Game Theory: The SCARY Crimes of the Minecraft Illagers

Summary

In this Game Theory episode, the video explores the mysterious Woodland Mansions in Minecraft, suggesting that the Illagers are conducting dark experiments. The theory posits that they are kidnapping villagers, transforming them into animals like Ravagers, and attempting to recreate 'Steve' using wool and magic, inadvertently creating zombies. This secret operation is believed to be the reason for their exile, leading to their seclusion in the mansions, where they continue their sinister practices.

Takeaways

• 🏰 The Illagers are suspected of plotting something within the secluded woodland mansions, as hinted by Marsh Davies, former Creative Communications Manager for Mojang.
• 🔮 The mansions contain mysterious features like redstone jails, altars, and hidden rooms with obsidian structures, suggesting dark activities are taking place.
• 🤔 The true intentions of the Illagers have been a mystery since the introduction of the Illagers in 2017, but the video suggests they are involved in dark magic and transformation of villagers.
• 🐑 The Illagers may be kidnapping villagers and using magic to turn them into animals, as evidenced by the similarities between Ravagers and villagers.
• 📣 The creator of Minecraft, Jeb, mentioned in a tweet that Ravagers were initially scared of rabbits, which was later removed, hinting at a deeper connection between villagers and Ravagers.
• 🧙‍♂️ Illagers, specifically Vindicators and Evokers, are exiled villagers who practice dark magic, as per the Minecraft Mob Bestiary.
• 🛡️ Vindicators hold power over life and death, being the only source of Totems of Undying in the game, which could be a part of their dark experiments.
• 🔮 Lapis Lazuli, a mystical stone in Minecraft, is hidden within the mansions and may be connected to the Illagers' magical abilities.
• 👕 The presence of blue and cyan wool in the mansions, matching Steve's default clothing colors, suggests the Illagers attempted to recreate Steve using wool and magic.
• 🧩 The theory proposes that the Illagers' experiments led to the creation of the first zombie, resulting in their exile and separation from villagers.
• 🎥 The video concludes that the Illagers' secret activities in the woodland mansions involve creating life and possibly the origin of zombies in Minecraft.

Q & A

What is the central mystery being discussed in the video?

The central mystery is what the Illagers are doing in their woodland mansions, particularly with their redstone jails, elaborate altars, and hidden rooms containing strange obsidian structures.

Who are the Illagers according to Minecraft lore?

Illagers are exiled villagers who have turned to evil practices. They include Evokers, Vindicators, Pillagers, Illusioners, and Ravagers.

What specific activities are the Illagers suspected of conducting in woodland mansions?

The Illagers are suspected of kidnapping villagers and transforming them into animals or other creatures using magic.

What evidence suggests that Ravagers might be transformed villagers?

Ravagers have features similar to villagers, such as a unibrow, nose, and green eyes. Their sounds also resemble villager noises.

How do the hidden rooms and structures in woodland mansions contribute to the theory about Illagers' experiments?

The hidden rooms and structures, such as fake End portals and large wool statues, suggest that the Illagers are conducting magical experiments, potentially involving life and death.

What role does lapis lazuli play in the Illagers' experiments?

Lapis lazuli is believed to be connected to the Illagers' magical abilities. It is hidden in the heads of giant wool Illager statues, implying a link between lapis and their powers.

What might the Illagers be attempting to achieve with their experiments involving villagers and lapis lazuli?

The Illagers might be trying to create life or control death, using villagers and lapis lazuli in their experiments to create new creatures or resurrect the dead.

What is the significance of blue and cyan wool found in some woodland mansion rooms?

The blue and cyan wool resembles the colors of Steve's clothing, suggesting the Illagers might be trying to create new Steves or experiment with life creation.

How does the video suggest the first zombies in Minecraft might have been created?

The video suggests that Illagers, using a combination of wool and magic, might have accidentally created zombies while trying to create new life, leading to their exile.

What overarching theme does the video propose about the Illagers' activities and their impact on the Minecraft world?

