Minecraft Guide to the End: World, cities, monsters, ender dragon, loot, and more
The final destination for Minecraft adventurers.
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Ifthe NetherisMinecraft’srendition of Hell, then the End represents the void that separates the different dimensions. It’s a place filled with shadows and strange creatures, and for many, it’s the last stop they’ll ever make. For you, it’s the next facet of Minecraft that has to be explored. We’ve got the scoop on everything to keep an eye out for in the End.
The greatest game of all time.
That may seem like an exaggeration to some, but it’s one backed up by nearly every metric. Minecraft continues to dominate the gaming landscape and has sold more copies than any other game in existence. You don’t own it already? Get it here.
How do you get to the End?
Getting to the End isn’t a matter of meandering aimlessly until you find yourself in that dark dimension, nor does it entail building a portal yourself out of obsidian and hopes. Instead, you need to have access to some high-end materials and the drive to potentially travel a long ways to get to your destination.
Travel to the Nether, slay hordes of blaze, crush them into powder, hunt down dozens of endermen, collect the strange pearls they leave behind, craft the rare eye of ender, search out the End stronghold, traverse the cryptic maze, activate the End Portal, and…it goes on. It’s alright,we have a guide that covers all of thisand breaks it down for your convenience.
What is the End?
The End is the home of Minecraft’s final boss, the ender dragon, and is the third and last dimension a player can explore during their adventures in the game. Most of the End’s initial appearance is dominated by a main center island, housing a circle of tall obsidian pillars, and a fountain-like structure constructed of bedrock in the exact center. This fountain is the exit portal, and is how players can leave the End when they’re done. The first time a player enters the End, the ender dragon will be flying around this center island.
Beyond this sparse set of structures, the End’s main island is relatively boring and empty. Surrounding the main island is a huge expanse of nothing, known as the void. While it may not look like it at first glance, there are other islands that revolve around the main island in the middle, but the gap between them is normally far too large to see, and too large to traverse easily through normal means.
In total, the End actually hasfour separate biomes(five if you count the main island) that generate semi-randomly around the center End island, and each have their own characteristics, appear in different places, and can generate different structures. The common trait shared between all of them is they are all constructed entirely out of a porous block called end stone, and all are occupied by the tall, dark, and not-so-handsome endermen.
The outer islands can only be realistically accessed by using the miniature end portals called gateways that appear in random locations around the End. These gateways have bedrock caps at each end, with a single block of portal visible in the middle. They only appear after the ender dragon has been defeated, and will instantly teleport you to another gateway somewhere else in the End. Unfortunately, there’s really no way to predict where exactly the gateway will bring you. To get back to the center island (and thus leave the End) requires finding another gateway that teleports you to the beginning area near the center.
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There are a handful of ways to go through these gateways. The easiest by far is to toss an ender pearl into the portal. Ender pearls will teleport you to the other side of the gateway quickly and without much hassle. You could also place water in the gap between the gateway and the bedrock caps on either end, then swim through. Or you could use elytra and attempt to fly through. Both require far more effort, and are really only good if you have no other option.
If you don’t want to use the gateways at all, you could also build a vast 1,000 block long bridge spanning the void between the center and outer islands. Or you could use elytra with a ton of fireworks to try and boost you over. Again, these require far more effort than just finding a gateway and tossing and ender pearl through them.
Here are just a few of the things to keep in mind about the End:
What can you find in the End?
The End seems to be pretty empty on the surface, but it actually has a decent amount of content waiting for those who explore it. While it might not be worth frequent trips like the Nether can be, curious players can still find a ton of awesome stuff outside the drab center island that seemingly dominates a player’s entrance into the End. There are unique mobs, structures, and strongholds available to discover, kill, and run away from.
Here’s what you can find in the End:
What are end cities and ships?
If you had any doubts about where you should head in the End, those end now. End cities and end ships are two of the more interesting locales in the End, and it’s the best place to pick up some awesome loot and do some fun exploring. End cities and ships only show up on the outer islands, so you’ll, of course, need to defeat the ender dragon before you start knocking them out. They’re not hard to find, though, since end cities are colossal structures that tower into the sky, and end ships only generate near end cities, hovering ominously in the dark void above them. Let’s tackle one at a time and dive into what makes these structures the best parts of the End, and all the cool loot you can find inside them.
End cities
End cities are found in two of the four End biomes, including the midlands, and are most common in the highlands. These structures hold some of the best loot in not only the End, but also the best loot in all of Minecraft. End cities are relatively uncommon, so you may not find one right away. If you’re lucky, you can find multiple end cities clustered together in a group, much like nether fortresses can reach near impossible sizes in some cases.
End cities are instantly recognizable by their strange, sometimes chaotic appearance and the materials they’re constructed with. While they’re called cities, these strongholds are closer to skyscrapers. They can generate in a variety of different sizes, and they don’t share identical layouts. End cities are also constructed of something called purpur blocks, which is crafted using popped chorus fruit. These blocks can be mined and collected with a pickaxe, if you fancy their look.
End cities are also the only place players can naturally find the elusive ender chest. Ender chests are a rare form of chest that, on the surface, acts like any other chest. However, each player has a “profile” of sorts that is synced between all ender chests in the world, meaning you can store whatever you want and access it instantly from other ender chests elsewhere. It’s definitely worth taking these chests with you. They can be crafted with eight blocks of obsidian and one eye of ender.
