Night Vision

Overview

Night Vision renders the world at full brightness regardless of the actual light level, and the single most important thing to understand about it is what that does not do. Mobs still spawn in the dark you can now see through. A cave lit to brightness by the effect is exactly as dangerous as it was a second earlier, and players who forget that die to skeletons they could see perfectly well. What it changes is your ability to read terrain — the shape of a cave system, where the water is, whether that shadow is a drop or a wall — which makes it an exploration tool rather than a safety one. Underwater it is transformative, because ocean water dims everything past a few blocks and Night Vision cuts straight through that. For the same reason it belongs in every ocean monument kit alongside Water Breathing, and a conduit supplies both at once. The last ten seconds flicker, which is a deliberate warning rather than a bug: when the screen starts pulsing, you have ten seconds to get somewhere lit before the cave becomes black again. Golden carrots are the ingredient, so the recipe is really a gold recipe.

Reading terrain in the dark — mapping a cave system, exploring an ocean floor, or finding your way home at night — without spending torches or waiting for daylight.

Lights everything to full brightness regardless of the actual light level. It does not stop mobs spawning — it only lets you see them.

The game files Night Vision as a beneficial status effect. A standard potion holds it for 180 seconds.

While it is active the icon sits in the top-right of the inventory screen with the time remaining under it, and particles in the effect's own colour trail off you, fainter when the source is ambient — a beacon or a conduit. No beacon offers it, so every application has a fixed duration.

How to get it

Brew 1 golden carrot into an Awkward Potion for a 3:00 Potion of Night Vision, or 8:00 with redstone. Each golden carrot costs 8 gold nuggets plus a carrot, and villagers will sell carrots cheaply if you have none.

Tips

• It does not prevent mob spawns, so keep placing torches; visibility is not the same as safety underground.
• The screen flickering means about 10 seconds remain — treat it as the signal to surface or light your position.
• Underwater it is worth more than on land, which is why a conduit providing it and Water Breathing together is so strong.
• Ferment one with a fermented spider eye for Invisibility — the only route to that potion in the game.

What each level does

The level shown in the inventory is the amplifier plus one, which is why Night Vision II is amplifier 1 in a command. Each level does the following:

You cannot reach past I legitimately, though a command will set it as high as 255.

Properties

The base potion runs 180 seconds. Redstone stretches that to 480, while glowstone spends the duration on a second level and leaves . Thrown as a splash, either keeps three quarters of its time on you. Milk is the only cure, and it clears every effect you are carrying at once.

Potion durations

Brewing is where most players meet Night Vision. The base potion runs 180 seconds; adding redstone dust extends it to 480, and glowstone dust raises the level instead, which costs duration and leaves seconds. You cannot have both on one potion.

Where it comes from

Night Vision comes from Potion of Night Vision and Golden Carrot brewing.

• Potion of Night Vision
• Golden Carrot brewing

Command

This gives you thirty seconds of Night Vision I with cheats on. The trailing number is the amplifier, so 1 means level II.

Guides and tools that cover this

• GuidesHow to Brew Every Potion in Minecraft→
• ToolsPotion Brewing Planner→

Frequently asked questions

Related pages

BlindnessFire ResistanceInvisibilityJump BoostRegenerationSlow FallingSpeedStrength