Java Edition:Permanently Glowing Entity

This article is about an entity that is permanently glowing without the use of effects. For an effect with an infinite duration, see Infinite Duration Effects. For mobs that are permanently bigger or smaller than usually possible, see Permanent Big or Small Mobs.

Glowing Player.png

Permanently Glowing Entity
A player that has been made permanently glowing.
Type	Entity
Versions Obtainable
Version range	21w13a - 21w15a

Starting in 21w13a, there existed a bug which allowed for nearly any entity that existed at the time to be made permanently glowing, or have its glowing tag permanently set to 1b. This is different from an entity with an infinite duration effect, as an entity that is permanently glowing does so without any effects applied to it.

Obtaining

A permanently glowing entity is obtained by giving an entity the Glowing effect from 21w13a to 21w15a (1.17 snapshots). There are two notable methods that allow for an entity to be given the Glowing effect. After the Glowing effect is depleted, the entity that previously had the Glowing effect will still have its glowing tag set to 1b (true).

Spectral Arrow

The easiest way to give an entity the Glowing effect is by shooting a spectral arrow at the entity that you want to make permanently glowing, but this method has limitations. The limitations are that you can only give one entity the Glowing effect at once, and since the spectral arrow does damage, you could also kill the entity by accident. Furthermore, endermen will dodge and not be affected by projectiles, meaning that you cannot create a permanently glowing enderman using this method.

Creeper Area Effect Cloud

This method relies on the mechanic where in the situation in which a creeper with an inflicted effect explodes, it will spawn an area effect cloud. This means that if you give a creeper the Glowing effect and explode it before the effect runs out, an area effect cloud will generate that will give entities the Glowing effect when their hitbox collides with the hitbox of the area effect cloud (basically the entity touching the area effect cloud). This allows for endermen to be permanently glowing, as well as multiple mobs to be inflicted the Glowing effect at once. However, make sure that the creeper's explosion does not damage anything.

Applicable Entities

Not all entities that existed at the time could be given the Glowing effect, which unfortunately means that there are some restrictions to which entities can be permanently glowing, as listed in the table below. There are also some entities which can only be made permanently glowing with one specific method, or even by using a completely different method. Please note that the table below only shows mobs that existed in the version range that permanently glowing entities were available.

Color	Meaning
Green	Can be made permanently glowing using both of the methods listed on this page.
Blue	Can be made permanently glowing using only one of the methods listed on this page.
Yellow	Can be made permanently glowing only by using another method.
Red	Cannot be made permanently glowing at all without cheat methods.

