Patrick Hearn · May 31, 2024 · 6 min read Minecraft is a game about building and exploring, but it also has a relatively deep combat system. Different types of enemies and damage can make the game challenging at times, especially if you don’t know the best way to defeat a certain foe. Potions can help with that.
The brewing system in Minecraft allows the player to create potions that let the player survive lava, rapidly regenerate health, and even see in the dark. Learning how to brew potions in Minecraft will give you an edge in some of the hardest fights the game has to offer.
Types of Minecraft Potions
There are multiple types of craftable potions in Minecraft, and many can be obtained only through cheats. The types of potions are:
- Potion of Healing: Heals by 4
- Potion of Fire Resistance: Makes player immune to fire, lava, blaze attacks, and more
- Potion of Regeneration: Restores HP every 2.5 seconds
- Potion of Strength: Increases melee damage by 3
- Potion of Swiftness: Increases speed by 20%
- Potion of Night Vision: Provides clear vision of all areas, even underwater
- Potion of Water Breathing: Allows breathing underwater
- Potion of Leaping: Increased jump height by 0.5 blocks
- Potion of Slow Falling: Eliminates fall damage
- Potion of the Turtle Master: Slows the player by 60% and reduces incoming damage by 60%
- Potion of Weakness: Reduces attack damage by 4
- Potion of Poison: Deals 1 point of damage every 1.25 seconds
- Potion of Harming: Inflicts 6 points of damage
- Potion of Slowness: Slows player by 85%
There is also one potion in the game that cannot be crafted and can only be obtained through cheats or the rare event of finding a Witch’s Hut cauldron with the potion in it. That is a Potion of Decay, which inflicts the Wither effect on a target.
All of these potions start from one of several Base Potion types:
- Awkward Potion: Brewed with a piece of Nether Wart and a water bottle
- Thick Potion: Brewed with a piece of Glowstone Dust and a water bottle
- Mundane Potion: Brewed with a variety of different items and a water bottle
- Uncraftable Potion: Unobtainable through regular gameplay
How to Brew a Potion in Minecraft
Brewing a potion requires a Brewing Stand, at least one Glass Bottle, 1 Blaze Powder, and a water source.
How to Craft a Brewing Stand
A Brewing Stand requires one Blaze Rod and three Cobblestone.
- Place the Blaze Rod in the top-middle square of a Crafting Table.
- Place the three Cobblestones horizontally across the middle row.
A Brewing Stand is the first item you need to craft any potion in the game. You can also find it in village churches, in the basement of igloos, and End Ships.
How to Craft a Glass Bottle
A Glass Bottle filled with water is needed to brew any type of potion. You will need three pieces of Glass to make a bottle.
- Place the first piece in the middle-left section of a Crafting Table.
- Place the second piece of glass in the middle-bottom section of the grid.
- Place the third piece of glass in the middle-right section of the grid.
This recipe crafts three Glass Bottles. You can also find Glass Bottles in loot chests or as drops from Witches.
The final two ingredients — the Blaze Rod and the water source — are not craftable. You need water to fill the bottles, but it doesn’t matter if it comes from a cauldron, a river, or the ocean. The only way to obtain a Blaze Rod is to venture into the Nether and kill a Blaze.
How to Craft a Potion
Once you have the Brewing Stand, the Water Bottles, and the Blaze Rod, you can make potions.
- Place the Blaze Rod into a crafting grid to obtain two Blaze Powder.
- Place the Blaze Powder into the Brewing Stand.
- Place the Water Bottle into the Brewing Stand.
- Place a piece of Nether Wart into the ingredient slot at the top of the Brewing Stand. This will brew an Awkward Potion.
- Without removing the Awkward Potions, place the next potion ingredient into the Brewing Stand to craft the potion of your choice. After a few seconds, this will yield a potion based on the ingredient you used.
Different ingredients make different potions. The ingredient you combine with an Awkward Potion will yield a different Potion.
How to Make Different Potions
The ingredients you’ll need for different potions are:
- Potion of Healing: Glistening Melon
- Potion of Fire Resistance: Magma Cream
- Potion of Regeneration: Ghast Tear
- Potion of Strength: Blaze Powder
- Potion of Swiftness: Sugar
- Potion of Night Vision: Golden Carrot
- Potion of Water Breathing: Pufferfish
- Potion of Leaping: Rabbit’s Foot
- Potion of Slow Falling: Phantom Membrane
- Potion of the Turtle Master: Turtle Shell
- Potion of Weakness: Fermented Spider Eye
- Potion of Poison: Spider Eye
- Potion of Harming: Potion of Healing + Fermented Spider Eye
- Potion of Slowness: Potion of Swiftness + Fermented Spider Eye
How to Improve Minecraft Potions
The majority of potions last for three minutes. However, you can increase this time limit to eight minutes by adding Glowstone or Redstone to an already-brewed potion.
If Redstone increases a potion’s length of effect, then Glowstone will yield a more potent potion that lasts for less time. For example, a Potion of Swiftness brewed with Redstone will last for eight minutes, but if brewed with Glowstone will last for 1:30 but provide a bigger speed boost.
Splash Potions and Lingering Potions
Outside of the standard types of potions, you can consume, there are also two other types: Splash Potions and Lingering Potions.
A Splash Potion is a projectile you can throw. Most players encounter these when dealing with Witches, who often use these potions as weapons. A Splash Potion can be offensive and defensive; for example, you can throw a Splash Potion of Healing that will heal your friends while damaging undead mobs like Skeletons, Zombies, or Wither Skeletons.
You can craft a Splash Potion by adding Gunpowder to the Brewing Stand with Water Bottle.
A Lingering Potion is a variant of a Splash Potion that leaves the effect in place after the potion has been thrown. This effect can be beneficial for rapidly healing yourself or your allies in the middle of a fight.
You can craft a Lingering Potion by adding Dragon’s Breath to the Brewing Stand with a Splash Potion.
If you’ve never made a potion in Minecraft, give it a shot. The added buffs to your HP, strength, and speed will provide you with an edge in fighting enemies in the Nether and fights against the Wither and the End Dragon.
