What is the illusioner in Minecraft?

Minecraft has a variety of unique mobs, each with distinct abilities and behaviors. Some are friendly, while others just want to attack the players when they see them. However, some mobs never make an appearance in the blocky world. One such mysterious, unused mob is the illusioner, an illager that never appears in Survival mode without cheats or commands.

Despite being added in the 1.12 update of Minecraft, it remains inaccessible in normal gameplay. This article will explain everything you need to know about the illusioner in the game.

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The mysterious illusioner in Minecraft

The illusioner does not spawn naturally in the game (Image via Mojang Studios)

The illagers are a divergent group of villager mobs that have taken the route of violence. Just like villagers, there are different illagers. The illusioner is different from other illagers like the Evoker or Pillager. Instead of using melee weapons or summoning vexes, the illusioner wields a bow and relies on trickery to confuse and overwhelm you.

When engaged in battle, the illusioner creates four identical copies of itself, making it difficult for you to target the real one. These clones are completely invulnerable, and while they appear to attack, only the real illusioner actually deals damage. During this phase, the true illusioner becomes invisible for a few seconds, adding an extra layer of difficulty.

The illusioner can also cast a blindness spell, temporarily obscuring the player's vision. This makes it harder to fight back, as it makes it difficult to see and aim. The ability is unique, as no other mob in Minecraft inflicts the Blindness effect.

While the illusioner’s attacks are primarily ranged, its high health and powerful spells make it a dangerous opponent. However, since it does not spawn naturally, you will only encounter it by using commands.

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What the illusioner drops

This mob drops the same things as normal pillagers (Image via Mojang Studios)

Unlike most other hostile mobs, the illusioner does not have a unique drop. When defeated, it only drops arrows and experience orbs, similar to standard illagers. It does not provide any special loot, making it less rewarding to fight.

One of the most interesting aspects of the illusioner is its absence from survival mode. Despite being a coded entity in the game, it never spawns in raids, woodland mansions, or any other naturally generated structures. The only way to summon an illusioner is by using the following command:

/summon minecraft:illusioner

This means that if you are a casual player, you will never encounter it during normal gameplay. Over the years, many fans have speculated whether Mojang will eventually add it to the game, possibly as part of an update featuring new illager mechanics or structures.

The illusioner remains one of Minecraft’s most intriguing yet forgotten mobs. It could be a great addition to raids or new illager-based challenges. However, until Mojang Studios decides to implement it fully, the illusioner will remain an unused entity, only accessible through commands.