Table of Entities

Entity	Methods Applicable
	Spectral Arrow	Area Effect Cloud	Other Methods
Axolotl	Yes	Yes	No
Bat	Yes	Yes	No
Bee	Yes	Yes	No
Blaze	Yes	Yes	No
Cat	Yes	Yes	No
Cave Spider	Yes	Yes	No
Chicken	Yes	Yes	No
Cod	Yes	Yes	No
Cow	Yes	Yes	No
Creeper	Yes	Yes	No
Dolphin	Yes	Yes	No
Donkey	Yes	Yes	No
Drowned	Yes	Yes	No
Elder Guardian	Yes	Yes	No
Ender Dragon	No	No	No
Enderman	No	Yes	Yes[Upgrade]
Endermite	Yes	Yes	No
Evoker	Yes	Yes	Yes
Fox	Yes	Yes	No
Frog	Yes	Yes	No
Ghast	Yes	Yes	No
Giant	Yes	Yes	No
Glow Squid	Yes	Yes	No
Goat	Yes	Yes	No
Guardian	Yes	Yes	No
Horse	Yes	Yes	No
Hoglin	Yes	Yes	No
Husk	Yes	Yes	No
Illusioner	Yes	Yes	Yes
Iron Golem	Yes	Yes	No
Killer Bunny	Yes	Yes	No
Llama	Yes	Yes	No
Magma Cube	Yes	Yes	No
Mooshroom	Yes	Yes	No
Mule	Yes	Yes	No
Ocelot	Yes	Yes	No
Panda	Yes	Yes	No
Parrot	Yes	Yes	No
Phantom	Yes	Yes	No
Pig	Yes	Yes	No
Piglin	Yes	Yes	No
Piglin Brute	Yes	Yes	No
Pillager	Yes	Yes	Yes
Player	Yes	Yes	No
Polar Bear	Yes	Yes	No
Pufferfish	Yes	Yes	No
Rabbit	Yes	Yes	No
Ravager	Yes	Yes	No
Salmon	Yes	Yes	No
Sheep	Yes	Yes	No
Shulker	Yes	Yes	No
Silverfish	Yes	Yes	No
Skeleton	Yes	Yes	No
Skeleton Horse	Yes	Yes	No
Slime	Yes	Yes	No
Snow Golem	Yes	Yes	No
Sniffer	Yes	Yes	No
Spider	Yes	Yes	No
Squid	Yes	Yes	No
Stray	Yes	Yes	No
Strider	Yes	Yes	No
Tadpole	Yes	Yes	No
Trader Llama	Yes	Yes	No
Tropical Fish	Yes	Yes	No
Turtle	Yes	Yes	No
Vex	Yes	Yes	No
Villager	Yes	Yes	No
Vindicator	Yes	Yes	Yes
Wandering Trader	Yes	Yes	No
Witch	Yes	Yes	Yes
Wither	No	No	Yes [Downgrade]
Wither Skeleton	Yes	Yes	No
Wolf	Yes	Yes	No
Zoglin	Yes	Yes	No
Zombie	Yes	Yes	No
Zombie Horse	Yes	Yes	No
Zombie Villager	Yes	Yes	No
Zombified Piglin	Yes	Yes	No

Uses

Making an entity permanently glowing is useful for keeping track of its location at all times, as the outline of glowing entities can be seen through blocks or even when they're invisible. It could also be used as a prank to make other players permanently glowing, which is most harmful in Hardcore mode because players need to die to remove the Glowing tag.

Discontinued Blocks and Items

Certain mobs can be stored in certain blocks and items (an example of this could be a tropical fish in a bucket), and the same applies to mobs that have been made permanently glowing. This means that you can store permanently glowing mobs as blocks and items, thus making the items and blocks discontinued.

Mob	Stored In	Form
Axolotl	Bucket	Item
Bee	Bee Nest, Beehive	Item, Block
Cod	Bucket	Item
Pufferfish	Bucket	Item
Salmon	Bucket	Item
Tadpole	Bucket	Item
Tropical Fish	Bucket	Item

If a discontinued mob is stored inside of an item, the item can be stored in containers (including a bundle), or even held by CanPickUpLoot mobs (mobs with their CanPickUpLoot tag set to 1b).

Gallery

• Examples of other discontinued features put in combination with permanently glowing entities:
• 

  A giant that has been made permanently glowing.

• 

  A wither skeleton that is dual wielding a pair of diamond leggings and a Glow Ink Sac.

• 

  A zombie wearing wool with No AI holding a glow ink sac ridden by a phantom, both of which have been made permanently glowing.

Additional Information

Observability

Permanently glowing mobs and players are directly observable, as you can simply look at the outline around them (or yourself, if you were made permanently glowing and go into third-person). You can see the glowing outline of entities through blocks, and even when they are invisible. On the other hand, the discontinued blocks and items created by permanently glowing mobs are indirectly observable because you need to additionally test that they contain the mobs. You do this by either by placing the bucket containing the aquatic mob or placing down the bee hive/nest for the bees to simply fly out.

Combos

The following mobs and items are the most notable discontinued features that can be permanently glowing or can contain permanently glowing items:

• Dual Wielding Mob
• Zombie Variant Holding Glow Ink Sac
• Long Name Mob
• Illusioner
• Giant
• Killer Bunny
• Stacked Entities
• Bundle

See Also

• Permanent Big or Small Mobs
• Permanent Wandering Trader
• Permanent Invulnerable End Crystal