How to Start and Win a Raid in Minecraft

Guide Java Bedrock

Quick answer: Get Bad Omen (drink an ominous bottle from a raid captain), walk into a village, and survive all waves: 3 on Easy, 5 on Normal, 7 on Hard (plus 1 extra with Raid Omen II+). Win to earn Hero of the Village and huge trading discounts.

What you need

Ominous Bottle (from a raid captain)
Protection IV armor + shield
Sword/axe and bow/crossbow
Totems of undying
Blocks to wall off the village
Iron golems (optional but strong)

Step by step

Get the Ominous effect: since 1.21, killing a pillager captain (the one with the banner, found at outposts and patrols) drops an Ominous Bottle. Drinking it gives Bad Omen.
Prepare the village: wall it in or ring it with traps, light everything, and put the villagers somewhere safe - if all villagers die or all beds are destroyed, you lose.
Gear up: Protection IV armor, a strong sword or axe, a bow or crossbow, a shield (essential against vindicator axes and pillager arrows), totems of undying and food. Iron golems help enormously.
Enter the village with Bad Omen active: it converts to Raid Omen and the raid bar appears. Waves spawn at the village edge and pathfind toward the center.
Fight wave by wave: pillagers shoot, vindicators rush with axes (disable your shield temporarily if they stun it), evokers summon vexes and fang lines, witches throw potions, and ravagers smash through. Kill ravager riders first, then the ravager.
Use corners and doors to funnel enemies; ring the raid bell to highlight remaining raiders (Java) or listen for the horn to find the wave's direction.
Survive the final wave to win: you get Hero of the Village - villagers throw gifts (Java) and slash trade prices massively for 40 minutes.

Java vs Bedrock

Both editions share the 3/5/7 wave structure (Easy/Normal/Hard, +1 wave with Raid Omen II or higher). Java raiders can pick up dropped ominous banners to become the new captain; in Bedrock, raid mobs are more numerous per wave. Hero of the Village gift-throwing is a Java feature; Bedrock gives the discounts.

Versions: Since 1.21, Bad Omen comes from drinking an Ominous Bottle (dropped by captains) instead of directly from the kill. Before 1.21, killing a captain applied Bad Omen immediately. Current as of 26.3.

Frequently asked questions

How do you trigger a raid?

Enter a village while the Bad Omen effect is active. Since 1.21 you get Bad Omen by drinking an Ominous Bottle dropped by a pillager captain.

What happens if you lose a raid?

If every villager dies or every bed is destroyed, the raiders win, celebrate, and you get no reward. The villagers are gone for good - protect them first.

What is Hero of the Village good for?

Deep trade discounts (a few emeralds for enchanted diamond gear) and, in Java, villagers throw free gifts. It is the cheapest way to gear up in the game.