The video proposes that the Illagers are conducting dark and dangerous experiments involving life and death, which have far-reaching consequences for the Minecraft world, such as the creation of zombies and other hostile mobs.

Outlines

00:00

🕵️‍♂️ The Mystery of Illagers' Woodland Mansions

This paragraph introduces the enigmatic activities of the Illagers within their secluded woodland mansions, featuring redstone jails, altars, and hidden obsidian structures. It references Marsh Davies' quote from 2017, hinting at a hidden lore in Minecraft. The narrator suggests that the Illagers are plotting something mysterious, possibly related to kidnapping villagers and transforming them into animals using dark magic. The summary also mentions the rarity of finding a woodland mansion and the peculiar features within, such as fake end portals and maps made of wool, suggesting a deeper, darker secret behind the Illagers' actions.

05:02

🔮 Unraveling the Illagers' Dark Experiments

The second paragraph delves into the theory that Illagers are conducting dark experiments on villagers, possibly transforming them into creatures like Ravagers. It draws parallels between the physical features of Ravagers and villagers, suggesting a connection. The narrator discusses the possibility that the Illagers possess the power over life and death, as evidenced by their association with Totems of Undying. The paragraph also explores the significance of lapis lazuli, a mystical stone linked to enchantment and magic in Minecraft, and its potential role in the Illagers' experiments.

10:03

🧩 Piecing Together the Illagers' Creation of Zombies

This paragraph builds on the theory that the Illagers' experiments with life and death led to the creation of zombies, suggesting that they attempted to create a new form of life using wool and magic, similar to how Iron Golems are created. The presence of blue and cyan wool, matching the colors of the default Steve character, in the mansions is highlighted as a clue. The narrator speculates that the Illagers' experiments went awry, resulting in the creation of the first zombie and their subsequent banishment from village society. The paragraph concludes by connecting the Illagers' experiments to the broader lore of Minecraft, hinting at a larger narrative.

15:04

🎉 The Invitation to Explore Minecraft's Rich Lore

The final paragraph serves as a conclusion and an invitation to the audience to explore further into the rich lore of Minecraft. The narrator encourages viewers to watch other episodes on the channel that delve into Minecraft's story, suggesting that an overarching theory is being developed. The summary emphasizes the interconnected themes across the theories and the potential for a comprehensive understanding of Minecraft's narrative.

Keywords

💡Woodland Mansion

A Woodland Mansion is a rare structure in Minecraft that generates in dark forest biomes and is associated with the Illagers. In the video, the Woodland Mansion is portrayed as a secretive place where the Illagers are conducting mysterious and possibly nefarious activities, such as kidnapping villagers and performing rituals. The mansion's features, including redstone jails, elaborate altars, and hidden rooms with obsidian structures, contribute to the theme of a hidden, dark world within Minecraft.

💡Illagers

Illagers are a group of hostile mobs in Minecraft that share similarities with villagers but are exiled due to their evil practices. The term encompasses various types, including Vindicators, Pillagers, Evokers, and Illusioners. In the video, Illagers are theorized to be conducting experiments involving life and death, hinting at a deeper lore that positions them as outcasts from society due to their unspeakable acts.

💡Evoker

An Evoker is a type of Illager that uses magic and is introduced in the script as part of the Illagers' group. The video suggests that Evokers may play a key role in the mysterious activities within the Woodland Mansions, possibly using their magical abilities to transform villagers into animals or conduct other dark rituals.

💡Ravagers

Ravagers are large creatures ridden by Illagers during raids in Minecraft. The video presents a theory that Ravagers may originally have been villagers who were transformed by the Illagers through some form of dark magic, evidenced by their physical similarities to villagers and the fact that they emit sounds reminiscent of villagers' speech.

💡Totems of Undying

Totems of Undying are special items in Minecraft that can prevent a player from dying when used correctly. In the video, it is suggested that Illagers possess these totems, which may be a key part of their experiments with life and death. The totems are theorized to give the Illagers power over life and death, aligning with their status as exiled practitioners of dark magic.

