How to Brew Potions in Minecraft

In Minecraft, potions are brewable items that place different timed effects on the target player. By mixing different ingredients with water, numerous types of potions can be crafted to harm, heal and enhance the player or enemies. Potions can only have one effect at a time: for example, a potion cannot both heal the player and increase their running speed. To do both, you would need to use a Potion of Healing and a Potion of Swiftness.

Ever since the change made to potions in the 1.9 Beta Prerelease 2, there are a number of potions that are unused and cannot be crafted. These potions can still be acquired using the "/give" command, but they are otherwise not found in the game. Many of these potions appear to be base potions that are no longer of use, such as Clear Potion or Potent Potion. Usable potions can be crafted in a brewing stand with the proper ingredients.

In Minecraft, potions are acquired by brewing water with different ingredients to obtain certain effects. There is one base potion and twelve basic primary potions available in-game, with the option to enhance their duration, effectiveness and area of effect. Let’s learn the basic potion recipes before we try to enhance them, though!

A brewing stand is required to brew all types of potions in Minecraft. Right-clicking on a brewing stand brings up four slots; the bottom three spots are reserved for bottles or potions, while the top is reserved for a potion ingredient. This one ingredient will distill into the three bottles below, making it possible to craft three potions from one ingredient. To craft a brewing stand, complete the following steps:

1. Right-click on a crafting table

2. Fill the bottom row with cobblestone

3. Place one blaze rod in the middle

To use the brewing stand, the bottles must always be filled with either water or a potion - nothing will happen if the bottles are empty. A seasoned players know, cobblestone is easily found while mining underground. However, blaze rods can only be found in the Nether by killing Blazes, fire-throwing mobs that float in the air. Blaze spawners are usually found in Nether Fortresses. A Nether Portal is required to access the Nether in Minecraft.

An Awkward Potion is the base to all other potions in Minecraft. It is crafted in the brewing stand with a Water Bottle and Nether Wart. Nether Wart is found in the Nether, where it spawns by naturally growing in Soul Sand. If the player brings both Soul Sand and Nether Wart back through the Nether Portal, they can start their own farm for potion making! Awkward Potions are brewed with the following steps:

1. Right-click on the brewing stand

2. Place Nether Wart in the top slot

3. Place Water Bottle in the bottom row

It takes the brewing stand about nineteen seconds to craft a potion once the ingredients and bottles are inserted. Brewing one Nether Wart into three Water Bottles will result in three Awkward Potions. This means that the player only needs one Nether Wart to brew three base potions. Awkward Potions are the base potions to most other recipes and have no actual effect on their own.

Once you’ve brewed some Awkward Potions, you can begin to craft up some primary potions! These are potions with actual effects, such as increased strength, health and even invisibility. These potions will require more varied ingredients than Nether Wart, such as Blaze Powder, Magma Cream and Ghast Tears. You’ll need to do a lot of adventuring to craft primary potions so be prepared to go dungeoneering! The table below lists the types of primary potions available and their ingredients.

Potions can either help the player or harm them, depending on the recipe used. Specific potions are great for certain situations; Potion of Fire Resistance, for example, is great for fighting mobs like Blazes in the Nether. If you are in a multiplayer environment, the Potion of Invisibility is a great way to sneak up on your enemies or hide from their detection. Knowing how to brew potions is a great skill in all aspects of Minecraft, so don’t overlook it!

Did you know that you can enhance your primary potions to be more effective and last longer? By combining your potions with different powders, you can (for example) increase the duration of your Potion of Regeneration or turn your Potion of Slowness into a splash potion, increasing the amount of targets it can affect. Powders are the ground-down remnants of solid materials. For enhancing potions, you will only need Redstone Dust, Glowstone Dust and Gunpowder.

As with many potion ingredients, Glowstone Dust is acquired in the Nether: players can mine Glowstone, which will break down into dust when placed in a crafting table. On the other hand, Redstone Dust is simply mined underground from redstone ore. Redstone ore can be smelted, but placing it on the ground and mining it with an iron pickaxe will yield up to five redstone dust in exchange. Gunpowder is the only dust that cannot be mined: it can be obtained by killing Creepers, Ghasts or Witches, as well as looting dungeon chests.

Potions are great in a pinch, especially when it comes to boss battles or multiplayer maps. You can make a secret lava shelter accessible only to you with Potions of fire Resistance, or rig a dispenser to toss Potions of Poison at whoever activates a pressure plate. If your brewing backfires, remember that potion effects can be cured by drinking a Bucket of Milk. Feel free to leave more potion ideas in the comment section below!