Expanding Your Potion Arsenal with the Not Enough Potions Mod
Minecraft's vanilla potion system offers a solid foundation, but adventurous alchemists often crave more depth. The Not Enough Potions mod completely overhauls brewing by introducing brand-new crafting stations, dozens of custom effects, and recipe customization. Whether you want to grind rare ingredients, mix complex concoctions, or simply brew potions that never had a vanilla recipe, this mod turns your brewing stand into a laboratory of limitless possibilities.
What Does Not Enough Potions Add?
At its core, the mod expands the Potion Core framework by adding recipes for potions that were previously unobtainable in survival mode. You can now brew effects like Haste, Saturation, and even more exotic ones such as Magic Shield, Perplexity, or Lightning. To achieve this, the mod introduces two key blocks: the mortar and pestle for grinding materials, and the mixing cauldron for combining potions. It also reworks the brewing stand's visual rendering so you can see the actual potions and ingredients inside.
The Mortar and Pestle: Grinding Your Way to Rare Dusts
This block lets you process items by right-clicking to grind them. A basic granite mortar and pestle can handle up to 20 grinds, which is enough for everyday materials like sugar from cane (3 grinds), bonemeal from bones (4 grinds), or blaze powder from rods (8 grinds). However, tougher substances like obsidian, diamonds, and nether stars require the diamond-tipped version, which can withstand 100 grinds or more. The grinding mechanic introduces a satisfying progression—you'll need to craft the advanced tool before you can produce diamond dust, nether star dust, or obsidian dust, all essential for high-tier potions.
Some useful grinding recipes include:
- Blaze Powder: Blaze Rod + 8 grinds = 2 Blaze Powder
- Glowstone Dust: Glowstone + 16 grinds = 4 Glowstone Dust (uncrafting)
- Withering Powder: Wither Skull + 20 grinds = 2 Withering Powder
- Ender Powder: Ender Pearl + 10 grinds = 1 Ender Powder
- Gold Dust: Gold Ingot + 16 grinds = 1 Gold Dust
- Diamond Dust: Diamond + 100 grinds = 1 Diamond Dust
- Emerald Dust: Emerald + 60 grinds = 1 Emerald Dust
- Iron Dust: Iron Ingot + 20 grinds = 1 Iron Dust
Many of these dusts become ingredients for the mixing cauldron or the brewing stand, so keeping a well-organized chest of ground materials is key. If you enjoy modded Minecraft and want a launcher that simplifies mod management, the foxygame.net launcher is a convenient, flexible, and modern Minecraft launcher where you can download mods right from the menu. It handles dependencies like Potion Core automatically, so you can jump straight into grinding without manual file wrangling.
The Mixing Cauldron: Combining Potions for New Effects
Once you have your base potions and dusts, the mixing cauldron becomes your primary tool for crafting the mod's unique effects. Place three potions (or sometimes stews and mixtures) inside, then click the cauldron to mix them. The block works anywhere, but its efficiency doubles when placed above a fire block—a nice nod to classic alchemy. When you input the correct combination, the liquid's color changes to match the result, giving you immediate feedback.
Here are some standout mixing recipes:
- Haste Potion: Swiftness + Swiftness + Strength
- Saturation I: Instant Health + Mushroom Stew + Mushroom Stew (upgrade to II with Rabbit Stew)
- Absorption: Minced Golden Apple + Minced Golden Apple + Instant Health
- Health Boost: Absorption + Instant Health II + Instant Health II
- Repair: Regeneration + Experience Bottle + Experience Bottle
- Magic Focus: Strength + Instant Health + Instant Harming
- Magic Shield: Iron Skin + Iron Skin + Magic Focus
- Chance: Luck + Luck + Nether Wart Stew
The mixing cauldron also allows you to create entirely new categories of potions, such as Disorganization, Perplexity, Lightning, or Solid Core. These often require multiple intermediate brews, encouraging you to set up a dedicated alchemy lab.
Revamped Brewing Stand and Vanilla-Compatible Recipes
The mod doesn't just add new stations—it also fills gaps in the vanilla brewing system. The brewing stand now accepts custom ingredients to produce potions that previously required commands. You can brew Resistance with obsidian dust, Haste with the mixing cauldron (or directly via brewing if you configure it), Blindness with ink sacs, and even Luck with clovers. The stand also supports splash, lingering, extended, and amplified variants just like vanilla, using gunpowder, dragon's breath, redstone, and glowstone.
Some notable brewing stand recipes include:
- Resistance: Obsidian Dust + Awkward Potion
- Iron Skin: Iron Dust + Awkward Potion
- Reach: Diamond Dust + Extension Potion
- Wither: Withering Powder + Awkward Potion
- Nausea: Nauseous Powder + Awkward Potion
- Luck: Clover + Awkward Potion
- Slowfall: Glowing Feather + Awkward Potion
- Levitation: Fermented Spider Eye + Slowfall
All recipes can be modified, removed, or expanded via config files, giving server owners and modpack creators complete control. The visual update to the brewing stand—showing the actual potions and items—makes the process feel more immersive and helps you keep track of your ingredients at a glance.
Crafting and Additional Tools
Beyond the main blocks, you'll need a few extra crafted items. A slicing knife is essential for preparing minced vegetables, minced rabbit, and diced golden apples, which go into stews and mixtures for the mixing cauldron. You'll also craft items like glowing feathers, charged mixtures, explosive mixtures, and shattered prismarine crystals. The mod includes smelting recipes too, such as turning certain materials into ash. All these components tie together to create a deep, interconnected crafting tree that rewards experimentation.
Installation and Compatibility
To install Not Enough Potions, you first need to install Potion Core as a dependency. Then simply add the mod file to your mods folder. The mod is fully compatible with modpacks—just credit the author and link back to the original page. The configurable nature means you can tailor the experience to fit your pack's balance, whether you want easier recipes or a hardcore alchemy challenge.
Conclusion
Not Enough Potions transforms Minecraft's brewing from a simple utility into a full-fledged crafting system. With the mortar and pestle for grinding, the mixing cauldron for combining, and a massively expanded brewing stand, you'll never look at a water bottle the same way again. The mod respects vanilla mechanics while adding layers of complexity that reward both careful planning and creative experimentation. If you've ever wished for a Haste potion before a big mining session or wanted to inflict Perplexity on your foes, this mod delivers—and then some. Dive in, set up your lab, and start brewing potions that truly live up to the name "Not Enough."