Mob Farm (XP and Drops)
Beginner Java + Bedrock
Produces: Gunpowder, bones, string, arrows, rotten flesh - and XP if you kill by hand
Quick answer: A mob farm is a dark box where hostile mobs spawn, get flushed by water into a drop chute and land at your feet with half a heart - one punch each, and the XP and drops are yours. Build it high over an ocean so caves cannot steal the spawns.
How it works
- Hostile mobs spawn at light level 0 on solid blocks, in a sphere around the player: 24 to 128 blocks away in Java.
- Rates depend entirely on how many other dark spots exist nearby - spawnproofing caves below or building 100+ blocks above the ocean surface is what makes a farm fast.
- Fall damage math: mobs take 1 damage per block after the first 3, so a 22-block drop leaves zombies and skeletons (20 HP) at half a heart. Give spiders a different chute or they climb.
- Bedrock rates are much lower than Java for the same design, and simulation distance limits the spawning area.
Materials
- ~500-1500 solid blocks for platforms and the chute (cobblestone is fine)
- Slabs, trapdoors and water buckets for the flush system
- 4-8 hoppers and chests for collection
- Torches to light the outside when you are done
Build steps
- Pick an ocean biome and pillar up: build the collection point at least 100 blocks above the water so the farm is the only spawnable space in range.
- Build 2-4 spawning platforms (about 8x8 each) with 2-block ceilings so endermen cannot spawn, water on the edges pushing to the center hole.
- Drop chute: 22 blocks for one-punch kills, or 24+ for automatic kills if you only want drops (no XP).
- Stand at the bottom with a Looting III sword: one hit kills each mob and multiplies the drops.
- Light the roof and every outside surface when finished so mobs only spawn inside.
Rates
A basic single-player tower gives a few thousand items per hour in Java with good positioning. Bedrock designs produce less - expect a fraction of Java rates.
Tips
- AFK spot matters: in Java, stand so the platforms are 24-40 blocks from you - closer than 24 blocks and nothing spawns.
- Add a roof of slabs: phantoms spawn above you if you AFK outdoors for days.
- Creepers only: build with trapdoors on the ceiling - creepers are shorter than zombies and skeletons.