An End City in Minecraft is one of the most exciting structures you can find after defeating the Ender Dragon. It is dangerous, distant, and sometimes frustrating to locate, but the rewards are absolutely worth it.
End Cities can contain enchanted diamond gear, rare materials, shulkers, shulker shells, and, if the city has an End ship, the legendary elytra. For many players, finding an End City is the moment Minecraft’s late game truly begins.
This guide explains how to find an End City, what to bring, how to survive shulkers, how to loot an End ship, and how to leave with your best items safely.
What Is an End City in Minecraft?
An End City is a naturally generated structure found on the outer islands of the End dimension. These cities are made from purpur blocks, end stone bricks, end rods, stained glass, ladders, and towers that branch upward into the sky.
They are guarded by shulkers, hostile mobs that shoot projectiles and inflict Levitation. That one effect makes End Cities both useful and dangerous. Levitation can help you reach higher rooms, but it can also send you floating into a fatal fall or, worse, toward the void.
Why End Cities Are So Important
End Cities are worth searching for because they contain some of the best survival loot in the game.
You can find:
- Enchanted diamond armor
- Enchanted diamond tools
- Diamonds
- Emeralds
- Iron and gold ingots
- Saddles
- Horse armor
- Shulker shells
- End rods
- Elytra, if there is an End ship
The two biggest prizes are shulker shells and elytra.
Shulker shells let you craft shulker boxes, which are portable storage blocks that keep their contents when broken. Elytra lets you glide and, when paired with firework rockets, fly across your world.
End City vs. End Ship: What’s the Difference?
An End City is the tall tower structure found on the outer End islands. An End ship is a separate floating ship that can generate near some End Cities.
This distinction matters because elytra is found in End ships, not in ordinary End City rooms.
| Structure | What It Contains |
|---|---|
| End City | Shulkers, loot chests, purpur blocks, end rods |
| End Ship | Elytra, dragon head, treasure chests, brewing stand, shulker |
Not every End City has an End ship. If your goal is elytra, keep searching until you find a city with a ship floating nearby.
How to Reach the Outer End Islands
Before you can find an End City, you need to reach the outer End islands.
Step 1: Defeat the Ender Dragon
After you defeat the Ender Dragon, an End gateway appears near the edge of the main End island. This gateway is the easiest way to reach the outer islands where End Cities generate.
Step 2: Enter the End Gateway
The End gateway is a small bedrock structure with a portal block inside. You usually enter it by throwing an ender pearl into the portal.
Aim carefully. Once the pearl lands, you will teleport to the outer End islands.
Step 3: Start Exploring
The outer End is made of floating islands separated by huge gaps. You will need to bridge, throw ender pearls, or carefully move from island to island while searching for End Cities.
What to Bring Before Searching for an End City
Do not go End City hunting unprepared. The outer End is one of the easiest places to lose all your gear.
End City Exploration Checklist
| Item | Why It Helps |
|---|---|
| Strong armor | Protects against shulkers and fall damage |
| Feather Falling boots | Reduces fall damage from Levitation |
| Sword with Looting | Helps collect more shulker shells |
| Bow or crossbow | Safely hits shulkers from range |
| Pickaxe | Breaks blocks and accesses rooms |
| Food | Keeps you healed during long raids |
| Ender pearls | Helps cross gaps and escape danger |
| Building blocks | Needed for bridges and platforms |
| Water bucket | Helps with falls and Endermen |
| Ender chest | Protects valuable loot |
| Slow Falling potions | Makes shulker levitation much safer |
| Chorus fruit | Emergency teleport if you float too high |
If you only bring a few key items, prioritize Feather Falling boots, ender pearls, blocks, food, and an ender chest.
How to Find an End City in Minecraft
Finding an End City can be quick, or it can take a long search. Some players find one near their first outer island spawn. Others travel thousands of blocks before spotting one.
Search Large Islands
End Cities generate on the outer End islands, especially on larger landmasses. Focus on big islands with chorus plants instead of tiny floating fragments.
Look for Purple Towers
End Cities are usually easy to recognize from a distance. Look for tall purple towers made of purpur blocks rising above the pale end stone landscape.
A large End City may have several towers, bridges, and rooms. A smaller one may only have a few sections.
