End City Raiding Guide: Elytra, Shulkers & Loot

End Cities are the most rewarding structures in Minecraft. They contain the Elytra (the only way to fly in survival), shulker shells (for portable storage), enchanted diamond gear, and valuable loot. However, reaching them requires defeating the Ender Dragon first, and raiding them involves dangerous combat against Shulkers whose levitation effect can launch you to fatal heights. This guide covers every step of the process, from reaching the outer End islands to returning home with a full inventory of loot.

Prerequisites: What You Need Before Going

End City raiding is a late-game activity. Arriving unprepared means losing everything in the void or to Shulker-induced fall damage. Bring all of the following.

Required Gear

Item	Purpose
Full enchanted diamond or netherite armor	Survival against Shulkers and falls
Enchanted sword (Sharpness V preferred)	Killing Shulkers efficiently
Bow with Infinity or plenty of arrows	Sniping Shulkers from range
Ender pearls (16-32)	Reaching outer islands, emergency saves
Slow Falling potions (4-8)	Negating Shulker levitation kills
Building blocks (3+ stacks)	Bridging between islands
Food (golden carrots or steak)	Health regeneration
Water bucket	Fall damage prevention
Crafting table + ender chest	Securing loot mid-raid

Recommended Enchantments

Your armor should have Protection IV on every piece. Feather Falling IV on boots is critical because Shulker levitation launches you upward and the fall back down can be fatal. A bow with Power V kills Shulkers faster from safe distances.

For the full enchantment priority list and setup instructions, see our enchantment guide.

Potions to Bring

Slow Falling is the single most important potion for End City raiding. When a Shulker’s projectile hits you, it applies the Levitation effect for 10 seconds, sending you straight up. Without Slow Falling, you plummet to your death when the effect ends. With Slow Falling, you descend gently.

Brew Slow Falling potions using Phantom Membranes (dropped by Phantoms) and Awkward Potions. See our brewing guide for the full recipe and how to extend duration.

Also bring Healing II potions and Regeneration potions as emergency healing.

How to Reach the Outer End Islands

Step 1: Defeat the Ender Dragon

End Cities only exist on the outer End islands, which are inaccessible until the Ender Dragon is dead. After killing the Dragon, an End Gateway portal appears at the edge of the main End island. It is a small bedrock frame containing a swirling purple block, usually spawning at the edge of the island about 75-100 blocks from the center.

If you have not fought the Dragon yet, gear preparation is essential. Full Protection IV diamond/netherite armor, a water bucket, Slow Falling potions, and plenty of food are the minimum. Beds can be used to deal explosive damage to the Dragon (right-click to “sleep” in the End, the bed explodes), though this is risky.

Step 2: Use the End Gateway

Throw an ender pearl into the End Gateway portal block. You teleport to the outer End islands, approximately 1,000 blocks from the main island. You arrive on a small platform with another End Gateway that leads back to the main island.

Mark this gateway location. Write down the coordinates or place recognizable blocks around it. This is your return route. Losing track of the gateway means a very long bridge back to the main island. For understanding how to read and use coordinates effectively, see our coordinates guide.

Alternative: Bridge to the Outer Islands

If you cannot find the End Gateway or prefer not to use ender pearls, you can bridge from the main End island to the outer islands. The outer islands begin approximately 1,000 blocks from the center of the main island. This requires 1,000+ blocks of building material and extreme patience, but it guarantees a safe path you can follow back.

Crouch-walk the entire bridge. Falling into the void below is instant death with no item recovery.

Finding End Cities

End Cities generate on the outer End islands in the “End Highlands” and “End Midlands” biomes. They are tall, purple structures made of purpur blocks and end stone bricks, usually visible from a distance due to their height.

Search Strategy

After teleporting to the outer islands, pick a direction and explore. End Cities have a minimum spacing of approximately 320 blocks apart, so do not expect to find them clustered together. Walk along island edges and look for tall purple structures on adjacent islands.

If the island you are on has no city, bridge or ender pearl to neighboring islands. Larger islands are more likely to have cities. Small floating platforms rarely contain structures.

Flying Search (Second Trip and Beyond)

Once you have an Elytra from your first raid, finding subsequent End Cities is vastly easier. Fly over the outer islands and spot cities from the air. Bring firework rockets (gunpowder + paper) for powered flight.

End City Structure

End Cities are tower structures with multiple rooms stacked vertically and connected by purpur stairs. They vary in size, with some being single towers and others being sprawling complexes with multiple connected towers.

