By Hannah (Tyler) Dahlberg
The Ender Dragon has been the most difficult enemy in Minecraft since the game's first release. Here's how players can defeat the behemoth.
Minecraft has its fair share of bosses and mini-bosses, but compared to the intimidating Warden and Wither, none are more universally feared than the Ender Dragon. The Ender Dragon has been a part of the game since the very beginning, as survival mode was conceptualized to have a specific ultimate goal for players. Minecraft 1.0.0, the very first full release of the game, debuted the Ender Dragon and the deadly dimension of The End.
Although the ultimate challenge of defeating the Ender Dragon has been in the game since the first full edition of Minecraft, it remains one of the most difficult battles. That said, there are a plethora of tips and tricks that players have gathered over the years to beat the ever-evolving fight with Ender Dragon.
6 Build An Obsidian Base
Having a place to regenerate health and switch out weapons and armor is more than necessary when it comes to the fight with the Ender Dragon. The End is littered with Endermen, and the Ender Dragon never ceases its attack on the player, so regenerating health and finding a place to recoup isn’t easy.
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All that said, players can build a small base out of obsidian to store their extra items inside and take cover from the Ender Dragon. The dragon can destroy almost any block, making most man-made structures useless, but obsidian is one of the exceptions to this rule.
5 Opt For Bow & Arrow Combat
The Ender Dragon spends most of its time flying around in the air, regenerating its health from the various obsidian pillars containing End Crystals at the top. This makes sword combat difficult, since players would have to consistently wait for the dragon to perch by the End Portal at the center of the island in order to get solid hits in. Using a bow and arrow as the main weapon means that players can both shoot at the dragon as it flies around in the air, and destroy the End Crystals that will continue to regenerate the Ender Dragon’s health.
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Enchanting a bow with Flame I, Infinity I, or Power V can benefit players fighting the dragon. The dragon is immune to all status effects, so unfortunately the different types of status-afflicting arrows in Minecraft won’t affect or aid the outcome of the fight with the Ender Dragon.
4 Collect Beds
It isn’t recommended that players opt for sword combat once the dragon perches, because it’s much easier and more efficient to try and blow up the dragon with beds. Since Minecraft includes a game mechanic that makes beds explode in dimensions like the Nether and End, many have used this to their advantage to unleash powerful explosions on the Ender Dragon while it’s perched.
Players can keep a few beds on hand, and even more in a chest either down at the Stronghold or in their obsidian base, to use as powerful explosives against the Ender Dragon.
3 Bring Ender Pearls
The End Island is sat in the middle of the void, with nothing below or beside the island. It’s not hard to be thrown off the island’s edge, either by accident or through being attacked by the Ender Dragon. To avoid being thrown off the edge and losing precious items to the void surrounding the island, players should keep a hefty amount of Ender Pearls on hand.
Ender Pearls are a requirement to make the Eye Of Ender, which grants access to The End dimension, so it’s likely that players will have some leftovers from slaying Endermen. If not, the End Island is covered in Endermen that players can slowly pick off in order to farm pearls from them.
2 Wear A Carved Pumpkin
One of the most easily overlooked aspects of The End is the abundance of Endermen. Rhey’re not immediately aggressive towards players, only attacking when they’re hit or a player looks them in the eyes. Because of this, many overlook them as a threat when fighting the Ender Dragon.
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That said, it’s easy to get overwhelmed and swarmed with Endermen completely by accident. If players find themselves dying to Endermen rather than the dragon, it might be best that they wear a carved pumpkin on their head. Wearing the carved pumpkin makes players immune to Endermen attacking them when they look into the neutral mob’s eyes, making it slightly easier to avoid a swarm of Endermen attacking the player at any point.
1 Bring Water Buckets
The Ender Dragon often attacks with her wings, which can throw players up to fatal heights or even off the End Island. If players are caught off guard, this could be the end of their fight, especially since players will need to be suspended off the ground to climb up the obsidian pillars and destroy each of the End Crystals. This gives the dragon ample opportunity to throw them off their tower to their death.
That said, there’s a simple solution to surviving this attack. Keeping a couple of water buckets on hand can allow the player to quickly place water below them before hitting the ground. This will allow players to survive falls that otherwise would have been completely fatal. Although the water bucket clutch is somewhat tricky to master, once players have gotten the hang of the technique, it’ll be a massive aid in their fight with the Ender Dragon.
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