Travel in a Consistent Direction
Do not wander randomly. Pick a direction and keep moving. This makes it easier to avoid circling back over the same terrain.
Helpful exploration habits include:
- Save coordinates of gateways
- Save coordinates of End Cities
- Mark safe bridges
- Use blocks as trail markers
- Avoid sprinting near island edges
- Keep your best loot in an ender chest
Keep Searching if There Is No Ship
If you find an End City without an End ship, you can still loot it for shulker shells and chests. But if your goal is elytra, you need to keep looking.
No ship means no elytra.
How to Safely Raid an End City
Once you find an End City, slow down. The biggest mistake players make is rushing inside and getting hit by multiple shulkers at once.
Start at the Bottom
Begin at the lower rooms and work your way up. This helps you clear shulkers in a controlled order and prevents enemies below you from attacking while you climb.
Use Cover
Shulker bullets track you. If one is chasing you, duck behind walls, pillars, or placed blocks. The projectile can hit a block instead of you.
Build Safe Platforms
Carry plenty of blocks and use them constantly. Build platforms under risky areas, cover open gaps, and create safe paths between rooms.
Do Not Fight Too Many Shulkers at Once
Multiple shulkers can keep you floating with repeated Levitation hits. If you are hit too often, you may rise high above the city and fall to your death.
Take fights one room at a time.
How to Survive Shulkers
Shulkers are the main danger in End Cities. They hide in shells and open briefly to attack.
What Shulkers Do
When a shulker fires, its projectile follows you. If it hits, you get the Levitation effect and float upward.
Levitation can be helpful for reaching higher rooms, but it can also become deadly fast.
Best Ways to Fight Shulkers
Use these tactics:
- Shoot distant shulkers with a bow or crossbow
- Use a shield when projectiles approach
- Hide behind blocks to break projectile tracking
- Attack when the shulker opens
- Keep your health high
- Use chorus fruit if you float too high
- Use Slow Falling if you expect a long raid
Should You Use Levitation to Climb?
You can, but it is risky. Experienced players sometimes let shulkers lift them to upper rooms. Beginners should build stairs, pillars, or platforms instead.
If you use Levitation intentionally, make sure you have:
- Feather Falling boots
- High health
- Food ready
- Blocks nearby
- Chorus fruit or Slow Falling as backup
End City Loot: What You Can Find
End City loot is one of the biggest reasons to explore after beating the dragon.
Common End City Chest Loot
You may find:
- Enchanted diamond armor
- Enchanted diamond swords
- Enchanted diamond pickaxes
- Enchanted diamond shovels
- Diamonds
- Emeralds
- Iron ingots
- Gold ingots
- Saddles
- Horse armor
- Beetroot seeds
The enchanted gear can be excellent, especially if you are building a backup armor set or collecting tools.
Shulker Shells
Shulkers can drop shulker shells. These are used to craft shulker boxes.
To craft a shulker box, use:
- 2 shulker shells
- 1 chest
Shulker boxes are valuable because they act like portable storage. You can fill a shulker box with items, break it, carry it, and place it again later with everything still inside.
For builders, miners, and late-game explorers, shulker boxes are game-changing.
How to Loot an End Ship
If you see an End ship floating near the city, that is your main target.
How to Reach the End Ship
You can reach an End ship by:
- Building a bridge
- Throwing an ender pearl
- Using shulker Levitation
- Flying with elytra, if you already have one
For your first elytra, the safest method is usually building a careful bridge. Crouch while placing blocks and consider adding side rails if the distance is long.
Ender pearls are faster but riskier. If you miss, you may fall into the void.
How to Get Elytra
Inside the End ship, look for the treasure room. Elytra is displayed in an item frame. A shulker usually guards the area, so clear the room before grabbing it.
Once you collect elytra, do not get careless. Put it in an ender chest if you are still exploring and worried about dying.
Other End Ship Rewards
End ships can also contain:
- Treasure chests
- A brewing stand
- Potions
- Shulkers
- A dragon head on the front of the ship
The dragon head is a rare decorative block, so collect it before leaving.
What to Do After Getting Elytra
Getting elytra is exciting, but your first few minutes with it can be dangerous.
Do Not Test Elytra Over the Void
Avoid your first flight over the void. If you are new to elytra, practice somewhere safer after returning home.
