🗃️ Loot Source

Introduction

Minecraft's native loot system is robust but has one key limitation: it cannot integrate plugin-specific elements like placeholder checks, permissions, or other advanced features. Additionally, configuring vanilla data packs is cumbersome, especially when overriding default loot tables.

A loot source binds a 🎲 Loot Table to a vanilla loot event — breaking a block, killing an entity, fishing, opening a vault, and so on. When the event fires, every loot source of the matching type (and target) is evaluated and its loot is applied to the event.

All loot sources are declared under the loot_sources section. For optimal results, we recommend reviewing 🎲 Loot Table first to master loot configuration.

tip

If you only want to add extra loot without touching the vanilla drops, leave overwrite unset (it defaults to none) and gate your entries with a random condition to control the chance:

loot_sources:
  minecraft:zombie_bonus:
    type: entity_death
    target: "minecraft:zombie"
    conditions:
      - type: random
        value: 0.1 # 10% chance to drop in addition to the vanilla loot
    loot:
      pools:
        - rolls: 1
          entries:
            - type: item
              item: "default:rotten_essence"

Common Options

loot_sources:
  namespace:example:
    type: block_break         # The loot source type
    target: "minecraft:stone" # Optional; what this source applies to
    overwrite: items          # Optional; what to remove from the vanilla result
    conditions: []            # Optional; extra conditions
    loot: ...                 # The loot to generate

• type — the loot source type, see the sections below.
• target / targets (optional) — a single id or a list of ids. Its meaning depends on the type: block id, entity id, loot table id or advancement id. If omitted, the source applies to every object of that type. fishing and piglin_barter do not accept a target.
• overwrite (optional, default none) — what to remove from the vanilla result. Accepts a single value or a list:
  • items — remove the vanilla dropped items
  • experience — remove the vanilla dropped experience
  • all — both of the above
  • none — remove nothing; your loot is appended
• conditions (optional) — extra conditions checked before the loot is generated. See ⚖️ Conditions.
• loot — the loot to generate: either an inline loot table, or the id of another loot table. When no CraftEngine loot table with that id exists, it falls back to the datapack loot table with the same id, which allows referencing vanilla tables directly:

loot: "minecraft:chests/simple_dungeon"

warning

Block state syntax such as minecraft:wheat[age=7] is not allowed in target. Use a match_block_property condition instead — see Matching block states.

block_break

Triggered when a block is broken — either by a player, or by another block (for example a piston).

• target: block id(s)

loot_sources:
  minecraft:stone_loot:
    type: block_break
    target: "minecraft:stone"
    overwrite: items
    loot:
      pools:
        - rolls: 1
          entries:
            - type: item
              item: "default:topaz"

Matching block states

To match a precise block state, combine target with a match_block_property condition:

loot_sources:
  minecraft:ripe_wheat_loot:
    type: block_break
    target: "minecraft:wheat"
    conditions:
      - type: match_block_property
        properties:
          age: "7"
    loot:
      pools:
        - rolls: 1
          entries:
            - type: item
              item: "default:fancy_wheat"

This source triggers for any broken wheat, but only generates loot when the broken wheat's age property is 7.

entity_death

Triggered when an entity dies.

• target: entity id(s). To target entities from supported plugins (for example MythicMobs), list the plugin under loot.entity-sources in config.yml and use the id it provides, e.g. mythicmobs:skeletal_knight.

loot_sources:
  minecraft:zombie_loot:
    type: entity_death
    target: "minecraft:zombie"
    conditions:
      - type: random
        value: 0.1
    loot:
      pools:
        - rolls: 1
          entries:
            - type: item
              item: "minecraft:diamond"

fishing

Triggered when a fishing bobber catches an item. This type has no target.

loot_sources:
  minecraft:fishing_bonus:
    type: fishing
    overwrite: items # Required, otherwise the player receives both the vanilla catch and your loot
    conditions:
      - type: open_water
    loot:
      pools:
        - rolls: 1
          entries:
            - type: item
              item: "default:treasure_crab"

piglin_barter

Triggered when a piglin finishes bartering. This type has no target.

loot_sources:
  minecraft:barter_extra:
    type: piglin_barter
    overwrite: items
    conditions:
      - type: random
        value: 0.05
    loot:
      pools:
        - rolls: 1
          entries:
            - type: item
              item: "minecraft:netherite_scrap"

container

Triggered when a loot container generates its contents — chests, barrels, minecart chests, and so on.

• target: the vanilla loot table id, e.g. minecraft:chests/simple_dungeon

loot_sources:
  minecraft:dungeon_extra:
    type: container
    target: "minecraft:chests/simple_dungeon"
    loot:
      pools:
        - rolls: 1
          entries:
            - type: item
              item: "default:magic_map"

archaeology

Triggered when a player starts brushing a suspicious sand or suspicious gravel block.

• target: the archaeology loot table id, e.g. minecraft:archaeology/desert_pyramid

loot_sources:
  minecraft:desert_pyramid_relic:
    type: archaeology
    target: "minecraft:archaeology/desert_pyramid"
    loot:
      pools:
        - rolls: 1
          entries:
            - type: item
              item: "default:ancient_relic"

entity_drop

Triggered when a non-player entity drops an item — for example a chicken laying an egg.

• target: entity id(s)

loot_sources:
  minecraft:golden_chicken:
    type: entity_drop
    target: "minecraft:chicken"
    overwrite: items
    conditions:
      - type: random
        value: 0.01
    loot:
      pools:
        - rolls: 1
          entries:
            - type: item
              item: "minecraft:gold_ingot"

harvest

Triggered when a player harvests a block with drops, such as a sweet berry bush.

• target: block id(s)

loot_sources:
  minecraft:berry_harvest:
    type: harvest
    target: "minecraft:sweet_berry_bush"
    loot:
      pools:
        - rolls: 1
          entries:
            - type: item
              item: "default:juicy_berry"

shear_block

Triggered when a player shears a block, such as a beehive or a pumpkin. This type relies on Paper's PlayerShearBlockEvent.

• target: block id(s)

loot_sources:
  minecraft:shear_pumpkin:
    type: shear_block
    target: "minecraft:pumpkin"
    overwrite: items
    loot:
      pools:
        - rolls: 1
          entries:
            - type: item
              item: "minecraft:carved_pumpkin"

vault

Triggered when a vault dispenses its reward.

• target: the vault loot table id, e.g. minecraft:chests/trial_chambers/reward

loot_sources:
  minecraft:vault_bonus:
    type: vault
    target: "minecraft:chests/trial_chambers/reward"
    loot:
      pools:
        - rolls: 1
          entries:
            - type: item
              item: "default:chamber_key_fragment"

advancement

Triggered when a player completes an advancement. The generated items are given directly to the player's inventory.

• target: advancement id(s)

loot_sources:
  minecraft:adventure_reward:
    type: advancement
    target: "minecraft:adventure/root"
    loot:
      pools:
        - rolls: 1
          entries:
            - type: item
              item: "minecraft:golden_apple"