| Type | Mob |
|---|
Data checked Oct 28, 2026
The Ender Dragon is the final boss of Minecraft. Defeating it in the End is the traditional way to finish the game, roll the credits and unlock the outer End islands with their End cities and elytra. The fight can feel overwhelming the first time, with healing crystals, dragon breath and endermen all around, but good preparation makes it manageable. This wiki page covers Ender Dragon stats, how to reach and prepare for the fight, how the dragon attacks, step-by-step tactics, rewards and how to respawn the dragon in Java and Bedrock Edition.
Ender Dragon stats
| Stat | Value |
|---|---|
| Type | Boss mob |
| Health | 200 (100 hearts) |
| Location | The End, main island |
| Attacks | Charge and wing hits, ender acid fireballs, dragon breath |
| Healing | End crystals on top of the obsidian pillars |
| First kill XP | 12,000 experience points |
| Later kills XP | 500 experience points |
| Special drop | Dragon egg (first kill only) |
| Immune to | Most status effects |
How to reach the Ender Dragon
- Collect ender pearls from endermen and blaze rods from blazes in Nether fortresses.
- Craft eyes of ender: 1 ender pearl and 1 blaze powder each.
- Throw eyes of ender to find the stronghold, then locate the End portal room.
- Fill the empty frames with eyes of ender to activate the portal.
- Jump in. You arrive on an obsidian platform or the main island of the End, where the dragon is waiting.
There is no way back except by dying or defeating the dragon, so prepare fully before jumping in.
What to bring
- Armor: full diamond or netherite with Protection, plus Feather Falling boots.
- Weapons: a Sharpness sword, and a bow with Power and Infinity or a stack of arrows.
- Blocks: a stack or two of cheap blocks to pillar up to crystals and build bridges.
- Food: golden carrots or steak, plus golden apples.
- Potions: Healing, Regeneration, Strength and Slow Falling. See the potions guide.
- A water bucket for falls and endermen, and a carved pumpkin to wear if endermen worry you.
- Beds if you want to use the bed strategy, since beds explode in the End.
- Ender pearls to recover from falls.
How the Ender Dragon attacks
- Charging: the dragon flies around the island and dives at players, knocking them into the air with its wings and body. Fall damage is often deadlier than the hit itself.
- Fireballs: it shoots purple ender acid fireballs that burst into a lingering cloud of damaging dragon breath.
- Perching: every so often the dragon lands on the exit portal in the center of the island and breathes a cone of dragon breath around it.
- Block destruction: it destroys most blocks it flies through, except end stone, obsidian, iron bars, bedrock and a few others.
Step-by-step: how to beat the Ender Dragon
Step 1: Destroy the End crystals
The tall obsidian pillars around the island each have an End crystal on top. While crystals remain, the dragon heals whenever it flies near them, shown by beams of light. Shoot the crystals with arrows, or throw snowballs and eggs at them. Two crystals are protected by iron bar cages; pillar up next to them, break the bars and destroy the crystal, then get down fast because the explosion is strong. Do not stand next to a crystal when it explodes.
Step 2: Damage the dragon
Shoot the dragon with arrows as it flies, aiming at its head for bonus damage. When it perches on the exit portal, run in and hit its head with your sword, staying out of the breath cloud. Strength potions speed this up a lot. Watch out for endermen, and do not look at them.
Step 3: The bed strategy (optional)
Beds explode when you try to sleep in them in the End. When the dragon perches, place a bed near its head and use it to cause a powerful explosion. This deals huge damage and is popular with speedrunners, but it can kill you too, so place a block between you and the bed and wear Blast Protection.
Step 4: Finish it
When the dragon’s health reaches zero, it rises into the air and dissolves in beams of light, dropping a huge amount of experience.
Rewards for defeating the Ender Dragon
- Experience: 12,000 points on the first kill, enough to jump from level 0 to level 68 or so.
- Dragon egg: appears on top of the exit portal after the first kill. It teleports when hit, so push it with a piston or let it fall onto a torch to collect it.
- Exit portal: activates in the center, taking you back to your spawn point with the end credits.
- End gateway: a small portal appears near the edge of the island. Throw an ender pearl into it to reach the outer End islands, where End cities hold shulker boxes, enchanted gear and elytra on End ships, along with a dragon head.
Respawning the Ender Dragon
You can fight the dragon again by placing four End crystals on the edges of the exit portal, one on each side. The pillars rebuild, new crystals appear and the dragon returns. Each new kill gives 500 XP and opens another End gateway, up to 20 in total, which is how players reach more outer End islands. Craft End crystals from 7 glass, 1 eye of ender and 1 ghast tear.
Dragon’s breath
While the dragon breathes, you can collect its breath with an empty glass bottle to get dragon’s breath, needed to brew lingering potions. Collect several bottles during the fight if you plan to make tipped arrows.
Java vs Bedrock differences
The fight works much the same in both editions. Bedrock’s dragon has slightly different movement patterns and perch timing, and some block-destruction rules differ. Health, crystals, beds and rewards are the same.
Ender Dragon FAQ
How much health does the Ender Dragon have?
200 health, or 100 hearts.
How do you stop the dragon healing?
Destroy all the End crystals on top of the obsidian pillars.
What does the Ender Dragon drop?
12,000 XP on the first kill and the dragon egg.
Can you respawn the Ender Dragon?
Yes. Place four End crystals around the exit portal.
Do you have to kill the Ender Dragon?
No, but it is the usual goal and unlocks the outer End and elytra.
Common mistakes in the dragon fight
- Ignoring the crystals: fighting the dragon while crystals still stand wastes time and resources, because it keeps healing.
- Standing near crystal explosions: breaking a caged crystal at point blank can kill you instantly.
- Looking at endermen: the island is full of them, and an angry group adds a second fight. Keep your eyes on the dragon and the crystals.
- Fighting on pillar tops: the dragon can knock you off a pillar into a long fall. Get down as soon as the crystal is gone.
- Falling into the void: the edges of the island drop into the void, which kills you and destroys your items. Stay near the center.
- Forgetting Slow Falling: one wing hit can launch you high into the air. Slow Falling or a water bucket clutch saves your life.
Ender Dragon in Hardcore
In Hardcore mode you get one life, so most players bring extra golden apples, totems of undying from raids and Slow Falling potions. Building a small enclosed hut under the exit portal gives a safe place to shoot from while the dragon perches.
After the fight, the End stays open: you can return through the stronghold portal any time to farm endermen or travel to End cities.