Minecraft: 15 Things You Need To Know About Bad Omens

Since Minecraft's 1.14 came out in 2019, raids and Pillagers have been a common feature in the game. Where there's a village, there's often a Pillager outpost not too far away, just waiting to get its claws on the innocent villagers. While the player doesn't need to get involved, if they happen to fall in the middle of things, there are dire consequences.

The Bad Omen status effect is of such consequences. This is a unique status that only happens at a certain time and place, unlike most other effects that are gained from potions and enemies. It also means there's a unique way to get rid of this very dangerous status effect. Here's everything a player should know about Bad Omens before challenging Pillagers or walking into the nearest village.

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Updated on January 7th, 2021 by Anastasia Maillot: Since its initial introduction in 1.14, the Bad Omen status effect as well as the raid mechanic hasn't changed much in Minecraft. While there have been some minor tweaks here and there on both Java and Bedrock version, the raid mechanic and the Bad Omen status continue to be one of the main challenges of the overworld.

There's still a bit more helpful information to share about this rather annoying but potentially useful status effect, which can lead to a ton of riches and a challenging raid. Here's what to know about the Bad Omen and how exactly it functions when you're looking to kill a raid captain.

15 Unlocks Achievements

The Bad Omen status is actually tied to a few achievements in the game. On the Java Edition, there's only one main achievement that's received the first time around when a player kills a raid captain and at an Illager outpost. This achievement is called Voluntary Exile and warns the player not to enter a village while the Bad Omen status is active.

On Bedrock Edition, there are two achievements related to the status. When first killing a raid captain, you'll receive the achievement I've Got A Bad Feeling About This. If you enter a village with the Bad Omen status, you'll also get an achievement called We're Being Attacked!

14 Indirect Death Doesn't Count

The bottom line on how to start a raid is to kill a raid captain. They're most often found at Illager outposts, but sometimes they might be patrolling around the player's home in a small group. The one with the banner is the captain of the group and killing him will give the player the Bad Omen status.

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However, the death of the captain has to be direct. Using indirect methods such as lava or fire don't actually count, so if you'd rather not deal with the Bad Omen status effect, consider trying to kill the captain in an indirect way.

13 Weird Way Of Removing The Status

The Bad Omen status effect works in strange ways. When first entering a village with the effect, a raid will begin instantly with the health bar filling at the top. This will also remove the status effect from the player.

However, if you leave the village while a raid is happening and receive another Bad Omen status, and decide to return, the status will be instantly removed and won't actually have any effect on the ongoing raid. A weird but handy way to remove an unwanted Bad Omen.

12 The Maximum Potency Since 1.16

Previously, the level and difficulty of a raid could go up to six levels, which is a pretty significant number. This means you would have to fight six waves of a raid provided the Bad Omen status granted to you was the maximum possible level. It's no easy task, given how tough the Illagers can be.

Thankfully, with the 1.16 Nether update the maximum strength of Bad Omens has been toned down. Now, you'll only fight five waves at most when entering a village with the status effect, which should increase your chances of winning in survival mode if you're not entirely prepared.

11 A Tamed Wolf Can Trigger It

The Bad Omen status isn't just unique to the player. Other creatures are also at risk of getting it, including a tamed wolf who is guaranteed to attack an outpost captain if they approach the player. This is why taming wolves isn't such a bad idea: they actually help out the player.

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If a tamed wolf gets the final blow, it receives the Bad Omen status instead and can trigger a raid just as a player would when entering a village. Make sure your tamed wolves don't accidentally get the final blow on a captain, since that could spell disaster at your next village visit.

10 Activates When Entering A Village

When the player gets the Bad Omen status effect, nothing happens immediately. Unlike with statuses like Mining Fatigue that last for a certain amount of time, Bad Omens last indefinitely if they're not taken care of. This is why their counter is pretty much infinite.

Bad Omens don't cause any immediate adverse effects. In fact, a player can go about their lives normally, until they enter a village. Unless a player wants to be part of a raid, they should try and avoid approaching villages while this status effect is in place.

9 Received When Killing A Captain

Adverse status effects are usually gained by being in contact with a mob with special abilities. However, Bad Omens only come into effect if the player encounters a Pillager Outpost or a Patrol of Illagers. Usually, both of these can be found nearby villages.

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Simply encountering Illagers won't do. The player has to kill the Captain of the outpost or the patrol. Captains can be pretty easily recognized by their special appearance; they'll usually carry a banner with the face of Illagers on it.

8 One Level Per Kill

Bad Omen is a status effect that actually increases in level. Each time a player encounters a patrol or goes to an outpost and kills a captain, their Bad Omen will level up once. In other words, one captain represents one level of the status effect.

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Thankfully, Bad Omens don't level up indefinitely. The maximum level for it is capped at five, so after reaching that that level the Bad Omen status effect will pretty much remain the same even if the player kills more captains.

7 Levels Determine Raid Difficulties

Now that it's clear that Bad Omens have levels to them and that the maximum level is capped at 6, it's important to know why this matters. Well, Bad Omens actually determine how difficult the raid is going to be when the player finally enters a village with the status effect.

If the player has killed three captains and their Bad Omen is at level 3, they will have to fight three waves of Pillager raiders. This also means that the most difficult wave will only be a level 3 wave. Due to this, it's advised not to kill too many captains in between raids.

6 The Hero Of The Village

Not only does the Bad Omen levels determine the difficulty of the raid itself, but it also determines the aftermath of the raid. Once a player has completed a raid, they will receive a brand new status effect called the Hero Of The Village.

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This status effect and its strength will be decided by how strong the Bad Omen status effect was. If the Bad Omen was at level 6, then the Hero Of The Village will mirror that level and also be at level 6. This way, players are rewarded for defeating difficult raids.