Overview
The Ender Dragon fight is really two fights, and the first one is against the pillars. It has 200 health and heals off the end crystals sitting on top of the obsidian pillars faster than any weapon can chip it down, so the opening move is climbing or shooting out every crystal — including the ones enclosed in iron bars, which need to be reached by hand or blown apart. Only when the last crystal is gone does the dragon become killable. After that it alternates: strafing runs where it wing-buffets you off the island and drops pools of dragon's breath that damage over time, and a perch phase on the exit portal where it lowers its head and takes full melee damage. That perch is where the fight is won, with a critical hit from an axe or sword rather than arrows. It deals 10 damage on Normal, 6 on Easy, 15 on Hard, and the knockback into the void kills more players than the damage does. The first kill in a world awards 12,000 experience and drops the dragon egg; resummoning it with four end crystals produces no further egg and far less experience.
The dragon egg, 12,000 experience on the first kill, and the End gateway it opens to the outer islands, where elytra and shulker boxes wait in the end cities.
The dragon circles the central island healing off the obsidian pillars, so the fight begins by destroying every end crystal on top of them, iron-caged ones included. Once healing is cut it perches on the portal and takes melee damage, then resumes strafing runs, wing-buffeting you off the island and dropping pools of dragon's breath that deal damage over time. It cannot be hit by ordinary arrows while healing. First kill awards 12,000 experience and opens the gateway to the outer islands.
In Minecraft, Ender Dragon is classified as a boss mob. It has 200 health points, or 100 hearts. On Normal difficulty each hit costs you 10 damage.
It is worth 12,000 XP.
Properties
Ender Dragon has 200 health, which is 100 hearts. It drops up to 12000 experience when a player kills it. Its hitbox is 16 blocks wide and 8 tall, which is what decides whether it fits through a gap or a one-block-high opening.
- Dimension
- The End
- Added in
- 1.0.0
Damage by difficulty
Ender Dragon hits for 6 on Easy, 10 on Normal and 15 on Hard — the site's stat strip shows the Normal figure, which is the one most guides quote.
A full set of diamond armour cuts that by up to 80% against a small hit and less against a large one, and Protection IV on all four pieces — 16 EPF — takes a further 64% off what is left.
| Difficulty | Attack damage | Hearts |
|---|---|---|
| Easy | 6 | 3 |
| Normal | 10 | 5 |
| Hard | 15 | 7.5 |
Spawns in
One per world, present the moment the central End island generates. Can be resummoned by placing four end crystals around the exit portal.
It is restricted to The End, so it will never turn up outside those biomes however dark it gets.
- Dimension
- The End
- Biomes
- The End
- Added in
- 1.0.0
Dimension: The End · Added in 1.0.0
Drops
Killing Ender Dragon drops Dragon Egg, plus up to 12000 experience. Looting raises the maximum on most of these by one per level.
- Dragon Egg: 1 — Only on the first kill in a world. Resummoned dragons drop no egg.
How it behaves
The Ender Dragon has a boss health bar, ignores most crowd-control, and cannot be despawned by walking away. Prepare the arena before summoning it, not after.
Killed by a player it drops up to 12000 experience; killed any other way it drops none.
Command
In a world with cheats on, this spawns one Ender Dragon where you are standing.
Summon
/summon minecraft:ender_dragon ~ ~ ~Guides and tools that cover this
Frequently asked questions
How much health does the Ender Dragon have?
200 health, and it regenerates from any surviving end crystal, which is why the crystals must go first.
How much experience does the Ender Dragon drop?
12,000 on the first kill in a world. Resummoned dragons drop far less and never another egg.
Can you get a second dragon egg?
No. Only the first kill in any given world produces the egg.
How do you summon the Ender Dragon again?
Place four end crystals, one on each side of the exit portal, and the dragon and its pillars regenerate.
How much health does the Ender Dragon have in Minecraft?
The Ender Dragon has 200 health points, which is 100 hearts.
What does the Ender Dragon drop?
It drops Dragon Egg, plus 12000 experience when killed by a player.
Where does the Ender Dragon spawn?
One per world, present the moment the central End island generates. Can be resummoned by placing four end crystals around the exit portal.
How much damage does Ender Dragon do?
10 on Normal difficulty — 5 hearts — with 6 on Easy and 15 on Hard.
Related pages
How to get it
One Ender Dragon exists per world, present as soon as the central End island generates — reach it through a stronghold portal opened with 12 eyes of ender. Resummon it by placing 4 end crystals around the exit portal.
Tips
- Destroy every end crystal first, iron-caged ones included, or the dragon heals faster than you can damage it.
- Keep a water bucket on the hot bar — placing water cancels the fall damage and the knockback into the void.
- Hit it on the perch with a critical axe strike; arrows are wasted on the strafing phase and on a healing dragon.
- Read how to beat the ender dragon before you go, because respawn anchors and beds do not work in the End.