💡Lapis Lazuli

Lapis Lazuli is a blue gemstone in Minecraft used for dyeing and enchanting. The video proposes that Lapis Lazuli may have mystical properties, possibly related to the Illagers' magical abilities. The stone is found hidden within the Woolen statues in the Woodland Mansions, suggesting a connection between the Illagers, the stone, and their experiments.

💡Zombies

Zombies are undead hostile mobs in Minecraft. The video theorizes that the first zombies may have been created by the Illagers as a result of their experiments with life and death, using a combination of wool and magic. This theory ties the creation of zombies to the Illagers' banishment from society and their subsequent seclusion in the Woodland Mansions.

💡Vindicator

A Vindicator is a type of Illager that wields an axe. The video suggests that Vindicators were expelled from villages for their unspeakable activities, which may include the transformation of villagers into other creatures or the creation of life through dark magic, contributing to the lore of the Illagers as outcasts and practitioners of evil.

💡Life and Death

The concept of life and death is central to the video's theory about the Illagers' activities. It is suggested that the Illagers are conducting experiments to control or manipulate life and death, possibly in an attempt to create new life forms or to achieve immortality. This theme is linked to the creation of zombies and the use of Totems of Undying.

💡Minecraft Lore

Minecraft Lore refers to the backstory and narratives that players and theorists create around the game's elements. The video delves into the lore surrounding the Illagers and their connection to the Woodland Mansions, exploring the possible intentions and origins of these mobs within the game's universe. The theory presented aims to provide a coherent narrative that explains the existence and actions of the Illagers.

Highlights

Introduction to the Evoker mob and the mysterious Illagers' activities in the Woodland Mansions.

The challenge presented by Marsh Davies to uncover hidden lore within Minecraft.

Analysis of the Woodland Mansion's rare generation and its unique features.

Discovery of strange structures within the mansion, such as redstone jails and altars.

The Illagers' classification and their connection to normal villagers.

Hypothesis that Illagers are conducting experiments on villagers, potentially transforming them into animals.

Observation of Ravagers' physical features resembling villagers, suggesting a transformation process.

The role of Lapis Lazuli in Minecraft's magic and its potential connection to Illagers' powers.

The theory that Illagers are attempting to recreate life, possibly creating the first zombie.

Evidence from in-game sounds and behaviors supporting the transformation theory.

The significance of the羊毛 (wool) statues in the mansion and their potential implication in Illagers' magic.

The connection between the Illagers' exile and their unspeakable activities.

The potential use of Totems of Undying in Illagers' experiments with life and death.

The presence of specific colored wool in mansions, hinting at attempts to create a 'Steve'.

The overarching theory of the Illagers' secret plan and its impact on the Minecraft world.

The conclusion that the Illagers' activities have led to the existence of zombies in Minecraft.

The call to action for viewers to explore more Minecraft lore and theories.

