How to get lava in Minecraft Skyblock

Skyblock, Minecraft's enduring challenge map, pushes players to think outside the box when it comes to using limited resources in a constrained environment.

One resource that can easily be squandered if players aren't careful is lava. Many Skyblock maps only provide players with a single bucket of lava. If players use it recklessly, they will have to restart their world in order to get another (if they are playing single-player).

Sadly, there are very few ways to generate lava in most Skyblock Overworlds, which means players will have to seek alternative methods.

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Defeating the Ender Dragon for lava drops in Minecraft

Many Skyblock maps only provide Minecraft players with a single bucket of lava (Image via Mojang)

Unfortunately for Minecrafters playing the more recent versions of the game, the infinite lava bug involving obsidian and redstone has been fixed.

On most Skyblock maps, players will likely only start with one lava bucket. This means creating an infinite lava source will be temporarily out of the question since it takes four lava buckets. Though some Skyblock maps have the Nether enabled, the map is still suspended in the air, which means the Nether is essentially a non-starter for lava as well.

Fortunately, there is a way for intermediate and late-game Skyblock players to acquire lava. They can do so by farming lava from the Ender Dragon. This will mean that players have already located The End in their Skyblock world, so newer players should be very careful with their limited lava access.

Since many standard Skyblock maps allow for the Ender Dragon to drop a lava bucket upon death, defeating it becomes somewhat imperative when it comes to harvesting additional lava past what is readily available.

To defeat the Ender Dragon repeatedly and in an efficient manner, Minecraft players will need a bow and a large stockpile of arrows. A highly enchanted sword and armor are also recommended, as the dragon and its Endermen can easily kill players who are ill-equipped. Having healing items is also a plus, as taking damage is likely within The End, especially Skyblock's version.

The primary focus during battle will be the End Crystals placed in several precarious spots. They can be easily identified by the healing beams they send to the dragon. Breaking these is the first order of business, as the dragon cannot take significant damage as long as they're active. Once the crystals are destroyed, Minecraft's final boss will become more aggressive. However, this presents a unique opportunity for players.

Players should attempt to bait the dragon and then fire two fully-charged arrows into its head. The dragon will likely begin to run, and players should pursue it. Once the monster goes on the offensive again, players should repeat the strategy until the boss has fallen.

Defeating the Ender Dragon will provide one lava bucket for players on many Minecraft Skyblock maps, as the creators have edited the loot table accordingly. Some maps have accounted for this lack of lava and provide other ways to acquire it, especially on multiplayer servers with trading and commands. However, for single-player standard Skyblock maps, this may be one of the only options available.

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