To make a Potion of Slow Falling in Minecraft, brew a Phantom Membrane into an Awkward Potion. The normal potion lasts 1 minute 30 seconds; add Redstone Dust to extend it to 4 minutes.
Slow Falling makes you descend gently and prevents fall damage while the effect is active, which makes it especially useful for the Ender Dragon fight, End Cities, tall builds and Elytra mishaps.
| Step | Ingredient | Result |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Water Bottle + Nether Wart | Awkward Potion |
| 2 | Awkward Potion + Phantom Membrane | Potion of Slow Falling (1:30) |
| Optional | Slow Falling + Redstone Dust | Extended Slow Falling (4:00) |
| Optional | Slow Falling + Gunpowder | Splash Potion of Slow Falling |
| Optional | Splash Potion + Dragon’s Breath | Lingering Potion of Slow Falling |
Mojang’s Phantom Membrane guide confirms that combining a Phantom Membrane with an Awkward Potion in a brewing stand creates a Slow Falling potion.
What you need
- a Brewing Stand;
- Blaze Powder to fuel it;
- one or more Water Bottles;
- Nether Wart;
- a Phantom Membrane;
- optional Redstone Dust for longer duration;
- optional Gunpowder for a splash potion;
- optional Dragon’s Breath for a lingering potion.
Step 1: make an Awkward Potion
- Place the Brewing Stand.
- Add Blaze Powder to the fuel slot on the left.
- Place up to three Water Bottles in the bottom bottle slots.
- Put Nether Wart in the ingredient slot at the top.
- Wait for brewing to finish. The Water Bottles become Awkward Potions.
Awkward Potions have no effect by themselves; they are the base for Slow Falling and many other useful potions.
Step 2: add a Phantom Membrane
- Leave the Awkward Potions in the Brewing Stand.
- Put one Phantom Membrane in the top ingredient slot.
- Wait for the brewing cycle to finish.
You now have up to three Potions of Slow Falling, each with a base duration of 1:30.
How to make Slow Falling last 4 minutes
Put the Slow Falling potions back into the lower Brewing Stand slots and add Redstone Dust to the ingredient slot.
The extended version lasts 4:00. There is no useful Slow Falling II upgrade, so Redstone is the upgrade that matters here.
How to make a Splash Potion of Slow Falling
Add Gunpowder to normal or extended Potions of Slow Falling. This converts them to splash potions, allowing you to throw the effect onto yourself, other players or mobs.
Splash versions are useful when several players need protection before a dangerous drop or End fight.
How to make a Lingering Potion of Slow Falling
Start with a Splash Potion of Slow Falling and brew it with Dragon’s Breath. The resulting lingering potion creates a cloud that applies Slow Falling to entities that pass through it.
How do you get Phantom Membrane?
Phantom Membranes are dropped by Phantoms. Phantoms appear at night when a player has gone several in-game days without sleeping.
Mojang originally introduced the membrane as both an Elytra-repair material and the brewing ingredient for Slow Falling.
Cats can also occasionally bring Phantom Membranes as gifts, but hunting Phantoms is the direct route if you need membranes reliably.
How do you make a Brewing Stand?
A Brewing Stand requires:
- 1 Blaze Rod; and
- 3 blocks from the valid stone-material group used by the current crafting recipe.
The original version of this article incorrectly mentioned adding an iron ingot. No iron ingot is used in the Brewing Stand recipe.
You will also need Blaze Powder as brewing fuel. Put a Blaze Rod into the crafting grid to turn it into Blaze Powder.
How do you make glass bottles?
Smelt Sand into Glass, then place three Glass blocks in a V shape in the crafting grid to make three Glass Bottles. There is no separate bottle “mold” step.
Use the empty bottle on a water source to fill it before brewing.
What does Slow Falling actually do?
While the effect is active, you fall much more slowly and do not take normal fall damage when you land. That gives you extra time to steer during a fall and makes accidental drops dramatically less dangerous.
The effect is particularly valuable during:
- the Ender Dragon fight, where knockback can throw you from obsidian pillars;
- End City exploration;
- large survival builds;
- mountain and cave exploration;
- Elytra practice and recovery.
Does Slow Falling work in Java and Bedrock?
Yes. The core recipe and effect are available in both modern Java and Bedrock editions: Awkward Potion plus Phantom Membrane creates Slow Falling.
Does Slow Falling stop all fall damage?
While the effect is active, ordinary landing fall damage is prevented. The important catch is timing: if the potion expires before you hit the ground, you can take damage normally.
For a very long descent, the 4-minute Redstone version gives you much more margin for error.
Can you brew Slow Falling with Glowstone?
No useful stronger tier exists. Glowstone is used to strengthen many potions, but Slow Falling is about duration rather than potency. Add Redstone Dust if you want the improved version.
Best use: the Ender Dragon fight
Slow Falling is one of the safest potions to bring into the End. The Ender Dragon can launch you high into the air, and climbing the obsidian towers exposes you to lethal falls.
Drink the extended 4-minute version before climbing or when the dragon starts knocking players around. A splash version can protect a whole group quickly.
Quick recipe
Water Bottle + Nether Wart → Awkward Potion. Then Awkward Potion + Phantom Membrane → Potion of Slow Falling. Add Redstone for four minutes, Gunpowder for a splash version, or Dragon’s Breath after the splash step for a lingering potion.
If you are gathering materials in dangerous caves first, our Minecraft infinite lava guide covers another useful dripstone-era survival mechanic.
