When you think about collecting experience points in Minecraft, hostile mobs probably come to mind first. That makes sense—they drop a lot of XP to boost your levels. But they’re far from the only method. Minecraft offers plenty of ways to gain experience, which is especially helpful if you prefer playing in Peaceful mode without monsters. Enchanting matters for everyone, whether you play with mobs or not. Some of these options are slower than farming mobs, but they’re solid alternatives and, in most cases, a lot more relaxed.
Minecraft Peaceful XP from mining ores
Mining certain ores is likely one of the first alternative XP sources you’ll notice. Coal is among the earliest resources and drops a few XP right away. The same goes for other ores, both in caves and in the Nether. The best are diamonds and emeralds at 3–7 XP each, though they’re harder to find. We recommend farming Nether quartz for 2–5 XP per block—a really efficient way to stock up on experience.
You can also break spawners, which yield 15–43 XP. In most cases it’s not worth keeping them unless you plan to build a mob farm.
Minecraft XP in Peaceful mode through villager trades
Trading with villagers is another great XP source and will likely be part of your progression anyway. You’ll gain experience and pick up valuable items—sometimes even enchanted ones. It’s worth checking villagers’ offers. We already have a post on the best trades if you want to learn more: (Minecraft Villager Trading: The best trades for emeralds, enchantments, and armor) . In general, we recommend Farmers plus an automatic wheat, carrot, or potato farm.
Alternatively, a Master-level Cleric will trade 3 emeralds for Bottles o’ Enchanting. When you throw and break them, they grant an extra 3–11 XP. You can also sometimes find these bottles as loot in pillager outposts, shipwrecks, or ancient cities.
Minecraft XP in the furnace: smelt cactus for experience
Smelting items in a furnace grants XP, but only when you remove the items manually. With a hopper, the XP is stored in the furnace until you do so or the furnace is destroyed. Keep in mind this is only a small amount—cooking meat, for example, yields just 0.35 XP.
Cactus is the most efficient option to smelt into green dye. You’ll get 1 XP per operation, so 64 XP per stack. It’s worth hooking a furnace—or better yet, several—up to an automatic cactus farm (Building a Minecraft Cactus Farm: Ultimate Guide to an Automatic Cactus Farm) . You’ll also need fuel, which you can add manually or connect to a farm. Bamboo is a good choice because it grows quickly and burns easily (How to Build an Automatic Bamboo Farm: Abundant Fuel and Building Materials) .
Minecraft XP from fishing in Peaceful mode
Fishing in Minecraft lets you catch tasty fish for you or your cat while earning XP. Cast your line and wait for a bite. Each catch gives 1–6 XP. It’s not a ton, but it adds up over time.
Use an enchanted fishing rod with Luck of the Sea, Unbreaking, Lure, and especially Mending so it can practically repair itself (though that does consume some XP). Combined with an AFK fish farm, you can gather XP efficiently (Minecraft Automatic Fishing: Guide to Infinite Food and Rare Treasures) . Note that such farms don’t yield treasure. For treasure loot, you must fish in open, deep water.
Minecraft XP from animal breeding and chicken farms
Breeding animals is key to renewable resources in Minecraft. Each time you breed a pair, you also gain a small amount of XP—similar to fishing—at 1–7 XP per bred animal. You can do this with any animal, but chickens are especially effective when paired with a way to collect eggs efficiently. Eggs don’t grant XP when broken, but killing chickens does. By expanding your flock through breeding and eggs, you can steadily increase your XP gains. A bit grim, but effective.
Minecraft Peaceful XP from advancements and challenges
In Java, you can also gain experience by completing certain advancements. Some of them involve monsters—for example, “Return to Sender,” where you deflect a ghast’s fireball. Brewing potions also isn’t possible without blaze powder. Others, however, can be completed in Peaceful mode and award a substantial amount of XP.
In Peaceful, you can complete the following, among others:
- Bullseye (50 XP): Hit the bullseye of a target block.
- A Complete Catalogue (50 XP): Tame all cat variants.
- The Whole Pack (50 XP): Tame all wolf variants.
- Arbalistic (85 XP): Kill five mobs with a single crossbow shot.
- Subspace Bubble (100 XP): Use the Nether to travel 7 km in the Overworld.
- Cover Me in Debris (100 XP): Wear a full set of Netherite armor.
- Two by Two (100 XP): Breed all animal species.
- A Balanced Diet (100 XP): Eat all 40 food items.
- Serious Dedication (100 XP): Craft a Netherite hoe.
- Smithing with Style (150 XP): Use every smithing template at least once.
- Adventuring Time (500 XP): Visit all 54 biomes.
- Hot Tourist Destinations (500 XP): Discover all five Nether biomes.
Conclusion: Minecraft XP in Peaceful mode without monsters
As you can see, you can gain experience without ever slaying a creeper or zombie. The best approach is a mix of several methods, which gets you to your goal faster. Enchantments are useful in Peaceful too, and, thankfully, there are many ways to earn the XP you need. Some aspects can be automated—like a furnace farm for cactus—while others, such as breeding or fishing, are woven directly into gameplay.
Rent a Minecraft server for Peaceful mode and XP farming is especially worthwhile when you’re playing together. This way you can support every playstyle with the right XP sources and make sure everyone levels up smoothly.
