Guide to Minecraft Potions
Introduction
Much like enchantments, potions are an essential part of Minecraft, and give the player many utilities in the form of buffs, throwable area-of-effect damage, resistance to certain types of damage, and more.
Please keep in mind that potion durations are noted as minutes:seconds (e.g. 1 minute and 30 seconds is noted as 1:30, and 4 minutes is noted as 4:00).
How to Brew Potions
Potion brewing begins with a brewing stand (crafted using cobblestone and a blaze rod, and powered using blaze powder), water bottles, and netherwart.
First, obtain a brewing stand by either crafting one or stealing one from a village.
Next, you'll need to power the brewing stand (using the slot to the far left) using blaze powder. This gives 20 "charges" to the stand, and one charge is expended each time something is brewed.
The first potion you need to brew is the awkward potion. It has no effects on its own, but serves as the basis of (almost) all other potions. Do this by placing netherwart in the top slot and three water bottles in the bottom slots.
If you're making Weakness potions, you can skip this step! Weakness is the only potion in the game that can be made without an awkward potion. Just add a fermented spider eye to water bottles in the brewing stand.
Now that you have awkward potions, you can create whatever potion you need! Simply place the potion you're modifying in the bottom slot(s) of the brewing stand, and the ingredient you're using in the top slot (and make sure the stand is powered!).
Types of Potions
No Effect: Mundane, thick, and awkward potions have no effects. While mundane and thick potions can't be used for anything and are largely entirely useless, awkward potions are perhaps the most important potion: they serve as the base for almost all other potions. You can't just brew ingredients with water bottles to make potions (except in the case of Weakness potions); you need to brew them with awkward potions.
Enhanced: Most potions can be enhanced using glowstone. This makes the potion's effects stronger, but often reduces their duration. Enhanced potions cannot be extended.
Extended: Most potions can be extended using redstone. This makes the duration longer, but doesn't affect the potion's strength. Extended potions cannot be enhanced.
Splash: All potions can be made into splash potions using gunpowder, which can be thrown and which apply their affects to an area of effect (AOE) around where the potion landed. This form is most useful for potions with negative effects (like harming or poison) because the potions can then be thrown on mobs, but they're also helpful for applying positive potion effects (like slow falling, instant health, or regeneration) to the player very quickly when needed.
Lingering: All splash potions can be made into lingering potions using Dragon's Breath, which causes the potion's AOE effect to linger for a certain amount of time after it's thrown (similarly to the Ender Dragon's fireballs). These potions are also used to create tipped arrows, which apply the potion effect to mobs struck by the arrow.
Reversed: Some potions can only be made by "reversing" or "corrupting" another potion. For example, Slowness potions cannot be brewed with an ingredient; they can only be made by reversing Swiftness or Leaping potions. Potions can be reversed at any level and will retain that level (e.g. a Healing II potion will reverse to a Harming II potion), but reversed potions still follow all the above rules of enhancing and extending (so a Harming I potion can still be made into Harming II using glowstone).
Potions List
Awkward: Awkward potions have no effect, but are used as the base for all other potions. They are made using netherwart, and cannot be extended or enhanced.
Thick: Thick potions have no effect, and are made by accidentally brewing glowstone with a normal water bottle.
Mundane: Mundane potions have no effect, and are made by accidentally brewing an ingredient (such as rabbit's foot or sugar) with a normal water bottle.
Swiftness: Swiftness potions increase speed, and are made using sugar.
Swiftness I increases the player's speed by 20%, and can be extended from 4:00 to 8:00.
Swiftness II increases the player's speed by 40%, and lasts for 1:30.
Both levels can be reversed to make Slowness.
Slowness: Slowness potions decrease speed, and must be made by reversing Swiftness or Leaping potions.
Slowness I and IV are made by reversing the respective level of Swiftness or Leaping. Swiftness or Leaping II turns into Slowness IV.
Slowness I decreases speed by 15%, and can be extended from 1:30 to 4:00.
Slowness I can be enhanced to Slowness IV, which decreases speed by 60% and lasts for 20 seconds. Slowness II and III are unobtainable in survival mode.
Leaping: Leaping potions increase jump height, and are made using a rabbit's foot.
Leaping I increases jump height to 150%, and can be extended from 3:00 to 8:00.
Leaping II increases jump height to 225%, and lasts for 1:30.
Both levels can be reversed to make Slowness.
Strength: Strength potions increase attack damage, and are made using blaze powder.
Strength I increases attack damage by 3 (1.5 hearts), and can be extended from 3:00 to 8:00.
Strength II increases attack damage by 6 (3 hearts), and lasts for 1:30.
Strength potions cannot be reversed to make Weakness potions.
Healing: Healing (or Instant Health) potions immediately heal a certain amount of health.
Healing I instantly heals 4 points (2 hearts) of damage.
Healing II instantly heals 8 points (4 hearts) of damage.
Neither potion can be extended.
Both levels can be reversed into Harming I or II.
If thrown on undead mobs (including withers, skeletons, zombies, drowned, phantoms, and zombie or skeleton horses), Healing potions act like Harming potions.
Harming: Harming (or Instant Harm) potions immediately take away a certain amount of health. Their damage is reduced by Protection, but not by Projectile Protection (though they are classed as projectiles when thrown as splash potions). They can only be made by reversing Healing or Poison potions.
Harming I instantly removes 6 points (3 hearts) of damage on an unarmored target.
Harming II instantly removes 12 points (6 hearts) of damage on an unarmored target.
Neither potion can be extended.
If thrown on undead mobs (including withers, skeletons, zombies, drowned, phantoms, and zombie or skeleton horses), Harming potions act like Healing potions.
