How to Get the 'Very Very Frightening' Advancement in Minecraft

The Very Very Frightening advancement is in the Adventure tab of the advancements menu (Java Edition only). It requires you to strike a villager with lightning, specifically by hitting one with lightning summoned by a trident enchanted with Channeling during a thunderstorm. This transforms the villager into a witch and grants the advancement. It's a child of the A Throwaway Joke advancement (throw a trident).

This is a mid-to-late-game advancement, as obtaining a Channeling trident can take time. Expect 1-2 hours of farming in survival, plus waiting for weather. Here's a complete step-by-step survival guide (tested in 1.21+).

Prerequisites

• Access to oceans/rivers or Trial Chambers for tridents.
• Enchanting setup (enchanting table, bookshelves, lapis).
• Villager trading hall or cured zombie villagers for librarians.
• Bed for sleeping to skip time.

Step 1: Obtain a Trident

Tridents are rare drops from Drowned zombies:

• Spawn locations: Oceans, rivers, drowned farms, or Trial Chamber vaults (1.21+ loot: 2.1% chance).

Drop chance:

• Tips:
  • Build a drowned farm (e.g., in an ocean monument).
  • Use Looting III sword.
  • Convert zombies to drowned in water (spawns trident-holding ones more often).

Step 2: Enchant the Trident with Channeling

Channeling summons lightning on hit only during thunderstorms (not regular rain).

• Methods:
  1. Librarian trade (easiest/reliable):
     • Cure a zombie villager (weakness potion + golden apple).
     • Level up to Master Librarian.
     • Reroll trades until Channeling book appears (costs emeralds).
     • Combine book + trident in anvil.
  2. Enchanting table: Level 42+ needed; very rare (Rarity: Very Rare).
• Note: Only one level of Channeling exists.

Step 3: Get and Prepare a Villager

• Find a village or breed villagers.
• Transport one (boat/minecart) to your setup.
• Setup:
  • Flat, open platform (e.g., grass or dirt).
  • Direct sky access: No blocks/trees above the villager (lightning won't strike otherwise).
  • Trap it (e.g., 1x1 fenced area) to prevent wandering.
  • Keep dry (no water touching it).

Step 4: Wait for a Thunderstorm

• Identification:
  • Dark gray sky, heavy rain/snow, frequent lightning flashes, loud thunder sounds (audible up to 160k blocks).
  • Sky light drops to 10; mobs spawn easily.
• How they work:
  • Random Overworld event (~9 hours average real-time between storms).
  • Last 3-13 minutes (thunder phase).
  • Can start day or night; sleep in bed to skip time and cycle weather.
• Tips:
  • Stay online/AFK near your setup.
  • Use /weather thunder in creative for testing.

Step 5: Strike the Villager

• During thunderstorm:
  1. Equip Channeling trident.
  2. Throw (right-click) directly at the villager (close range for accuracy).
  3. Lightning bolt spawns at impact → Villager turns into witch (hostile!).
  4. Advancement pops immediately.
• Trident returns automatically (magnetism in rain).

Common Issues & Tips