Overview
Poison drains health steadily and then stops, always, at half a heart — it cannot kill you on its own, and that single rule is what separates it from Wither and what makes cave spiders survivable. The damage is not the real cost anyway. Poison prevents natural regeneration from filling you back up while it runs, so its practical effect is to hold your health low for the duration and let something else finish the job. In a cave spider mineshaft, that something else is the next cave spider. The commonest sources are all avoidable with a little care: cave spiders in mineshafts, raw pufferfish, suspicious stew from lily of the valley (wither rose stew gives Wither instead), and witches, who throw it in splash bottles and are themselves immune. Undead mobs and spiders are immune too, which is why a splash Potion of Poison is a poor offensive choice against most of what you meet. A honey bottle is the correct answer rather than milk, because honey clears the poison specifically and leaves your Strength and Fire Resistance intact — a distinction that matters in the middle of a fight far more than it sounds.
Offensively, softening living mobs and players before a melee exchange; more often, it is the effect you must recognise and clear before it holds your health down through a cave spider swarm.
Drains health over time but never kills — it stops at half a heart. Cave spiders and pufferfish are the common sources.
The game files Poison as a harmful status effect. A standard potion holds it for 45 seconds.
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
Brew 1 spider eye into an Awkward Potion for 45 seconds of Poison, 2:00 with redstone, or Poison II for 21 seconds with glowstone dust. Cave spiders apply it for 7 seconds on Normal difficulty and 15 on Hard.
Tips
- Drink a honey bottle rather than milk: honey removes Poison and leaves your other buffs running.
- Undead mobs and spiders are immune, so splash Poison is wasted on skeletons, zombies and the mobs that gave it to you.
- Ferment a Potion of Poison with a fermented spider eye and it becomes Harming, which is the cheaper route to that brew.
- In a mineshaft, break cobwebs from range with shears — most Poison deaths start with being stuck in one.
What each level does
The number in a command is one lower than the level you see: Poison II is amplifier 1. Here is each level:
Survival stops at II; commands do not, and will accept an amplifier up to 255.
| Level | Effect |
|---|---|
| I | 1 damage every 25 ticks, never below half a heart |
| II | 1 damage every 12 ticks, never below half a heart |
Properties
Straight from the stand it lasts 45 seconds, 90 with redstone dust added, or 22 if you spend the duration on level II with glowstone instead. Splash versions land at three quarters of the time. Honey is the targeted cure: it clears the poison-type effects only. Milk also works but wipes your buffs with it. Undead mobs and spiders are immune. Poison cannot kill you on its own.
- Level II
- 22 s
- Particle colour
- #4E9331
- Removed by
- Milk or honey
Potion durations
Brewing is where most players meet Poison. The base potion runs 45 seconds; adding redstone dust extends it to 90, and glowstone dust raises the level instead, which costs duration and leaves 22 seconds. You cannot have both on one potion.
| Potion | Base | Extended | Level II |
|---|---|---|---|
| Drinkable | 45 s | 90 s | 22 s |
| Splash | 34 s | 68 s | 17 s |
| Lingering | 11 s | 23 s | 5.5 s |
Where it comes from
Poison comes from Cave spider, Pufferfish, and Potion of Poison.
- Cave spider
- Pufferfish
- Potion of Poison
Command
This gives you thirty seconds of Poison I with cheats on. The trailing number is the amplifier, so 1 means level II.
Give the effect
/effect give @s minecraft:poison 30 0Clear it
/effect clear @s minecraft:poisonGuides and tools that cover this
Frequently asked questions
How long does Poison last?
A base potion of Poison lasts 45 seconds, an extended one 90 seconds, and the level-II version 22 seconds.
How do I get rid of Poison?
Drink milk, or better, a honey bottle — honey removes only poison-type effects and keeps your buffs.
Is Poison good or bad?
Bad. It sits with the harmful statuses, and a fermented spider eye is what turns a potion of Instant Damage into it.
What does Poison II do?
Poison II gives 1 damage every 12 ticks, never below half a heart.
