How to Find a Pillager Outpost in Minecraft

Guide Java Bedrock

Quick answer: Pillager outposts are watchtower camps that generate in plains, desert, savanna, taiga, snowy and mountain biomes. Kill the raid captains there for ominous bottles to start raids - and rescue allays from the cages.

What you need

Shield (crossbow bolts)
Bow or good sword
Blocks for cover and pillaring
Milk if Bad Omen catches you off guard

Step by step

Search the right biomes: outposts generate in plains, savanna, desert, snowy plains, taiga, meadow, cherry grove and the mountain biomes (grove, snowy slopes, jagged, frozen and stony peaks) - Bedrock also gets them in sunflower plains and snowy taiga.
Scan the horizon: the tall dark oak watchtower is visible from far away - climb a hill or use a spyglass, and up to 4 smaller structures (tents, cages, targets, log piles) can surround it.
Expect company: pillagers and pillager captains spawn continuously around the tower - in Java they appear in a 72x58x72 area centered on the top of the watchtower, even while you stand inside.
Check the cages: an iron golem spawns in a cage 85% of the time, and an allay cage appears 50% of the time with two allays - free the allays and they are yours.
Kill the captain: the pillager with the ominous banner drops an ominous bottle of level 1 to 5 - drink it for Bad Omen and walk into a village to start a raid, or into trial chambers for an ominous trial.
Loot the tower chest: the top of the watchtower holds a chest with crossbows, arrows, dark oak logs, food, goat horns and sentry armor trims - when a trim generates, you always get two.
Approach prepared: pillagers shoot crossbows from range and several can be up at once - a shield, a bow and some blocks to pillar with make the fight trivial.
Farm it if you like: because captains keep respawning, outposts double as a renewable source of ominous bottles for raid farms.

Java vs Bedrock

Generation, cages and loot match across editions. Bedrock adds sunflower plains and snowy taiga (plus their hills) as outpost biomes, and the outpost foundations extend downward instead of floating.

Versions: Added in 1.14 - Village & Pillage (18w47a), with raid captains arriving in 18w50a. Allays joined the cages in 1.19 (22w13a), goat horns in 22w17a, and sentry armor trims in 23w05a.

Frequently asked questions

Where do pillager outposts spawn in Minecraft?

In plains, savanna, desert, snowy plains, taiga, meadow, cherry grove and mountain biomes - Bedrock also generates them in sunflower plains and snowy taiga. The dark oak watchtower is tall enough to spot from a long way off.

What is in a pillager outpost chest?

The watchtower chest holds crossbows, arrows, dark oak logs and planks, food, goat horns and sentry armor trims - trims always generate in pairs when found. The cages can hold an iron golem (85% chance) or two allays (50% chance).

How do you get Bad Omen from a pillager outpost?

Kill the pillager captain wearing the ominous banner - it drops an ominous bottle of level 1 to 5. Drink it to get the Bad Omen effect for 100 minutes, then enter a village to trigger a raid or a trial chamber for an ominous trial.