Introduction

The Ender Dragon is the final boss of Minecraft, located in the End dimension. While confronting the Ender Dragon may seem like a daunting task, with proper preparation and strategy, players of all skill levels can defeat it. This Minecraft Bedrock Ender Dragon Guide will take you through the necessary steps to locate the Ender Dragon, prepare for the fight, and ultimately conquer it.

Preparing for the Ender Dragon Fight

Before you enter the End, it is essential to gather the right equipment to ensure survival and success during the battle. Start by focusing on your armor. For experienced players, a full set of iron armor will suffice, but beginners should aim for diamond armor, preferably enchanted with Protection, Unbreaking, and Feather Falling on the boots to mitigate fall damage. While Netherite armor offers the highest protection, it is not necessary for the fight.

For weapons, bring a sword or axe made from iron, diamond, or netherite. In addition to a melee weapon, you will need a bow with at least 10 to 64 arrows. The bow is crucial for destroying the End Crystals that heal the dragon, as well as for dealing damage to the dragon itself from a distance. An Infinity enchantment on the bow is highly recommended because it allows you to use a single arrow for the entire fight without needing to carry multiple stacks.

In terms of tools and supplies, a pickaxe is important, particularly if you spawn in an underground obsidian box or need to break the iron bars surrounding the End Crystals. Bring at least two to three stacks of solid blocks such as dirt or cobblestone. These will be used to build towers that allow you to reach higher End Crystals and create safe spots during the fight. A water bucket is useful for multiple purposes: it can help you escape Endermen, cushion your falls, and safely descend from high pillars.

Slow Falling potions are highly recommended because they prevent significant fall damage, especially when climbing the obsidian towers or when the dragon knocks you into the air. Carrying beds is also advisable because they can be used to deal massive damage to the Ender Dragon when it perches. You should also bring an Ender Pearl to quickly travel across the End island or escape dangerous situations. Additionally, make sure to bring enough food to replenish your health during the fight. Wearing a carved pumpkin as a helmet can prevent Endermen from becoming hostile when you look at them, but it obstructs your vision, so use it only if necessary.

End Portal

Locating the End Portal

To find the End Portal, you can use Eyes of Ender, which will guide you toward the nearest Stronghold. When thrown, an Eye of Ender will fly in the direction of the Stronghold. As you approach within 12 blocks of the Stronghold, the Eye will descend, indicating the location of the portal room. The Stronghold, which contains the End Portal, is often more than a thousand blocks away from your world spawn, so it’s recommended to bring around 16 to 18 Eyes of Ender, as they can break when thrown. Throw them every 50 to 100 blocks to keep on track.

Alternatively, you can use external tools like Chunk Base, where you input your world seed and filter for Strongholds. This tool will give you the exact coordinates of nearby Strongholds. Additionally, if you are near a village, the Stronghold is often located directly beneath the village’s well. If an Eye of Ender leads you to a village, try throwing it near the well to see if it goes underground, indicating that the Stronghold is beneath it.

Another method for finding the Stronghold involves triangulation. By throwing Eyes of Ender from two different locations and observing the angles at which they travel (visible on the F3 debug screen), you can calculate the coordinates of the Stronghold, potentially finding it with only three or four Eyes of Ender.

Understanding the behavior of Eyes of Ender is also key. When an Eye of Ender points toward a Stronghold, it leads you to the chunk containing the spiral staircase, the first room to generate in the Stronghold. The center of this staircase is always located at chunk coordinates 4, ~, 4, although the Eye of Ender will point toward the northwest corner of the chunk, at coordinates 0, ~, 0. In Bedrock Edition, the Eye will lead you directly to this starting staircase.

Creating the End Portal

The main way to access the End Portal is by locating the End Portal room within the Stronghold. This room contains the End Portal frame, which must be activated. To activate the End Portal, you need to place Eyes of Ender into each of the twelve slots within the End Portal frame. While the portal can naturally generate with anywhere from zero to twelve Eyes of Ender already placed, you will need to insert the remaining Eyes. Once the final Eye of Ender is placed, the portal will activate, allowing you to enter the End.

