Best XP Farms in Minecraft for Quick Leveling

Gaining experience points (XP) efficiently is absolutely essential for progressing in Minecraft. Whether you're looking to apply powerful enchantments like Fortune III, Silk Touch, Protection IV, or Unbreaking III at the enchanting table, repair your priceless Mending gear, or combine enchanted books using an anvil, a steady supply of XP is non-negotiable. Anvil costs, in particular, can skyrocket for heavily enchanted items, sometimes reaching the "Too Expensive!" limit after just a few combines or repairs if you aren't careful. Imagine trying to add Protection IV to boots already sporting Feather Falling IV, Depth Strider III, and Mending – the XP cost can easily exceed 30 levels. Merely repairing a fully enchanted Netherite Pickaxe with Mending using XP can consume several levels at once if it's heavily damaged. This makes a reliable XP source vital for late-game sustainability, allowing you to maintain god-tier tools and armor indefinitely. Without a good XP farm, constantly repairing multiple Mending items can become a tedious chore rather than a seamless background task, potentially forcing you to choose which piece of gear gets repaired first. These are the top XP farm designs ranked by their efficiency, complexity, and the stage of the game they are best suited for.

Enderman Farm (Best Overall - Late Game)

• Core Mechanic: This farm leverages the Endermen's unique aggression towards Endermites and their vulnerability to fall damage (or direct player attacks after falling). It's typically built far out in the End's void, away from the main island, to maximize spawn rates by isolating the mob cap. The End dimension has a significantly higher mob cap primarily dedicated to Endermen when away from the main island, making it the ideal location. Unlike the Overworld where the mob cap is shared between zombies, skeletons, creepers, spiders, and Endermen, the outer End islands primarily spawn only Endermen, allowing for incredibly dense spawning focused solely on the desired mob.
• Construction:
  • Find a suitable spot over the void, at least 128 blocks away from the main End island. This distance ensures that mobs spawning on the main island don't count towards the local mob cap near your farm, drastically increasing Enderman spawn rates. Bridge out carefully using non-spawnable blocks like slabs (top slabs are spawn-proof) or leaves, or use Ender Pearls cautiously. Building a temporary flying machine or using Elytra makes this process much safer and faster. Equipping Feather Falling IV boots is highly recommended during construction. Consider building temporary safety platforms below your main bridging path.
  • Build a large platform (e.g., 32x32 or larger, though even smaller platforms like 16x16 can be effective starting points) made of blocks Endermen cannot pick up. Good choices include cobblestone, stone bricks, end stone bricks, or most non-dirt-like blocks. Avoid dirt, grass, sand, gravel, podzol, mycelium, or TNT. Using End Stone itself is thematic and readily available after defeating the dragon. This platform is where Endermen will spawn. Ensure the platform is well-lit during construction to prevent accidental Enderman spawns before the farm is ready.
  • Above the spawning platform, create a roof exactly 2 blocks high (leaving a gap precisely 2.9 blocks high is optimal for spawn rates, but a 2-block-high roof with a 3-block gap underneath is simpler to build and still very effective). This height allows Endermen (which are 3 blocks tall) to spawn but prevents them from teleporting onto the roof itself, keeping them contained on the spawn platform. Some designs use leaf blocks for the roof, as Endermen cannot spawn on leaves, further optimizing valid spawning spaces below.
  • In the center of the platform, create a channel or hole leading down, typically 3x3 or larger. Place an Endermite inside a minecart positioned centrally within this channel, often on a fence post or similar block to keep it centered. Name the Endermite with a Name Tag (

    "Dinnerbone"

