Minecraft offers a whole range of different effects that can be applied to you as a player or to other living entities in the game. These can be positive or negative and can be triggered by a variety of sources. Sometimes you’ll use these effects intentionally for certain tasks; other times, an enemy will inflict them to harm you. With over 30 different effects, it can be hard—especially for new or returning players—to keep track of everything. So we’ll break them down for you and show you how to get rid of them when you need to.
Minecraft status effects, explained
Status effects can be triggered by different sources. They grant you a specific effect for a number of seconds or minutes, which can positively or negatively influence your gameplay. That depends on the effect itself and how you want (or don’t want) to use it in your situation. Triggers can be potions or food, but also mobs or structures like the Beacon. In total, there are 38 effects that actively matter in gameplay.
In multiplayer, the right status effects can make all the difference, especially in PvP. Most inexperienced players don’t expect to manage effects on top of fighting. You should also keep them in mind when playing with friends—many are extremely useful. Rent a Minecraft server and play with friends to try out every effect.
Strength and duration of Minecraft status effects
Status effects always have a source. That source determines the strength and duration of the effect. For example, Regeneration can be triggered by potions or by golden apples. The source sets both time and potency. You can check both by opening your inventory, where you’ll find a list of all currently active effects. During regular gameplay, you’ll see small effect icons in the top-right of your HUD.
All effects can be active at the same time, which is required for the game’s hardest achievement (Minecraft Advancement: How Did We Get Here? Guide 1.21.9) . Identical effects overwrite each other with the stronger variant, both in strength and duration.
Removing Minecraft status effects: Remedies
There’s a universal counter to status effects: milk. A bucket of milk—whether from a cow or a goat—can clear all currently active effects at once. That’s super handy, especially in clutch situations. If you work with effects a lot, always carry milk. The Poison effect can also be cured with a honey bottle. Dying also clears all effects; the same applies to revival with a Totem of Undying, which then grants you three new positive effects afterward.
All Minecraft status effects: Triggers and impact
To make sure you know them all, we’ll go through each one. We’ll group them into positive, neutral, and negative effects. Some are labeled neutral because, while they can have negative side effects, you’ll use them intentionally in certain situations. We’ll look at how to trigger each effect and what it does.
Negative status effects in Minecraft
- Mining Fatigue: Applied by the Elder Guardian in Ocean Monuments. You’ll mine blocks very slowly for five minutes.
- Infested: From a potion brewed with Stone. Causes nearby Silverfish to appear.
- Blindness: Illusioner’s magic attack. Restricts your vision.
- Instant Damage: A potion created by corrupting a healing potion with a fermented spider eye. Can also be thrown by Witches. Deals damage depending on level, starting at three hearts.
- Darkness: Applied by the Warden or by triggering a Sculk Shrieker. Similar to Blindness, but shorter and in pulsing waves.
- Hunger: Triggered by pufferfish, rotten flesh, or raw chicken. Also applied by Husks when they attack. Makes your saturation drop faster.
- Slowness: From various potions, but also from Stray arrows. Makes you move slower.
- Oozing: From potions brewed with Slimeballs. Causes slimes to appear around you.
- Weakness: From Stray/Husk-tipped arrows and potions. Reduces melee damage by two hearts per level.
- Levitation: Applied by Shulkers. Makes you float upward uncontrollably.
- Nausea: From eating a pufferfish. Distorts and sways your field of view.
- Wither: From the Wither, Wither Skeletons, and Wither Roses. Deals damage over time, similar to Poison.
- Poison: From a fermented spider eye potion, witches, cave spiders, bee stings, or poisonous potatoes. Drains health over time.
- Weaving: From potions brewed with Cobwebs. Slows movement, similar to being stuck in a web.
- Wind Charged: From potions brewed with a Breeze Rod. Releases windy bursts upon death.
Neutral status effects in Minecraft
- Glowing: Java Edition only via spectral arrows and the Bell. Lets you see entities through walls.
- Ominous: Gained from an Ominous Bottle. Required to start raids and other ominous events.
- Raid Omen: Ominous while in a village. Triggers a raid.
- Trial Omen: Ominous near a Trial Spawner. Allows ominous trials to begin.
Positive status effects in Minecraft
- Absorption: From (enchanted) golden apples and the Totem of Undying. Grants yellow hearts that absorb incoming damage.
- Instant Health: Potion made with a glistering melon. Heals you instantly for two hearts per level.
- Haste: A Beacon effect. Increases your mining and attack speed.
- Fire Resistance: From a potion brewed with Magma Cream, a Totem of Undying, or an enchanted golden apple. Makes you immune to fire and lava damage.
- Dolphin’s Grace: By swimming next to a dolphin. Gives you a temporary swimming speed boost.
- Hero of the Village: After winning a raid. Villagers give you discounts and gifts.
- Conduit Power: From an active Conduit underwater. Grants Haste-like underwater mining speed, Water Breathing, and Night Vision within its radius.
- Night Vision: Potion brewed with a golden carrot. Improves vision in darkness, caves, and underwater.
- Regeneration: From a potion brewed with a ghast tear, a Beacon, a golden apple, or a Totem of Undying. Slowly restores your health.
- Resistance: From a Turtle Master potion, a Beacon, or an enchanted golden apple. Reduces incoming damage by 20% per level.
- Slow Falling: Potion brewed with a phantom membrane. Makes you fall much slower and negates fall damage.
- Saturation: Only from suspicious stew made with a blue orchid or dandelion. Briefly restores saturation.
- Speed: A potion brewed with sugar. Makes you 20% faster per level.
- Jump Boost: Potion brewed with a rabbit’s foot or from a Beacon. Lets you jump higher.
- Strength: Potion brewed with blaze powder or from a Beacon. Each melee hit deals 1.5 more hearts of damage (Java Edition).
- Invisibility: Potion combo of a fermented spider eye and Night Vision. Makes you invisible, but armor and held items are still visible.
- Water Breathing: Potion brewed with a pufferfish or granted by a Conduit. Lets you breathe underwater for the duration.
Conclusion: Turn Minecraft status effects to your advantage
Minecraft’s status effects can help you tremendously—or make your life harder. Use positive effects to tackle challenges more easily. You can heal faster, increase your mining speed, or boost your combat power. Conversely, avoid negative effects: don’t eat sketchy foods, dodge monster attacks skillfully, and always carry a bucket of milk to clear effects on demand.