Rooms and Loot Locations

Each room has a chance to contain loot chests. Typical loot includes:

Item	Notes
Enchanted diamond armor	Random Protection/Projectile Protection/Blast Protection
Enchanted diamond tools	Efficiency, Unbreaking, Silk Touch, Fortune
Enchanted diamond sword	Sharpness, Smite, Bane of Arthropods
Enchanted iron armor and tools	Useful early, outclassed by diamond
Gold ingots	Moderate value
Iron ingots	Moderate value
Emeralds	Useful for villager trading
Beetroot seeds	Low value

End Ships

Not every End City has an End Ship. End Ships are floating vessels anchored near a city, connected by a bridge. The End Ship is the single most valuable part of the End because it contains:

• Elytra - Found in an item frame in the treasure room. Only one per ship.
• Dragon Head - Mounted on the bow of the ship. Decorative.
• Brewing Stand - Contains Instant Health II potions.
• Two shulkers - Guarding the treasure room.

Approximately 56% of End Cities generate with an End Ship attached. If the city you find has no ship, continue exploring for one that does. The Elytra is non-negotiable; it transforms the game.

How to Identify an End Ship From Below

End Ships float above and to the side of the city, connected by a purpur bridge from one of the upper rooms. When approaching an End City, look for a large floating structure extending outward from the upper tower. If you see a bridge going out over the void to a separate structure, that is the ship.

Combat Strategy for Shulkers

Shulkers are the exclusive hostile mob in End Cities. They attach to blocks, hide in their shells, and fire homing projectiles that apply the Levitation effect. They are the most dangerous part of any End City raid.

Shulker Behavior

• Shulkers attach to solid block surfaces (walls, floors, ceilings).
• They open their shells periodically to look around and fire projectiles.
• Shulker projectiles are slow-moving, homing missiles that track your position.
• When a projectile hits you, it applies Levitation for 10 seconds and deals 4 damage (2 hearts).
• Shulkers can teleport to another block surface when damaged, making them unpredictable.
• They are immune to damage when their shell is closed.

Fighting Shulkers

Melee approach: Wait for a Shulker to open its shell, then hit it with your sword. You can only damage them when the shell is open (the inner body is visible). Time your strikes between their shell openings. Two to three hits with Sharpness V kills a Shulker.

Ranged approach (recommended): Use a bow from a distance. Arrows damage Shulkers when their shells are open. This is safer because you have more time to dodge or block incoming projectiles. Power V arrows can one-shot Shulkers at full draw.

Projectile defense: Shulker bullets can be destroyed by hitting them with a sword or arrow before they reach you. You can also dodge them by moving behind blocks, though the homing effect makes them curve around corners to a degree.

Handling Levitation

When a Shulker projectile hits you, Levitation lifts you straight up for 10 seconds. Without preparation, you float 10-15 blocks upward and then free-fall, taking significant or fatal damage.

Countermeasures:

1. Slow Falling potion (best): Drink before entering rooms with Shulkers. The Slow Falling effect negates fatal fall damage entirely. Even if Levitation launches you, you drift down safely.
2. Water bucket: Place water below your feet as you ascend. Difficult to time but possible.
3. Ender pearl: While levitating, throw an ender pearl to the ground to teleport back down instantly.
4. Build a ceiling: If you know Shulkers are in a room, build a low ceiling 3-4 blocks above you. Levitation pushes you against the ceiling, and the fall from 3-4 blocks is negligible.

Room-by-Room Clearing

Enter each room of the End City methodically:

1. Peek into the room to spot Shulker positions.
2. Drink a Slow Falling potion if you do not have one active.
3. Snipe open Shulkers with your bow from the entrance.
4. Clear all Shulkers before looting chests.
5. Collect shulker shells from dead Shulkers (they drop 0-1 shell each, Looting III increases the chance).
6. Move to the next room.

Never rush through rooms. A Shulker projectile from behind while you are climbing stairs can launch you out of the structure and into the void.

Obtaining the Elytra

The Elytra is located in the treasure room of the End Ship. To reach it:

1. Navigate to the top of the End City where the bridge to the ship connects.
2. Cross the bridge carefully. The bridge has no railings, and Shulkers guard both the bridge entrance and the ship interior.
3. Enter the End Ship through the deck.
4. Fight the two Shulkers inside the ship.
5. The Elytra is in an item frame on the wall of the treasure room, between two shulker guardians.
6. Break the item frame to collect the Elytra.

Immediately equip the Elytra or store it in your ender chest. If you die after collecting the Elytra but before securing it, everything is lost.

Elytra Durability and Repair

A fresh Elytra has 432 durability. Flying consumes 1 durability per second. Without repair, it lasts about 7 minutes of continuous flight before breaking.

