So you want to vanish without a trace in Minecraft? Smart move. Invisibility potions saved my skin during that hardcore world where creepers kept blowing up my base. That feeling when you walk past mobs undetected? Priceless. But brewing these bad trips isn't as straightforward as tossing ingredients in a cauldron. Took me three failed attempts before I got it right.
Today I'm breaking down exactly how to make invisible potions in Minecraft - no fluff, just what works from my 200+ hours of brewing. We'll cover ingredient hunting, common screwups (like using fermented spider eyes wrong), and ninja tactics even seasoned players miss.
Essential Gear and Ingredients
Don't even touch the brewing stand until you've got these. Wandering the Nether without fire resistance? Yeah, learned that lesson the hard way.
| Item | Where to Find | Quantity Needed |
|---|---|---|
| Brewing Stand | Craft with 1 Blaze Rod + 3 Cobblestone (Villagers sometimes sell these too) | 1 |
| Glass Bottles | Smelt sand in furnace | 3-5 (always make extras) |
| Blaze Powder | Kill Blazes in Nether Fortresses | 1 per 20 brews (fuel) |
| Nether Wart | Soul Sand gardens in Nether Fortresses | 1 per potion batch |
| Golden Carrot | Craft with 8 gold nuggets + 1 carrot | 1 per batch |
| Fermented Spider Eye | Craft with spider eye + sugar + brown mushroom | 1 per batch |
| Redstone (Optional) | Mine below Y=16 | 1 per extended potion |
Pro Tip: Build Nether wart farms early. I set mine up in the basement using soul sand and a dripping lava light source. Now I harvest stacks weekly without Nether trips.
Where to Scavenge Rare Stuff
Finding blaze rods makes people quit. Truth is, Nether fortresses generate along north-south lines. If you find one, walk east-west to locate others faster. Bring snowballs - they damage blazes without wasting arrows. Works like a charm.
Gold farming? Don't waste time mining. Zombified piglins drop nuggets like candy. Build a trap at Nether portals where piglins spawn. I collect 30+ nuggets per hour while AFK.
Brewing Step-by-Step
Getting the sequence wrong corrupts the whole batch. Ask me how I wasted 4 ghast tears on mutated potions...
| Step | Action | Visual Cue | Time |
|---|---|---|---|
| Preparation | Fill glass bottles with water (right-click water source) | Bottles turn aqua-blue | Instant |
| Base Potion | Add Nether Wart to stand | Bubbles turn murky brown | 20 seconds |
| Night Vision | Add Golden Carrot | Liquid turns bright cyan | 20 seconds |
| Invisibility | Add Fermented Spider Eye | Becomes translucent grey | 20 seconds |
| Extension (Optional) | Add Redstone dust | Particles swirl intensely | 20 seconds |
WARNING: Adding spider eyes BEFORE golden carrots creates weakness potions. Major bummer when expecting invisibility. Always follow the sequence!
Heads up - if particles stop bubbling but the color hasn't changed? Your blaze powder ran out. Happened to me during a thunderstorm when I got distracted. Keep extra powder in the stand's fuel slot.
Duration and Levels
Regular invisibility lasts 3 minutes. Pathetic when exploring ocean monuments. Extended versions? Game-changer.
| Potion Type | Ingredients | Duration | Effect Coverage |
|---|---|---|---|
| Basic Invisibility | Nether Wart + Golden Carrot + Spider Eye | 3:00 | Player body only (gear still visible) |
| Extended Invisibility | Basic + Redstone Dust | 8:00 | Same as basic |
| Invisibility II (Bedrock only) | Basic + Glowstone Dust | 1:30 | Hides armor and held items |
Annoyance alert: Java Edition players can't hide armor without commands. Total buzzkill when your diamond chestplate floats around. Bedrock players win this round with Glowstone upgrades.
For survival bases, I brew extended invisibility potions in batches of 8. That gives me 64 minutes of stealth - enough to map two woodland mansions back-to-back.
Real Uses That Aren't Obvious
Newbies think invisibility = avoiding creepers. Please. That's entry-level stuff.
- Raiding Pillager Outposts - Walk straight into watchtowers while crossbows shoot over your head
- End City Looting - Shulkers can't track you when invisible. No more levitation deaths!
