10 best Minecraft mobs you need in your base

There are nearly 100 different mobs in Minecraft. Many of these mobs, such as zombies, skeletons, and creepers, are out to kill players. However, there are also a surprising number of them that directly aid players. While some of these helpful mobs, such as wolves and cats, might be obvious, there are a few that players might have no idea are actually beneficial to have in a base.

Listed below are 10 different mobs players should find to take their survival bases to the next level.

Note: This list is subjective and solely reflects the opinions of the writer

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10 Minecraft mobs that every player needs in their base

1) Tamed wolves

A tamed wolf in armor sitting down (Image via Mojang)

Minecraft's wolves were the first tameable pet mobs. They will follow players around and attack hostile mobs that are hurt by or deal damage to players.

Wolves were recently given wolf armor to make them much more useful against mobs, and their new fur patterns also make it much easier to find a pet that matches a base's aesthetic.

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2) Cats

A tamed cat sitting down (Image via Mojang)

Cats, which spawn in villages and around witch huts, are useful pets to have around a base. They can be tamed with raw fish, though they will run away from approaching players.

Their major benefit is that they repel both phantoms and creepers. This can allow players to form bubbles of safety from these mobs.

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3) Parrots

A parrot sitting on a small wooden structure (Image via Mojang)

Parrots are birds that can be found in jungles. They can be tamed with seeds. Players can then place them on their shoulder to walk around with them.

Parrots have the unique ability to mimic the sounds of hostile mobs within a 20-cubic-block area around the player. This allows them to be used as proximity alarms for dangerous mobs.

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4) Armadillos

A regular spider running from an armadillo (Image via Mojang)

Minecraft's adorable armadillos are one of the newest mobs in the game. They are found in savannas and badlands. They're great to have around as they can be brushed for scutes, which can be made into wolf armor.

Additionally, since armadillos eat spider eyes, both regular spiders and cave spiders will run away from them. Similar to cats, this makes them great for making safe spaces.

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5) Iron golems

Iron golems are quite expensive to make manually (Image via Mojang)

Iron golems are useful in much the same way wolves are. They will patrol around and attack any hostile Minecraft mob they see. They have more health and deal more damage to wolves, making them better guards. However, they're expensive to craft, requiring several iron blocks and a sheared pumpkin.

Thankfully, this expensive crafting cost can be subverted. If there are enough villagers in an area, along with beds, it will be considered a village. This will cause iron golems to spawn naturally. This makes setting up a villager trading hall an even better idea than it already is.

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6) Villagers

A village in a coastal village (Image via Mojang)

Minecraft villagers are another incredible mob to have in a survival base. This is due to different village professions offering multiple useful trades. For example, players can get enchanted books, diamond gear, and weapons, as well as emeralds, food, and even rare items like ender pearls.

As previously mentioned, if there are enough villagers in an area, it will be considered a village. This will cause iron golems to be able to spawn naturally. This is a great secondary benefit to having villagers around a base.

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7) Cows

A cow in a plains (Image via Mojang)

Of the three most common passive Overworld mobs — cows, sheep, and pigs — the former is the most useful. This is due to it dropping raw beef, which is one of the best foods in the game, as well as leather, which is useful for making item frames and bookshelves.

This means that cows are needed to make Minecraft enchanting areas, which is really what sets them apart from sheep and pigs.

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8) Sheep

A sheep in a field (Image via Mojang)

That's not to say that sheep aren't useful mobs to have around. Minecraft sheep also have a secondary drop that makes them more useful to have than pigs.

This other drop is wool, which can be sheared off of them. Wool is a useful building material since it can be dyed in many different colors.

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9) Axolotl

An axolotls swimming underwater (Image via Mojang)

Minecraft axolotls are another mob useful for hostile mob defense. These underwater friends will seek out and attack all aquatic mobs other than turtles, dolphins, frogs, and other axolotls. It's important to note that this includes hostile mobs like drowned guardians and elder guardians.

Having axolotls in a base, ready to grab for underwater adventures, is a great idea.

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10) Dolphins

A dolphin looking at the player (Image via Mojang)

Dolphins are another handy aquatic mob to have in a Minecraft survival base. Players that sprint swim within a nine-block spherical radius of a dolphin will receive the mob's grace status effect.

This effect is great for underwater exploration, as it increases swim speed while sprinting from 5.6 blocks per second to 9.8 blocks per second.