Happy ghast vs elytra: Which is a better way to fly in Minecraft?

Modified Apr 07, 2025 12:50 GMT

Both elytra and happy ghast have their own pros and cons. (Image via Sportskeeda Gaming/Mojang Studios) — Both elytra and happy ghast have their own pros and cons (Image via Sportskeeda Gaming || Mojang Studios)

Happy ghast is a new mob that will soon arrive in Minecraft's next game drop. It is currently out as a test feature in the latest Bedrock beta and preview versions. Mojang announced this mob in the first Minecraft Live of 2025 and stated that this will be a friendly ghast mob that players will be able to ride and fly in the game.

With happy ghasts, Minecraft will finally have another, much cheaper way of flying, especially when compared to elytra. Though we think that elytra is still a better way to fly in Minecraft than happy ghasts, both modes of transport have their own pros and cons.

Note: Aspects of this article are subjective and reflect the writer's opinion.

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Pros and Cons of elytra vs happy ghast in Minecraft

Elytra is better if you want to fly fast, but solo

Players can fly a lot faster with elytra, but they have to fly solo and cannot stop mid-air (Image via Sportskeeda Gaming || Mojang Studios)

The biggest plus point of elytra is that players will be able to fly a lot faster than happy ghasts. If elytra are used with firework rockets that launch players forward, they can fly at ridiculous speeds, allowing them to cover a lot of ground within minutes.

Apart from this major feature, elytra have some disadvantages when compared to happy ghasts. For example, players can only fly solo when using an elytra since it is a gear item that only one player can wear at a time. If players want to fly together, they need to have individual elytra on them.

Furthermore, elytra does not allow players to stop mid-air for as long as they want, something which the happy ghasts allow.

Happy ghast is better if you want to fly with other players, but extremely slowly

Players will be able to fly with their friends on a happy ghast, but the mob will be a lot slower than elytra (Image via Sportskeeda Gaming || Mojang Studios)

Happy ghasts will be the second method to fly in Minecraft after elytra, and it has some excellent advantages over the flying gear from the End.

Happy ghasts are essentially passive and friendly variants of ghasts on which a harness can be placed. The harness not only allows one player to fly, but it can also accommodate up to three passengers.

Furthermore, other players sitting on the happy ghast can do whatever they want, like shooting enemies on the ground with ranged weapons or placing blocks anywhere they want in the world.

When players dismount from a happy ghast, they directly stand on top of the ghast rather than falling off the mob. After dismounting, the happy ghast will detect that a player is on top and will stop in its tracks. This allows explorers to stop happy ghasts mid-air and do whatever they want to while standing on the floating mob. This will be most useful while building structures.

While happy ghasts have all these great advantages, their only downside is that they are extremely slow, especially when compared to elytra. However, they will still be faster than land modes of transport since they can directly reach a destination, irrespective of the world generation.

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About the author

Akshat has been a Minecraft writer at Sportskeeda for almost three years. He has loved gaming since childhood, and the fact that Need For Speed Most Wanted is still installed on his PC is proof that the flame burns strong even today. This love for the racing franchise spilled over to F1 fandom, leading him to cover the sport as well for the company.

Akshat's articles have accrued over 19 million views so far at Sportskeeda. He prefers both solo and multiplayer titles and is a huge admirer of popular gamers Shroud and Philza. Akshat places huge emphasis on accurate, relevant, and ethical content, and does thorough research using social media, videos, and a multitude of websites before writing an article.

Akshat's other hobbies include cars, mechanical keyboards, psychology, and philosophy. He would recommend indie and Slice of Life games to a gaming skeptic because of their ease of play, compelling storyline, and message.

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Edited by Ripunjay Gaba