Store It Immediately
If you have an ender chest, store the elytra right away. You can keep raiding after that without risking your biggest prize.
Make Firework Rockets Later
Elytra becomes much better with firework rockets. Once you return to the Overworld, craft rockets using paper and gunpowder.
Add Mending and Unbreaking
Elytra loses durability, so enchant it as soon as possible. The best enchantments are:
- Mending
- Unbreaking
These make your elytra last much longer.
Best End City Raid Strategy
Here is a simple raid plan that works well.
1. Secure the Outside
Before entering, check the surrounding area. Make sure you know where the edges are and where you can retreat.
2. Clear Lower Rooms First
Start low and work upward. Kill shulkers carefully and collect shells as you go.
3. Loot Chests as You Find Them
Take valuable items immediately, but do not let your inventory become a mess. Store the best items in an ender chest.
4. Mark Explored Areas
Use blocks or torches to mark rooms you have already cleared. This helps in larger cities where rooms can start to look similar.
5. Prioritize the End Ship
If there is a ship, make it your top priority once the path is safe. Grab elytra, the dragon head, and ship loot.
6. Leave Before You Get Greedy
The longer you stay, the more chances you have to make a mistake. Once you have elytra, shulker shells, and the best loot, consider heading home.
Common End City Mistakes to Avoid
Going Without Feather Falling
Shulkers cause Levitation, and Levitation causes falls. Feather Falling is one of the best protections you can bring.
Bridging Too Quickly
The void is unforgiving. Crouch while bridging and use extra blocks to make safer paths.
Forgetting an Ender Chest
An ender chest can save your elytra, diamonds, and shulker shells even if you die later.
Assuming Every End City Has Elytra
Elytra only appears in End ships. If there is no ship, there is no elytra.
Ignoring Chorus Fruit
Chorus fruit can teleport you out of a dangerous Levitation fall. Keep some on your hotbar during raids.
Fighting in Open Areas
Open areas make shulker projectiles more dangerous. Use walls, pillars, and placed blocks for cover.
Is an End City Worth Raiding Without a Ship?
Yes, especially if you need shulker shells.
An End City without a ship will not give you elytra, but it can still provide:
- Shulker shells
- Enchanted gear
- Diamonds
- Emeralds
- End rods
- Building blocks
If you are only searching for elytra, you may choose to skip small cities without ships. But if you want shulker boxes, every End City is useful.
FAQ
Where do End Cities spawn in Minecraft?
End Cities spawn on the outer islands of the End dimension. You usually reach this area by defeating the Ender Dragon and entering an End gateway.
How do you find an End City fast?
Travel across large outer End islands in a consistent direction. Look for tall purple purpur towers and keep moving until you spot one.
Do all End Cities have End ships?
No. Some End Cities generate without ships. If there is no End ship, there is no elytra in that city.
Where is elytra in an End City?
Elytra is found inside an End ship, displayed in an item frame in the ship’s treasure area.
Can you get more than one elytra?
Yes. Each End ship contains one elytra, and a Minecraft world can have many End ships.
What are shulker shells used for?
Shulker shells are used to craft shulker boxes. You need two shulker shells and one chest to make a shulker box.
What is the biggest danger in an End City?
The biggest dangers are shulker Levitation, fall damage, risky bridges, and the void.
Should I bring Slow Falling potions to an End City?
Yes, Slow Falling potions are very useful. They make shulker Levitation much less dangerous and can save you from fatal falls.
Can you raid an End City before defeating the dragon?
It is technically possible to reach the outer End islands by bridging a very long distance, but defeating the dragon and using an End gateway is the normal and much easier method.
Conclusion
An End City is one of the best late-game structures in Minecraft. It offers valuable loot, dangerous fights, and access to two of the most useful items in the game: shulker boxes and elytra.
To raid one successfully, prepare before you go. Bring strong armor, Feather Falling boots, blocks, ender pearls, food, and an ender chest. Search the outer End islands carefully, fight shulkers from cover, store your best loot often, and prioritize any End ship you find.
Once you return home with elytra and shulker shells, your world opens up in a completely new way. Travel becomes faster, storage becomes easier, and your late-game Minecraft adventures become much more powerful.
