I would guess that most Minecraft players will have stumbled across a village at some point in their travels. They’re found in plains, savanna, taiga, meadows, snowy plains, and desert biomes – and the biome dictates the look of the village. Oak and cobblestone in the plains, spruce in the taiga, sandstone in the desert.

Different villages can be very different – some larger, some smaller, and all with a different collection of tradespeople that range from farmers to blacksmiths to clerics to cartographers to nitwits. You’ll also usually find animals belonging to the village, and often an iron golem that protects the population.

The best reason to visit a village is for trade. Villagers often have raw material needs that only outsiders can fulfil, and they’re willing to pay for those goods in emeralds. You can then use those emeralds to buy things off other villagers – including rarities like enchanted books and chainmail armour. As you trade with a villager, they’ll level up – and so the more you trade, the more interesting items can be obtained.