The Void

The void is pure black.

The void is the name given to the empty space below layer 0.

Effects[edit | edit source]

Falling into the void past Y=-64 causes the player's health to be depleted by about 4 () every half second, leading to the player's death in 2 ¹⁄₂ seconds. Armor does not protect you from dying in the void, and death always occurs at Y=-199.10. However, if status effects are used the death level alters only slightly. After this, if the player does not press any buttons, they will usually fall until somewhere below Y=-256, with this number varying on each death. If commands are used to make the player invincible or give them infinite health, they will fall until Minecraft crashes. When you fall into the void on a server with anti-flying measures, you are kicked out regardless of having a flying mod. Riding a vehicle into the void will result in the player being stuck in the vehicle until they die.

Liquids, such as water, cannot flow into the void. (Because of the height limit)

Other entities may also fall through the void and receive the same damage as the player, with the exception of the wither, which appears to take tremendous damage. All entities will disappear at Y=-64. Any entity above layer Y=319 or below layer Y=-64 will be black. In the Overworld and in the Nether, a layer of bedrock prevents the player from going into the void. In The End, however, the void is easily accessible due to the large gaps between the islands.

Pocket Edition[edit | edit source]

In Pocket Edition, the player's health is depleted by 4 () every half second at any negative height. At Y=-32 an invisible barrier is erected, preventing the player from falling further. In Creative Mode, one will not die, giving free access to flying under the void, but if the player falls in Creative, they will eventually land on an invisible surface at about 256 blocks below Y=0.

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

Console Edition[edit | edit source]

Entering the bottom void is not possible in the Console Editions. Although the player is unable to break the bottom or top layer of bedrock, even in creative, you can enter it by breaking end stone in the end until you get to the void. Then you will die and respawn. If the player does somehow manage to do so in the overworld, attempting to fall into the void will result in the player standing on it. This also happens at the y-coordinate of 511, where an invisible barrier is erected to stop the player going any higher. The invisible barrier for the bottom is not present in the End. If the player is affected with resistance 5+, regeneration 8+ or instant health you can fall infinitely into the void without dying.

Additionally, black void fog exists. It increases with depth as the player descends past Y=17. As the player travels deeper, the fog at the edge of the render distance will grow closer, until the player reaches the deepest depths, where visibility is reduced to just a few blocks, beyond which lay only blackness. There are also dark gray void particles that appeared at level 16 and below, plus in the void. Void fog can be disabled in the options menu to increase performance.

Video[edit | edit source]

Note: This video is outdated, as void fog was removed in 1.8

History[edit | edit source]

Infdev
?				The void acts and provides damage as an invisible lava sea, and making the lava only visible when entering the void.
June 18, 2010				The player is now killed when falling off of the bottom of the map.
Beta
1.6				Prior to this update, things that fall into the void would become black because there is no lighting there.
1.8				Void fog was added. If you are in within 16 blocks of the void, the particle effect will be visible, along with limited visibility, as if you were on render distance tiny.
				If using an X-Ray mod, you can see the color of the void change from blue to black while descending. This can also be seen by a player in an ocean biome. Just before the player's head goes under the water, the horizon is seen to turn black, and as the player rises it changes back to blue.
				Entities are now lit in the void.
				The Player can now reach the void through Creative mode.
				Previously, it was possible to find holes in the bedrock that lead into the void. This was fixed.
				Previously, if one was to pass the 32 million block limit (called the Far Lands), the player would no longer clip (the blocks become non-solid) and fall through to the void, resulting in the player's eventual death. As of 1.8, at the 32 million block limit world generation becomes simpler and block physics fail. Also, exceeding the 32 million block limit will cause the game to crash.
Official release
1.1			11w48a	Before this update, the void fog was in all game modes. Now, it is present only in Survival and Adventure modes. Also, mobs that fall into the void will now receive the same damage as the player (2 hearts per second) and items that fall into the void now disappear when they reach Y-64.
1.2.1				In maps generated prior to 1.2, it was still possible to find holes in the bedrock leading to the void under very low-level lava pools. This was fixed, and holes in bedrock no longer exist.
1.8			14w34c	Removed void fog and particles. Bottom of bedrock is also not black anymore.
1.9			15w37a	"The Void" is now also the name of a biome, used to generate a new superflat preset also called "The Void". The void biome still contains a proper void beneath it.
Pocket Edition Alpha
0.11.0			build 11	Players in creative mode no longer take void damage upon entering the void. Before this, all players will be instantly killed when entering the void, even in creative
Console Edition
TU1	CU1	1.0	Patch 1	The void is present in the first release of the Console Edition.
TU5				Removed the void by making it impossible to break the bottom/top layer of bedrock.
TU6				Void fog can be toggled on and off. Fog is disabled by default. Void fog is dependent on the game host's settings.
TU31			Patch 3	Void fog and its particle were completely removed.

Issues[edit | edit source]

Issues relating to “The Void” are maintained on the issue tracker. Report issues there.

Trivia[edit | edit source]

When viewed on a map, the void is seen as the pattern used for an unexplored area.
- 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.
When falling below Y=0, the second to last line of the debug screen disappears entirely, and is replaced by "Outside of world..."
- This also occurs when you reach above Y=256.
You can survive in the void with Regeneration effect of level 6 or higher.
In the Pocket Edition, the Void is the same color as the sky in the overworld.