The Deeper and Darker mod adds two status effects, Sculk Affinity and Sculk Omen, and both of them change how the sculk around you reacts. Sculk Affinity stops your movement from setting off Sculk Sensors and the Warden, while Sculk Omen makes the Ancient Vases you break far more likely to be traps.
You’ll brew Sculk Affinity like any other potion, from a 
Soul Crystal or 
Soul Dust, and it’s one of the most useful things to have when you’re raiding an Ancient City. Sculk Omen comes from bringing Bad Omen into an Ancient Temple, and it’s mostly used to farm Stalkers.
Sculk Affinity
While you have Sculk Affinity, nothing you do will be picked up as a vibration, so 
Sculk Sensors, 
Calibrated Sculk Sensors and 
Sculk Shriekers won’t react to you at all. That means you’re able to walk, mine, open Chests and fight in an Ancient City without a Shrieker ever calling the Warden.
The Warden can’t hear you either, though it isn’t the same as being invisible, as a Warden that’s already angry at you or sniffs you out up close will still come after you. It also only covers what you do yourself, so a mob or an item you knock over can still set off a nearby sensor.
Brewing
There are two ways to brew a Potion of Sculk Affinity in a 
Brewing Stand, either from an Awkward Potion with a Soul Crystal, or from a Potion of Invisibility with a Soul Dust. Since Soul Dust is much easier to find, the Invisibility route is usually the better way to make a lot of them.
| Starting Potion | Ingredient | Result | Duration |
|---|---|---|---|
| Awkward Potion | Soul Crystal | Potion of Sculk Affinity | 3:00 |
| Potion of Invisibility | Soul Dust | Potion of Sculk Affinity | 3:00 |
| Potion of Invisibility (long) | Soul Dust | Potion of Sculk Affinity (long) | 8:00 |
| Potion of Sculk Affinity | Redstone Dust | Potion of Sculk Affinity (long) | 8:00 |
There’s no stronger version, so 
Glowstone Dust won’t do anything to it, but you’re able to turn it into a Splash or Lingering Potion with 
Gunpowder and 
Dragon’s Breath as usual. A Splash Potion is handy for giving the effect to a friend standing next to you before you both head into an Ancient City.
Totem of Undying
Whenever a 
Totem of Undying saves you, you’ll also get 30 seconds of Sculk Affinity, and the totem won’t clear it the way it clears your other effects. It gives you a short window to get away quietly, which is a big help if a Warden was what nearly killed you.
The totem effect was added in 1.4, so it isn’t in the 1.20.1 version of the mod, which stops at 1.3.3. The Sculk Affinity potions themselves work the same way on both versions, and you’ll brew them from the same ingredients.
Sculk Omen
Sculk Omen replaces Bad Omen once you step inside an Ancient Temple, keeping the same level and lasting for 15 minutes. You’ll get Bad Omen by drinking an 
Ominous Bottle, which drops from the captain of a Pillager patrol or raid, and the level of the bottle carries straight over.
While it’s active, every 
Ancient Vase you break that generated in the world is much more likely to be a fake one, releasing Sculk Leeches or a Stalker instead of loot. That works on vases in Ancient Cities as well as temples, as long as the effect is still running.
| Level | Fake Vase | Stalker | Sculk Leeches |
|---|---|---|---|
| None | 16% | 5% | 11% |
| I | 17.4% | 5.4% | 12% |
| II | 30.9% | 9.7% | 21.3% |
| III | 43.7% | 13.7% | 30.1% |
| IV | 56.1% | 17.5% | 38.6% |
| V | 68.1% | 21.3% | 46.8% |
The reason to want it is the Stalker, as it’s the only mob that drops Soul Crystals, and at Sculk Omen V about one vase in five will have one inside. It’s worth bringing a weapon with Sculk Smite and Looting, since you’ll be fighting a lot more than usual.
Sculk Omen was added in 1.4, so on the 1.20.1 version your Bad Omen stays as it is inside a temple. Fake vases don’t do anything on Peaceful or with mob spawning turned off, and any vase you’ve placed yourself is always safe, whatever level of Sculk Omen you have.
Potion of Glowing
Deeper and Darker also adds a Potion of Glowing, which you’ll brew by adding 
Gleam Gel to an Awkward Potion, and it lasts for 3 minutes. It gives the vanilla Glowing effect, outlining whoever drinks it so they can be seen through walls, which makes a Splash version useful for keeping track of mobs in the dark.
Gleam Gel and the Potion of Glowing were both added in 1.4, so neither of them is in the 1.20.1 version of the mod. There’s more on where Gleam Gel comes from on the Sculk Gleam, Lite and Gleam Gel page.
FAQ
Sculk Affinity stops everything you do from counting as a vibration, so Sculk Sensors, Sculk Shriekers and the Warden won’t react to you. It doesn’t make you invisible, so a Warden that’s already chasing you or sniffs you out will still attack.
Add a Soul Crystal to an Awkward Potion, or a Soul Dust to a Potion of Invisibility, in a Brewing Stand. Adding Redstone Dust afterward extends it from 3 minutes to 8 minutes.
Drink an Ominous Bottle to get Bad Omen, then walk into an Ancient Temple, and it’ll turn into Sculk Omen of the same level for 15 minutes. It makes fake Ancient Vases much more common, which is the fastest way to find Stalkers.
The Warden won’t hear any vibrations you make while you have it, and Sculk Shriekers won’t summon one either. A Warden can still find you by sniffing if you get too close, though, so it’s best to keep your distance.
