Bad Omen is something you'll encounter every so often in Minecraft, afflicting you with its status effect and bringing dire consequences. But how exactly does it work, and how does it tie into the new Ominous Events?
This page acts as a comprehensive breakdown of the Bad Omen and Ominous Events mechanics within Minecraft.
What is Bad Omen?
Bad Omen is a status effect that a player can receive that will trigger an event if the afflicted player enters a specific environment with the effect active. Bad Omen is typically gained via killing an Outpost or Patrol Raid Captain enemy. If you entered a village with the status effect active, you'll trigger a raid on that location.
advertisem*nt
With 1.21.0.20, how players acquire the Bad Omen status effect has changed. Instead of having to kill a Raid Captain, you can now get the status effect by consuming a new Ominous Bottle.
Ominous Bottle
The Ominous Bottle is a new consumable that can be acquired the following ways:
- Found uncommonly in any Vaults that are unlocked with Trial Keys
- Dropped by Raid Captains when defeated outside a Raid
They come in 5 variations, one for each Bad Omen level, and the bottle will break once it is consumed. They can stack up to 64, and will apply the Bad Omen effect to the player for 1 hour and 40 minutes.
Ominous Events
Beginning with 1.21.0.20, the Bad Omen status effect has been expanded to allow for additional optional experiences. These experiences have been dubbed Ominous Events, and it's likely that more will be added to the game over time as new locations, enemies, and mechanics are introduced. For example, an Illager Raid is an existing Ominous Event.
The first of these is in regards to the newly introduced Trial Chambers. Should you enter a Trial Chamber with the Bad Omen effect active, you'll have an optional tougher challenge to partake in.
Trial Omen & Ominous Trial Spawners
Bad Omen can now transform into Trial Omen, which will trigger if you have the status effect active and are within detection range of a Trial Spawner (that is not Ominous).
advertisem*nt
This effect lasts for 15 minutes, multiplied by the previous Bad Omen level. This will cause the Trial Spawner to become Ominous, offering a tougher experience with unique rewards.
Ominous Trial Key
By defeating an Ominous Trial Spawner, you'll acquire various loot but specifically an Ominous Trial Key, which can be used to unlock Ominous Vaults within Trial Chambers, which will (as you'd anticipate) contain more valuable loot inside than standard Vaults would.