Transcripts

what are the illah Jers doing in that

dank secluded mansion of theirs with its

redstone jails elaborate altars and

hidden rooms housing strange obsidian

structures it really seems like they're

plotting something that is a quote from

Marsh Davies former creative

Communications Manager for Mojang and

his introduction to the evoker mob back

when it was introduced in 2017 it's a

line that is outright challenging us

it's telling us there's something hidden

within the walls of the illah Jers

woodland mansion compound there's a

mystery to be solved out there in those

dark forests one that according to my

research has gone unanswered that entire

time now three years later think I've

done it I think I know what the illage

is are doing out there and more

importantly I think I know what they're

planning let's just say after today's

video you will never look at Minecraft

the same way again

hello Internet welcome to game theory

the most bin jabal show on YouTube for

all those times when you find yourself

inexplicably stuck inside with nothing

else to do

speaking of bin jabal content over the

last year we've been mining for nuggets

of lore to craft together a massive

overarching theory on the story of

Minecraft a link to all those theories

right there in the upper right hand

corner of the screen I recommend

starting with our analysis of the

Enderman as well as this one covering

the origins of the Drowned

civilization here's the thing though up

until this point you as the viewer and

quite honestly me to have been uncertain

what if anything has actually been

planned by the Mojang team working on

Minecraft I mean don't get me wrong I

think we have done some incredible work

piecing together a lore for this game

from the Enderman being the lost

builders to the Drowned being a

civilization rotting away from a massive

flood if the proof has been there in the

gameplay and yet the question has

remained how much of this lore was

intended versus how much of it was just

me Theory crafting by putting together

random details to make a coherent story

today though is different I started this

episode with that quote from Marsh

Davies for a reason it shows that the

developers intended some hidden lore to

exist around the woodland mansions the

illah Jers do indeed have something up

those oversized sleeves of theirs this

time it's not just us over analyzing

things like we normally do it's us

piecing together clues to solve a secret

that has remained hidden in this game

for years and maybe it's been for a good

reason because if I'm right the secret

the illah Jers are hiding takes this

family-friendly game and makes it a much

much darker world we're talking t14 at

least I think the illah Jers are

kidnapping villagers and turning them

into animals through some bizarre magic

and that's not all I think they're going

one step further they're taking those

experiments to try and recreate us now

if you've never been to a woodland

mansion before I don't exactly blame you

the chance of one generating is

extremely low as they only generate in

the rare dark forest biome and even then

only if it fulfills a certain list of

criteria and you're lucky to boot that's

why even with the maps that you could

buy from the cartographer villagers you

still might find yourself trekking for

hours to find the nearest mansion so

it's pretty safe to say that these are

some of the rarest structures in the

game entering the mansion things seem

pretty normal at first then

Hall is pretty much always the same it

has a nice red carpet some stairs and as

you go through you're likely to see lots

of normal-looking rooms ones that appear

to be dining halls libraries little

farms of mushrooms and trees but then

you get to some of the stranger

structures jail cells a room with a

large altar in the middle a room with a

large fake map in the middle a room with

a large fake end portal in the middle

rooms dedicated to large woollen statues

of cats and chickens in the middle

always in the middle it is weird and let

me be clear when I say fake and portals

and fake Maps I mean it these aren't

made from your typical assortment of end

portal frames and lava blocks or paper

and compasses these are made with wool

the fake end portal rooms are filled

with orange wool in the middle in a ring

of green wool above it giving the

appearance of a stronghold end portal

the map is made out of carpet so are the

numerous beds found throughout the

mansion more wool more carpet again it

is weird I say it on a lot of these

episodes but I think in this one it's

hard to deny developers don't just put

fake replicas of an end portal into the

villains hideout for the funsies there

is a reason these structures are here

but to understand why we first need to

understand who the illah Jers are for

those of you who don't know illa jar is

the classification for a group of

hostile mobs in Minecraft united by the

fact that they all share similar

features to normal villagers the illah

Jers consists of magic using of ochres

axe wielding Vindicator x' and crossbows

slinging pillagers

there's also illusion errs who don't

spawn naturally in the game and the

Ravagers which are just the big ol ugly

beasts that the illage ride during the

raids whoo look at that face face only a

mother or I suppose another villager now

it's important to note that the illa

Jura pearance is an arbitrary sure they

look exactly like villagers in need of a

suntan but that is a very intentional

decision it isn't like Mojang just ran

out of ideas for how creatures in this

universe could look no the one bit of

lore that we know about these guys is

that they're exiled

they were booted out of the villagers

villages they're outcasts according to

the Minecraft mob bestiary quote via

Volkers are outcasts from the friendly

villages that we know and love twisted

by their practice of evil and

and again with The Vindicator

description here we go like the Evo kurz

The Vindicator 's were expelled from

villages for its unspeakable activities

and it too wanders the halls of eerie

woodland mansions we do not know what

they're trying to achieve out there in

the woods but we must be on our guard

end quote so again we're teased with

little bits of lore here these are

villagers who are committing unspeakable

acts and were booted out of the towns

for it only to take residents in the

dark woods but we have no idea what all

that is referencing so we come back to

the initial question what were they

doing in the woodland mansions we have

prisons and altars built by the illage

but what was it all for

well what if I told you that the first

and yes there are several but the first

atrocity is that the illah Jers are

kidnapping normal peaceful villagers and

turning them into animals don't believe

me take a closer look at the Ravagers I

mentioned earlier the beasts that the

illage ride into battle look familiar

they should most obviously there's that

signature nose that completely matches a

normal villager okay fine

that would just be an aesthetic choice

but then what about eyebrow Ravagers

have a unibrow just like every other

villager that exists in Minecraft

what makes that similarity stand out all

the more is that both The Vindicator and

the evoke er who we know are former

villagers themselves that were exiled

have themselves to separate angry

eyebrows clearly differentiating them

from every other villager in the game

and yet the ravager shares the unibrow

that the villagers still possess and

what about those green eyes again every

villager has green eyes just like the

eyes of the Ravagers so the features of

the Ravagers face are an exact copy of

the features on a villagers face but to

say that they are a villager seems to be

an extreme jump right it does until you

listen to this that's one of the

Ravagers roars it's this big fearsome

beast that has a little honk honk-honk

at the end of its roar a hog that sounds

kinda like the sounds that a villager

makes when it's speaking in fact a lot

of the Ravager sound effects seem to

have an undertone of honking to it again

listen to those grunts

roars the honking is very clearly worked

into the sounds that the Beast is making

[Music]

