How Did We Get Here? Advancement Guide: All Status Effects at Once

How Did We Get Here is widely considered the hardest advancement in Minecraft. You must have every status effect applied to your character simultaneously. As of 1.21, that means 27 different effects all active at the same time. Some effects conflict, some last only seconds and some require hostile mobs to hit you at exactly the right moment. This guide breaks down every effect, the setup required and the precise execution order.

Why this advancement is so difficult

The challenge is not getting any individual effect. It is getting all of them active simultaneously. Some effects last only a few seconds (like Dolphin's Grace or Bad Omen). Others require specific mob attacks (like Levitation from Shulkers or Darkness from Wardens). You need a carefully designed arena where you can trigger every effect in rapid sequence before the first ones expire.

Complete list of required status effects

You need all of the following effects active at the same time:

Potion-based effects

• Speed
• Slowness
• Haste
• Mining Fatigue
• Strength
• Instant Health (splash, brief)
• Instant Damage (splash, brief)
• Jump Boost
• Nausea
• Regeneration
• Resistance
• Fire Resistance
• Water Breathing
• Invisibility
• Night Vision
• Weakness
• Poison
• Slow Falling

Non-potion effects

• Absorption (golden apple)
• Glowing (spectral arrow)
• Levitation (Shulker hit)
• Conduit Power (active conduit)
• Dolphin's Grace (swimming near dolphin)
• Bad Omen (killing raid captain)
• Hero of the Village (completing raid, or use prior to attempt)
• Darkness (Warden nearby)
• Wither (Wither Skeleton hit)

The setup arena

You need a purpose-built room that contains the following:

• A water channel with a dolphin for Dolphin's Grace. The dolphin must be contained so it swims near you reliably.
• A conduit in a valid frame surrounded by enough water for Conduit Power to activate.
• A trapped Shulker that can shoot you on demand for Levitation. Transport one from an End city in a boat or minecart.
• A Wither Skeleton behind a fence or in a boat for the Wither effect.
• A Warden trigger, usually a sculk shrieker that you can activate for Darkness. The Warden does not need to spawn fully, you just need the Darkness effect from sculk shriekers (three activations summon it, but the shrieker gives Darkness on each activation).
• A dispenser loaded with a spectral arrow aimed at you for Glowing.
• An Elder Guardian nearby (or in a water tank) for Mining Fatigue. This is one of the hardest mobs to transport. Some players build the arena near an Ocean Monument instead.
• Potion supplies: Brew extended-duration versions of every potion effect. Splash potions are faster to apply than drinkable ones.

Execution order

The key is to apply long-lasting effects first and short-duration effects last. Follow this general sequence:

1. Apply all extended potions first: Night Vision (8 min), Fire Resistance (8 min), Water Breathing (8 min), Invisibility (8 min), Regeneration (1:30), Strength (8 min), Speed (8 min), Jump Boost (8 min), Slow Falling (4 min), Resistance (use beacon or potion).
2. Eat a golden apple for Absorption.
3. Trigger Conduit Power by standing in range of your conduit.
4. Get Mining Fatigue from the Elder Guardian.
5. Get shot by the Shulker for Levitation.
6. Get hit by the Wither Skeleton for Wither effect.
7. Trigger the sculk shrieker for Darkness.
8. Swim past the dolphin for Dolphin's Grace.
9. Fire the spectral arrow dispenser at yourself for Glowing.
10. Apply the short-duration negative potions last: Slowness, Weakness, Poison, Nausea.
11. Throw Instant Health and Instant Damage splash potions at your feet simultaneously, these are instant effects and register briefly.

Critical tips

• Bad Omen and Hero of the Village are the trickiest pair. You normally lose Bad Omen when you start a raid and gain Hero of the Village when you finish it. You need to apply Bad Omen after already having Hero of the Village, which means completing a raid first, then killing another raid captain. Hero of the Village lasts 40 minutes in Java Edition, giving you plenty of time.
• Practice the sequence in creative mode first. Set up a duplicate arena and rehearse the order until you can execute it in under 30 seconds.
• Levitation only lasts 10 seconds. Plan your sequence so the Shulker hits you near the end, right before you apply the instant potions.
• Dolphin's Grace requires you to be swimming (not just in water). Sprint-swim past the dolphin.
• Have a milk bucket ready in case you need to clear effects and retry. But remember: milk clears everything.

Common failures

• Levitation expires too early. The Shulker needs to hit you later in the sequence. Reposition if needed.
• Dolphin despawns. Name tag your dolphin and keep it in a small pool with a lead or waterlogged fence gates.
• Elder Guardian is too far away. Mining Fatigue has a range limit. The Guardian must be within 50 blocks.
• You die mid-sequence. With Poison, Wither, Instant Damage and mob attacks happening simultaneously, your health drops fast. Wear strong armor and have Regeneration active early.

Want to chase advancements on a custom server? Astroworld MC runs economy survival with custom bosses, eternal enchants, crossplay and an active community. IP: play.astroworldmc.com, Java + Bedrock.