Minecraft advancement: How Did We Get Here? Guide 1.21.9

We’ve already covered Minecraft’s toughest achievements in a previous article, but one of them towers above the rest in terms of complexity (Minecraft’s toughest achievements: How to unlock them) . For “How Did We Get Here?” you must have every available status effect active at the same time — a perfect reflection of the advancement’s name. No ordinary player would ever try this were it not for the achievement itself. It’s a monumental hurdle, but planning it is half the fun. And once you’ve pulled it off, you’ll have something few players can claim. Below we break down how to get every effect and exactly how to trigger the advancement.

All required status effects for the Minecraft advancement “How Did We Get Here?”

As of update 1.21.9 (Java), the “How Did We Get Here?” advancement requires 33 different status effects. Bear in mind that new updates can add more effects, changing the requirements for the achievement. The already announced “Mounts of Mayhem” update is expected to add yet another effect — making the challenge even more complex.

It’s best to split the effects into different categories. This makes preparation easier and helps ensure you don’t forget anything. Below you’ll find the locations or methods we recommend for each effect.

Effects from food (Minecraft food effects)

• Absorption: Eat a (enchanted) golden apple.
• Blindness: Get it from a suspicious stew made with an Azure Bluet.
• Hunger: Eat a pufferfish.
• Nausea: Eat a pufferfish.
• Poison: Eat a pufferfish.

Effects from potions (splash potions and extended versions)

• Bad Omen: Drink an Ominous Bottle, obtained from pillagers or in trial chambers.
• Fire Resistance: Use a splash potion brewed with Magma Cream.
• Infested: Use a splash potion brewed with stone.
• Invisibility: Extended splash potion — brew Night Vision with a Golden Carrot, corrupt it with a Fermented Spider Eye, then extend with Redstone.
• Night Vision: Extended splash potion brewed with a Golden Carrot and Redstone.
• Oozing: Use a splash potion brewed with a Slime Block.
• Slowness: Extended potion — corrupt a Speed potion with a Fermented Spider Eye, then extend with Redstone.
• Slow Falling: Extended potion brewed with a Phantom Membrane and Redstone.
• Water Breathing: Extended potion brewed with a Pufferfish and Redstone.
• Weakness: Extended potion brewed with a Fermented Spider Eye and Redstone.
• Weaving: Use a splash potion brewed with cobwebs.
• Wind Charged: Use a splash potion brewed with a Breeze Rod.

Effects from external sources (Beacon & Conduit)

• Conduit Power: From a Conduit.
• Haste: From a fully powered beacon.
• Jump Boost: From a beacon.
• Regeneration: From a beacon.
• Resistance: From a beacon.
• Speed: From a beacon.
• Strength: From a beacon.

Effects from mobs (Warden, Shulker, Elder Guardian, Dolphin)

• Dolphin’s Grace: Capture a dolphin and name it with a Name Tag to receive its favour reliably.
• Darkness: From the Warden or from natural Sculk Shriekers in the Deep Dark.
• Hero of the Village: Make sure a villager has a profession, then finish a raid.
• Levitation: Get hit by a Shulker.
• Mining Fatigue: From an Elder Guardian in an ocean monument.

Effects from other sources (arrows, Wither Rose, trials)

• Glowing: Shoot yourself with a Spectral Arrow.
• Ominous Raid: Drink an Ominous Bottle near a villager with a profession.
• Ominous Trial: Be near a trial chamber and drink an Ominous Bottle.
• Wither: Step into a Wither Rose or use a suspicious stew made from a Wither Rose.

Step-by-step: The optimal order for all effects for “How Did We Get Here?” (1.21.9)

As you can see, the process is anything but simple. Many effects last only a few minutes or even seconds — timing is crucial. To make it easier, here’s a proven sequence.

We recommend preparing as much as possible. Choose a clear area for your setup. Place all required mobs within range, and build your beacon and conduit. Fill one dispenser with Spectral Arrows (all slots full) and another with nearly all the potions, then wire both to a lever. Also keep a bucket of milk ready so you can clear all effects after the ordeal.

1. Find four Ominous Bottles (pillagers can drop them, or you can find them in trial chamber vaults). The first effect to trigger with these is Hero of the Village. Defeat a raid. This effect lasts the longest — 40 minutes.
2. Drink the second Ominous Bottle next to a trial spawner to receive 15 minutes of Ominous Trial.
3. Find an ocean monument and get Mining Fatigue for 5 minutes there.
4. Return to your prepared setup and activate all beacon effects.
5. Splash yourself with all 8‑minute potions: Invisibility, Water Breathing, Night Vision, and Fire Resistance. Throw them straight up so they land on your head and you get the full duration.

6. Put the following in your hotbar/inventory: a Golden Apple, two Ominous Bottles, a pickaxe, the pufferfish, the suspicious stew, one extra potion (if there wasn’t enough room in the dispenser), and a bucket of milk.
7. Eat the Golden Apple for 2 minutes of Absorption. Now stay focused!
8. Drink the third Ominous Bottle to trigger an Ominous Raid. Eliminate the villager with the pickaxe and immediately drink the fourth Ominous Bottle to gain Bad Omen. You’ll have roughly 30 seconds left.
9. Get into water and start the swimming animation to gain both Conduit Power and Dolphin’s Grace.
10. The Darkness effect should kick in automatically if a Warden is nearby.
11. Step into the Wither Rose while you’re still in the water and keep line of sight with the Shulker.
12. Flip the lever to activate both dispensers. This will give you the remaining potion effects and the Spectral Arrow effect. Flick the lever multiple times, as the arrow effect only lasts a few seconds.
13. Eat the pufferfish and the suspicious stew. Splash yourself with the last potion from your inventory.

Voilà! With this sequence you should have all effects active simultaneously and unlock the hidden “How Did We Get Here?” advancement — plus 1000 experience points. If you want a good video tutorial, we recommend Barbar31. The Minecraft Wiki also provides an in‑depth write‑up if you’re missing an effect or something isn’t clear.

Conclusion: Is the Minecraft advancement worth it?

Minecraft’s advancements help guide your play, but “How Did We Get Here?” is downright bonkers! For veterans, it’s a brilliant challenge to take on. The preparation forces you to understand lots of different mechanics — and the payoff is a genuine triumph.

Rent one of our Minecraft servers and try to earn this rare advancement together with your friends. Or set up a friendly race to see who completes it first.