You're standing in front of a Brewing Stand, staring at a bottle of awkward potion, and realizing that drinking it yourself is basically useless because you need to heal your dog or poison a group of spiders. Honestly, drinking potions is the slow way to play. If you want to actually survive a raid or a trip to the End, you need to know how to make a splash potion. It’s the difference between fumbling with a glass bottle for two seconds while a Creeper hisses and instantly changing the state of the battlefield with a single click.
Brewing is weirdly intimidating for a lot of players. It’s not like crafting a sword where you just slap some iron on a table. It’s a process. It requires fuel. It requires specific timing. But once you get the hang of it, you’ll realize that the splash variant is almost always superior to the drinkable one.
The Core Ingredients for Every Splash Potion
Before you even think about the "splash" part, you need a base. Most people forget that you can’t just throw gunpowder into water and expect magic. You need a Brewing Stand, which you get by killing a Blaze in the Nether and combining that Blaze Rod with three blocks of Cobblestone or Blackstone.
Blaze Powder is your gasoline. Put it in the top left slot. Without it, the stand won’t even warm up.
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Basically, every useful potion starts with an Awkward Potion. You make this by adding Nether Wart to a Water Bottle. Once you have that base, you add your "effect" ingredient. Want to move fast? Add Sugar. Want to see in the dark? Golden Carrot. Want to heal? Glistering Melon Slice.
But here is the trick: the gunpowder comes last.
Well, usually last. You can technically turn a Water Bottle into a Splash Water Bottle by adding gunpowder first, but that’s pretty much only useful for putting out fires or hurting Endermen. To make a splash potion that actually does something cool, wait until your primary effect is brewed.
Why Gunpowder is the Secret Sauce
Gunpowder is what changes the bottle shape. In Minecraft’s logic, adding explosive dust to a glass jar makes it fragile enough to shatter on impact. You find gunpowder by hunting Creepers, Ghasts, or looting desert temples.
When you drop that gunpowder into the top slot of the Brewing Stand with your finished potions in the bottom three slots, the progress bar (that little white arrow) will start to fill. When it finishes, the neck of the bottle curves. It looks different. It’s ready to throw.
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The Math of Splash Potions: Duration vs. Impact
There is a trade-off that most guides don't talk about. When you convert a regular potion into a splash potion, you actually lose some of the duration.
It’s a tax.
For example, if you have a Potion of Strength that lasts 3 minutes, turning it into a splash potion might drop that duration down a bit. However, the trade-off is worth it because you can hit multiple entities at once. If you’re playing multiplayer or have a pack of tamed wolves, one splash potion of Strength or Regeneration can buff the entire squad.
If you want to make the effect last longer, you should use Redstone Dust before you add the gunpowder. Redstone extends the time. If you want the effect to be more intense (like Strength II instead of Strength I), use Glowstone Dust.
Just remember: you cannot have both. It’s either a long-lasting weak potion or a short-lived powerful one. Choose wisely based on whether you're fighting a boss or just exploring a cave.
Accuracy Matters More Than You Think
Throwing the potion isn't just about clicking. The duration of the effect depends on how close the bottle breaks to the target's "eye level."
If you throw a Splash Potion of Healing at your feet, you get the full benefit. If it lands three blocks away and the particles just barely drift over to you, the healing is significantly reduced. This is a common mistake in PVP. Players panic, throw the potion wildly, and only get a fraction of the intended effect.
- Aim for the feet for self-buffs.
- Aim for the chest when attacking mobs.
- Throw upward to let the splash cover a wider area if your friends are grouped up.
Lingering Potions: The Next Step
Once you've mastered how to make a splash potion, you might hear about Lingering Potions. These are the ones that leave a cloud on the ground.
To make these, you need Dragon's Breath. You get this by taking empty glass bottles to the End and right-clicking while the Ender Dragon is doing its purple breath attack. It’s dangerous. It’s a late-game item.
You brew Dragon's Breath into a Splash Potion to turn it into a Lingering Potion.
Why bother? Lingering potions are the only way to craft Tipped Arrows. If you want to fire arrows that poison enemies or give you night vision, you have to go through the splash potion phase first. It’s a hierarchy of brewing.
Troubleshooting Your Brewing Stand
If your Brewing Stand isn't working, check these three things immediately.
First, is there Blaze Powder in the fuel slot? The bar on the left should have a yellow glow. Second, are you using the right base? You can't add fermented spider eyes to a "Thick Potion" or "Mundane Potion" and expect most standard results. You need that Awkward Potion base. Third, is the gunpowder in the top slot? Gunpowder is an "ingredient," not a fuel.
Sometimes the game feels glitchy, but usually, it’s just a missed step in the order of operations. Minecraft brewing is very much like a recipe in a kitchen. If you put the frosting on the cake before it goes in the oven, you’re gonna have a bad time.
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Critical Combinations to Try
If you're looking for the best utility, try making a Splash Potion of Weakness. This is the one you need to cure Zombie Villagers. You don't even need Nether Wart for this one. Just put a Fermented Spider Eye into a Water Bottle, then add Gunpowder.
Hit a Zombie Villager with that splash potion, feed them a Golden Apple, and wait. It’s the fastest way to get cheap trades and build a massive base.
Another favorite is the Splash Potion of Fire Resistance. If you're exploring the Nether with a friend and they fall into lava, you can throw that potion at them from the safety of the shore. You might literally save their entire inventory of Diamond gear.
Actionable Next Steps for Master Brewers
To get started, head to the Nether and grab at least a stack of Nether Wart. You'll find it in Soul Sand patches near the staircases of Nether Fortresses. While you're there, kill enough Blazes to get at least 10 Blaze Rods; you'll need them for fuel and for crafting the stands themselves.
Once you’re back at your base, set up a row of three or four Brewing Stands. Brewing is slow, so doing it in parallel saves a massive amount of time. Always keep a chest of Gunpowder next to your stands so you can batch-convert your drinkables into splash versions whenever you’re preparing for a journey.
Start with the Weakness potion if you're looking to upgrade your village, or Swiftness if you have a long trek across the overworld ahead of you. The utility of throwing a bottle versus drinking it cannot be overstated—it’s the pro move that separates survivors from those who end up at the respawn screen.