- Multiplayer Espionage - Sneak into enemy bases without setting off pressure plates (tested last week on my nephew's realm)
- Passive Mob Farming - Animals don't flee when you're invisible. Breed cows without chasing them
- Wither Skull Hunting - Wither skeletons aggro slower when you're invisible. Got 3 skulls in 10 minutes yesterday
But here's the kicker - invisibility doesn't hide:
- Particles from status effects (like sprinting or Regeneration)
- Armor stands you're holding
- Arrows stuck in your body (learned this during skeleton farm testing)
Brewing Hacks I Learned the Hard Way
Speed matters when phantoms are dive-bombing your brewing hut.
Fuel Efficiency: One blaze powder fuels 20 brewing operations. Stack ingredients beforehand to avoid reopening the stand. I lost three potions when an enderman teleported into my shack mid-brew.
Automation trick: Hoppers feed ingredients into brewing stands. Set one above for bottles and one beside for ingredients. Works while you sleep!
Storage pro-tip: Keep potions in shulker boxes labeled with colors. Cyan = invisibility. Lost a stack once by mixing up fire resist and invisibility. Not recommended for Nether travel.
Why Your Potions Might Fail
Got a potion that smells like weakness? Common pitfalls:
| Issue | Cause | Fix |
|---|---|---|
| Cloudy Grey Liquid | Used regular spider eye instead of fermented | Ferment with sugar + brown mushroom |
| Pink Particles | Accidentally added magma cream | Clear stand and restart batch |
| No Effect | Forgot Nether wart base step | Always start with Awkward Potions |
| Short Duration | Used glowstone instead of redstone | Redstone extends, glowstone strengthens |
My worst fail? Brewed weakness potions for an hour thinking I had invisibility. Walked into a pillager raid thinking I was stealthy. Got wrecked by crossbow bolts.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can mobs still detect me with invisibility?
Yes and no. Most hostile mobs detect by:
- Vision range reduced to 50%
- Sound detection unchanged
- Wardens still "see" you through vibrations
Creepers won't spot you beyond 4 blocks. But endermen? They'll still aggro if you look directly at them. Trust me.
Does invisibility work on other players?
In multiplayer, yes - but armor and held items remain visible unless you're on Bedrock Edition with level II potions. Name tags also float in air. Not great for hide-and-seek tournaments.
Can I make splash invisible potions?
Absolutely! Add gunpowder to any invisibility potion. Creates splash version affecting all entities in blast radius. Great for making entire cow herds invisible during transport. Tested this on my village's livestock. Results were... chaotic.
What's the quickest way to farm ingredients?
Speed-run strategy:
- Build Nether portal using buckets (5 iron minimum)
- Barter with piglins for fire resistance potions (crucial!)
- Loot Nether fortresses for blaze rods and Nether wart
- Mine Nether gold with stone pickaxe (zombified piglins ignore you)
- Return through portal before potions wear off
Managed to get 8 blaze rods in 15 minutes using this route last Tuesday.
Do invisible players show up on maps?
Shockingly yes! Player markers still appear. Found this out during a manhunt game. Total betrayal by the game mechanics.
Advanced Ninja Tactics
Once you've mastered how to make invisible potions in Minecraft, try these combos:
- Invisibility + Slow Falling: Jump off cliffs while hidden. Perfect for escaping woodland mansions
- Invisibility + Water Breathing: Raid ocean monuments without guardians spotting you
- Invisibility + Fire Resistance: Walk through lava falls like a boss
For redstone wizards: Brew invisibility potions with dragon's breath to create lingering versions. Deploy as area denial clouds. Haven't tried PvP with this yet - might be overpowered.
Final Reality Check
Invisibility isn't creative mode godhood. You still:
- Trigger tripwires and pressure plates
- Leave footprints in snow/sculk
- Get damaged by area effects like berry bushes
But when you sneak past that warden in the deep dark? Pure adrenaline rush. Worth every minute spent brewing.
One last thing - always carry milk. Accidentally drinking a potion of weakness when you meant to go invisible? More embarrassing than falling into the void.
About the Author
700+ hours in Minecraft survival across PC, Switch, and mobile. Built automated potion breweries in 12 different worlds. Got trapped in the End for 3 real-world days once. Still have nightmares about endermen.
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