So the farm I just got done building just kills them by dropping. What I've found doing it this way is that not all of the guardians drop items and since you don't get to use a looting sword on them it doesn't improve the drop rate. So I have decent spawning rates but not so good drop rates. What are you doing to solve these issues? I was considering letting the water flow down so the guardians wouldn't die, would still be in water and I could just hit them with a sword repeatedly. Not sure if that's the best way though.
The way ours works is they spawn in water, fall through lava, and burn to death on hoppers. I don't know if this affects the drop rate at all.
I feel your pain, my last guardian farm both has a limited spawn rate, think it's my tank size, and the low drop rate. Mine sink through 4 layers of lava then burn to death on hoppers below. I have access to another temple location, and am thinking about a method of getting them all in one place without having the issue of 250 guardian beams hitting me in the face at once. I know a few methods to get them in one place, I'd just hate to get nuked through the gap under the 1/2 slab. As for my solution to your current problem, I afk at the farm when I go to bed, if I'm in the area. What ever you do, DO NOT leave yourself with a large open area of guardians, even if they are out of water. They flop around, a lot, making them hard to chase down or hit with an arrow, and can still hit you with the beam attack (my 1st farm, turned it into a gauntlet challenge after separating the open area with 1/2 slab walls with doors separating every section). I can guaranty that, that solution will not make your current situation any better.
I'm using the "tunnel" method on my farm where I have the entire spawning area open that funnels down into a 3x3 square where they fall the 34/35 blocks and die on top of hoppers. I get a great spawning rate but the chest is not filling up very fast at all. I verified the items aren't glitching through walls or anything.
Depending on your farm size it could be the issue. Most people on EMC are using this design, it makes 100k items in SP but on EMC that will be ALOT less (more than ~75% less drops). It could also be a #BlameAikar, I believe he said he limited the spawn rates for guardians (correct me if I am wrong).
Take some screenshots of the collection area and PM them to me or post them here. I might be able to get a better understanding.
The best way I've found to increase drop rates includes using a looting sword. If you have access to one, a voters sword is fab! My first farm has them drop through lava and burn to death on hoppers and the drops are collected, the second farm consists of enough lava to set them on fire and reduce their health, but then they drop into water and flow towards a stabbed slot where I can slay them for exp and increased drops. The second farm gets far more drops if I'm there slaying them, but around the same amount of drops if the water is removed. Also if possible, set up some beacons with regen/strength when slaying them - makes it far easier in my opinion ^_^
The The collection area is just a 3x3 grid of hoppers leading into a chest. Underneath the hoppers is bedrock. I can see how design would effect spawn rates but the more I think about it, this is either a vanilla drop rate issue or Aikar may have nerfed it but the only way I'm going to get better is if I kill the guardians myself. I need to spend time and design a switch to turn water on and off at the bottom.
I use a water design combined with 33+ drop. That's killing the guardians. Still need to intall 2 tracks with minecarts to collect the drops. now collecting it manual between building. The picture is from few days ago. the area is now filled with flowing water. still working on the upper area. But for me the drop rate is much betetr then iron farm i use. And i only need 2-4 hoppers. Still in design stage. I have tested Lava, but for me the drop rate looks lower then just letting the gaurdians fall to death. Also with lava the not always died. or just burned up before the left the lava.
