Void

The void is the name given to the empty space external to the world in any dimension, most commonly below it. In vanilla Minecraft, it can be entered by using a command or Map Editor, in Creative or Spectator mode, using glitches, or by reaching the End. No blocks can generate or be placed in the void.

Effects[edit | edit source]

Java Edition[edit | edit source]

Falling at least 64 blocks (i.e: under Y=-128 in the Overworld, or Y=-64 in the Nether and End) into the void causes the health of any mob (except the ender dragon) to be depleted by about 4 every 10 game ticks (0.5 seconds). This kills a player in 2 ¹⁄₂ seconds. Armor, totems of undying, the Resistance effect and the Protection enchantment do not protect the player from dying in the void, and death occurs depending on the player's velocity, usually being around 250 blocks into the void. Other status effects can alter the death level slightly. It is possible to survive in the void if the player constantly eats enchanted golden apples. However, the only way to have a supply of them is to have a command block constantly giving them to the player. The player can also survive in the void by having Regeneration or Instant Health of a sufficient level (achievable only by commands). If commands are used to make the player invincible or bestow infinite health, the player falls until Minecraft crashes. A player who falls into the void on a server with anti-flying measures is kicked out regardless of having a flying mod. Riding a vehicle into the void results in the player being stuck in the vehicle until death. The void extends for 2¹⁰²⁴ blocks (1.8×10³⁰⁸) on the Y-axis.

The void is black in the Overworld and Nether, and purple in the End. In the Overworld, the void also appears as having daylight if the player views from above sea level (Y=63; feet level Y=61.38). In the Nether, similarly, the void appears as the same color with the biome fog, if the player views above lava sea level (Y=31; feet level Y=29.38).

Other entities may also fall through the void and receive the same damage as the player, with the exception of the wither, which takes 4 every 1 game tick (0.05 seconds). The ender dragon is completely immune to the void damage. Some entities disappear at 64 blocks into the void. ​^{[more information needed]} Any entity between 64 and 319 blocks into the void appears as black. In the Overworld and the Nether, the layer of bedrock at the bottom of the world prevents the player from accessing the void. In the End, however, the void is easily accessible due to the large gaps between the islands.

Bedrock and Education editions[edit | edit source]

In Bedrock Edition and Minecraft Education, the player's health is depleted by 4 every half second at Y=-82 and below. At Y=-104 an invisible barrier is created using invisible bedrock, preventing the player from falling further. This barrier can be bypassed by using commands such as /tp, after which the player falls indefinitely until they crash the game or fly back up. In Creative mode, one does not die, giving free access to flying under the void. However, if the player goes to any coordinates beyond negative or positive X or Z of 8,388,608 blocks, the invisible barrier effectively disappears due to blocks of any kind no longer being solid to the player (see Bedrock Edition distance effects for more details). A similar phenomenon can also occur at certain lower coordinates in some instances.^[1]

There is daylight according to the current time in the void of Bedrock Edition.

Elytra also can't be boosted here using fireworks, making it fatal if the player does not have enough speed to return to a positive height.

All entities except cameras, ender dragons, NPCs, and shulkers (as they cannot be placed in the void) are damaged by the void. Withers summoned in the void are unable to shoot wither skulls since the game instantly deletes them, and they gradually lose health like other mobs.

History[edit | edit source]

Void fog[edit | edit source]

In Beta 1.8, black void fog and the depthsuspend particle effect were introduced. As the player descended below Y=17 in the Overworld, the void fog and particles would start to appear. As the player traveled deeper, the fog at the edge of the render distance would become closer until the player reached bedrock, where visibility was reduced to just a few blocks, beyond which was complete darkness. The gray void particles appeared below Y=17, as well as in the void.

The void fog was removed in snapshot 14w34c, the main reason being to improve performance.^[3] The depthsuspend particle effect was also removed from the void, but stayed in the game until snapshot 17w47a when it was removed as part of The Flattening.

Issues[edit | edit source]

Issues relating to "Void" are maintained on the bug tracker. Issues should be reported and viewed there.

Trivia[edit | edit source]

• Shulkers cannot take void damage, because the damaging layer of the void is below the minimum build limit, meaning no blocks can be placed there, and Shulkers instantly teleport to the nearest block when not already connected to any blocks, so any Shulkers summoned in the void immediately teleport out without taking any damage.
• When viewed on a map, the void is seen as the pattern used for an unexplored area in versions 1.10 and below. This is because there are no blocks recorded in the void's area, just the same as if the player has not explored or recorded normal areas. In versions above 1.10, the void is seen as the color ID 11 (Gray, i.e. Stone).
• When falling below the void, the second to last line of the debug screen disappears entirely, and is replaced by "Outside of world..." This also occurs when a player reaches above the height limit.
• In Bedrock Edition, the Void is the same color as the sky in the Overworld.
• Because there is no light in the void, it can produce cave ambience.
• If a player with night vision goes into the void, blocks above render as black.
• Even though the New Nintendo 3DS Edition is based on Pocket Edition Alpha v0.15.4, which had invisible barriers at Y=-40, it was completely absent from this version of the game, meaning that it is possible to fall indefinitely.

Gallery[edit | edit source]

Screenshots[edit | edit source]

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  Entities are rendered and black below bedrock.

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  Looking at an old world from the old bedrock layer in Bedrock Edition.

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  The void as it looked in Alpha. Notice the blue color.

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  Bottom: Blue void from Alpha version.

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  The red Nether void.

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  A chunk error in an older Minecraft version revealing the void.

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  In 1.2.5, falling under Y=-618 would make a black box like this appear around the player.

References[edit | edit source]

External links[edit | edit source]

• Around the Block: The Void – Minecraft.net on April 4, 2024

Navigation[edit | edit source]