What is Guard Villagers?
Guard Villagers adds armed protectors to villages on Forge and NeoForge. Crossbow- and sword-carrying guards spawn around settlements to fight off raids and zombie sieges, and they can be recruited to follow you. Villages stop being loot piñatas waiting for the first pillager patrol.
The mod stays vanilla-flavored — guards look and behave like a profession Mojang forgot to ship.
Guards in Practice
- Natural spawning: guards generate with villages in proportion to size, patrolling and engaging hostiles on sight.
- Convert villagers: hand a nitwit or unemployed villager a sword to promote them to guard — your labor pool doubles as a militia.
- Equipment: guards accept armor and weapon upgrades by right-click, so late-game villages can field crossbow lines in full iron plate.
- Follow and hold: command guards to follow you on patrols or guard positions; they return to routine afterward.
- Behavior config: aggression rules, raid participation, and interactions with iron golems all tune in config.
The effect on gameplay is quiet but large. Village trading hubs survive unattended, raids turn into defended events rather than massacres, and you stop coming home to a dead cartographer.
Guard Villagers FAQ
How do I make a villager a guard?
Right-click an unemployed villager or nitwit with a sword (or crossbow, per config). They convert to the guard profession and equip what you give them.
Do guards fight in raids?
Yes, guards engage pillagers, vindicators, and the rest during raids alongside iron golems, dramatically improving village survival odds.