Turtle shells in Minecraft: Everything you need to know

A turtle shell is an oft-forgotten piece of gear that Minecraft players can equip as a helmet. It provides the Water Breathing status effect.

Turtle shells can be time-consuming to create because they're made out of scute. This particular material only appears when a baby turtle grows into its adult size.

This means players will need to breed turtles in order to obtain the five pieces of scute required to craft the helmet itself. They can then equip the turtle shell helmet for the Water Breathing status effect.

However, players can also use the turtle shell for one additional function in the game.

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What is a Potion of the Turtle Master in Minecraft?

A piece of scute near a fully-grown turtle in Minecraft (Image via Mojang)

Turtle shells serve an odd second purpose in Minecraft.

Specifically, players can use turtle shells in the brewing process. When placed in a brewing stand, players can place awkward potions in the underneath slots to brew what is known as a Potion of the Turtle Master.

When used, Potions of the Turtle Master will slow down player and mob movement speed, even while sprinting. Entities under the effects of these potions also see their total damage taken reduced. Depending on the quality of the potion, its effects will increase and its duration will be prolonged.

Damage reduction is a great asset to have. However, slowing down the player can be problematic, especially in certain combat situations.

A breakdown of the effects of the Potions of the Turtle Master in various ranks can be found below:

Potion of the Turtle Master

• Slows players and mobs down by 60%, reduces damage by 60%, and remains active for 20 seconds.

Potion of the Turtle Master +

• Slows players and mobs down by 60%, reduces damage by 60%, and remains active for 40 seconds.

Potion of the Turtle Master II

• Slows players and mobs down by 90%, reduces damage by 80%, and remains active for 20 seconds.

Minecraft players may not always be on board with the significant slowdown bestowed by the potion. This makes the potion a fairly situational tool to be used either on the player itself or on a specific target.

Using a turtle shell as a helmet that provides Water Breathing tends to be the preferred use of this item.