With this Minecraft Ender Dragon guide, we’ll help you take down the most powerful enemy of all. It might not seem like Minecraft has much of a goal or an end boss, but the Ender Dragon is the one waiting for you once you finally make your way through the end portal. Get your diamond pickaxe at the ready, and let’s slay this beast.
For all you Minecraft maniacs out there, we have plenty of great guides to help you explore this barren-blocky wasteland. We’ve covered guides to the best Minecraft games, Minecraft diamonds, and how to play Minecraft mobile on PC.
Here’s our guide to the Minecraft Ender Dragon.
What is the Minecraft Ender Dragon?
The Minecraft Ender Dragon is one of the toughest enemies in the game, and you will need to properly prepare to defeat it. You can find out how to reach the Ender Dragon with our Minecraft end portal guide, but be wary, once you enter the area known as The End, you can only defeat the Ender Dragon, or die. There’s no running away and there’s no backing down, so this is a fight to the bitter end. Get ready.
How do I prepare to fight the Ender Dragon?
This is a big old fight, and a difficult one, so we recommend attempting this when you have really amassed some resources and can build high-level armor and enchantments. Here are the items we recommend for this particularly grueling 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.
When it comes to beating the Ender Dragon, the best tactic is simply keeping your distance as it flies and setting off as many arrows as possible, and then attacking the head when it swoops in and hovers just above the ground. It’s slow progress, but it’s better than w-keying your way 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? We’ve got Minecraft coverage, too – here’s where to find Minecraft diamonds and what came to the game in the latest Minecraft update.