    or any unique name works) to prevent it from despawning after 2 minutes. To get an Endermite, repeatedly throw Ender Pearls – there's about a 5% chance one will spawn with each pearl throw. Have a minecart ready on a rail near where you're throwing pearls, and once an Endermite spawns, quickly name it with the tag and then nudge it or use a piston to push it into the minecart. This can be tricky; building a small containment chamber (e.g., 3x3 glass walls) where you throw the pearls can help manage the Endermite once it appears. Be prepared to throw a lot of pearls – bringing several stacks is advisable.
  • Surrounding the central hole with the Endermite, place open trapdoors lining the edge of the hole. Endermen see trapdoors as solid blocks even when open, tricking their pathfinding AI. Attracted by the Endermite, they will walk towards it and fall straight through the open trapdoors into the drop chute below. Iron trapdoors activated by a lever can also work, but wooden trapdoors flipped open are simpler.
  • Design the drop chute. For a one-hit kill setup (maximizing XP gain per kill with Sweeping Edge), make the drop exactly 43 blocks deep. This leaves the Endermen with just half a heart (1 health point), allowing you to kill them with a single punch or a weak sword swing. For a fully AFK fall-damage-only farm (less XP per kill, but zero player input needed), make the chute 44 blocks or deeper.
  • At the bottom of the chute, build a collection and killing area. This typically consists of a small platform (e.g., 3x3) where the Endermen land. Place hoppers underneath this landing zone, potentially covered by carpets or slabs (Endermen landing on slabs/carpets still take fall damage from the blocks below). These hoppers should feed into chests to collect the Ender Pearls automatically. For the one-hit kill design, create a small opening or use slabs/stairs so you can safely hit the Endermen's feet without them being able to reach or see you directly. A ceiling height of 2 blocks in your player area prevents any surviving Endermen from teleporting to you.
• Operation & Efficiency:
  • Stand in the designated killing area at the bottom. Endermen spawn on the platform above, are instantly aggroed by the named Endermite, pathfind towards it, fall through the trapdoors, plummet down the chute, and land conveniently in front of you (or die from the fall if designed that way).
  • If using the one-hit kill method, swing your sword (preferably with Sweeping Edge III to hit multiple Endermen at once, Looting III for more pearls, and Mending to keep it repaired) or simply punch the Endermen as they land. The XP orbs will flood towards you. If AFK farming, simply stand nearby (within orb collection range if possible, or come back periodically) while the hoppers collect the pearls.
  • The XP rates are staggering. A well-built Enderman farm can easily take you from level 0 to level 30 in just a few minutes, sometimes even faster with optimized designs. The constant stream of Ender Pearls is also incredibly useful for crafting Eyes of Ender, fueling Elytra flight with rockets (via gunpowder trades using pearls), or simply for fast travel. The sheer density of spawns makes this method significantly faster than any Overworld mob farm or even most Nether-based farms.
• Safety Considerations: Building over the void is inherently dangerous. Always wear Feather Falling IV boots. Consider bringing Totems of Undying, Slow Falling potions, or having Chorus Fruit on hand to escape accidental falls. Secure your AFK spot thoroughly to prevent Endermen from somehow teleporting inside or knocking you off.

Simple Spawner Farm (Mid Game)

• Core Mechanic: Utilizes a naturally generated Monster Spawner block found in Dungeons (Cobblestone rooms with 1-2 chests and a spawner, usually Zombie, Skeleton, or Spider) or Mineshafts (Spider spawners only). The spawner continuously spawns its designated mob type when a player is nearby, which are then funneled into a killing zone.
• Construction:
  • Locate a spawner. Explore cave systems and listen for the dense mob sounds characteristic of a spawner room. Skeleton and Zombie spawners are generally preferred over Spider spawners due to the ease of handling the mobs and their valuable drops (bones/arrows and rotten flesh/iron/carrots/potatoes respectively). Once found, immediately place torches on the spawner block itself and all around it within the room to prevent further spawns while you work.
  • Clear the area around the spawner. Mobs spawn in an 8x8x3 area centered on the spawner block (specifically, 4 blocks out horizontally on each side, 1 block below, and 1 block above). Excavate a room around the spawner, typically 9x9 blocks wide and about 5-6 blocks high from the spawner's level downwards. This ensures mobs spawn within your controlled space. Double-check lighting in surrounding caves; any unlit areas nearby can reduce your farm's efficiency by allowing mobs to spawn outside the farm, consuming the mob cap.
  • Create a water transportation system. Place water sources along one wall of the excavated room. The water should flow across the floor towards the opposite side, but stop just before a central drop chute (usually 2-3 blocks deep). Use signs or fence gates to hold back the water, creating the drop. Mobs spawning will be pushed by the water currents into this chute. For spider spawners, the funneling system needs to be wider (e.g., 3 blocks) and often requires alternating water/sign patterns to prevent spiders climbing the walls.
  • Build the drop chute and killing chamber. Similar to the Enderman farm, you can design the chute for fall damage (23 blocks for most mobs to survive with half a heart) or deeper for an AFK kill. Below the chute, create a small chamber where mobs land. Use hoppers under the floor feeding into chests for item collection. For one-hit killing, ensure you can hit the mobs' feet safely. Slabs above the hoppers work well. A glass window can provide visibility.
  • Once construction is complete, remove the torches from the spawner block and the immediate spawning area. Seal off the room and head down to your killing chamber. Ensure the player's standing spot in the killing chamber is within 16 blocks of the spawner block itself, otherwise, the spawner will deactivate.
• Operation & Efficiency:
  • Stand in the killing chamber. Mobs spawn, get pushed by water, fall down the chute, and land ready to be killed (or die automatically). Collect XP and loot.
  • Spawner farms offer moderate XP rates, significantly less than an Enderman farm but much better than manual hunting. They are very reliable and provide valuable secondary drops. Skeleton farms are particularly prized for Bones (bonemeal for farms, white dye) and Arrows (infinite ammo). Zombie farms yield Rotten Flesh (excellent for trading with Cleric villagers for Ender Pearls), and occasionally Iron Ingots, Carrots, or Potatoes.
  • The main limitation is the spawner's rate itself; it only attempts to spawn mobs every 10-40 seconds, and only spawns up to 4 mobs at a time if conditions are met (player nearby, space available). Finding multiple spawners close together and combining their outputs can increase rates but adds complexity.