Where to get wool in Minecraft?

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Wool is a block that almost every player will encounter on their Minecraft journey. Especially if they wish to sleep through the night and avoid being killed by mobs or spawning deadly phantoms.

Though wool is not a particularly rare block, it can be hard to get the amount necessary to craft a bed within the first few night cycles of a new game. Because there is such a large array of wool colors, collecting enough of the same color for a build can be a daunting task.

Luckily, there are a variety of ways in which players can gain access to wool blocks. Here are a few different ways to ensure access to this soft, fluffy block as quickly and efficiently as possible.

Wool in Minecraft

Sheep

The first place a player will see wool upon generating a brand new Minecraft world is likely attached to a peaceful mob - sheep. If the player wishes to remove the wool from these animals and add it to their inventory, there are a couple of options.

Within the first few days in a new Minecraft world, players may find it easiest to simply kill sheep, which causes the mobs to drop only one wool each. Killing sheep comes with the added benefit of getting food to keep the player alive, as sheep can also drop raw mutton upon being slain.

However, if getting wool is the goal, there is a more efficient way to use sheep to get this block. Once a player finds iron, they can put two of them diagonal to each other in a crafting table or the small crafting area in their inventory.

This recipe will yield shears, a helpful multipurpose tool that allows the player to get certain blocks that they otherwise would not be able to add to their inventory, like leaves and vines. If the player right clicks a sheep with shears in their hand, the sheep will change appearance and drop anywhere between one and three wool blocks.

This is especially useful considering that the sheep will regrow their wool upon eating grass, creating a sustainable source to gather a near infinite amount of wool.

It should be noted, however, that if a sheared sheep is killed before it gets the chance to eat grass and regrow its wool, it will not drop any wool, only raw mutton.

String

If sheep are hard to come by in the Minecraft world that a player has spawned into, there are other options to find wool. One such option is utilizing string to craft wool blocks. The player needs to find four string and put them into a two by two square either in their crafting inventory or a crafting table.

However, string in Minecraft is quite a bit harder to come by than sheep, and because each block of wool requires four string, it can take a while to get the amount needed for a bed or other builds.

Players can kill spiders or cave spiders, both of which have a chance to drop string. Be careful though, as both of these mobs are hostile, with cave spiders being especially dangerous due to their poisonous attacks.

String can also be found in the same place as cave spiders, albeit in a different form. In abandoned mineshafts, the structures in which cave spiders can be found, there are often a plethora of cobwebs lining the walls and ceilings, with even more appearing near cave spider spawners.

When broken, these cobwebs drop one string each. However, cobwebs are a very unique block, as they can only be broken with a sword. It’s important to be careful when mining cobwebs as they greatly decrease player mobility when walked through, making it easier for hostile mobs to deal a large amount of damage to whatever poor soul gets stuck.

Loot chests in places such as desert temples tend to have wool in them as well, so it is always a good idea to explore as much of a new Minecraft world as possible.

Villages

Image via Minecraft Image via Minecraft
Image via Minecraft Image via Minecraft

Another good place to find wool in Minecraft is in villages. Villages are already useful for finding many other items, such as loot from blacksmiths or bales of hay that can be easily crafted into huge amounts of bread. This means that if a player finds a village within the first few days of being in their new world, they have a much higher chance of surviving for longer.

Wool can be obtained from villages in a few different ways. It should be noted that villages in Minecraft often spawn with a large number of beds that are already crafted. So if a player’s goal on their hunt for wool is to craft a bed, they can bypass the crafting and just steal a bed from one of the villagers’ homes.

Of course, if a player wishes to be more kind to the villagers, they can also find wool in village chests, or spawned in as part of certain village structures. For example, pieces of yellow wool can be found in the marketplace area of the meeting point of plains villages.

If a player wishes to leave a Minecraft village in pristine condition without breaking any beds or stealing any blocks from houses, there is still another avenue that they can take if they wish to get wool from a village. This may be the most expensive way to get wool, however it can prove useful if a player wants a variety of different colors of wool.

If a shepherd villager is found, they will have many colors of wool up for trade in exchange for emeralds. This means that if the player finds emeralds in a village chest, they can quickly cash them in to get rare wool colors.

Additionally, the more the player trades with the shepherd villager, the more proficient the shepherd will get at their job. This means that if the player consistently trades with the same shepherd, more colors of wool will become available, but only if the emerald requirement can be met.

Other Tips

Beds must be crafted with three of the same color of wool. This means that if the player kills two white sheep and one dark grey sheep, they will not be able to craft a bed with the wool they receive.

In Minecraft, white wool can be dyed any color. So, if the player has one red wool and two white wool, they can find a red flower like a rose bush or poppy, craft it into red dye, and dye the two white wools in order to make a bed. Keep in mind, though, that only white cool can be dyed.

Wool of almost any color can also naturally generate in woodland mansions. Unfortunately, mansions are amongst the rarest structures in Minecraft. Also, if the player finds a mansion, they should be weary of the incredibly dangerous mobs that spawn there. It is recommended to not enter the mansion until the player has acquired diamond tools and armor to help keep themselves safe.

Finally, much like wool, sheep can also be dyed any color. Dying a sheep causes them to become the color of the dye until they are dyed another color. Using shears in combination with this method, the player can obtain a large supply of their preferred color of wool, as the sheep will continue to regenerate the colorful wool.

With these tips, any Minecraft player can stay warm and cozy, surrounded by beds and the wool used to craft them. Happy wool hunting!


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