Bad Omen is one of the more interesting status effects in Minecraft. It’s mainly known for triggering raids when you enter a village, which is perfect if you want an extra challenge or are hunting for loot. This guide covers everything you need to know about Bad Omen, including what it does, how to get it, and how to use it with commands.
What is Bad Omen?
Bad Omen is a harmful status effect that spawns a group of hostile mobs called a Raid whenever you enter a village while the effect is active. The mobs that spawn include pillagers, ravagers, vindicators, evokers, and witches. They’ll attack you and try to destroy the village.
The higher your Bad Omen level, the more waves of mobs you’ll face. Bad Omen I is easier, while Bad Omen III or higher means more waves and harder fights overall.
How to Get Bad Omen
The only way to get Bad Omen naturally is by killing an illager patrol leader. These are the illagers wearing a banner on their head that patrol around your world in groups. When you defeat one, you’ll receive the Bad Omen status effect.
What Happens During a Raid
Once you have Bad Omen and walk into a village, the raid starts immediately. A progress bar appears on your screen showing the raid’s status. Mobs will spawn in waves, and you need to defeat each wave to move forward. As you kill the mobs, the progress bar decreases. Once all waves are defeated, the raid ends and the village is safe.
If you’re not careful during a raid, you can lose the village and its villagers. On the bright side, raids drop valuable loot from the mobs that spawn.
Effect Icon and Visual Effects
When you have Bad Omen active, you’ll see a distinct effect icon in the top right corner of your HUD. You’ll also see green particles floating around your character. These visual effects make it clear that the effect is active.
How Long Does Bad Omen Last?
Want to know how long Bad Omen will last? Open your inventory and hover over the effect icon. It’ll show you the remaining time in minutes and seconds. Once the duration runs out, the effect and its particles disappear.
You can also remove Bad Omen instantly by drinking milk or using the /effect clear command.
Using Commands with Bad Omen
Effect ID and Name
In Minecraft Java Edition, Bad Omen has effect ID 31 and is called minecraft:bad_omen. This was introduced in version 1.14.
Giving Yourself Bad Omen
Use these commands to give yourself Bad Omen at different levels:
Bad Omen I:
/effect give @p bad_omen 99999 0Bad Omen II:
/effect give @p bad_omen 99999 1Bad Omen III:
/effect give @p bad_omen 99999 2Bad Omen (Maximum Level):
/effect give @p bad_omen 99999 255In these commands, 99999 is the duration in ticks. You can change this to any number you want.
Removing Bad Omen
To remove Bad Omen and all other status effects at once:
/effect clear @pTo remove only Bad Omen:
/effect clear @p bad_omen