Best ways to beat Ender Dragon in Minecraft

Minecraft's Ender Dragon is ostensibly the "final boss" of Survival Mode. Once it's defeated, you'll be able to delve deeper into the End dimension and view the end credits. However, battling and defeating the Ender Dragon, particularly if you don't have much experience doing so, can be a tricky undertaking. Fortunately, there are a few methods that can make the battle easier.

While you're always free to battle the Ender Dragon in Minecraft as you see fit, there are a few strategies you may want to be aware of that can save you some time and potential frustration.

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What are the best ways to beat the Ender Dragon in Minecraft?

The waterfall method

This method can be dangerous, but it can help you easily defeat the Ender Dragon in Minecraft (Image via Mojang)

You'll need patience with this method in Minecraft, but it might be worth your time and effort. To begin, you can use arrows and a bow or crossbow to destroy the end crystals surrounding the battle arena. Then, throw ender pearls obtained from the Overworld or the endermen in the arena to teleport to the caged end crystals and destroy them with a melee weapon. Building blocks can also work.

With that task completed, you can head to the X: 0, Z: 0 coordinates and find the End return portal. Stand on top of the bedrock-constructed edifice and use Minecraft building blocks until you've built up to one block below the in-game height limit (Y=254). From there, construct a small platform for yourself and keep your original block pillar intact while separating your platform and the pillar.

Now, you can use a water bucket on the top of the pillar. The Ender Dragon will attempt to reach you but will get slowed by the water. You can use this to your advantage and rain arrows down on the dragon. Once it's defeated, you can even ride the waterfall you've created back down to safety or use a Potion of Slow Falling to descend slowly without accruing fall damage.

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Minecraft: Java Edition one-cycle method

The One-Cycle Method is incredibly effective but is only available in Minecraft Java (Image via Mojang)

This method can take some practice, but it's one of the fastest ways to defeat the Ender Dragon in Minecraft. It begins like most methods, by using a bow and ender pearls/building blocks to reach and destroy as many end crystals as possible. Eventually, the dragon will head to the end return portal to "roost." Before it does, head to this portal and place two obsidian blocks vertically on the side of the pillar.

The two obsidian blocks are blast-resistant and will allow you to place beds on top of the pillar without jumping or building beneath you. From here, the dragon will approach the pillar, and each time it rotates to fly over the pillar, you can right-click a bed and cause it to detonate. This causes massive damage to the dragon, and you can kill it in as few as five to 11 beds.

It should be noted that this method is referred to as "One-Cycle" because it can be done rapidly to defeat the dragon before it flies away from its "roost". Practice makes perfect, but if all of the end crystals are destroyed, this method can melt the Ender Dragon's health bar.

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Minecraft: Java Edition zero-cycle method

The zero-cycle maneuver is another Minecraft: Java Edition method but one certainly worth practicing. It foregoes the process of destroying the end crystals in the interest of directly damaging the dragon with bed explosions, like the one-cycle method, but while the Ender Dragon remains in the sky. It's tough but possible if you can build a pillar underneath the dragon quickly enough.

This method utilizes ender pearls or building blocks to climb one of the end crystal towers and construct a spire with two pieces of obsidian to one side, like the one-cycle method. Then, beds can be placed when the dragon flies overhead. They can be detonated rapidly one after another before the dragon departs. Since the end crystals will still heal the dragon in this method, speed and precision are key.

This option can usually catch you in the beds' blast radius, so it's also a good idea to bring along armor enchanted with Blast Protection. This way, you don't have to worry about taking significant amounts of damage and can focus on detonating beds as quickly as possible.