Java Edition:Dual Wielding Mob
Due to a bug, any armored mobs directly updated from 1.8.9 and before to 18w19a (1.13 snapshot) and after, will hold certain armor pieces.[1] This bug is likely caused by the introduction of the offhand slot. There is also another bug which can create any mob dual wielding certain items because of an oversight in the Ominous Trial Spawner bugs. Both of these discontinued features require updating.
Offhand Slot Bug
Updating Properly
The below listed entities could all obtain armor in some way since snapshot 12w32a (1.4.2 snapshot) [test]. Any entity wearing armor from this snapshot until the first snapshot of 1.9, 15w31a, could be used. In order to obtain, the entity must be updated directly to snapshot 18w19a (1.13) or later. This will not work if the entity is loaded in any version between 1.8.9 and 18w19a. In order to avoid a large version skip, the entities can be stored in unloaded chunks. You can also do this with armor stands since their addition in 14w32a. The armor stand will also become dual wielding using the same method. Basically, you do this:
- Find or create an armored mob with both leggings and boots from 12w32a[test] to 1.8.9.
- Update your world directly to at least 18w19a. To avoid a large version skip, you can store the entities in unloaded chunks.
Item Variations
When updating, the entities switch their hand slots and their armor slots, causing them to wear what they were holding, and hold what they were wearing. Because of the pattern of the rotation, the only armor pieces that can be held are boots and leggings. Additionally, boots will always be held in the right hand, and leggings will always be held in the left (requires more testing, may switch with a left handed mob). The boots and leggings could be any type, have any normally applicable enchantments, and in the case of leather armor be dyed any color (needs [test]). Any item the entity was previously holding will now be considered an armor piece, however, unless the entity is holding armor, this is an unobservable discontinued feature, since items other than armor do not visually appear as armor on an entity. Giving a mob with the canPickUpLoot tag armor, or dispensing armor onto the mob after it’s updated, will cause the mob to replace the item in the armor slot with actual armor. This will permanently delete the item, however killing a mob wearing an item will still drop the item (needs testing). Any mob that is upgraded that is not wearing leggings and/or boots will become a weaponless mob.
Entity Variations
This affects all mobs that could wear armor during 1.8.9, as well as armor stands. This includes zombies, baby zombies, zombie villagers, baby zombie villagers, zombified piglins, baby zombified piglins, skeletons, wither skeletons, villagers, and later drowned and baby drowned. These mobs can also be in jockey form, and could be left handed or right handed. Zombies, baby zombies, zombie villagers, baby zombie villagers, and skeletons can have the canPickUpLoot tag either true or false, due to the ability of these mobs to spawn with armor naturally. After updating, zombies can be turned into drowned, and will still hold the armor (needs version testing[test]). They can also be in jockey form (needs testing), be right or left handed, or have the canpickuploot tag true or false. Villagers could have armor dispensed on them, and will dual wield items after updating, however, this is an unobservable discontinued feature, since villagers don’t actually hold things, unless offering them as a trade. The villagers will also lose the item in their main hand after updating to (1.14 snapshot, needs testing[test]) and later. Possible mob combos include skeleton spider jockey in End and/or Nether, and wither skeleton spider jockey.
Trial Spawner Bug
Updating Properly
Firstly, you will have to obtain the Spawn Egg of the mob you want to dual wield the items. Then from 23w45a - 24w03a, you will have to find a Dual Wielding Skeleton Trial Spawner. This is because this feature already creates a dual wielding skeleton. Finally, you can upgrade to 24w13a - 24w20a (present) to progress with obtaining these discontinued features. Unlike the previous method, there is not a huge version gap and the discontinued Trial Spawner does not have to be stored in unloaded chunks. The reason we wait until 24w13a is because this discontinued feature relies off of a bug with Ominous Trial Spawners.[2]
- Find a Trial Spawner that spawns dual wielding skeletons from 23w45a to 24w03a.
- Update it to at least 24w13a.
- Perform the method below:
Obtaining Properly
Besides having to get a spawn egg, this discontinued feature is decently easy to get. Firstly, get the spawn egg of the mob you want to be discontinued. Then, get the bad omen effect and make the Trial Spawner ominous. Right after it becomes ominous, right click the spawner with your spawn egg of choice, and you will get your mob of choice dual wielding a bow and a Tipped Arrow of Poison. This works from 24w13a - 24w20a (present).
Discontinued Effects
To do: Do further research on wither skeleton, and using nbt crafting could get you a custom illusioner spawn egg, and test the pillager.
This method can be used to get ranged mobs holding the poison arrow in their offhand, meaning that it will add poison to the effect. There is so far no method of getting a bogged spawn egg, so the mobs that could be applied to this category would be the stray[3], the wither skeleton[test], the illusioner[test], and the pillager[test].
Further Information
- If you have followed the instructions above carefully and mobs are not spawning, it might be because they need certain spawn requirements, for example, most passive mobs need grass to spawn on, or how aquatic mobs need water.
- This method uses a similar method to Invalid Mob Wearing Armor.
Observability
Any mob that renders held items is a directly observable feature, but many mobs, such as passive mobs, do not render the held items, making them a Semi-Observable Feature, but only by killing the mob, therefore destroying the discontinued feature.
Mob Variations
To do: Fill in the information on this table. Firestar will do this.
(It is not currently known if baby mobs can be spawned as a type, but left handed mobs and captain illagers can spawn).
Gallery
To do: Replace with renders, add armor stand, add stray[test], add new images for the newly discovered DFs.
A baby zombie dual wielding diamond armor
A zombie villager dual wielding diamond armor
A baby zombie villager dual wielding diamond armor
A zombified piglin dual wielding diamond armor
A baby zombified piglin dual wielding diamond armor
A skeleton dual wielding diamond armor
A wither skeleton dual wielding diamond armor
A drowned dual wielding diamond armor
A zombie dual wielding diamond armor
An armor stand dual wielding diamond armor.
A zombie dual wielding a bow and a poison arrow.
Combos
To do: Create combos for the other method.
Offhand Slot Bug
- Long Name Mob
- Piglin Jockey
- Armor Stand Wearing Jack o'Lantern
- Overstacked Armor on Armor Stand[test] (When armor pieces are swapped, the overstacked items that were previously worn by the armor stand should transfer into the hand slots without the discontinued stack being reverted).
- Armor Stand in Minecart
- Armor Stand Holding Shield (This only works if you only put an armor piece that will be moved to the offhand slot of the armor stand so that the main hand slot can have a shield put into it).
Trial Spawner Glitch
See also
References