Description
A monster spawner is a cage like block that will produce mobs under the right conditions. It appears in dungeons and other generated structures and it is one of the main game features that create ongoing enemy challenges. The spawner contains an entity type and it will spawn that mob at set intervals when the player is nearby. It is a vital block for players who want to build mob farms and controlled experience grinders because the controlled spawn location allows automatic systems to collect loot, to gain experience and to supply mob drops. Spawners are not normally movable and breaking a spawner will drop experience but not the spawner itself in vanilla survival. Because spawners create living mobs they are both a hazard and an opportunity and players design careful containment systems and killing chambers to harvest the mob drops safely. In creative mode you can place spawners with different mob types to create custom encounters and training grounds for combat. Spawners are conditional so light levels and spawning space affect whether mobs appear which gives players a chance to control and to optimise spawner based farms. Many players will trap a spawner in water channels and use redstone to push or to collect spawns automatically. The spawner is a classic element of dungeon style play and it can be used as either a threat to overcome or as a resource when handled cleverly.
What is Monster Spawner?
A monster spawner is a generated block that spawns mobs periodically when players are nearby. It contains an internal entity setting which determines the mob type. The block is primarily used in farms, traps and adventure maps to provide a steady source of mobs. It can be contained and managed to create useful automated systems for collecting mob drops and experience points and is a strategic block for players who want to farm resources rather than relying on random natural spawns.
Where to find Monster Spawner
Spawners generate in dungeons, mineshafts and sometimes in fortresses and end structures depending on the game version. You will find them inside small rooms beneath the surface and they are often surrounded by cobblestone and mossy cobblestone in dungeons. Explore caves and underground structures carefully to find spawners and then plan containment rather than immediate destruction if you wish to use them as a farm.
How to get Monster Spawner
You cannot pick up a spawner in standard survival it will not drop as an item when broken. In creative mode use the inventory to give yourself any spawner type. Some server plugins or mods allow moving spawners but in vanilla play you manage them in place and build containment and collection systems around them. When breaking a spawner you will get experience orbs but not the spawner block itself.
Release Information
First introduced: Spawners have been in the game since early dungeon features were introduced
Give Command
/give @p minecraft:spawner 1
How to use Monster Spawner
To use a spawner build a containment room that controls spawning space, applies a light level that permits or denies spawns and then directs spawned mobs into a safe kill zone. Use water streams pistons and trapdoors to move mobs and use hoppers to collect drops. For experience farming keep the mob killing area accessible so the player can finish off mobs and collect experience. Disable the spawner temporarily with light if you do not want mobs to spawn while you work. For adventure maps use spawners as a way to create predictable encounters and to stage fights that challenge the player.
Recipes for Monster Spawner
This item cannot be crafted.