suggesting that along with the visuals

this was once an actual villager but to

me the biggest piece of evidence doesn't

come from the game itself but rather

from a tweet sent by Jem chief creative

officer for Minecraft what if the odd

little details about Ravagers was that

when they were first introduced they

were programmed to be scared of rabbits

it was a cute little Easter Egg to have

a giant hulking fearsome beast suddenly

run away from such a cute little animal

the one was first discovered Jeb who

again it bears repeating is one of the

main guys controlling everything

minecraft Jeb tweeted back this I asked

Josh to remove this feature again

although funny being scared of rabbits

doesn't fit with the beasts lore and

cool doesn't fit with the lore ravager

lore is non-existent literally in the

meet the ravager blog post there is

nothing about how these characters fit

into the story the various beasty Ares

and wikis nothing about the lore of

these mobs sure there are stories about

how they were originally conceptualized

what they're based off of but nothing

about the lore as they fit into the

story of Minecraft and yet apparently

the Lord exists enough for the rabbit

scaring it off to somehow throw off that

entire plotline and I think I know why I

think it's because they're made of

villagers and villagers aren't scared of

rabbits to the beasts that they are

turned into by the illage as should n't

them either in short I think that the

prison cells and those sacrificial

looking altar things in the woodland

mansions are used for win of ochres and

Vindicator 's capture villagers to use

in their how did the mob bestiary put it

unspeakable activities i mean between

the magic and the axe those two mobs

should have pretty much everything they

need to convert a villager into a giant

hulking beast

well everything but the power over life

and death that would probably be helpful

if you're trying to create some sort of

weird animal villager hybrid monstrosity

oh wait the illah Jers actually have

that ability too you see Volkers hold

power over life and death considering

that they're the only source of totems

of undying in the game these totems are

special items that allow

the wielder to escape from death and

that my friends is the true plan of

illage sir they might be making beasts

out of illa Jers but I believe that's

only one component of their larger

overarching plan I think that the

unspeakable activities that got them

kicked out of the villages in the first

place are actually them running

experiments trying to harness the powers

of life and death

they are literally playing God I mean

they have totems of undying they are the

only ones to have totems of the undying

and we see that these things work I mean

they certainly managed to keep us alive

plus we know that magic is a real thing

in Minecraft obviously in the game we're

able to enchant weapons and armor using

lapis lazuli so minecraft is making the

case that lapis lazuli has some sort of

mystical power now this isn't a totally

novel idea humans dating back all the

way to ancient Sumeria have also

believed that Lapp has had some sort of

mystical quality the Sumerians believed

that lapis held the souls of gods no

that seems pretty darn relevant

considering where lapis lazuli is hidden

in the woodland mansions well it's not

obvious there is a block of lapis hidden

in the center of the giant wool imager

heads that decorate the entire building

implying there to be this close

connection between illah Jers and this

magical stone I mean in the statues it's

literally right where their brain should

be now I cannot stress enough how bad of

an idea would be to actually inject

lapis lazuli into your head there's

nearly a hundred percent chance of

medical complication and a zero percent

chance of you getting magical powers and

in the Minecraft universe it seems like

the odds are a bit more in your favor

considering the Evoque kurz magical

powers could all of these statues be

implying that a Volkers have lapis

literally implanted into their skulls

thereby giving them their magical

ability is probably not if that were the

case you'd expect them to have some

chance of dropping a shard of lapis or

