Every Lifesteal spawner has a production mode. Physical mode spawns real mobs that you can see and kill. Virtual mode skips the mobs and adds loot straight to the spawner's storage. A new spawner is always physical.
Physical mode#
Each cycle the spawner makes a stack of mobs, and the loot those mobs drop is deposited into the spawner's storage.
| Detail | Value |
|---|---|
| Cycle length | 30 seconds, divided by the speed upgrade |
| Needs | A player within 32 blocks, or a powered Chunk Loader keeping the spawner's chunk loaded |
| Owner online | Not required |
| Mobs per cycle | The stack size times the amount upgrade, up to 64 |
| Where mobs appear | Within 4 blocks of the spawner, inside the spawner's own chunk |
| Mobs alive per spawner | 512 |
| Mobs alive per chunk | 128 |
| Mobs staying in the chunk | Yes, mobs cannot leave the spawner's chunk |
- Spawned mobs of one type merge into a single named stack such as
Zombie x12. Each kill takes one mob off the stack, and the spawner makes more on its next cycle. - Kills at a spawner drop their loot into the spawner's storage instead of the ground, and their XP goes into its XP storage. You then collect it from the panel. See Spawner Storage.
- Physical mode does not catch up. Time with nobody in range produces nothing.
- If there is no open space for a new mob, the spawner still adds to its existing mob stack. With no stack and no space, nothing spawns.
- A powered Mob Summoner near the spawner shortens the cycle in both modes.
Virtual mode#
Virtual mode produces loot and XP from elapsed time only. No mobs spawn.
| Detail | Value |
|---|---|
| Unlock | Virtual Production upgrade, $1,000,000 per spawner |
| Cycle length | 30 seconds, divided by the speed upgrade |
| Needs a player nearby | No |
| Needs the owner online | No |
| Offline catch-up | Up to 3 cycles |
| Loot rolls per cycle | One per spawner in the stack, times the amount upgrade |
| Maximum rewards per cycle | 1,024 |
Each roll picks one entry from the mob's loot table by weight, then gives a random amount between its minimum and maximum, and adds the XP of that entry. A roll that gives 0 items gives no XP. The loot tables are on Virtual Mob Drops.
- If the XP a cycle would add does not fit in the XP storage, that cycle is skipped. Collect your XP so production continues.
- Rewards that do not fit in item storage are dropped at the spawner.
- The Drop Chance upgrade does not change virtual loot.
- Virtual mode is offered only for mobs with a virtual loot table. See Spawner Upgrades.
Switching modes#
| Method | Details |
|---|---|
| Panel | Click the production mode button. It shows the mode you will switch to and says "Stack, storage, XP, and upgrades are kept." |
| Command | Look at the spawner and run /spawner mode physical or /spawner mode virtual. |
If virtual production is not unlocked the button shows "Virtual mode is locked. Purchase the Virtual Production upgrade first." and the command answers "Purchase the Virtual Production upgrade before selecting Virtual mode." For mobs without a virtual loot table the panel has no production mode button. Switching to virtual removes the spawner's existing physical mobs. Only the owner can switch modes, or anyone for a spawner with no owner.
Pausing#
/spawner pause stops production on the spawner you are looking at. The hologram shows Paused. /spawner resume starts it again. Only the owner can pause and resume, or anyone for a spawner with no owner. A paused virtual spawner catches up at most 3 cycles when it is resumed.
Hologram#
Each placed spawner has a hologram with the mob name, stack size, mode, status and stored items and XP.