Minecraft doesn’t tell you, at any point, what your real goals are beyond surviving. But that doesn’t mean there isn’t something to do outside of the sandbox component . In another article we’ve already told you about the differences between the Overworld, Nether and End worlds , but we haven’t really gone into much depth about how to access them. In this topic we’ll tell you how to find the End Portal , as well as where to find the items needed to activate it. Step by step.
The End Portal, in a fortress
End portals are always found in strongholds, so there’s a chance you’ll come across one by chance. If so, you ‘ll save yourself some of the hassle . However, what many users don’t know is that there’s a little trick that allows the game to tell you where to find a portal in the nearest stronghold. In addition, it’s an equally necessary step because it involves getting an item that you’ll need to open the portal: the Eye of Ender .
How to get ender eyes?
Before we get back to the portal search , we need to tell you how to get a few of these precious items. In fact, if we get ahead of ourselves, you won’t have to go back once you’ve found the portal. We already told you that the way to get eyes of ender is by combining ender pearls and blaze rods . So, we leave you with all the steps necessary to get to the portal with everything you need:
- Get to the Nether : To get blaze rods, you will need to get to the Nether, the second world of Minecraft. To do this, you will need to activate a Nether portal. This is done by placing obsidian blocks in a rectangle that is four blocks wide and five blocks high, ignoring the inside of the rectangle. Then, you just need to light the lower obsidian blocks with a lighter or a torch. Obsidian is obtained when you place a lava block on a water block and vice versa. It can also be mined with a diamond pickaxe.
- Kill blazes : Blazes are those yellow monsters that float and are surrounded by smoke in the Nether. And we will only find them in the fortresses of this dimension. At least five blaze rods will be needed, although sometimes seven may be necessary, so we recommend this second option.
- Kill endermen : For this step, you no longer need to be in the Nether, but you can do it in the Overworld . Endermen are a black mob with tentacles that only attack us when we look at them. It is easier to find them at night and in places like deserts (they don’t like water) or caves. In any case, kill a few until you get two ender pearls for each blaze rod. That is, between ten and fourteen. If you are having trouble, keep in mind that you can improve your chances of getting pearls with the looting enchantment on a diamond sword.
- Crafting the eyes of ender : to activate the portal we will need at least nine eyes of ender, although if you get a few more, just in case, even better. Especially since you will need them to find the portal. In any case, to craft them, we will have to place a blaze rod in the crafting area to convert it into two blaze powders. And then, we will have to place a blaze powder and an ender pearl anywhere in the crafting area to make an eye of ender. And so, repeat the process until we have everything.
Minecraft – How to find and activate the End portal
In search of the End portal
Now let’s go back to where we were before crafting the eyes. In order for the game to tell us where the portal is, we’ll need to use one of those eyes of ender. Once we use it, it will float in the air and move a short distance (horizontally) in the direction of that nearby fortress. What happens if you’re really far away? You might ask. In that case, there’s another trick to keep in mind: fortresses are at least 1,408 blocks away from the world’s origin point. It’s best to get as close as possible before using the eye. It, by the way, leaves an easy-to-follow purple trail when it moves.
However, it will be advisable to bring more than one eye when searching for the portal. This is because, when using one, there is a 20% chance of losing that item . If we are lucky and it is not lost, the item can be picked up once it drops. Finally, keep in mind that in the console versions , there is only one End Portal in the entire world. Once you have found the trail, these are the steps you will need to follow to reach the portal:
- Dig up the fortress – The eye will be pointing down, so it will only tell you where the fortress is. From there, you will have to dig a staircase down until you find a room in the fortress. However, the step may vary on consoles.
- Dig if you can’t find the room – This step should only be taken if there is no way to find the room. This is because strongholds have many rooms but they are not always interconnected. And sometimes, you have to dig to find additional rooms.
- Find the portal room – When a stronghold houses an End Portal, it has a portal room, with a staircase leading up to a platform above a pool of lava. And note that there will be a silverfish spawner on the staircase. The portal is actually at the top of the platform. You’ll recognize it by the border of green squares. And yes, you will have to fight enemies on the staircase.
How to activate the End Portal in Minecraft
At this point, all that’s left to do is activate the portal. And the truth is that, if you’ve followed the previous steps, it’s the easiest thing of all. All you have to do is place an Eye of Ender in each of the twelve spaces reserved in the portal. Usually, the portal will have already been generated with a pair of eyes inserted. And if you’re very lucky, you might find the portal already activated , in which case you wouldn’t have needed to do any of that. But that’s not usually the case. Once the portal is activated, all that’s left to do is jump inside. But keep in mind that it’s a one-way trip . Either you kill the dragon, or you die trying.
Tips for killing the Ender Dragon
If you are having trouble defeating this magnificent winged monster , we will give you some basic tips to get rid of it. First of all, keep in mind that the most important thing is to destroy the crystals on the obsidian pillars in the scene with a bow and arrow. If you don’t, the dragon will constantly regenerate its life . The second step will be to go to the two pillars surrounded by iron bars and destroy them with the pickaxe. In this way, we will avoid being attacked when we approach that area.
Once we have taken care of the stage, we can easily damage the dragon with a bow and arrow when it is flying and with a sword when it is on the ground . However, every time it receives damage, the dragon will immediately change direction. The last piece of advice is that, if you can, play with friends . And everything will be much easier, since while some take care of the dragon, others will keep the Endermen at bay.