The Potion of Freezing is one of two new potions in Minecraft’s Fourth Drop 2026, arriving with the new Ice Caves biome and its Frostbite mob. You brew it by adding an Ice Ball to an Awkward Potion. It’s the first potion that applies the Freezing effect, which works like standing in powder snow.
The potion went live in Bedrock Preview 26.60.29 on September 30, 2026, and in Java Edition 26.4 Snapshot 3 on October 6, 2026. Mojang’s Preview 26.60.29 changelog confirms the brewing recipe. The full release is set for Q4 2026 as Java 26.4 and Bedrock 26.70, but Mojang has not announced an exact date. Until then, you need a snapshot or Preview build to brew it.
What you need to brew a Potion of Freezing
- Brewing Stand and Blaze Powder for fuel
- Water Bottles (up to three per batch)
- Nether Wart to make Awkward Potions
- Ice Ball, the key ingredient
- Optional: Redstone Dust (longer duration), Gunpowder (splash), Dragon’s Breath (lingering)
How to get Ice Balls
Ice Balls currently come from one source: Frostbites, a zombie variant that spawns in Ice Caves and snowy biomes. Each kill has a 75% chance of dropping at least one Ice Ball and averages 1.5 per kill. On Java, Looting III raises that average to 3 per kill.
You can also make your own Frostbites. Zombies and husks that stay in powder snow too long convert into Frostbites, and drowned convert into zombies first. A powder snow trap near a zombie spawner can therefore supply Ice Balls without trips to an Ice Cave.
Ice Balls stack to 16. Snapshot 5 (October 20, 2026) also added the “What Goes Around Comes Around” advancement, which you earn by killing a Frostbite with a thrown Ice Ball.
Steps to make a Potion of Freezing in Minecraft
- Place a Brewing Stand and add Blaze Powder to the fuel slot.
- Put up to three Water Bottles in the bottom slots.
- Add Nether Wart to the top slot to brew Awkward Potions.
- Add an Ice Ball to the top slot to get a Potion of Freezing.
- Optionally, add Redstone Dust to extend the duration from 0:45 to 1:30.
The potion has no Level II. Freezing only exists at Level I, so Glowstone does nothing here.
Splash, lingering and arrow of Freezing recipes
| Item | Recipe | Duration | Extended |
|---|---|---|---|
| Potion of Freezing | Awkward Potion + Ice Ball | 0:45 | 1:30 |
| Splash Potion of Freezing | Potion of Freezing + Gunpowder | 0:45 | 1:30 |
| Lingering Potion of Freezing | Splash Potion of Freezing + Dragon’s Breath | 0:11 | 0:22 |
| Arrow of Freezing | 8 Arrows around 1 Lingering Potion (Java); Arrows dipped in a Potion of Freezing cauldron (Bedrock) | 0:05 | 0:11 |
On Java, one lingering potion makes eight arrows, so arrows give you the most uses per Ice Ball.
What Freezing does and which mobs it affects
Freezing gradually slows a target to half speed over 7 seconds. After that, it deals damage every 2 seconds until the effect ends. Affected players shake as if trapped in powder snow. Mojang intends it to lower jump height too, but a bug currently stops that part from working.
The mob list determines where the potion is worth using:
- 5x damage: blazes, magma cubes and striders. This makes splash potions strong for Nether fortress raids and blaze farm clean-up.
- Immune: zombies, husks, drowned, Frostbites, withers and the ender dragon. Snapshot 4 (October 13, 2026) added the immunity for zombies, husks and drowned.
- Can’t be frozen: skeletons, strays, polar bears and snow golems.
That rules out the most common Overworld hostiles, so save your Ice Balls for the Nether.
How to block the Freezing effect
Wearing any single piece of leather armor stops you from freezing, just as it does with powder snow. However, the effect stays on you and takes hold again if you remove the leather piece. Standing in fire or lava also cancels Freezing, but simply being on fire does not.
For PvP, leather boots in a hotbar swap are the cheapest counter. Watch out for Frostbite melee hits too, since each one applies 3 seconds of Freezing.
Signing Off
The Potion of Freezing gives brewers their first answer to Nether mobs that shrug off fire. The main limits are its narrow mob list and its reliance on Frostbite drops. Recipes and numbers may still change before the drop ships later in Q4 2026, especially Ice Ball damage, which Bedrock Preview 26.70.21 already adjusted.
Not yet. It’s available only in Java 26.4 snapshots and Bedrock Preview builds until the Fourth Drop 2026 releases.
The drinkable and splash versions last 0:45, or 1:30 with Redstone. Lingering versions last 0:11, or 0:22 extended.
No. Each kill has a 75% chance of dropping at least one, and Looting increases the amount.
No. Freezing isn’t on the effect list for A Furious Cocktail or How Did We Get Here.
Yes. Frostbites respawn, and zombies or husks convert into Frostbites in powder snow.
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