Repair methods:

• Mending enchantment (best): Combine with a Mending book on an anvil. XP repairs durability passively.
• Phantom Membranes: Combine Elytra + Phantom Membrane on an anvil. Each membrane restores 108 durability.
• Another Elytra: Combine two damaged Elytra on an anvil or crafting table.

Apply Mending and Unbreaking III to your Elytra as the first priority after obtaining it. This makes it permanent. See the enchantment guide for anvil mechanics and optimal enchantment combinations.

Shulker Shells and Shulker Boxes

Shulkers have a chance to drop a shulker shell when killed. With no enchantments, the drop rate is 50%. Looting III increases this to 68.75%.

Two shulker shells + one chest crafts a shulker box. Shulker boxes are portable storage containers that retain their contents when broken. They are the Minecraft equivalent of bags of holding, and they permanently solve inventory management problems.

How Many Shells Do You Need?

Each shulker box requires 2 shells. A full set of 27 shulker boxes (filling every slot of a double chest) requires 54 shells. For practical purposes, 16-20 shulker boxes cover most needs.

Plan to raid 3-5 End Cities to collect enough shells for a comfortable supply. Each city contains 2-6 Shulkers depending on size, so shell farming requires visiting multiple cities.

Shulker Shell Farming

In 1.21, Shulkers can duplicate under certain conditions. When a Shulker is hit by another Shulker’s projectile, there is a chance a new Shulker spawns. This mechanic can be exploited to build Shulker farms, producing unlimited shells without visiting more End Cities. Building a farm is complex but worthwhile for long-term worlds.

Getting Home Safely

You have the Elytra, shulker shells, enchanted gear, and a full inventory. Now you need to get home without losing everything.

Secure Loot First

Before traveling, place an ender chest (bring obsidian and an Eye of Ender, or find one in the city) and store your most valuable items inside. Ender chests share inventory across all instances, so anything placed inside is safe even if you die. Prioritize storing the Elytra, shulker shells, and the best enchanted gear.

Return to the Main Island

Option 1: End Gateway (fastest). Find the End Gateway you arrived through. Throw an ender pearl into it to teleport back to the main island. If you marked the coordinates as suggested earlier, navigate back using your coordinate awareness.

Option 2: Bridge back. If you cannot find the gateway, bridge toward coordinates 0, 0 (the center of the main End island). This is slow but guaranteed to work. Bring enough blocks.

Option 3: Elytra flight. If you collected the Elytra and have firework rockets, equip the Elytra and fly back to the main island. This is the fastest method but requires the Elytra to already be in usable condition.

Return to the Overworld

Once on the main End island, jump into the exit portal at the center (the bedrock structure with the dragon egg on top). This teleports you to your Overworld spawn point.

What If You Die in the End

Items dropped in the End despawn after 5 minutes, same as anywhere else. If you die over the void, items are gone instantly. This is why the ender chest strategy matters. Never carry irreplaceable items in your regular inventory during End exploration.

If you die on a solid block (inside an End City, for example), you can return by going through the End portal again. You will spawn on the obsidian platform on the main End island and need to travel back to the outer islands to retrieve your items within 5 minutes (assuming the chunks stay loaded; if they unload, the timer pauses).

End City Raiding Checklist

Use this checklist for each raid:

1. Brew Slow Falling potions (extended duration recommended)
2. Pack 16-32 ender pearls
3. Full enchanted armor with Feather Falling IV on boots
4. Bow with Power V and Infinity (or 2+ stacks of arrows)
5. Sword with Sharpness V and Looting III
6. 3+ stacks of building blocks
7. Golden carrots or high-saturation food
8. Ender chest + crafting table
9. Water bucket
10. Firework rockets (if you have an Elytra already)
11. Write down your End Gateway coordinates before exploring

Multiple Elytra and Shell Farming Routes

After your first successful raid, use your new Elytra to fly across the outer End islands and locate more cities rapidly. A typical shell farming session covers 5-10 cities in under an hour of flight time.

Efficient route planning:

• Fly in one direction from the gateway. End Cities spawn in a rough grid pattern with ~320 block minimum spacing.
• Mark each raided city with a unique block or torch pattern so you do not revisit it.
• Collect all loot and shells, store in shulker boxes, and deposit shulker boxes in your ender chest periodically.
• When your ender chest fills up, return to the Overworld to unload, then come back.

Each additional Elytra serves as a backup. Carry a spare in your ender chest in case your primary breaks during a long exploration. With Mending and Unbreaking III, Elytra durability is rarely an issue, but redundancy prevents disaster in a game where you cannot afford to take chances.