Top 5 fastest ways to get XP in Minecraft

Players drop XP orbs upon death in-game (Image via Minecraft)
Players drop XP orbs upon death in-game (Image via Minecraft)

XP in Minecraft is an experience point. Players can get XP by doing things like killing mobs, smelting items, and mining. It is dropped in the form of experience orbs, which players can collect to fill their experience bar. XP can also be called experience or EXP.

XP is important for Minecraft players who want to enchant, repair, or combine their items in-game. It also affects the player's level.

With such important uses, XP is an integral part of Minecraft gameplay. Luckily, there are many ways for players to get XP in-game. Some of these are faster than others. Here's our list of the top 5 quickest ways to get XP in Minecraft.


Minecraft: Top 5 quickest methods to earn XP

5) Trading

Trading with villagers is just one way to get XP in-game (Image via Minecraft)
Trading with villagers is just one way to get XP in-game (Image via Minecraft)

Trading with villagers is one way for players to get XP in Minecraft. Villagers will drop between three and six XP orbs with every trade, or between eight and 11 orbs if the villager is willing to breed.

Minecraft players can also trade for the rare Bottle o' Enchanting item, which releases experience orbs when broken.


4) Killing animals

Killing mobs is a great way to get XP quickly in-game (Image via Minecraft)
Killing mobs is a great way to get XP quickly in-game (Image via Minecraft)

Killing animals is a great way for players to gain XP. Players can get one to three XP for each animal they kill. While this may not seem like a lot, it can add up pretty quickly.

Baby animals, if slain, do not drop any XP orbs. This is also true for bats, iron golems, and snow golems.


3) Completing advancements

A chart of the advancements in Minecraft (Image via Minecraft)
A chart of the advancements in Minecraft (Image via Minecraft)

Players can get XP by completing challenge advancements. The more challenging and advancement is, the more XP a player will gain. Completing the "Return to Sender" advancement can get players 50 XP, for instance, while the advancement "How Did We Get Here?" will give players 1000 XP. Just be sure to complete the challenge's parent advancement first.


2) Mining

Mining is a great source of XP and other in-game resources (Image via Minecraft)
Mining is a great source of XP and other in-game resources (Image via Minecraft)

Mining is an essential gameplay function and an excellent way for Minecraft players to get XP early on in their gameplay. Minecraft players can get anywhere from one to forty-three XP orbs from the mine blocks, though the XP value varies between materials. You can get XP from mining:

  • Coal
  • Iron
  • Nether gold
  • Nether quartz
  • Lapis lazuli
  • Emeralds
  • Diamonds
  • Redstone
  • Monster spawners

1) Killing hostile mobs

An image of a swarm of endermen in the End realm (Image via Minecraft)
An image of a swarm of endermen in the End realm (Image via Minecraft)

Killing mobs is a great way for players to get XP. This is especially true for killing hostile mobs like skeletons, zombies, and the Ender Dragon. Players can get between one and twenty XP for every non-boss hostile mob that they slay. Boss mobs will give the player more XP when killed. The Ender Dragon, for example, will provide 12,000 XP.

While Minecraft players can hunt down hostile mobs to slay, they can also build a hostile mob farm. Hostile mob farms are a type of build in Minecraft which spawns hostile mobs and then weakens them enough for players to kill quickly.


XP is a crucial part of Minecraft gameplay, and players may need a lot of it throughout their game. Luckily, there are many ways for players to gather XP quickly in-game.

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