A Minecraft Iron Golem is the best guardian a village can wish for. These sturdy creatures will attack hostile mobs who've come to raid the town, including illagers, skeletons, and zombies, making them invaluable to the local farmers and traders. Don't forget that Iron Golems protect the villagers against anyone - including you, should you attack them.
While some Iron Golems spawn naturally inside a Minecraft village, they can also be crafted. Here's how to craft Iron Golems in Minecraft and how they work.
How to make an Iron Golem in Minecraft
In order to make a Minecraft Iron Golem, you don't need to use a Crafting Table like you would to make most things in the game. Instead, you need to place blocks in a specific formation.
The ingredients you need to make one Iron Golem are four Iron Blocks (each one consisting of nine Iron Ingots in a Crafting Table), and one Pumpkin - in Java Edition, it must be a Carved Pumpkin or a Jack O'Lantern, but in Bedrock Edition, it can also be a regular pumpkin. Place the Iron Blocks in a T-shape and then put the Pumpkin at the top and in the middle, so it looks like a weird iron scarecrow. Use the above picture for reference!
As long as there are no connecting blocks on either side (other than the floor it's stood on, of course), placing the Pumpkin last should cause an Iron Golem to spawn. As long as you have the Minecraft materials, you can do this as many times as you like to create your own personal army.
If you don't want to go through this trouble but still want to live near a village protected by an Iron Golem, you can use one of the best Minecraft seeds to start a new world in such a place.
What Iron Golems in Minecraft do
You can better protect yourself with Minecraft Netherite armor
Iron Golems are solemnly sworn to protect players and villagers, provided you don't attack them. They're classed as neutral mobs so, unlike cows, pigs, and Minecraft frogs, Iron Golems will leave you be but will attack you if you attack them. If, for some reason, you want to fight an Iron Golem, it's best to have a Recovery Compass ready near your respawn point - don't underestimate their strength!
When an Iron Golem is created inside a village, it will slowly wander around, patrolling the area. If it's not in a village, it will gradually make its way towards the closest one, likely fighting any hostile mobs along the way. If an Iron Golem takes damage, the player can heal it by using an Iron Ingot on it.
If you've got enough Iron and have a base or village you want to protect, Iron Golems are the way forward. Unfortunately, you can't name them like you can normal pets though! You might want to know how to tame a fox in Minecraft if you'd like a pet.
After upgrading the village's defenses with an Iron Golem, upgrade its looks too with the best Minecraft texture packs.
© GamesRadar+. Not to be reproduced without permission