Poison: Poison potions steadily remove health over a certain period of time, and are made using spider eyes.
Poison I deals 1 point (1/2 heart) of damage every 2.5 seconds for 45 seconds, and can be extended to 1:30.
Poison II deals 1 point of damage every 1.2 seconds for 21 seconds.
Both levels can be reversed into Harming I or II.
Regeneration: Regeneration potions restore health over a period of time, and are made using ghast tears.
Regeneration I heals 1 point of damage every 2.5 seconds for 45 seconds, and can be extended to 1:30.
Regeneration II restores 1 point of damage every 1.2 seconds for 22 seconds.
Regeneration potions cannot be reversed into Poison potions.
Fire Resistance: Fire Resistance potions make the player completely immune to damage from fire, lava, and blaze projectiles (but not from blaze melee attacks), and are made using magma cream.
Fire Resistance lasts 3:00, and can be extended to 8:00. It cannot be enhanced or reversed.
Water Breathing: Water Breathing potions allow the player to breathe underwater, and make it so that they do not lose air while the potion is in effect. They are made using a pufferfish.
Water Breathing lasts 3:00, and can be extended to 8:00. It cannot be enhanced or reversed.
Night Vision: Night Vision potions allow the player to see in the dark as if it were in daylight, and are made using golden carrots.
Night Vision lasts 3:00, and can be extended to 8:00.
It cannot be enhanced, but can be reversed into Invisibility.
Invisibility: Invisibility renders the player invisible, but not their held or worn items. If the player is not wearing armor, they will not aggravate hostile mobs while invisible, though mobs still do not appear to attack the player if they are holding an item or wearing boots while invisible.
Invisibility lasts for 3:00 and can be extended to 8:00.
They can only be made by reversing Night Vision potions.
Turtle Master: Potion of the Turtle Master makes the player much slower, but gives them a significant buff to defense.
Turtle Master I gives the player Slowness IV and Resistance III for 20 seconds. This can be extended to last 40 seconds.
Slowness IV slows the player by 60%, and Resistance III decreases incoming damage by 60%.
Turtle Master II gives the player Slowness VI and Resistance IV for 20 seconds.
Slowness VI slows the player by 90%, and Resistance IV decreases incoming damage by 80%.
Slow Falling: Slow Falling potions decrease the rate at which the player falls, so while the potion is in effect it seems as though they are gently gliding downwards. The potion also makes the player immune to fall damage (but not other types of kinetic damage) while it is in effect. They are made using phantom membranes.
Slow Falling lasts for 1:30, and can be extended to 4:00. It cannot be enhanced or reversed.
Weakness: Weakness potions decrease attack damage, and are made using fermented spider eyes. They are the only potion that does not require an awkward potion to make; they can be made by applying a fermented spider eye directly to a water bottle in the brewing stand.
Weakness reduces attack damage by 4 points (2 hearts). It lasts for 1:30, and can be extended to 4:00. It cannot be enhanced or reversed.
In single-player, the primary use of Weakness potions is healing Zombie Villagers. When a Zombie Villager is right-clicked with a golden apple while affected by a Weakness potion, they will turn back into a normal Villager after about five minutes, giving the player the Zombie Doctor achievement.
Beacon Effects
Beacons are late-game items that apply potion-like buffs to the player continuously if they are within range of the beacon. To activate a beacon, it must be exposed to the sky (or the bedrock roof if in the Nether) with no solid blocks obstructing it. It must be placed on the center block of a 3x3 platform made of any combination of iron, gold, diamond, emerald, or netherrite blocks (redstone, lapis, and copper blocks will not work). The beacon's area of effect will be increased for each level added to its "pyramid," as described here (listed from bottom layer to top layer):
Level 1: 3x3, beacon
Level 2: 5x5, 3x3, beacon
Level 3: 7x7, 5x5, 3x3, beacon
Level 4: 9x9, 7x7, 5x5, 3x3, beacon
Once the pyramid is constructed, the beacon must be "fed" an emerald, diamond, iron ingot, gold ingot, or netherrite ingot from within its GUI (accessed by right-clicking the beacon) to be activated. You can then choose its primary power and, if your pyramid is high enough level, its secondary one.
Primary Powers
The beacon's primary powers are potion effects available in pyramid levels 1, 2, and 3.
Speed I: As Swiftness I
Haste I: Increases player mining speed by 20%
Jump Boost I: As Leaping I (requires level 2)
Resistance I: Decreases damage taken by the player by 20% (requires level 2)
Strength I: As Strength I (requires level 3)
Secondary Powers
At pyramid level 4, the beacon's secondary powers become available. Though players can continue making the pyramid bigger by adding more layers to the bottom, it will not increase the beacon's power beyond level 4.
Regeneration I: As Regeneration I
Speed II: As Swiftness II
Jump Boost II: As Leaping II
Strength II: As Strength II
Resistance II: Decreases damage taken by the player by 40%
Haste II: Increases player mining speed by 40%, allowing the player to instantly mine stone, andesite, diorite, and granite when using an Efficiency V diamond or netherrite pickaxe
Multiple Beacons
It's possible to be affected by multiple beacons at once; in fact, even having multiple beacons on one pyramid is possible if you have the resources. For example, a level 4 six-beacon structure would be a pyramid with a 10x11 at the base, then an 8x9, a 6x7, a 5x4, then six beacons centered on top. When activated, this structure could apply all of the secondary beacon powers to the player at one time. Another common multi-beacon configuration is the "quad-beacon" (10x10, 8x8, 6x6, 4x4, beacons).