates

To increase the spawn rate of your mob grinder, you must minimize the number of mobs that can spawn outside the grinder. Here are a few tips:

• Light Up Caves: Light up all caves within a 128-block radius of the spawner. This prevents mobs from spawning in those areas, increasing the likelihood they’ll spawn in the grinder.
• Mob Cap: Minecraft has a mob cap, limiting the number of hostile mobs that can exist in the world at any given time. If other mobs are present, fewer will spawn in your grinder.
• AFK Spot: Position yourself within 16 blocks of the spawner for optimal spawning. Mobs will not spawn if you are too far away. The ideal range is between 16 and 24 blocks.
• Multiple Spawners: If possible, combine multiple spawners into a single grinder. This will significantly increase your XP and drop rates. Combine designs and optimize the collection systems.

Safety Considerations

• Fall Damage: Be mindful of fall damage when building the drop shaft. Test the height before finalizing it.
• Suffocation: Ensure that the water flow in the drowning chamber is working correctly to prevent mobs from getting stuck and suffocating, as this can reduce efficiency.
• Lava: Use caution when handling lava, especially near wooden structures.
• Poison: For Cave Spider spawners, consider wearing armor with poison resistance or having a source of milk on hand to counteract the poison effect.
• Mob Attacks: If you don’t use an automatic mob drop method, be aware of enemy attacks. Wear appropriate armor and have a weapon ready.

Troubleshooting Your Mob Grinder

• Low Spawn Rates: If spawn rates are low, check the lighting in the surrounding caves and ensure you are within the optimal distance of the spawner.
• Mobs Getting Stuck: Ensure that the water flow is unobstructed and that the drop shaft is clear. Check for any blocks that may be interfering with mob movement.
• Item Loss: If using a lava blade, adjust the lava flow or the height of the signs to prevent items from burning.
• Inefficient Kills: Adjust the height of the drop shaft to ensure that mobs are left with minimal health but are not killed outright by the fall.
• Hoppers Not Collecting: Make sure the hoppers are properly connected to the chest and that there are no blocks obstructing the flow of items.
• Spawner Not Working: Double check that the spawner is actually spawning mobs and there is no light inside the spawning area.

Example Spawner Grinder Layouts

Here are a few potential layouts that you can use as a starting point.

Basic Zombie/Skeleton Grinder

Feature	Description
Spawner Room Size	9x9x5
Water Flow	Water sources in the corners, flowing towards a 2×2 hole in the center.
Drop Shaft	20 blocks deep
Collection Area	Hoppers leading into a chest at the bottom of the drop shaft.
Killing Method	Manual melee attacks.

Spider Grinder

Feature	Description
Spawner Room Size	9x9x5
Water Flow	Water sources in the corners, flowing towards a 2×2 hole in the center.
Drop Shaft	15 blocks deep. Spiders take less fall damage.
Collection Area	Hoppers leading into a chest at the bottom of the drop shaft.
Killing Method	Manual melee attacks or a lava blade.

Cave Spider Grinder

Feature	Description
Spawner Room Size	9x9x5
Water Flow	Water sources in the corners, flowing towards a 2×2 hole in the center.
Drop Shaft	12 blocks deep. Cave Spiders have low health.
Collection Area	Hoppers leading into a chest at the bottom of the drop shaft.
Killing Method	Drowning chamber is highly recommended to avoid poison attacks.

Advanced Techniques

• Redstone Integration: Use redstone to create more complex systems, such as automatically flushing the spawner room with water to clear out mobs when you want to stop the farm.
• Chunk Loading: Make sure the spawner and your AFK spot are in loaded chunks. Use a chunk loader if necessary.
• Mob Displacement: Experiment with different methods of mob displacement, such as using pistons or minecarts, to improve efficiency.

Leveraging Mob Grinding Chamber with Different Spawners

Each spawner type requires nuanced adjustments to optimize the mob grinding chamber’s efficiency. Here’s an extended look:

Zombie Grinder

Zombies are the most straightforward to farm.
* Room Dimensions: A 9x9x5 internal chamber is ideal.
* Drop Height Optimization: A 20-block drop ensures mobs are at near-death levels.
* Collection System: Hoppers leading into chests; potentially automated using a piston-based item sorter for separating rotten flesh.

Skeleton Grinder

Skeleton spawner XP farms are also quite popular.
* Chamber Enhancements: Account for ranged attacks by having a enclosed chamber and avoid direct line of sight until ready.
* Water Currents: Guide skeletons efficiently toward the drop chute while mitigating lateral movement.
* Killing Methods: Account for armor by using sweeping edge swords or lava blade.

Spider Grinder

Spider farms are more challenging because spiders can climb walls.
* Wall Modifications: Use of upside-down stairs or slabs along the walls to prevent climbing.
* Flow Dynamics: Strategically placed water sources to herd spiders effectively.
* Drop Management: Ensure adequate drop height to reduce spider health without excessive damage.

Cave Spider Grinder

Cave spiders are more challenging due to poison.
* Air Flow: Air flow can disperse and/or dissipate poison effect.
* Waterflow: Push to one location to ensure maximum damage.
* Accessibility: To be ready, have Milk.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

Q: What is the best location to build a mob grinder?

A: Ideally, build your mob grinder directly around a naturally generated mob spawner in a dungeon or mineshaft.

Q: Can I build a mob grinder without a spawner?

A: Yes, but it will be far less efficient. Spawner-based grinders provide a consistent spawn rate, while natural mob farms rely on random spawns.

Q: How do I find a mob spawner?

A: Explore underground. Dungeons are the most common location. Mineshafts often have cave spider spawners.

Q: What is the ideal drop height for a mob grinder?

A: For zombies and skeletons, a 20-block drop is generally sufficient. Adjust based on the mob’s health and desired one-hit kill potential.

Q: How do I prevent spiders from climbing the walls in my grinder?

A: Use upside-down stairs or slabs along the walls to prevent them from climbing.

Q: What is the best way to automate mob drops?

A: Using a drowning chamber or a lava blade are both effective methods.

Q: How can I increase the spawn rate in my mob grinder?

A: Light up all surrounding caves to minimize other spawn locations, stay within 16 blocks of the spawner, and consider combining multiple spawners.

Q: Is building a mob grinder safe?

A: Exercise caution when handling lava and ensure you have adequate protection against mob attacks, especially when dealing with cave spiders.

By following these steps and tips, you can create an efficient and productive mob grinder with a spawner, providing you with a steady supply of XP and mob drops. Good luck and happy grinding!