something the lapis stone being in the

middle of the statues head does imply

that maybe experiments with lapis and

magic were another thing that got these

villagers kicked out and turned into the

exiled illah Jers which brings us back

to their experiments on life and death

because here's the thing I don't think

it stops with just the Ravagers I

believe that there's something far more

sinister and threatening going on in the

woodland mansions that ties together all

of these clues while also explaining

what happened to get the illah Jers

thrown out of

in some rooms in Woodland mansions there

are piles and piles of blue and cyan

wool

okay okay it sounds pretty mundane but

consider the specific coloring of this

wall blue and cyan they're the same

colors as default steve's clothing his

cyan shirt is blue pants i mean there is

really no other reason to have stacks of

blue and cyan wools together in a room

it is such a specific item in such a

specific set of two colors i mean sure

elsewhere in the woodland mansion

imagers use blue wool sometimes as

carpet to make fake beds or maps they

also use yellow and red wool for those

same purposes and we see none of that in

any of the rooms in the woodland mansion

and yet we see rooms dedicated to just

blue and cyan walls they are

specifically Steve colored wool piles

Steve and zombie colored wool piles

remember this is the cult with at least

some control over life and death and in

the Minecraft world we see snowmen built

with two snow blocks we see iron golems

made by creating a tea out of iron and

then plopping a pumpkin head on top of

that now we have ourselves a cult of

illage Arion statues in their homes and

sometimes even in bed lapis lazuli into

him so it's not so much of a stretch to

think that they could maybe stack some

blue and cyan wall together plop a

pumpkin on top and hope to create a new

Steve they see that's where things

probably went terribly wrong in a volker

using a totem of the undying must have

tried to make this lump of wool come to

life only to create something twisted

something twisted and something hungry

the first zombie as the first zombies

came out and started biting villagers

it's probably no surprise that the weird

cultists who created it got booted from

society and ended up settling huge

distances away in dark and mysterious

woodland mansions where they could

continue their experiments in private

and now those same cultists live in

harmony with their creations the illah

Jers now share their mansions with

creepers and skeletons and of course

their own zombified creations be they

built from wool and skeletons be they

built from wool and dead bodies so now

we know why the illah Jers exists what

makes them fundamentally different from

their villager cousins and why the two

populations separated to begin with

they're big evil plot that's been

alluded to by the development team since

their inclusion in the game is to create

their own life create their own version

of Steve using a combination of wool and

magic but in the process it created

zombies they're like the L

brothers of minecraft who knew that it

would take more than a few bits of wool

to make a human and now everyone in the

Minecraft world has to pay a price and

that my friends is the secret of the

woodland mansion but hey that's just a

theory

Oh game theory thanks for watching and

hey while you're here looking for things

to binge since no you're probably not at

work or school watch the other six

episodes that we've done on the

Minecraft lore link is right there on

screen as we speak I'm telling you each

of these theories is awesome there are

some of my favorite theories that we've

ever concocted on this channel

minecraft is shockingly rich in its lore

and there's a lot of stuff here that we

could really gnaw on to try and piece

together the story so check them out let

me know what you think and make sure you

subscribe buttons on screen for that as

well because you know that there's gonna

be more where this came from we're

getting close to putting together that

overarching theory I don't know about

you but I can start to see some big

themes come together across these

theories and I think they are all

telling one story