If you have access to commands or are in Creative mode, you can bypass the process of finding a Stronghold and directly obtain End Portal frames and Eyes of Ender to construct the portal yourself. Regardless of how you reach the End Portal room, be sure to navigate the Stronghold carefully. It’s easy to get lost, so marking your path with torches or blocks is recommended. Listen for the sound of Silverfish, as their spawner is usually found in the End Portal room, indicating you’re near the portal.

Ender Dragon Stats

StatisticValueHealth200 HP (100 hearts)Attack Strength (Melee)– Easy: 6 HP
– Normal: 10 HP
– Hard: 15 HP (7.5 hearts)Attack Strength (Wing)– Easy: 3 HP
– Normal: 5 HP
– Hard: 7 HPDragon’s Breath– 6 HP/sec or 3 HP/sec (20-block radius when sitting)Dragon Fireball– 12 HP or 6 HP/sec (cannot be bounced back)Hitbox Size– Height: 8 blocks
– Width: 16 blocks
– Length: 16 blocksSpeed0.7Behavioral States– Guarding: Circles obsidian pillars to guard End Crystals.
– Targeting: Targets a player within 10–150 blocks.
– Strafing: Shoots fireballs and dragon’s breath.
– Diving: Dives towards a player, then flies in circles.
– Sitting: Sits on the central portal, can perform actions like fire breathing, charging, or flying away.
– Escape: Flies away if health is below 50 hearts.Other Stats– Spawns 1 second after a player enters the End.
– Destroying End Crystals actively healing the dragon deals 10 damage.
– The largest naturally spawning mob.
– Only damageable by explosions and player-based damage.
– Immune to most status effects except Instant Damage from Harming potions.
– Immune to fire, falling, drowning, freezing, poisoning, and the void.
– Cannot stand on the ground, flies around the island.
– Only targets players (may retaliate if hit by other mobs).Damage by Entity (Wings)– Easy: 3 HP
– Normal: 5 HP
– Hard: 7 HP (Thrown into air in Java Edition)Damage by Entity (Head)10 HP (damage from head impact)Block Interaction– Destroys most blocks.
– Immune blocks in Bedrock: Crying Obsidian and Respawn Anchors.
– Java Edition: Blocks with “dragon_immune” tag are not destroyed.Health Bar ColorLight purpleLow Health BehaviorEmits beams of light when low on health.

Combat Methods

The Standard Method involves preparing with appropriate gear, including armor, weapons (sword/axe and bow with arrows), blocks, potions (especially slow falling), and food. Upon entering the End, the first priority is to destroy all the End Crystals on top of the obsidian pillars. Lower crystals can be shot down with a bow, while higher and caged crystals require building up with blocks to reach and break them.

Once all crystals are destroyed, the player waits for the Ender Dragon to perch on the central bedrock portal and attacks its head with a melee weapon like a sword or axe for increased damage. Using beds placed near the dragon’s head and detonating them is also a viable way to inflict significant damage during its perching phase. Avoiding jumping while inside the bedrock portal when the dragon is perched is crucial to prevent being flung into the air. Repeat this process until the dragon is defeated.

The Water Pillar Method is an effective strategy after destroying the End Crystals. The player constructs a pillar that reaches the build limit (around 255 blocks) directly above the bedrock portal at the center of the End island (coordinates 0, 0). A small platform is built one block below the build limit. Water is placed on the pillar, creating a downward flow. When the Ender Dragon approaches the pillar, it will ascend the water stream, becoming an easy target to shoot with a bow and arrows from the platform above until it is defeated. Accuracy and speed are important, as the dragon will eventually reach the top.

The Safe Spot Method involves creating a small, safe enclosure near the End portal by digging down, where Endermen cannot reach the player. This provides a place for healing during the fight. To destroy caged End Crystals, the player uses a water bucket at the base of the pillar to prevent fall damage while building up with solid blocks.

Once at the top, the iron bars are broken, and the crystal is shot with a bow. Exposed crystals can be shot down from a distance. After destroying all the crystals, the player waits for the Ender Dragon to perch over the portal, attacks its head with a sword, and utilizes critical hits by jumping and hitting while falling for increased damage. The player can retreat to the safe spot to heal and repeat the process until the dragon is defeated.

Engaging the Ender Dragon

Engaging the Ender Dragon is a multi-stage process that requires preparation, strategy, and the ability to adapt to different combat phases. Understanding each phase of the fight, the primary targets, and how to efficiently handle each stage is essential for success.

