Overview
Luck adds to the hidden roll that loot tables consult, and in practice that means one thing in Java Edition: fishing. A higher luck value shifts the fishing loot table away from junk and towards treasure, so a player with the effect running pulls enchanted books, name tags, saddles and nautilus shells noticeably more often than one without it. Some chest loot tables read the same value, though the effect there is far smaller than players hope. The frustrating part is that there is no survival source. A Potion of Luck exists in the game's data and has no brewing recipe, so it cannot be made at a stand, bought, fished up or found in a chest — it appears only through commands and the creative inventory. What survival players actually have instead is Luck of the Sea on a fishing rod, which pushes the same treatment of the same table without touching the effect at all. For map makers the potion is useful precisely because it is invisible: handing a player Luck for the duration of a fishing minigame changes their results without changing anything they can see in the inventory.
Shifting loot rolls towards treasure, mainly while fishing. In survival its role is filled entirely by Luck of the Sea, which does the same job through an enchantment you can actually get.
Improves fishing loot quality. There is no survival-mode source in Java Edition.
Luck is a beneficial status effect. Nothing brews it, so it runs for as long as whatever applied it keeps doing so.
While it is on you, the top-right of the inventory shows the icon and the time left, and you give off particles in the effect's colour, dimmer when the source is ambient. No beacon carries it, so each dose is finite.
How to get it
No survival source exists in Java Edition — the Potion of Luck has no brewing recipe. Use /effect give @s minecraft:luck 300 0 for 5 minutes of it, or put Luck of the Sea III on a rod instead.
Tips
- Luck of the Sea III on a rod is the survival equivalent, and it costs 3 levels at a table rather than a command.
- Pair it with Lure carefully: Lure speeds up bites but slightly worsens the treasure ratio.
- The Potion of Luck exists in the creative inventory but has no recipe, so no brewing stand will ever produce it.
- Chest loot tables read the value too, but the difference there is far smaller than the fishing one.
What each level does
The number in a command is one lower than the level you see: Luck II is amplifier 1. Here is each level:
Survival stops at I; commands do not, and will accept an amplifier up to 255.
| Level | Effect |
|---|---|
| I | +1 to the fishing and loot-table luck roll |
Properties
There is no potion of Luck; it arrives from Command and lasts exactly as long as that source keeps applying it. Drinking milk clears it, along with every other effect you are carrying.
- Category
- Positive
- Highest level in survival
- I
- Particle colour
- #339900
- Removed by
- Milk
Where it comes from
Luck comes from Command.
- Command
Command
With cheats on, this gives you Luck I for thirty seconds. The last number is the amplifier, so 1 is level II.
Give the effect
/effect give @s minecraft:luck 30 0Clear it
/effect clear @s minecraft:luckGuides and tools that cover this
Frequently asked questions
How long does Luck last?
Luck has no potion form, so its duration is set by whatever applied it.
How do I get rid of Luck?
Drink milk. It clears this and every other effect you are carrying.
Is Luck good or bad?
Beneficial, so it is worth keeping up.
