POTION BENEFICIAL Present since 1.14 or earlier

Potion of Strength how to brew it in Minecraft

A Potion of Strength adds 3 damage to every melee hit, 6 at level II. That is as much as Sharpness V at level I, and twice as much at level II, on any weapon you hold. It is the potion for boss fights, raids and PvP.

Brew it step by step

Put Blaze Powder in the fuel slot and up to 3 bottles at the bottom, then add each ingredient at the top.

01 + → Awkward PotionNether Wart + Water Bottle
02 + → Potion of StrengthBlaze Powder + Awkward Potion
+ + → OptionalPotion of Strength (+)Redstone Dust · Extends the duration · 8:00
+ + → OptionalPotion of Strength IIGlowstone Dust · Level II, shorter · 1:30
+ + → OptionalSplash PotionGunpowder · Throwable
+ + → OptionalLingering PotionDragon's Breath · Leaves a cloud, base for Tipped Arrows

// Fuel: Blaze Powder

At a glance

Effect: Strength
Duration: 3:00
With Redstone: 8:00
Level II: 1:30
Key ingredient: Blaze Powder

All variants and durations

Variant	Normal	With Redstone	Level II
Potion	3:00	8:00	1:30
Splash Potion	3:00	8:00	1:30
Lingering Potion	0:45	2:00	0:23
Tipped Arrow	0:23	1:00	0:11

■ Normal · ■ With Redstone · Lingering = ¼ of the duration, Tipped Arrow = ⅛

What Strength does

BeneficialStrength

Adds 3 melee damage per level.

Other ways to get Strength

Given byBeacon

Commands

Potion/give →

/give @s minecraft:potion[potion_contents={potion:"minecraft:long_strength"}]

Splash Potion/give →

/give @s minecraft:splash_potion[potion_contents={potion:"minecraft:long_strength"}]

Lingering Potion/give →

/give @s minecraft:lingering_potion[potion_contents={potion:"minecraft:long_strength"}]

Why Strength is so strong

The bonus is flat: +3 per hit, whatever the weapon. On an early Stone Sword or Iron Sword, that is a huge share of your damage, enough to kill common mobs in fewer hits long before you have good enchantments. On a fully enchanted Netherite Sword, it still stacks on top of Sharpness.

When to drink it

Boss fights. Against the Wither or the Ender Dragon when it lands on its perch, Strength II shortens the fight a lot.
Raids and crowded fights. Fewer hits per mob means less damage taken overall.
PvP. Level II is the standard opener, often with Swiftness.

Pair it with a Potion of Regeneration for sustain, or with the Potion of the Turtle Master when you plan to stand and trade blows.

Pitfalls

Melee only. Arrows from a Bow or a Crossbow get no bonus. For ranged damage, look at Power instead.
Weakness cancels it. Weakness removes 4 damage per level, so a splash of Weakness from a witch leaves you worse off than without either.
Splash Strength helps whoever is in range. Thrown into a melee, it can boost the mob next to you too.

Blaze Powder, again

The ingredient is Blaze Powder, the same item that fuels the brewing stand. One Blaze Rod gives two powders. A blaze spawner in a Blaze-filled Nether Fortress turns into a steady supply once you build a small farm around it. Near your base, a Beacon with the Strength power gives the same effect permanently.

✓ Checked in Java Edition 26.3 · updated 1 November 2026