Although defeating the Ender Dragon is a major challenge for many players, it is often just the beginning of a new Minecraft world. This expands the End dimension significantly, giving you the opportunity to find many exciting items for your more advanced constructions. On one hand, there are the Shulker Boxes, which act like backpacks and are extremely useful. On the other hand, there is the Elytra, the gliding wings in Minecraft, which allow you to cover great distances. You can find both in the End Cities, which we will also take a closer look at today!
Gaining Access to the Expanded End Islands
When entering the End for the first time, you should first take on the Ender Dragon. The battle may be a bit lengthy, but it should be manageable for most. But that’s not the end of the End dimension! When you return through the End portal of a stronghold after defeating the dragon and watching the Minecraft credits, a whole new challenge awaits you.
The End consists not only of the large main island, but also stretches millions of blocks in every direction. However, without help, you won’t get far, as you may notice there is no direct landmass near the main island. This is due to the so-called “Void Sea,” a roughly 1000-block radius around the centre of the End. So at first, there is only one way for you to explore the further End islands: the End Gateway Portal. These small Bedrock portals can teleport you to the End islands using an Ender Pearl. From there, you can start your search for End Cities!
By the way, you can defeat the Ender Dragon multiple times and unlock up to 20 of these Gateway Portals. They then line up around the main island and teleport you to different positions in the End.
The Best Equipment for the End Adventure
To make your time in the End a bit easier, especially for your first trip, you should be well-prepared. A wrong step could mean your demise! You should also prepare to collect some important items to simplify your return journey.
- Diamond armour
- Sword with Sharpness 5 and Looting 3
- Shield
- Water bucket
- Enough food
- Several stacks of Ender Pearls
- Fireworks (for the later Elytra)
- Ender Chest (to secure important items)
Finding and Exploring End Cities
Surprisingly, despite its very uniform appearance, the End has different biomes. You will only find End Cities in the End Highlands, so it may take a while before you stumble upon such a structure. However, they are hard to miss! They are made up of purpur blocks and end stone bricks and often rise far above the barren landscape of the End. The purple blocks, by the way, are made from the chorus fruits that you can also find in the End.
The End Cities consist of different parts and can be very small or huge. It is therefore worth visiting several cities and exploring them. You will find Shulkers everywhere, but the Elytra is only found in the End Ships. These are rarer and only found at certain End Cities.
Tips for Fighting Shulkers
In addition to riches such as diamonds and enchanted tools and armour, the End Cities are particularly interesting because of their enemies. Shulkers are extraordinary mobs in Minecraft and do not attack you directly. At first, they do not seem particularly strong, as they cannot directly injure you. However, you should beware of them, as Shulkers are not easy to defeat!
These monsters disguised as purple boxes can be found in all End Cities, sometimes more, sometimes less. They open and close, and inside is a small yellow face. When they see you, they attack you with Shulker bullets. These deal two hearts of damage and give you the “Levitation” status effect. This means you float uncontrollably in the air and lose control of your movement. Your worst enemy then is the impending fall damage, which is why a water bucket is essential for your End gear. You can deflect the projectiles with a shield or your sword.
It is best to attack the Shulkers with your sword when they are open. However, they may teleport. Amusingly, Shulkers also spawn on “Peaceful” mode but do not attack you.
Shulker Boxes: Portable Storage Solutions
When you defeat a Shulker, it may drop a Shulker Shell. In Java, your chances are significantly lower than in Bedrock, so use Looting on your sword. With two shells and a chest, you can craft a Shulker Box!
For many Minecraft players, these boxes are highly sought after because they function similarly to backpacks. They have as much space as a single chest (27 slots), but can be broken and retain their contents. Additionally, they can be dyed and renamed at an anvil to distinguish them. You can have as many boxes in your inventory as you want. However, you cannot store a Shulker Box inside another Shulker Box … that would probably be TOO crazy! Nevertheless, you save a tremendous amount of space in your inventory when you venture into the End.
Elytra: Discover Flying
The Elytra is the second item that makes a visit to the End so important. With the grey wings, you can glide and cover long distances! However, these armour pieces are only found in certain End Cities that also have a ship. So it may take some time before you find one.
To fully utilise the Elytra’s potential, we recommend fireworks. We even have a tutorial for you on how to produce them automatically. In most cases, you only need one Elytra, as you can repair it either with Phantom Membrane or enchant it with “Unbreaking” and “Mending,” allowing it to be fixed with experience points. A fun fact, the Elytra is not always grey but takes on the colouring of your cape, which you have activated on your Minecraft skin.
Conclusion: On to Adventure!
Once you’ve defeated the Ender Dragon, you should venture back into the End and search for an End City. Many endgame items await you here, including Shulker Boxes and the Elytra. Both are necessary if you want to take your Minecraft world to a new level. Rent your own Minecraft server and experience the adventure together with your friends! In the cities, you will also find many enchanted items and armour that are worth looking at.
