Void



The Void is the term given to the empty space beyond the generated boundaries of each map in the Overworld, Nether and End. The Void appears at the top and bottom of maps, however it is more commonly referred to as the bottom of a map, where layers of bedrock restrict access to it. The Void is technically endless, however if you fall more than 32 million blocks down, Minecraft will crash. Falling into the Void and the command are the only possible ways to die in Creative mode.

Blocks cannot be built on the underside of the Bedrock layer, but Gravel or Sand are placed in the bottom hole nearest the void, they will fall infinitely. Pistons don't extend if placed facing downward at Y=1 and won't extend if placed at Y=0, so blocks can't be pushed into the void. Although Water and Lava appear to flow into it, they will not actually spread and form beneath the lowest layer. This prevents players from descending into the Void safely via swimming. It also prevents extreme lag; if the liquid were to flow down infinitely the game would have to deal with the hefty amount of water blocks in the game which would eventually crash.

The Void is unique in the way it gives off fog in a visual effect, generally known as the Void Fog Effect. When close to the void, the player will experience shortened range of vision, due to 'fog' given off by the Void dimension itself. Regardless of the render distance selected by the player, this effect will still be experienced, getting gradually more prominent every time the player descends one layer. This will not affect mob spawning, it is simply a visual effect. Black fog also closes in at high altitudes, though not as much.

In the Nether, the Void appears a reddish colour. On top of the Nether, you can place blocks up to Y=255, unlike the Void in the Overworld or below the Nether. This is because the increase in maximum build height has not yet increased the height of the ceiling in the Nether. Lighting is buggy, mobs will not spawn on bedrock, and mushrooms spawn.

There is currently a bug in SMP that will remove chunks client-side, so while the data is still there, the client cannot see it and will glitch if they step on it. This can be fixed by reconnecting or placing a torch next to the missing chunk. If you ride a Minecart into this missing chunk, and then you step out of the Minecart, you will fall to the Void and die, regardless if you disconnect and reconnect.

Entering the void
Falling into the Void on Survival mode causes the player's health to be depleted by about 4 hearts per second, leading to the player's death in 2.5 seconds or less, should he or she drop. Armor does not protect you from dying in the Void, and death always occurs at Y= -199.10. However, if health or regeneration potions or golden apples are used the death level alters only slightly. If mods are used to make the player invincible or give them infinite health, they will fall forever. When you fall into the void on a server with anti flying measures, you are kicked regardless of having a flying mod. Riding a vehicle into the Void will result in the player being stuck in the vehicle until he/she dies.

Entities (mobs and items, excluding the player) will fall through the Void and receive the same damage as the player (4 hearts per second), until they disappear at Y=-64. Any entity above layer 319 or below layer -64 will be black. Chickens can be spawned in the void using eggs (however they will die at Y=-64 like all other entities) and Primed TNT can fall into the Void and explode.

Entering the Void appears to be possible in the Pocket Edition and Xbox 360 Edition. In the Pocket Edition, if one creates and activates a Nether Reactor on bedrock level a hole will be made in the void. Bedrock apears invisible from under and the void itself is blue.

Overworld

 * Set your gamemode to Creative and dig straight down. It is possible to fly around in the top layers of the Void without taking damage.

Nether

 * Creative mode - dig straight down or up
 * Bring at least 2 Ender Pearls and navigate to the upper-most layer of bedrock you can find. Throw them at a steady pace upward onto the bedrock until teleporting on top of the layer of bedrock.
 * If you create a Nether Portal in the Overworld really high up, it is possible that the portal will spawn on the top bedrock layer.

End

 * Creative mode
 * Jump off the islands. This will immediately drop you into the Void.

Superflat World

 * If you create superflat world without bedrock layer, you can dig down to last layer and jump into the void.

Trivia

 * If you open a hole to the Void and block off all light sources, you can see that the Void does in fact give off light. (Rather, it is the blocks themselves having a light level higher than 0, not the light "shining out of the hole" as it appears to be). However, the bottom of the bedrock on the last layer is completely black.
 * When the player is at a Y coordinate above 64, the Void appears blue, and the black fog is not rendered. When the player is at a Y coordinate below 64, the Void will change color to black and the fog will get closer to the player.
 * In Superflat, however, the sky-blue Void is visible until Y=0.
 * As of 1.2.5, Sunlight removes the Void fog, allowing for full visibility.
 * Shot arrows can stick to the bottom of the lowest level of bedrock (they are stuck on a block in the Void).
 * Arrows on fire (arrows that have gone through lava) will disappear once they enter the Void while normal arrows fired by the player do not immediately disappear.
 * Water and/or lava cannot pass flow into the void
 * If you destroy bedrock in creative mode and replace it with another block, particles, such as rain, will still fall through that block.
 * When falling into the Void, the sky above only renders for the current chunk. This can easily be tested by falling off on a skyblock world.
 * When viewed on a map, the Void is seen as the pattern used for an unexplored area.
 * If someone joins a server with high latency, it can look like they spawned inside the Void, as the chunks have not generated yet. The Void can glitch between the old blue-sky Void and the new black Void (Void fog).