The Potion of Harming in Minecraft isn’t helpful on its own, as drinking it causes you to take instant damage. When you turn one into a Splash Potion of Harming or Lingering Potion of Harming, though, it becomes a potent weapon that you can use to get an edge when fighting difficult enemies.

Ingredients You’ll Need to Make a Potion of Harming

Here are the ingredients you’ll need to gather if you want to make a potion of harming:

These instructions work for Minecraft on all platforms, including Java Edition and Bedrock Edition on PC and consoles.

  • A Crafting Table (crafted with four Wood Planks)
  • A Brewing Stand (crafted with one Blaze Rod and three Cobblestone)
  • Blaze powder (crafted from a Blaze Rod)
  • Poison Potion (crafted from glass, filled with water)
  • Fermented Spider Eye (crafted from Spider Eye, Mushroom, and Sugar)

If you want to make your potion stronger, you’ll need:

  • Glowstone Dust (gathered in the Nether)

If you want to make your potion actually useful, you’ll also need:

  • Gunpowder (dropped by Creepers)Dragon’s Breath (gathered from Ender Dragon’s breath attack)

How to Brew a Potion of Harming in Minecraft

Here’s how to brew a Potion of Harming:

  • Craft a Crafting Table by placing four Wood Planks in the basic crafting interface.
  • Place the Crafting Table.
  • Craft a Fermented Spider Eye by placing a Spider Eye, Mushroom, and Sugar in the Crafting Table interface.
  • Craft Blaze Powder by placing a Blaze Rod in the crafting interface.
  • Craft a Brewing Stand by placing three Cobblestone in the middle row of the Crafting Table interface and a single Blaze Rod in the middle of the top row.
  • Place the Brewing Stand on the ground, and open the brewing interface.
  • Add Blaze Powder to the upper left box in the brewing interface.
  • Brew a Poison Potion if you don’t already have one ready, then place it in the Brewing Stand interface.
  • Place a Fermented Spider Eye in the Brewing Stand interface.
  • Wait for the potion to brew.

How to Brew an Improved Potion of Harming in Minecraft

The Potion of Harming has a more potent version called Potion of Harming (Instant Damage II), and it does even more damage. You’ll need a Potion of Harming and Glowstone Dust from the Nether to make this one.

Craft a Crafting Table by placing four Wood Planks in the basic crafting interface.

Place the Crafting Table.

Craft a Fermented Spider Eye by placing a Spider Eye, Mushroom, and Sugar in the Crafting Table interface.

Craft Blaze Powder by placing a Blaze Rod in the crafting interface.

Craft a Brewing Stand by placing three Cobblestone in the middle row of the Crafting Table interface and a single Blaze Rod in the middle of the top row.

Place the Brewing Stand on the ground, and open the brewing interface.

Add Blaze Powder to the upper left box in the brewing interface.

Brew a Poison Potion if you don’t already have one ready, then place it in the Brewing Stand interface.

Place a Fermented Spider Eye in the Brewing Stand interface.

Wait for the potion to brew.

  • Place a Potion of Harming in the Brewing Stand interface.
  • Place Glowstone Dust in the Brewing Stand interface.
  • Wait for the brewing process to finish.

How to Make a Potion of Harming Useful

When you first make a Potion of Harming in Minecraft, it’s dangerous to you instead of your enemies. It does instant damage when you drink it, so there isn’t anything you can do with it. If you want it to be helpful, you need to turn it into a Splash Potion of Harming.

Place a Potion of Harming in the Brewing Stand interface.

Place Glowstone Dust in the Brewing Stand interface.

Wait for the brewing process to finish.

Here’s how to make a Splash Potion of Harming:

You can substitute a Potion of Harming (Instant Damage II) for a more potent Splash Potion.

  • Place a Potion of Harming in the Brewing Stand interface.
  • Place Gunpowder in the Brewing Stand interface.
  • Wait for the process to finish.
  • Optional: Place a Dragon’s Breath into the Brewing Stand interface to create a Lingering Potion of Harming.

How to Use a Splash Potion of Harming

Unlike a regular Potion of Harming, you can use a Splash Potion of Harming or Lingering Potion of Harming to damage other players, neutral mobs like cows and pigs, and hostile mobs like Creepers.

Place Gunpowder in the Brewing Stand interface.

Wait for the process to finish.

Optional: Place a Dragon’s Breath into the Brewing Stand interface to create a Lingering Potion of Harming.

Here’s how to use a Splash Potion of Harming:

  • Equip the potion to your active slot, and aim at the mob you want to damage.
  • Throw the Splash Potion.
  • To throw a potion in Minecraft:
  • Windows 10 and Java Edition: Right click.Pocket Edition (PE): Tap to use the potion.PlayStation: Press the L2 button.Xbox: Press the LT button.Nintendo: Press the ZL button.
  • You will see a swirl effect when the potion hits, and the mob will take instant damage.

Equip the potion to your active slot, and aim at the mob you want to damage.

Throw the Splash Potion.

To throw a potion in Minecraft:

  • Windows 10 and Java Edition: Right click.Pocket Edition (PE): Tap to use the potion.PlayStation: Press the L2 button.Xbox: Press the LT button.Nintendo: Press the ZL button.

You will see a swirl effect when the potion hits, and the mob will take instant damage.

  • How do I get honeycomb in Minecraft?
  • In order to get honeycomb in Minecraft, you first need to find a beehive or nest and place a campfire beneath it. Once the hive or nest is full (gold-colored pixels will appear on one of its four sides), use a pair of shears on it to extract honeycomb.
  • How do I make a map in Minecraft?
  • To make a map in Minecraft, build crafting table > place three sugar cane in middle row of table to make one paper > craft nine pieces of paper. Make a compass with one redstone dust and four iron ingots > place compass in the middle of crafting table with paper in remaining eight spaces to make a map.
  • How do I find diamonds in Minecraft?
  • To find diamonds in Minecraft, dig down to layer Y=11 (or 11 layers up from solid bedrock)—and remember to bring torches, ladders, and iron or gold pickaxes. Mine across the layer in a grid pattern until you find diamond blocks. Diamonds are also sometimes found deep in natural caves, or in chests in abandoned mines or villages.

In order to get honeycomb in Minecraft, you first need to find a beehive or nest and place a campfire beneath it. Once the hive or nest is full (gold-colored pixels will appear on one of its four sides), use a pair of shears on it to extract honeycomb.

To make a map in Minecraft, build crafting table > place three sugar cane in middle row of table to make one paper > craft nine pieces of paper. Make a compass with one redstone dust and four iron ingots > place compass in the middle of crafting table with paper in remaining eight spaces to make a map.

To find diamonds in Minecraft, dig down to layer Y=11 (or 11 layers up from solid bedrock)—and remember to bring torches, ladders, and iron or gold pickaxes. Mine across the layer in a grid pattern until you find diamond blocks. Diamonds are also sometimes found deep in natural caves, or in chests in abandoned mines or villages.

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