Strength

Overview

Strength adds a flat bonus to every melee swing, and flat bonuses behave very differently from percentage ones: the weaker your weapon, the more dramatic the effect. A stone sword under Strength II hits harder than an unenchanted diamond sword, which is why the potion is the cheapest possible upgrade for an early-game player heading somewhere dangerous. On a fully enchanted netherite sword the same bonus is a smaller share of the total, but it is still the difference between a two-hit and a one-hit kill on several common mobs, and one-hit kills are what keep a fight from turning into a scrum. What it does not touch is worth knowing precisely, because the misconception costs lives: bows, thrown tridents, crossbows and fall damage are all unaffected, and so is the mace's fall bonus. It is a melee-only buff, full stop. Blaze powder is the ingredient, which ties the potion to a Nether trip you were probably making anyway, and blaze powder also fuels the brewing stand — bring back a stack of rods and you have both the fuel and the recipe. For a wither fight or a raid, Strength plus a golden apple is the standard two-bottle opening.

Melee fights you have chosen in advance — a raid, a wither summon, a woodland mansion, or clearing a trial chamber — where a one-hit kill on each mob keeps you from being surrounded.

Adds 3 extra melee damage per level. It does not affect bows, tridents thrown at range, or fall damage.

Strength is a beneficial status effect. The plain potion of it runs for 180 seconds.

You will see it as an inventory icon in the top-right corner with a countdown, plus a trail of particles in the effect's colour — faint rather than absent when a beacon or a conduit applied it. Only a beacon keeps it running without end, projected across its range.

How to get it

Brew blaze powder into an Awkward Potion for a 3:00 Potion of Strength; redstone extends it to 8:00 and glowstone dust gives Strength II for 1:30. A 3-tier beacon offers Strength as a primary power, and a full 4-tier pyramid can run it at level II.

Tips

• It does nothing for a bow or a thrown trident, so an archer build gains more from Power than from any potion.
• Each blaze rod makes 2 blaze powder, so a stack of rods covers both brewing-stand fuel and a long run of Strength potions.
• Drink the extended 8:00 version before a raid rather than the 1:30 level II; raids outlast short potions almost every time.
• See how to beat the Wither — Strength II and a netherite axe is the fastest melee opening there.

What each level does

The number in a command is one lower than the level you see: Strength II is amplifier 1. Here is each level:

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

Properties

A base potion lasts 180 seconds. Redstone extends it to 480 seconds, and glowstone trades duration for a second level, dropping it to 90 seconds. A splash potion of either keeps three quarters of that duration on the thrower. A bucket of milk removes it, at the cost of every other effect you have running. Bows, thrown tridents and fall damage are unaffected.

Potion durations

Brewing is where most players meet Strength. 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 90 seconds. You cannot have both on one potion.

Where it comes from

Strength comes from Potion of Strength and Beacon.

• Potion of Strength
• Beacon

Command

Cheats on, this applies Strength I for half a minute. That final digit is the amplifier — 1 gives you level II.

Guides and tools that cover this

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

Frequently asked questions

Related pages

WeaknessSpeedHasteResistanceFire ResistanceInvisibilityJump BoostNight Vision