How to Get Ominous Bottles in Minecraft

Guide Java Bedrock

Quick answer: Kill pillager raid captains - the ones with banners on their heads at outposts and in patrols. Every captain not in a raid drops 1 ominous bottle (level I-V). They also drop from vaults in trial chambers. Drink one for Bad Omen: enter a village to start a raid, or approach trial spawners to trigger ominous trials.

What you need

Weapon for raid captains (banner pillagers)
Pillager outpost or patrol location
A plan: village raid or ominous trials

Step by step

Find a raid captain: look for pillagers with ominous banners on their heads - they spawn at pillager outposts and lead patrols roaming the Overworld.
Kill it outside a raid: every captain that isn't currently in a raid drops exactly 1 ominous bottle of level I-V (100% drop).
Check trial chamber vaults too: ominous bottles appear as vault loot there - handy once you're farming keys.
Drink when you're ready: the bottle breaks after use and gives Bad Omen for 100 minutes at the bottle's level. Drinking a higher-level bottle upgrades your current effect; a lower level just resets the timer.
Choose your event: walk into a village and Bad Omen becomes Raid Omen, starting a raid (in Java, level II+ adds a bonus wave). Walk toward trial spawners and it becomes Trial Omen, turning them ominous - that's how you farm ominous keys for ominous vaults.
Chain your farming: ominous trials drop more ominous bottles, so one captain can fuel a whole trial chambers session.

Java vs Bedrock

Mechanics match across editions, with one raid difference: in Java, Bad Omen level II or higher adds an extra raid wave of the same strength as the final wave; Bedrock keeps the standard wave count but higher levels still mean more enchanted raider gear. Bad Omen activates 1 tick after drinking in Java and a few ticks in Bedrock.

Versions: Added in Java 1.20.5 (experimental) and officially in 1.21, and Bedrock 1.21.0 (Tricky Trials, June 2024) - replacing the old automatic Bad Omen from killing captains.

Frequently asked questions

What drops ominous bottles in Minecraft?

Pillager raid captains - banner-wearing pillagers from outposts and patrols. Every captain killed outside a raid drops 1 ominous bottle of level I-V. Trial chamber vaults also contain them.

What does an ominous bottle do?

Drinking it gives Bad Omen for 100 minutes. Enter a village and it transforms into Raid Omen (starts a raid); approach trial spawners and it becomes Trial Omen (turns them ominous, unlocking ominous keys and vaults).

Do ominous bottle levels matter?

Yes: the level sets the Bad Omen level. Higher levels mean tougher, better-equipped raiders - and in Java, level II+ adds an extra raid wave. For trials, higher levels extend the Trial Omen duration but don't change the difficulty.

Can you stack Bad Omen effects?

Not exactly: drinking another bottle while affected resets the 100-minute duration, and a higher-level bottle raises your effect level. A lower-level bottle won't downgrade what you have.