How to Make an Iron Golem in Minecraft

Co-authored by Zac Churchill

Last Updated: May 19, 2022 References Approved

Iron golems are big, tough mobs that protect villagers. They can spawn inside a village naturally, but most naturally occurring villages are too small for this to happen. You can create your own iron golem in any up-to-date version of Minecraft, including Pocket Edition.

Part 1

Part 1 of 2:

Making the Golem

1
Craft four iron blocks. To make one iron block, combine nine ingots in a crafting table. You'll need four blocks (36 ingots) to make one iron golem.^{[1]
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- If you're short on iron, learn how to find more quickly.
2
Collect a pumpkin. Pumpkins can grow on any grass block with air above it (but not on tall grass or snow). Plains biomes are the easiest place to find them. You need one pumpkin (or jack o' lantern) for each iron golem.^{[2]
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- You only need one pumpkin to start a pumpkin farm and grow as many as you like. First, turn the pumpkin into four pumpkin seeds in the crafting screen. Plant the seeds in farmland next to water, leaving one empty dirt block for each seed. The pumpkins will grow onto the empty blocks.^{[3]
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3
Find an open area. The space must be at least three blocks wide and three blocks tall, but it's a good idea to work in a larger space. If you craft the golem too close to a wall, there's a chance it spawns trapped inside the wall and suffocates.^{[4]
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- Break any tall grass or flowers in the area before you begin. These sometimes prevent the golem from spawning.^{[5]
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4
Place the four iron blocks in a T shape. Place one iron block on the ground. Put the other three in a row on top of the first one, forming a "T." This will become the body of your iron golem.^{[6]
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5
Place the pumpkin or jack-o-lantern on top of the T. Place it over the center block, so the structure looks a little like a cross. This will change immediately into an iron golem.^{[7]
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- The pumpkin must be the last block you place, or the iron golem will not spawn.

Part 2

Part 2 of 2:

Using Iron Golems

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Let your iron golem protect villages. If iron golems sense a village nearby, they will wander over there and patrol its buildings.^{[8]
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Research source} This defense isn't as foolproof as a good wall and torches, but you get to see the golem hand flowers to the villagers.
- Unlike naturally spawning iron golems, your own creation will never attack you, even if you harm it or a villager.
2
Fence your golem in instead. Put up barriers if you want your new iron golem to stay in place instead of wandering off to protect villagers. The iron golem will also stay put if you surround your house with vines.^{[9]
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Attach a lead to the iron golem. You can use a lead to make the iron golem follow you, or to tie it to a fence (although it won't defend very well when tied up).^{[10]
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Research source} Craft a lead using four string and one slimeball.
- If you want to play with random Minecraft users or friends from different devices, you can create servers.^{[11]
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- For example, you can create a Minecraft pocket edition server.^{[12]
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- It is a Minecraft world on the mobile version of the game.^{[13]
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Community Q&A

Question

What is the maximum number I can have?

SunPuppy

Community Answer

There is no maximum. You can make one, ten, or 100, as many as you like. I think the more you make, the better, because they attack hostile mobs.
Question

Do the iron golems stay in one village, or do they move around?

Community Answer

They only stay in the village they're spawned in, unless leashed and moved by the player.
Question

If I hit the golem or a villager, will it attack me?

Joshua

Community Answer

If you created it, no. If you didn't, then yes. It will attack mobs no matter who made it.

Warnings

If you create a golem against a wall, it could spawn inside the wall, suffocate, and die.

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You have to place the final block yourself for an iron golem to spawn - no pistons!

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You cannot create a golem in the crafting table.

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Although player-created golems are not supposed to attack you, some Pocket Edition players have reported a bug where they attack back when struck.^{[14]
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