Minecraft’s Ender Dragon. It’s a bit of an enigma for many players, as not everyone is aware you can actually complete Minecraft. Well, guess what? There is an end goal, and the big bad waiting for you at the end of your adventure is the Ender Dragon. When you see it, you understand why it’s the final boss. Of course, to find this beast, you need to go through the portal, so it’s time to pick up our diamond pickaxes and go to battle.
For all you Minecraft maniacs out there, we have plenty of great guides to help you explore this barren-blocky wasteland. You’ll need plenty of Minecraft diamonds before you take on the Ender Dragon, and if you want to take the game from your hands to your desktop, then we explain how to get Minecraft mobile on PC.
Here’s our guide to the Minecraft Ender Dragon.
What is the Minecraft Ender Dragon?
Minecraft’s Ender Dragon is a huge beast that serves as your final obstacle of the game, and you’d best believe it puts up a fight. To reach the Ender Dragon, you need to go through a Minecraft end portal, so make sure you read our guide to learn how you can find or make one. But beware, The End isn’t for the weak. There are just two options in this area: beat the Ender Dragon or die.
How do I prepare to fight the Ender Dragon?
It’s a big fight. The Ender Dragon is one of the most formidable things you’ll go up against in Minecraft, so it’s to be expected, and we recommend only attempting this particular battle when you’ve crafted high-level armor and enchantments. It’s not the type of fight you want to try when you’re low-level, and it’s worth collecting as many resources as possible before you take this winged beast on. Here are the items we recommend for this particularly harrowing challenge:
- Diamond armor (complete set) – to deal with the massive damage the Ender Dragon causes.
- Diamond sword – you need to deal as much damage as possible at close range.
- Bow or crossbow – the Ender Dragon is mostly airborne, so this is essential.
- Arrows – All of them. Hundreds. Or if you can, enchant your bow with infinite arrows.
- Diamond pickaxe – the quickest way to destroy blocks and make your way around the arena.
- Food – preferably golden apples, otherwise bring the best food you can make.
- Blocks – as soon as you arrive, mine as much end stone as possible, as this is resistant to the Ender Dragon’s attacks.
How do I defeat the Ender Dragon?
When entering The End, there are two things you need to take care of before you get to the big bad. You’re surrounded by Ender Men, and you’ll notice healing crystals on tall towers, ready to heal the Ender Dragon. An easy way to deal with the Ender Men is to equip a carved pumpkin, and they won’t connect eye contact with you, meaning you can take them out with relative ease. Alternatively, place blocks directly above your head, and then the tall Ender men won’t be able to reach you. This is an easy way to mow them down.
Secondly, take out the healing crystals as soon as you can. Arrows will do the trick, as long as you arc your shot a little, but even snowballs will do. If you don’t want to waste the arrows, bring some snowballs and lob them to take out every single crystal. You can also use blocks or water to climb the towers, but be careful, the crystals cause damage when they are destroyed.
The best tactic to employ when you’re up against the Ender Dragon is to simply keep your distance. When it’s in the air, it poses less of a risk, and you’re free to fire as many arrows at it as possible. When it closes the gap and swoops down, you can then attack its head while it hovers just above the ground. It’s a slow tactic, but it’s effective, and far better than holding the w-key while you sprint headfirst into mortal peril.
Another great tactic is to use beds. Placing a bed just below the head, put a block between the bed and yourself (this is to avoid damage), and then attempt to sleep in the bed. This will cause the bed to explode, and if you’ve avoided getting killed yourself, this will seriously wound the Ender Dragon. After some persistence, success! You’ve slain the biggest enemy in Minecraft, go forth, adventurer, and enjoy your spoils.
If you’re done with Minecraft for now, why not check out our guide to the best Switch games to find another grand adventure today? Or if gacha games are more your thing, we have all the latest Zenless Zone Zero codes and Genshin Impact codes for you, too.