In no particular order, here are the different rooms and structures that end cities can generate:
End ships
End ships can occasionally generate next to end cities, and despite their small size can actually be more valuable than the end city it’s next to. They’re even rarer than end cities, though, since few end cities generate a ship next to them, and no city can have more than one ship attached to it. If an end city has a ship next to it, it’ll generate a bridge that can bring players within the distance of an ender pearl throw to get on board the ship.
End ships look exactly as their name suggests. They’re medium-sized boat-like structures constructed of purpur blocks. End ships are also much smaller than end cities, and much more predictable in their structure. In design and build, they’re very similar to your typical pirate ship, with a main deck, a mast, and lower levels that hide all the good stuff. End ships are always guarded by three shulkers, so be warned that stepping aboard means a fight.
Here’s how an end ship is laid out:
Loot
Diligent players can quickly accumulate a ton of super valuable gear and loot in the End, if they have their wits about them a little bit of luck. While the End doesn’t hold a huge variety of content, some of the best loot in the game can be found in its chests. With two chests guaranteed for every end ship, and two chests guaranteed for every treasure room inside of an end city, your journey to the End can rapidly end in a very happy inventory.
The loot you can find in the End includes:
What lives in the End?
Unlike the Overworld and Nether, which both have intimidating lists of hostile mobs seeking to destroy you, the End is home to only three. It makes it easy to keep track of and to prepare for the eventual confrontation you’ll have with them. Even better, the three mobs that spawn in the End all have their own place, so you won’t be caught by surprise.
The three mobs that live in the End are:
These mobs are the most common in the End, and show up absolutely everywhere. They’re most prevalent on the center island where the ender dragon makes its home. As long as you avoid looking directly at them, they shouldn’t be much of a threat. Endermen are also solo mobs, so they won’t swarm you if you do get dragged into a fight with one. The best way to deal with endermen is with a sword, since they typically teleport away from arrows and other ranged weapons.
On that note, shulkers are also similar to wolves and pigmen, in that if one shulker in the area is attacked, all shulkers in the area will target the player responsible. This, combined with their camouflage, can quickly spin things out of control when battling them. Shulkers can also hide in their boxes and take on a ton of armor, as well as deflect arrows and other projectiles. Trying to upset their perches, drowning them, or simply attacking them can also cause them to teleport away, making them even more annoying.
To battle shulkers, a shield is recommended. Shields block their strange projectiles, rendering their attacks useless. You can also attack the projectiles and destroy them mid-flight. It’s also important to stay vigilant and wait for opportunities to attack. While wailing on a closed shulker can eventually kill it, it’ll take forever and leave you open to attack. Wait for the shulker to peek out and move fast. When exploring cities, pay attention to the walls for any blocks that look out of place. It might be a shulker.
What is the ender dragon?
The ender dragon is massive, a little terrifying, and capable of devastating destruction and catastrophic damage to any unlucky players who cross its path. True to its name, the ender dragon is a dark, scaled and winged creature that spits purple fire as it flies around, circling the mysterious fountain that occupies the center of the main End island. It is the final boss and represents a pretty big challenge to anyone who isn’t prepared to face it.
That doesn’t mean players can avoid the ender dragon like the plague and continue on their merry way. Slaying the ender dragon is the key to leaving the End, so you probably shouldn’t travel to the End unless you’re ready to fight. What are the massive obsidian pillars the draw the ender dragon close? What is the fountain in the middle? How does the ender dragon attack, and how can you survive its onslaught?
These are all questions we’ve answered inour guide to the ender dragon,knowledge that’s a must-have for anyone interested in seeing the End.
How do you leave the End?
You can’t leave the End the same way you got in. Much like access to the outer islands, in the End, is restricted, players can’t leave the End until the ender dragon has been killed. If you’ve already killed the ender dragon and done all of your exploring, don’t fear! Just find your way back to the center island the ender dragon resided and look for the fountain-like structure in the center of the End. It’ll be made of bedrock, and be lit by torches. If the ender dragon has been killed, the fountain will be filled with the same starry substance that makes up the core of the End Portal or end gateways. Just jumping into this will bring you back to your spawn point in the Overworld. If you’ve never left the End before, you’ll also get to see the elusive Minecraft credits before you return.
This is the End
The End will hardly be your vacation spot of choice, or even worthy of daily trips to further explore it. It’s a closed system, and doesn’t offer a huge amount of resources that might be regularly needed like the Nether does. That being said, it’s one hundred percent worth the effort to discover and travel to, even if only for a handful of journeys, just to fight the ender dragon and explore the end cities. And once you’re done, you can say you actually beat Minecraft. Sort of.
Have you gotten to the End in Minecraft? What do you think about it? Sound off in the comments below!
Zachary Boddy (They / Them) is a Staff Writer for Windows Central, primarily focused on covering the latest news in tech and gaming, the best Xbox and PC games, and the most interesting Windows and Xbox hardware. They have been gaming and writing for most of their life starting with the original Xbox, and started out as a freelancer for Windows Central and its sister sites in 2019. Now a full-fledged Staff Writer, Zachary has expanded from only writing about all things Minecraft to covering practically everything on which Windows Central is an expert, especially when it comes to Microsoft. You can find Zachary on Twitter@BoddyZachary.
