All potions in Minecraft
A table of the potions in the game. Each one comes with its effect, ingredients, duration and variants, from the Awkward Potion to Dragon's Breath.
How to brew potions: quick start
Every potion needs a brewing stand. The brewing process looks like this:
- Water bottle + Nether Wart → Awkward Potion (the base)
- Awkward Potion + main ingredient → finished potion
- Finished potion + modifier → upgraded version
The Potion of Weakness is an exception: it needs no Nether Wart, because you add the fermented spider eye straight to the water bottle. The potion brewing chart lays out the brewing paths in a diagram.
Positive potions
| Potion | Effect | Ingredient | Duration (base / extended) | Level II |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Healing | +4 HP instantly | Glistering Melon Slice | instant | +8 HP (glowstone) |
| Regeneration | Restores HP over time | Ghast Tear | 0:45 / 1:30 | faster regeneration |
| Strength | +3 melee damage | Blaze Powder | 3:00 / 8:00 | +6 damage (glowstone) |
| Swiftness | +20% speed | Sugar | 3:00 / 8:00 | +40% (glowstone) |
| Leaping | +50% jump height | Rabbit's Foot | 3:00 / 8:00 | +100% (glowstone) |
| Fire Resistance | Resistance to fire and lava | Magma Cream | 3:00 / 8:00 | none |
| Night Vision | Full brightness | Golden Carrot | 3:00 / 8:00 | none |
| Water Breathing | Breathe underwater | Pufferfish | 3:00 / 8:00 | none |
| Invisibility | Player is invisible | Fermented Spider Eye + Night Vision | 3:00 / 8:00 | none |
| Slow Falling | Slow fall, no fall damage | Phantom Membrane | 1:30 / 4:00 | none |
| Turtle Master | Resistance and Slowness | Turtle Shell | 0:20 / 0:40 | stronger Resistance and Slowness |
Negative potions
| Potion | Effect | Ingredient / path | Duration (base / extended) | Level II |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Poison | HP loss (never below 1 HP) | Spider Eye | 0:45 / 1:30 | faster (glowstone) |
| Weakness | -4 melee damage | Fermented Spider Eye (no Nether Wart) | 1:30 / 4:00 | none |
| Slowness | -15% speed | Fermented Spider Eye + Swiftness/Leaping | 1:30 / 4:00 | -60% (glowstone) |
| Harming | -6 HP instantly | Fermented Spider Eye + Healing/Poison | instant | -12 HP (glowstone) |
| Freezing | Slowness and cold damage (26.4 snapshots) | Ice Ball | 0:45 / 1:30 | none |
Mixed potions
The Turtle Master potion is the only one that combines a positive and a negative effect. It gives you huge resistance to damage, but it also slows you down dramatically. At level II you can barely move, but you will survive almost anything.
The Potion of Luck exists in the game code, but you cannot brew it in Survival. You can get one with commands.
Base potions
| Base potion | Ingredient | Use |
|---|---|---|
| Water Bottle | Glass bottle + water source | The starting point for all potions |
| Awkward Potion | Nether Wart + water bottle | The base for nearly all potions |
| Mundane Potion | Various ingredients + water bottle | No use in brewing |
| Thick Potion | Glowstone Dust + water bottle | No use in brewing |
Only the Awkward Potion and the water bottle are useful in brewing. The Mundane and Thick Potions are dead ends and do not lead to any useful potions.
Modifiers
| Modifier | Effect | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Redstone Dust | Extends the duration | Does not work on instant potions (Healing, Harming) |
| Glowstone Dust | Strengthens the effect (level II) | Shortens the duration. Does not work on potions without a level II |
| Gunpowder | Turns it into a Splash Potion | For throwing. The duration is shorter when the hit is off-center |
| Dragon's Breath | Turns a splash potion into a Lingering Potion | Creates an effect cloud. You get it from the Ender Dragon |
| Fermented Spider Eye | Inverts/corrupts the effect | Swiftness → Slowness, Healing → Harming, Night Vision → Invisibility |
Redstone and glowstone are mutually exclusive: you cannot have both a longer duration and a stronger effect on the same potion.
Splash, lingering and tipped arrows
Splash Potion: you throw it like a grenade. The effect applies to everyone within the blast radius, and the duration depends on the distance from the center. You need it for curing zombie villagers and for PvP.
Lingering Potion: creates a cloud that lasts 30 seconds. Anyone who walks into the cloud gets the effect. Useful for traps and defense.
Tipped arrows: a Lingering Potion + 8 arrows at a crafting table = 8 arrows with the effect. The effect lasts shorter than the potion (usually 1/8 of the time), but it applies at range and does not waste a splash potion.
The upgrade path: a finished potion, then gunpowder for a splash potion, then dragon's breath for a lingering potion, then arrows for tipped arrows.
Tips for beginners
- Start with Fire Resistance and Healing. These two potions save lives most often. Fire Resistance is a must-have in the Nether, and Instant Healing restores HP right away.
- Always brew 3 at a time. The brewing stand takes 3 bottles, and the ingredient is used up regardless of how many bottles you brew. Brewing a single bottle wastes 2/3 of your resources.
- Add redstone dust to everything with a duration. The longer version is almost always better. 8 minutes of fire resistance versus 3 minutes is a huge difference.
- Farm Nether Wart. Plant Nether Wart on soul sand next to the brewing stand. It grows in any dimension and needs no light or water.
- Do not waste Ghast Tears. Regeneration is powerful, but Ghast Tears are hard to get. For everyday use, a Potion of Healing is easier to produce.
- Splash Weakness is the key to villagers. Curing zombie villagers takes just a Splash Potion of Weakness and a golden apple. It is the simplest route to cheap enchantments.
- Milk clears all effects, positive and negative. Carry a bucket of milk in PvP as an emergency reset.