Ultimate Minecraft Particle Guide | Pro Tips

Hey everyone, it’s UnderMyCap. Welcome back to another video. Today I’m going to show you some advanced particle effects you can add to your Minecraft character. I think this works on Minecraft Java 1.15, but I’m not 100% sure—there are so many versions coming out right now.

Also, sorry for not posting in a while. School’s been keeping me busy, and editing can be really time-consuming. But I wanted to come back with another Minecraft video because you all seemed to really enjoy the last ones.

Why This Tutorial Exists (The “Particle Cape” Question)

I got a comment asking whether you can make a cape effect out of particles on a Minecraft player. My answer is: yes… and no. You can’t make a true animated cape like a cosmetic, but you can create a particle trail that looks very similar and follows behind the player. There are a lot of ways to do it, and one method is especially simple and looks great.

Step 1: Get a Command Block

First, you’ll need a command block. Use:

/give @s command_block

Place the command block down.

Step 2: Use execute to Run Particles at a Player

The command we’ll be using is execute. In my opinion, it’s one of the best commands in Minecraft—especially for map-making—because it makes running commands at specific locations or entities much easier than constantly copying and pasting.

In the command block, start with:

execute at UnderMyCap run particle …

Replace UnderMyCap with your own username. You can also target different things, like:

• @a (all players)
• @e (all entities)
• @p (nearest player)

This makes the command run at the target’s position, so the particles follow them as they move.

Step 3: A Basic “Follow Me” Particle Example

As an example, here’s a simple particle-follow command using the Totem of Undying particles (one of my favorites):

execute at UnderMyCap run particle totem_of_undying ~ ~ ~

You’ll notice something immediately: your chat may start filling with command output spam.

Stop Command Block Spam

To stop command blocks from constantly outputting messages, run this:

/gamerule commandBlockOutput false

After that, you should see the particle effect following you around. Some particles (like the Totem effect) fall quickly, so they may appear to drop toward your feet. If you try something like flame, you’ll still notice it follows every movement you make because the command is effectively being executed constantly (typically every game tick when used properly with a repeating setup).

Customizing Particle Density and Spread

You can customize particle behavior a lot. If you want a deeper breakdown of each argument in the particle command, check out my earlier particle command tutorial. But here are some practical adjustments:

Particle Speed

I usually keep particle speed at 0 to make the effect slower and cleaner.

Particle Count (Thickness)

You can control how many particles spawn at once. For example:

• A higher number (like 10) creates a thicker trail.
• A lower number (like 1) looks lighter and more spread out.

Spawn Radius (X, Y, Z Random Offset)

You can also add spread by changing how far from the exact position particles are allowed to spawn. If you set a radius of 1 for X, Y, and Z, particles can spawn up to one block in any direction—higher, lower, left, right, forward, or backward.

If you change it to something huge like 10, it becomes extremely intense, but it still follows the player.

How to Make a “Cape” Particle Trail

To make a cape-like trail, you want the particles to spawn slightly behind you and a bit higher than your feet. This takes a little more thought, but it’s very simple once you understand it.

Adjust the position so it’s behind your character. For example, raising the Y offset can make it look like it’s coming from your back instead of the ground. Something around 0.5 to 1 block up can work well depending on the effect.

When you run, the particles will appear behind you, creating a trail that resembles a cape effect. If you copy the setup and slightly offset it again, you can make the “cape” look wider or layered.

You can swap the particle type too—Totem of Undying can look especially cool as a trailing effect.

Making Particles Follow Other Entities (Mobs, Items, etc.)

One more useful trick: you can make particles follow entities, not just players.

For example, to target all entities that are not players, you can use:

execute at @e[type=!player] run particle angry_villager …

Make sure your command block is set to Repeat, and that the particle command includes the same kinds of arguments you used earlier (position offsets, count, etc.). You may also want to use force so the particles are visible consistently.

If you don’t see anything at first, it might just be that no mobs are nearby. Try summoning something like a pig, and you should see particles following it. If you hit it and it moves, the particles follow it everywhere.

This is really useful for tracking entities. If you switch the particle to flame and raise it to around two blocks high, it becomes very easy to spot mobs at a distance. It’s also worth noting that dropped items count as entities too, so you can even use this to help find items on the ground.

Wrapping Up

Thanks so much for watching. If you enjoyed this, please leave a like and subscribe—it’s massively appreciated.

If you have ideas or want me to answer more questions like I did today, leave a comment and I’ll try to respond as quickly as I can.

Also, before I go: I’ve opened a website. If you want to check it out, it’s UnderMyCap.com, and it sells caps, hats, shirts—whatever you’re looking for. The link is in the description, along with my social links.