Potion Of Harming

A Potion of Harming in Minecraft is a consumable item which inflicts Instant Damage. Instant Damage is a status effect that immediately depletes an entity’s health. This effect does not have a duration, but its potency can be increased.

Potions of Harming have the following potency levels: Instant Damage I and Instant Damage II. Instant Damage I deals 6 points (× 3) of damage, while Instant Damage II deals 12 points (× 6). Use this potion to help you deal more damage in combat, especially against entities with high amounts of health.

Since Instant Damage is instantaneous, you can’t remove the effect by using a Milk Bucket like other status effects, so it’s never fun to be on the receiving end of it. As much as possible, try to avoid getting hit by a Splash or Lingering Potion of Harming, or shot by an Arrow of Harming. If you receive Instant Damage, restore your health with food and healing potions as soon as possible.

Be warned that when the Potion of Harming is used against undead mobs, it will heal them instead of damaging them. Instant Damage I heals the undead mob by 4 points (× 2), while Instant Damage II heals them by 8 points (× 4). Undead mobs you need to avoid using the Potion of Harming on are zombified mobs, Skeletons and their variants, Phantoms, and the Wither.

1 Fermented Spider Eye

1 Potion of Poison

Brewing Stand

Blaze Powder

Before anything else, make a Fermented Spider Eye by placing 1 Spider Eye, 1 Brown Mushroom, and 1 Sugar in a Crafting Table.

Get Spider Eyes by defeating Spiders which can be found roaming the Overworld at night or deep inside caves. Brown Mushrooms can be found growing under trees or in dimly lit areas like swamps, mushroom fields, and the Nether. Lastly, you can get Sugar by either putting Sugar Canes or Honey Bottles in a Crafting Table, or defeating Witches.

Blaze Powder serves as your fuel for the Brewing Stand. Before making some, you need Blaze Rods which can be obtained by defeating Blazes in Nether Fortresses.

Once you have at least one, put the Blaze Rod in a Crafting Table to get 2 units of Blaze Powder.

You need a Potion of Poison to make a Potion of Harming. To make one, add a Spider Eye to an Awkward Potion in a Brewing Stand. You can use up to 3 Awkward Potions as long as you have enough fuel. In this case, 1 unit of Blaze Powder is more than enough.

Similar to the Potion of Harming, the Potion of Poison can help you deal more damage in combat. However, unlike the Potion of Harming, it inflicts damage over time. You can follow this guide if you want to learn more about it:

How to Make and Use a Potion of Poison in Minecraft

Once you have a Potion of Poison, add your Fermented Spider Eye to it using a Brewing Stand. Wait for the brewing to finish to get a Potion of Harming.

This recipe gives you a regular Potion of Harming that inflicts Instant Damage when consumed.

Similar to all regular potions, the only way to use a Potion of Harming is to drink it.

To do this in the Java and Education Editions, press right-click and hold until the drinking action is done.