Minecraft is popular across the world and across various age ranges, making it a unifying experience everyone can relate to. Whether it’s playing with friends or family, you can find out how to set up a Minecraft server to play together in the same world. Few video games have reached the status Minecraft has, surpassing player counts and sales records that put most other games to shame. Apart from Tetris, Minecraft is reportedly the second most-played game of all time, selling 238 million copies as of April 2021, according to IGN.
Though it first debuted on PCs in 2009 and was created by a single developer, Minecraft is now a Microsoft game available on virtually every platform from your phone to modern consoles like the PlayStation 5. However, while many have experienced Minecraft, fewer have reached “The End,” a location within the game that is also the backdrop for the final encounter. Getting to The End is one of the most difficult things you can do within Minecraft, but it’s worth experiencing at least once. If you’re eager to know more about The End but don’t have the time to do it yourself, we have you covered.
Getting to The End
We won’t dive into every step of getting to the end because it’s a very involved process, but it’s worth knowing the broad strokes.
Crash course on getting to the end:
- Craft an Eye of Ender using an Ender Pearl and Blaze Powder.
- Throw the Eye of Ender, which should point you to a Stronghold.
- Once you find a Stronghold, you need to collect End Portal Frame Blocks. You need 12 of these.
- Create an End Portal with your 12 End Portal Frame Blocks and insert an Eye of Ender into each block.
- Step into the activated portal.
This sounds easy when reading from a list, but you’ll want to make sure you’re properly equipped before you set off on this quest. Getting ahold of Ender Pearls and Blaze Powder requires fighting tough enemies that will make mince meat out of you unless you have sturdy armor and a good weapon.
What Happens When You Step Into The End Portal?
The first time you reach The End, you’ll immediately find it unrecognizable. Unlike the overworld, where most of Minecraft is played, The End exists in a separate dimension that seemingly drifts in an endless black void. This barren location, which mainly consists of End Stone and Obsidian, is pretty drab compared to the rest of the game. There isn’t much to do here except for going up against the Ender Dragon.
The Ender Dragon is the final boss in Minecraft, and it’s a tough one to defeat. You’ll want to make sure you’re equipped with your best armor and weapons before you step into the portal that leads to The End, as it’s not possible to leave unless you’re killed or you kill the Ender Dragon.
What Happens Once You Defeat the Ender Dragon?
Defeating the Ender Dragon is Minecraft’s final challenge, and the game rewards you with a lot of XP. Besides that, there are a few interesting things to note. Upon slaying the Ender Dragon, a portal opens up that leads you back to the overworld. Entering the portal triggers the game’s end credits, which is a poem. While Minecraft isn’t a game with a ton of explicit lore about its world, this inherently nebulous poem attempts to fill in some of those gaps. The poem itself is not needed to understand the game, though it is interesting.
Aside from the portal that leads back to the overworld, you’ll encounter other portals that lead you to the other islands floating within The End. These islands may contain precious resources, so they are worth exploring after beating the game.
Finally, you’ll find a black dragon egg once you defeat the Ender Dragon. This egg is purely decorative. Think of it as a souvenir for slaying the biggest bad in the game.
The End Is Only the Beginning
Getting to The End and defeating the Elder Dragon are big achievements, but you can still play the game afterward. While you can choose to stop playing Minecraft after beating it, there’s still plenty to do within the game, such as becoming a better builder, learning how to use Redstone, or exploring the rest of the overworld.
While it may look simple compared to today’s standards, Minecraft is a huge sandbox with endless possibilities. If you played the game by yourself initially, it can be even more fun to invite friends over to your world by creating a private server. A private server allows you and your friends to play and build within the same shared world, allowing you to share your creations or marvel at others’ painstakingly-crafted creations. Part of the wonder of Minecraft is the freedom to do whatever your mind can think of, and that’s even better when friends are involved.