Reaching The End in Minecraft requires finding a hidden Stronghold, gathering Ender Pearls, and crafting Eyes of Ender to activate the End Portal. It's the ultimate milestone in standard survival progression, marking the gateway to the Ender Dragon boss fight and the sprawling outer islands filled with Elytra wings and Shulker boxes.
Many players get stuck trying to find a stronghold or wasting valuable resources on inefficient mining methods. This guide covers the exact step-by-step process to locate a stronghold efficiently, farm the necessary materials without dying, and successfully ignite the portal to face the dragon.
Gathering Your Materials and Gear
Before you start hunting for a stronghold, you need to prepare your inventory. Wandering into an underground fortress with iron armor and a wooden sword is a recipe for losing your hard-earned gear.
You need to collect at least 12 to 14 Eyes of Ender to activate the portal, though you'll want extras because eyes can occasionally break when thrown. Each Eye of Ender requires one Ender Pearl and one Blaze Powder.
How to Get Ender Pearls
Ender Pearls drop exclusively from Endermen, tall black mobs that spawn mostly at night or in the dark. Hunting them on the surface can be dangerous if you accidentally look them in the eyes, which triggers them to attack.
- Build a low ceiling roof (two blocks high) using dirt blocks. Stand underneath it. Endermen are three blocks tall, so they can't reach you under the roof, allowing you to attack their legs safely.
- Alternatively, trade gold ingots with Piglins in the Nether for a safer, though randomized, source of pearls.
How to Get Blaze Rods
Blaze Rods come only from Blazes found inside Nether Fortresses. You'll need to venture into the Nether, locate a fortress, and find a Blaze spawner.
Bring plenty of blocks to build protective walls, and use a bow and arrow to pick off Blazes from a distance. Grind enough rods to craft plenty of Blaze Powder, and keep a few extra rods for brewing healing potions or making strength potions.
Locating and Entering the Stronghold
Once you have your Eyes of Ender, place them on your hotbar. Right-click or use your secondary action button to throw an eye into the air. It will float upward and travel in the direction of the nearest Stronghold, then eventually drop to the ground. Sometimes, the eye will shatter and break, which is why having 14 or more is essential.
Tracking the Stronghold
Throw an eye, walk in the direction it traveled, and repeat the process every 100 blocks or so. As you get closer to the stronghold, the eye will start dropping straight down or even sink directly into the ground. When an eye drops straight down into the floor, you are standing directly above or very close to the underground stronghold.
Digging Down Safely
Don't just dig straight down blindly, or you might fall straight into a lava pool or an open cavern. Dig a staircase down at a safe angle. Once you hit the stone brick walls of the stronghold, explore carefully. Strongholds are dangerous mazes filled with Silverfish spawners, iron doors, and branching corridors. Look for the portal room, which always contains a staircase leading down to a lava-filled chamber with the frame suspended over the lava.
Activating the End Portal
The End Portal room features a floating frame made of portal blocks, guarded by a Spawner that continuously spawns Silverfish. Deal with the Silverfish spawner first by placing torches to light up the area or breaking the cage quickly with a pickaxe.
Placing the Eyes of Ender
Approach the portal frame blocks and right-click to insert an Eye of Ender into each empty socket. There are 12 frames in total.
- Some frames may already have an Eye of Ender pre-installed when you discover the portal. Check every single frame block carefully before placing your own.
- Stand on the inside of the frame while placing the final eye to avoid accidentally dropping items into the lava below.
Stepping Through
The moment you place the twelfth and final eye, the bubbling lava inside the frame transforms into a swirling, starry void. This is the End Portal. Step directly into the purple swirling texture to teleport instantly into The End dimension, where the Ender Dragon awaits your challenge.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can you come back from The End?
Yes. Once you defeat the Ender Dragon or jump into the exit portal without defeating it, a credits sequence plays. Walking through the portal at the end of the credits returns you safely to your original overworld spawn point or your last used bed.
What should I bring into The End?
Bring a diamond or netherite sword, a bow with Power and Infinity enchantments, at least two stacks of solid building blocks (like cobblestone), water buckets for MLG saves, golden apples, and pumpkin heads to wear so Endermen don't attack you when looked at.
How many Eyes of Ender do I need?
You need up to 12 to fill the portal frame, but you should craft 15 to 20 total. You need extra eyes to throw into the air while tracking the stronghold, as roughly 20% of thrown eyes break upon impact.
What happens if I die in The End?
If you die in The End, you respawn back in the Overworld at your bed or world spawn point. All of your items remain dropped on the ground inside The End dimension until you return to retrieve them, assuming they don't despawn.
