While defeating the Ender Dragon is a significant challenge for many players, it is often just the beginning of a new Minecraft world. This victory allows you to greatly expand the End Dimension, giving you the opportunity to find many exciting items for your advanced builds. Firstly, there are the Shulker Boxes, which act like backpacks and are extremely useful. Secondly, there’s the Elytra, the glider wings in Minecraft that allow you to travel long distances. Both can be found in the End Cities, which we will explore today!
Gaining Access to the Expanded End Islands
When entering the End for the first time, you should first take on the Ender Dragon. While the battle can be a bit lengthy, it should be manageable for most players. But that’s not the end of the End Dimension! After your victory over the dragon and the Minecraft credits, returning through the End Portal in a Stronghold will present you with a whole new challenge.
The End consists not only of the large main island but also extends millions of blocks in every direction. However, without help, you won’t get far, as there’s no direct landmass near the main island. This is due to the “Void Sea,” a roughly 1000-block radius around the center of the End. For now, the only way to explore the further End Islands is via the End Gateway Portal. These small portals made of Bedrock 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 will 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 death! Be ready to collect some important items to simplify your return journey.
- Diamond Armor
- 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 Fortresses in the End
Surprisingly, despite its uniform appearance, the End has different biomes. You will only find End Cities in the End Highlands, so it may take some time to stumble upon one. However, they are hard to miss! They are made of Purpur Blocks and End Stone Bricks and often tower above the barren landscape of the End. The purple blocks are made from the Chorus Fruits, which you can also find in the End.
End Fortresses consist of various components and can be either very small or huge. It’s worth visiting several fortresses to explore them. Shulkers can be found everywhere, but the Elytra is only in End Ships. These are rare and can only be found in certain End Fortresses.
Tips for Fighting Shulkers
Besides treasures like diamonds and enchanted tools and armor, End Fortresses are particularly interesting because of their enemies. Shulkers are unique mobs in Minecraft and do not attack you directly. At first, they don’t seem very powerful since they can’t directly harm you. But you should be cautious, as Shulkers are not easy to defeat!
The monsters disguised as purple boxes can be found in all End Fortresses, sometimes more, sometimes less. They open and close, and inside is a small, yellow face. When they see you, they attack with Shulker Bullets. These deal two hearts of damage and give you the “Levitation” status effect, causing you to float uncontrollably in the air and lose control of your movement. Your worst enemy then becomes the impending fall damage, making a Water Bucket essential for your End equipment. You can deflect the projectiles with a shield or your sword.
It’s best to attack Shulkers with your sword when they are open. However, they may teleport. Interestingly, Shulkers also spawn on “Peaceful” but won’t attack you.
Shulker Boxes: Portable Storage Solutions
If you defeat a Shulker, it might 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 coveted because they function like backpacks. They have as much space as a single chest (27 slots) but can be broken down and retain their contents. Additionally, they can be dyed and renamed at an anvil to differentiate them. You can have as many boxes in your inventory as you want. However, you cannot store a Shulker Box within another Shulker Box … that would probably be TOO overpowered! Still, you’ll save a tremendous amount of space in your inventory when you venture into the End.
Elytra: Discover the Joy of Flying
The Elytra is the second item that makes a visit to the End so important. With these gray wings, you can glide and travel long distances! However, these armor pieces can only be found in certain End Fortresses that also have a ship. It may take some time to find one.
To fully utilize the Elytra’s potential, we recommend Fireworks. We’ve even created a tutorial (How to Build an Automatic Firework Rocket Farm: Perfect for Elytra Flights) on how to automatically produce them. In most cases, you only need one Elytra, as you can repair it with Phantom Membrane or enchant it with “Unbreaking” and “Mending,” allowing it to be repaired with experience points. Fun fact: The Elytra is not always gray but takes on the color of your cape when activated on your Minecraft skin.
Conclusion: Embark on an Adventure!
Once you’ve defeated the Ender Dragon, you should venture into the End again and search for an End Fortress. Here, many Endgame Items await you, including Shulker Boxes and the Elytra. Both are necessary if you want to take your Minecraft world to the next level. Rent your own Minecraft server and experience the adventure with your friends! In the fortresses, you’ll also find many enchanted items and armor pieces that are worth acquiring.
