The Glow and Behold mod rethinks what a humble lantern can do. Instead of just casting light, each lantern becomes a reusable potion dispenser that bathes the area around it in a chosen effect. Drop one near your storage room for Haste, line a path with Speed lanterns, or keep a milk lantern by your front door to wipe debuffs when you walk in.

This is a Fabric-only project built around a small, focused idea. It runs on the client and server, and the mechanics are simple enough to pick up in a few minutes. A quick heads up before you install it, the author has marked the mod as no longer maintained and still in beta, so expect the occasional rough edge.

Crafting an Empty Lantern

You build the base block from cheap materials. Arrange eight iron nuggets in a ring on a crafting table (the same shape as a vanilla lantern, minus the torch in the center) and you get an empty lantern.

At this stage it works as a plain decorative light. The fun starts when you fill it.

Filling a Lantern With a Potion

Hold a potion and right click the placed lantern to infuse it. The lantern changes color to match the brew and begins emitting that effect to anything standing inside a 10-block radius. The level and duration printed on the original bottle do not carry over, the lantern always delivers a steady level 1 effect with no timer, so instant potions like Healing or Damage have nothing useful to give and will not work.

Milk works too. Right click with a milk bucket and the lantern turns into a cleanser, stripping active effects from anyone who steps into its range.

Breaking a Lantern Releases a Lingering Cloud

Smashing a filled lantern does not waste its contents. For about five seconds a lingering cloud spreads over a 3-block radius, and that cloud carries the level 2 version of the stored effect. A lantern holding Jump Boost, for instance, releases a cloud of Jump Boost II when broken. It is a handy way to drop a quick buff on a fight or a build session.

Cleaning and Repurposing Lanterns

Want to swap the effect or break the lantern without triggering a cloud? Right click it with a water bottle (mundane, thick, and awkward potions also work) to flush it back to an empty state. From there you can refill it with anything or just mine it cleanly.

Installing Glow and Behold

Because this is a Fabric project, start by setting up Fabric for Minecraft and dropping the matching JAR into your mods folder. If you are new to the loader, our guide to installing Minecraft mods walks through the folder layout and loader setup step by step. A Fabric API build is recommended alongside it. The mod targets a single older Minecraft release, so match your loader install to that version or the game will not launch it.

If you enjoy light and effect blocks, the Glowing Tools mod and the Beacon Overhaul mod pair well with this one.

Frequently Asked Questions

Does every potion work in a lantern?

No. The lantern emits a constant level 1 effect, so only potions that make sense as a sustained aura apply. Instant effect potions like Healing, Harming, or Regeneration have no continuous effect to broadcast and will not infuse the lantern.

Can I use the lantern without triggering the lingering cloud?

Yes. Right click a filled lantern with a water bottle (or a mundane, thick, or awkward potion) to clean it back to empty. A cleaned lantern can be mined or refilled without releasing any cloud.

Is there a Forge version?

No. The author has stated the project is Fabric only, and no Forge port is planned.

Can I include it in a modpack?

Yes. The license permits modpack inclusion without asking for permission. Because the project is no longer maintained, test it carefully in your pack and watch for the beta rough edges noted on the project page.

Is Glow and Behold still being maintained?

No. The latest release shipped in June 2023, and the author has marked the project as no longer maintained. It still works on its target version, but do not expect new updates or bug fixes. Check the project page for the current status.