Bug Description:
In Minecraft Bedrock Edition, a critical issue exists affecting the spawning of Pillagers at Outposts. Pillagers have fixed, predetermined spawn points within the structure. We've observed a flaw in the spawn logic that prevents them from spawning under specific conditions, even when the fixed spawn point is a valid block (solid, opaque, with free space). It's important to note that light is not a factor affecting the spawning of Pillagers at Outposts in Bedrock Edition.
The bug occurs when the following two conditions are met simultaneously in all loaded chunks:
There are few spawnable blocks (between 1 and 4, excluding Bedrock) that are exposed to the sky. These are the blocks the game counts to determine the overall mob density in the area.
There are many "non-spawnable" blocks (e.g., leaves, glass, torches, or buttons) that are also exposed to the sky.
When these two conditions are met, Pillagers' ability to spawn at their valid, fixed spawn points within the Outpost is drastically reduced or completely negated. This behavior suggests the game is misinterpreting the presence of many non-spawnable blocks exposed to the sky as a negative factor for spawning, especially when the number of spawnable blocks exposed to the sky is very low.
Expected Behavior:
Pillagers spawning at their fixed Outpost points should occur if the block is valid and the space is free. The presence of non-spawnable blocks exposed to the sky in loaded chunks should not negatively impact Pillagers' ability to spawn at their designated fixed points. The game should prioritize the validity of the spawn point itself, rather than being penalized by the overall composition of non-spawnable sky-exposed blocks in the loading area.
Current Behavior (Bug):
Pillagers do not spawn at their valid fixed spawn points inside Outposts if, in the loaded chunks:The total number of spawnable sky-exposed blocks is between 1 and 4.
And there's a significant number of non-spawnable sky-exposed blocks (such as leaves, glass, torches, or buttons).
This combination of factors nullifies the spawn, even if the fixed spawn point is perfect. Game logic appears to negatively prioritize the presence of non-spawnable sky-exposed blocks when the density of spawnable sky-exposed blocks is low, inconsistently nullifying the spawn of Pillagers.
Steps to NOT Spawn (within the world provided in the report):Go to the red block in the world provided in the report.
Ensure there are a significant number of non-spawnable blocks (e.g., glass) exposed to the sky in the loaded chunks, and that only 1 to 4 spawnable blocks remain exposed to the sky in the area. (For example, you can achieve this by covering most of the sky-exposed blocks with glass.)
Stay on the red block and wait exactly 25 seconds. Note that no mobs will spawn.
Steps to Spawn (within the world provided in the report):Replace the non-spawnable block that's exposed to the sky (e.g., the glass covering the area) with a spawnable block (e.g., oak planks), so that there are more than 4 spawnable blocks exposed to the sky in the loaded chunks.
Stay on the red block and wait exactly 25 seconds. You'll notice that Pillagers will spawn normally, confirming that the condition of "few spawnable blocks exposed to the sky and many non-spawnable blocks exposed to the sky" is what inhibits spawning.
Impact:
This bug is a significant obstacle for players trying to optimize Pillager farms or modify Outposts. It limits design freedom by forcing players to ensure there are always a minimum number of spawnable blocks exposed to the sky in loaded chunks, even if they aren't the direct spawn point. The complex interaction of these global conditions with fixed spawn points demonstrates flawed spawn logic that needs to be fixed for predictable and consistent behavior.
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Comments 2
Thank you for your report. Unfortunately, this issue is Invalid because it is based on using a modified world. Outpost spawn spots in vanilla Minecraft generate inside outposts that are themselves embedded in surrounding terrain. The structure spawn algorithm is designed for that context.
More generally, this report describes a possible consequence of the structure spawn algorithm (few spawns), but it is overly specific (this applies to all spawning structures, not just outposts), and it gets the logic backwards (it is not the presence of non-spawnable blocks, but the absence of spawnable blocks in a structure chunk, that lowers spawn rates). For these reasons, this is more an issue of technical gameplay and farm design optimization, than a bug or design flaw in the game.
When the structure spawn algorithm runs in a chunk where a mob-spawning structure is located (fortress, monument, witch hut, or pillager outpost), it first searches for a spawnable block in a random x, z column in the chunk using the same top-to-bottom search that environmental spawns use. If it finds a spawnable block, it then attempts the structure spawn at the structure spawn spot. Note that the choice of a random x, z column is the same first step used by the environmental spawn algorithm when it runs in a chunk. Both spawn algorithms run about once every 9 seconds, and they each check only one x, z column each time they run. The use of a random x, z makes spawns success proportional to the available spawnable blocks over time.
here is the world
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