The End Portal is your gateway to one of Minecraft’s most thrilling challenges—the battle against the Ender Dragon. Whether you’re playing Java or Bedrock Edition, reaching The End requires patience, preparation, and strategy. This guide will walk you through everything you need to know about crafting the Eyes of Ender, locating the stronghold, and activating the portal.
The End Portal is a rare structure that spawns only inside strongholds. When activated, it teleports players to The End, a dark dimension filled with Endermen, obsidian towers, and the Ender Dragon. Unlike the Nether Portal, you cannot build an End Portal in Survival mode—it must be found and activated.
Step 1: Gather Essential Resources
Before searching for the portal, you’ll need two crucial items:
- Blaze Powder: Obtained by defeating Blazes in Nether Fortresses. Blaze Rods can be crafted into Blaze Powder.
- Ender Pearls: Dropped by Endermen in the Overworld or Nether. Using the Looting enchantment increases the drop rate.
Combine Blaze Powder with Ender Pearls to craft Eyes of Ender, which are used both to locate and activate the End Portal.
Step 2: Finding the Stronghold
- Throw the Eye of Ender: Equip an Eye and use it. It will float upward and move in the direction of the nearest stronghold.
- Follow the Path: Walk at least 100 blocks before throwing another Eye to reduce the chance of breaking them unnecessarily. Each throw has a 20% chance of shattering.
- Pinpoint the Portal: When the Eye of Ender starts floating downward instead of forward, you’ve reached the location. Dig carefully (avoid straight down) until you discover the stone brick walls of the stronghold.
Step 3: Locating the Portal Room
Strongholds are large and maze-like, but the Portal Room has distinctive features:
- A staircase leading down.
- A Silverfish spawner near the entrance.
- A lava pool beneath the End Portal frame.
Using sound cues to detect Silverfish can help guide you to the room faster.
Step 4: Activating the End Portal
- The portal consists of a 3×3 grid of empty space surrounded by 12 End Portal frames.
- Insert one Eye of Ender into each frame. Some frames may already contain an Eye, so you won’t always need all 12.
- Once the final Eye is placed, the portal activates, forming a starry void surface.
Jump in, and you’ll be transported to The End.
Step 5: Facing the Ender Dragon
Activating the portal is just the beginning. Inside The End, you’ll find:
- Obsidian towers with End Crystals that heal the dragon. Destroy these first, usually with a bow.
- Endermen roaming the battlefield. Avoid direct eye contact or use a carved pumpkin to stay safe.
- The Ender Dragon itself, which must be defeated to unlock the return portal and complete the journey.
See also: Minecraft for Windows 11 Download & Install Guide (Java & Bedrock)
Best Strategies for the End Portal in Minecraft
- Carry extra Eyes of Ender since some may break while searching.
- Use enchanted armor, bows, and potions (Slow Falling, Strength, and Regeneration) for survival.
- Mark explored areas of the stronghold with torches to avoid getting lost.
- In Bedrock Edition, not all strongholds have portal rooms—if one doesn’t, keep searching.
Finding and activating the End Portal in Minecraft is one of the game’s ultimate survival milestones. With patience, careful resource gathering, and a little luck, you’ll unlock the path to The End and the epic showdown with the Ender Dragon. Whether you go in solo or with friends, the journey to the End Portal is a true test of skill and preparation.
