Top 5 rarest things that can happen to you in Minecraft

Minecraft is a vast game, and the intersection of several in-game mechanics can occasionally lead to some rare occurrences. Certain rare mobs can spawn in the game world or be created under specific circumstances, the world generation can create immensely scarce biomes, and players even have the chance to be struck by lightning to take heavy damage.

But what are the rarest occurrences in Minecraft? It's a tough question, considering just how many rare events have been recorded by players. However, it doesn't hurt to take a look at the numbers game and determine the infrequency of finding certain entities or encountering specific in-game events. If they happen, players will be able to ascertain the odds right away.

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

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5 of the rarest occurrences to happen in Minecraft

5) Being struck by lightning

A player getting struck by lightning in Minecraft is quite rare but still possible (Image via SpigotMC)

Minecraft players are potentially familiar with rare things like lightning hitting villagers or creepers to create witches and charged creepers, respectively. However, players themselves getting struck is a very rare occurrence.

The possibility is technically based on chunk loading. The more chunks that are actively loaded in-game, the less likely it is that a player will be hit by an errant lightning bolt.

If a player has a render distance of eight, that means lightning could strike approximately 16,384 blocks total, and there's a one-in-5,000 chance of lightning striking each second. This means that lightning hitting a player with that render distance would be about one in 81,000,000 occurrences, and this number increases with additional render distance, allowing more loaded chunks.

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4) Finding a seed with an End portal with 12 Eyes of Ender slotted

It's possible to find a Minecraft seed with a completed End portal, but this is exceedingly rare (Image via Fragrant_Result_186/Reddit)

Due to the way that Minecraft generates End portals and strongholds, it's technically possible to find a seed that has all 12 of its Eye of Ender slots filled. This is a dream seed for speedrunners who run randomized in-game seeds since they simply only need to locate the portal. However, the odds of a 12-eye End portal seed generating are immensely slim.

Each time a world generates, there's a 10% chance for a respective End portal slot to be filled. This would mean finding a seed with all 12 slots occupied would amount to 10% raised to the 12th power, resulting in a roughly one-in-a-trillion occurrence.

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3) Finding a repeating seed

Repeating Minecraft seeds are astronomically rare and usually require assistance to find (Image via Matthew Bolan/YouTube)

Discovered by multiple Minecraft YouTubers and Redditors, there are exceptionally rare occurrences within the game's terrain generation code that result in structures, landscapes, and blocks repeating themselves ad infinitum. They make for incredible Survival Mode seeds to find resources in, but most fans don't find them on accident and instead use some form of software assistance.

Whatever the case, if Minecraft players were simply loading random seeds, the odds of finding one that repeats are vanishingly slim. According to community analysis based on the game code and how seeds are generated, a player would have a roughly one in 140,000,000,000,000 chance of finding a repeating seed on accident.

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2) Finding a 5-pig spawner seed

5-pig spawner seeds are so rare that some Minecraft fans doubt their existence (Image via TheLexus_/Reddit)

There is an incredibly rare situation in Minecraft's structure generation code that involves loot chests and cave spider spawner blocks in abandoned mineshafts. In the exact right conditions, a cave spider spawner and a loot chest will be placed in the same location. This leads to the chest taking the spawner's place and the spawner multiplying and resetting its mob value to that of a pig.

Seeds showcasing this phenomenon are so rare that they're often not considered real when shared, but they do exist after testing by the community. According to notable players with intricate knowledge of the game, the odds of finding a seed with five pig spawners in an abandoned mineshaft are roughly one in 36,000,000,000,000,000.

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1) Finding the legendary villager chicken jockey

The rarest possible mob can only appear during the Halloween event (Image via Rays Works/YouTube)

For years, a mob known simply by its probability (4.3797e-75%) was considered the rarest in Minecraft, and it's still incredibly hard to come by. The creature is a baby zombie villager chicken jockey mob sporting a full suit of enchanted diamond armor and an enchanted iron sword. However, players Rays Works and DylanDC14 worked together to find an even theoretically rarer mob.

The purported rarest mob spawn in the game is now believed to be a jungle villager chicken jockey from an abandoned village near a jungle biome. In addition to being a jockey, the mob possesses three pieces of diamond armor with the best possible enchantments, an enchanted iron sword, and a jack-o-lantern helmet, which can only spawn on Halloween.

According to the mathematical calculator provided by Rays Works, this mob has a one-in-one googol (a one followed by 100 zeroes) chance of appearing. It's likely better to summon it using commands than trying to find one in a random world seed.