How to make an elytra launcher in Minecraft

In Minecraft, you need to launch yourself in the air to properly use elytra. The gear is only meant to allow you to glide in the air, but it does not have a feature to push you forward. Hence, you need to activate the elytra and use a firework rocket to launch yourself off the ground. However, there is another unique method to get a massive launch with a contraption.

Here is a short guide to building an elytra launcher in Minecraft.

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Steps to make an elytra launcher in Minecraft

1) Gather resources

Resources needed to build the elytra launcher in Minecraft (Image via Mojang Studios)

Creating an elytra launcher is fairly simple, but you need to get all the resources mentioned below to make one in Minecraft. Of course, the first and most important resource is getting the elytra itself from an End City's ship. Apart from that, here is a list of resources:

• Stack of boats
• 9 glass blocks
• 8 building blocks
• 4 stone walls
• 3 glass panes
• 3 half slabs
• 2 signs
• 2 chests
• 1 lever
• 1 piston
• 1 dispenser
• 1 hopper
• 2 water buckets

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2) Find a high place and create the basic structure

Find a high place and create the basic structure of the launcher (Image via Mojang Studios)

You first need to find a tall place where you can create an elytra launcher in Minecraft. This will help you get good momentum at launch, and you can wait for some time before using your fireworks rockets.

Next, you need to start creating a structure from where you will launch yourself. Start by placing four stone walls and building blocks around them. Then place the signs in the same way shown in the picture above and fill both block spaces with water.

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3) Dispenser-hopper-chest combination that will place boats on the water

The dispenser, hopper, and chest combination will place boats on the water (Image via Mojang Studios)

Over the years, the Minecraft community has come up with bizarre contraptions that still work to this day. For launching with elytra, the community discovered a special trick that requires boats.

After the basic structure is made, you need to place a dispenser on top of one of the signs facing the water blocks. This dispenser needs to be filled with loads of boats. For this tutorial, we chose a stack (64) of boats. However, you can place more to increase the launching speed.

To load these many boats, you need to connect a hopper and chest and fill the large chest with boats. Once done, place a lever on top of the dispenser and start flicking it repeatedly until all the boats are dispensed into the water.

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4) Push glass panes and blocks into the boats

You need to push a glass pane and a block into the stack of boats (Image via Mojang Studios)

After placing all the boats, you need to push a block horizontally into the boats from behind using a piston. This will be possible since there is a sign in the front blocking all the water and boats from spilling off the launcher. Next, you need to push a glass pane vertically inside the boats from above using a piston as well.

It is worth noting that the block should be pushed first, followed by the glass pane. For more clarity, you can refer to the picture provided above.

Also, you need to place two more glass panes in front of the launcher contraption, on the two main building blocks.

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5) Place slabs and break the bottom-most boat

Place slabs and break the bottom-most boat (Image via Mojang Studios)

Finally, you need to create the tube through which you will fall down to the boats before flying away. This can be made with nine glass blocks placed in a diamond shape on top of the boats as shown in the picture. Three sides will be covered with glass blocks, and one side can be built with building blocks.

Next, you need to place three stone slabs right below the glass block that is protruding outward, and two more slabs adjacent to them. This will ensure all the boats are intact and will also give you a small space to launch through.

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6) Break the bottom-most boat and enter the launcher

Break the bottom-most boat as the last part to finish the elytra launcher (Image via Mojang Studios)

After the entire launcher is built in Minecraft, you can simply break the bottom-most boat and let all the other boats fall onto the water block.

You can then wear your elytra, and head to the top of the falling tube. The trick to launch yourself properly is to look straight ahead while falling through the tube. This will determine the direction you get launched. As you are falling through the tube, tap the space bar once to activate the elytra. Once you hit the boats, the contraption will launch you wherever you are looking.