Destroying the End Crystals

Upon entering the End Portal, you will spawn on a small obsidian platform, either floating in the void or connected to the main End island. If you’re not already on the island, you will need to bridge across or use an Ender Pearl to reach it. Once on the island, the Ender Dragon will fly around the central area, which is surrounded by tall obsidian pillars topped with End Crystals.

The End Crystals are the first and most important targets in this phase. These crystals heal the Ender Dragon whenever it takes damage, so they must be destroyed before engaging the dragon directly. Lower End Crystals can be easily shot down using your bow and arrows. For the higher End Crystals that are caged within iron bars, you will need to build up using blocks to reach them.

Be cautious when climbing the pillars, as the Ender Dragon will often shoot purple fireballs that can knock you off, causing significant fall damage. Drinking a Slow Falling potion before climbing the towers will help reduce the risk of falling. For the caged End Crystals, you can place a block next to the iron bars to break them with a pickaxe, then destroy the crystal inside. In some cases, eggs or snowballs can be used to hit difficult-to-reach crystals.

Melee Combat When the Dragon Perches

Once all the End Crystals are destroyed, the Ender Dragon will no longer heal, and the real battle begins. The Ender Dragon will periodically perch at the bedrock portal in the center of the island. When the dragon lands and emits purple mist, it becomes vulnerable to melee attacks. This is when you should focus on damaging it directly.

To maximize your damage, wait near the portal and, when the dragon lands, approach it and strike its head with your sword or axe. Hitting the dragon’s head deals more damage than hitting other areas of its body. This phase of the battle is crucial, as the Ender Dragon’s health can be rapidly reduced with precise melee attacks.

Using Beds for Explosive Damage

An alternative strategy during this phase is to use beds to deal heavy damage. Beds explode when you attempt to sleep in them, making them an effective tool to damage the Ender Dragon. To use this method, place a bed near the dragon’s head, ensuring that you position a block between yourself and the bed to protect yourself from the explosion. When you activate the bed, it will explode, dealing significant damage to the Ender Dragon. However, be cautious not to jump while inside the bedrock portal when the dragon is perched, as this may launch you into the air, potentially leading to a dangerous fall if the Slow Falling effect has expired.

Ongoing Flight Combat

While the dragon is flying, you can continue to attack it with your bow. However, this method is generally less effective compared to when the dragon is perched. It is still possible to hit the Ender Dragon while it is flying, but the damage output is less consistent. During this phase, it’s often more effective to focus on melee attacks and explosive strategies when the dragon perches.

Final Steps

Repeat the process of attacking the Ender Dragon when it perches until its health is depleted. Once the Ender Dragon’s health reaches zero, it will ascend and disappear in beams of light, signaling that you’ve successfully defeated it. The final phase rewards you with experience orbs, an exit portal, and the Dragon Egg, which can be collected for later use.

Claiming Your Rewards

Once the Ender Dragon is defeated, it will ascend and disappear in a brilliant burst of light, releasing a large amount of experience orbs. The bedrock structure in the center of the island will fill in to create an exit portal, which will allow you to return to the Overworld and view the game’s credits. A Dragon Egg will also appear atop the central bedrock structure. To collect the egg, hit it once so it teleports to a nearby block. Then, mine beneath the block it is resting on, place a torch in the empty space, and break the block. The egg will fall onto the torch, allowing you to pick it up.

Defeating the Ender Dragon for the first time will also generate an End Gateway Portal. This portal provides access to the outer End islands, where you can explore new areas. The End Gateway is a small bedrock frame with a shimmering portal inside. Repeated kills of the Ender Dragon generate fewer experience orbs, but they do not spawn additional End Gateway Portals beyond the first. In Bedrock Edition, the Dragon Egg may appear a second time after defeating the dragon. You can re-summon the Ender Dragon by placing four End Crystals around the exit portal.

Conclusion

Defeating the Ender Dragon in Minecraft Bedrock Edition requires preparation to find the End Portal, strategic combat involving destroying End Crystals and then attacking the dragon, which ultimately grants significant rewards including experience, an exit portal, a Dragon Egg, and End Gateways to the outer End islands for valuable items like the elytra and shulker boxes.

If you’re looking for more guides, be sure to explore the website for more tips and tricks. Enjoy your adventure, and happy mining!