End City: find a ship and retrieve elytra

An End city finally appears on the horizon: purple towers, hanging bridges, and sometimes a ship floating next to the buildings. Finding the structure is the first success. Recovering elytra in an End city then requires managing shulkers, heights, and the path to the ship.

This guide focuses on this vertical exploration and the loot to bring back. It complements our Minecraft structures dossier with a method for preparing your first ship without assuming you already own wings.

Searching for a city in the outer islands

Cities are located in the outer archipelago of the End, not in the middle of the dragon fight pillars. Start with our guide on accessing the outer End islands if you haven't crossed the gateway yet. The small bedrock portal and the central exit portal serve two different functions.

Once there, note the coordinates of the gateway and look for large islands. Observe silhouettes in the distance from a stable area. The city looks like a collection of branched purpur towers, with walkways and glowing windows; it is distinguished from chorus plants by its built lines.

Choose a search direction and leave markers on the bridges. Exploration without a guiding thread can lead you back to the same island multiple times. If your supply of blocks runs low, return to a gathering area instead of starting a new crossing that you cannot finish.

The biomes and dimensions dossier helps to understand the geography of this dimension. Favorable terrain does not guarantee a city on every island, and no single direction works for every world seed.

If your progress hasn't reached this stage yet, prepare for the first fight against the Ender dragon first. Searching for the ship becomes simpler once the trip between the Overworld and the archipelago has been mastered.

Spotting a ship before climbing the whole city

Do a visual sweep of the city from a wide surface. A ship looks like a vessel suspended near the upper sections, with a hull distinct from the towers. Not all cities have one, even when they appear imposing.

If your primary goal is to obtain elytra, this observation saves you from searching every tower hoping for wings in an ordinary chest. A city without a ship is still interesting for shulker shells and other treasures, but it does not meet this specific goal.

Note the position of the ship and the point of the city that seems to offer the shortest access. Short does not automatically mean safe: a bridge to be built from a small balcony exposed to fire might be more difficult than a slightly longer climb through a better-protected area.

Also plan where you will return to after the ship. The first moments with elytra are not the best time to improvise a flight over the void. A built return path remains useful even if you hope to leave the ship with wings.

The miniature Enderman keychain serves as a reminder of the island inhabitants between cities. Among our Minecraft keychains, this silhouette easily complements an End-themed collection.

Preparing for falls, projectiles, and the expedition duration

Bring repaired armor, food, a shield, a melee weapon, a pickaxe, and several stacks of blocks. Add Ender pearls for bridges and movement you have mastered, while keeping a reserve for the return journey.

Boots with Feather Falling reduce damage from a fall to the ground, while a slow falling potion can slow your descent. The enchantments and potions dossier helps prepare these effects. They do not make a fall into the void without consequence.

A bucket of water can be used in the End for certain setups and to limit falls, provided you know how to place it. Practice on ordinary terrain before relying on a last-second move from the top of a tower.

Repair your equipment with Mending or anvil methods before departing. Durability must be sufficient for combat and the return journey, not just for the first room.

The Minecraft survival dossier helps in choosing appropriate supplies. A drop chest clearly marked at the foot of the city can hold materials and backup food, while you keep irreplaceable items safe according to your organization.

Our collection of Minecraft toys allows you to compare buildings and small characters before composing your display.

Understanding shulkers and levitation

Shulkers blend in with the purple city blocks when they remain closed. They open their shells to observe and attack. Their projectiles follow a specific trajectory that can turn at right angles and track the target.

You can use walls to cut the trajectory and destroy the projectiles with an appropriate action. Our guide on using a shield completes the preparation. However, keep an eye on the sides: frontal protection does not exempt you from monitoring multiple shulkers.

When a projectile hits you, levitation makes you float upwards. The danger comes particularly from what happens next: at the end of the effect, you fall back down. Look for a low ceiling or an accessible landing to limit height rather than continuing the fight in the middle of an open stairwell.

Drinking milk can remove levitation, but it also removes other active effects. If you are already floating very high, clearing the effect without preparing for the fall can worsen the situation. Observe the surface below you before choosing this solution.

A shulker can teleport when conditions lead it to do so. If its position changes, resume scanning rather than hitting the block where it used to be. The Minecraft mobs and creatures dossier helps distinguish these behaviors from the movements of Endermen.

Climbing the towers without losing the exit route

Cities mix stairs, high rooms, bridges, and openings. Before climbing a floor, look at the arrival point and visible enemies. A fast ascent under several projectiles can take you much higher than expected.

Add landings where the path lacks comfort. A block placed to facilitate an ascent must also allow you to climb down without a blind jump. Avoid leaving behind a path that only works in one direction.

Mark junctions and rooms already searched with a consistent method. A simple marker, always placed on the same side of the return path, is often enough. Do not use the same symbol for "already explored" and "exit" if these two directions do not coincide.

Take breaks on protected surfaces to eat and monitor effects. Loot can wait a few seconds; a low health bar in the middle of a climb should not be ignored simply because a chest is visible on the next floor.

At the foot of the city, Endermen remain present. Our guide on fighting an Enderman without getting trapped helps prevent a tower exit from turning into a new fight on a narrow edge.

The Enderman plush with purple eyes echoes this black and purple contrast. Our Minecraft plushies allow you to add a different format around a construction or figurine.

Building access to the ship

Reach a stable starting point, then observe the space to the ship's deck. Check the quantity of blocks needed and the shulkers that can reach you during construction. Do not start a long passage with a reserve you have not counted.

Build while crouching at the edge and widen spots where you need to turn. A side border reduces movement errors, but it does not automatically protect you from levitation. Keep the possibility of returning to shelter if a projectile targets you.

A pearl throw can provide access when you have mastered the trajectory and see a suitable landing surface. For a first visit, a built bridge generally offers a path that is easier to repeat. Avoid testing the range of a pearl with your best equipment over a void that is difficult to read.

Once on the ship's deck, eliminate immediate threats before going down. Also look at the route you just arrived from: it must remain visible when you come back up with the elytra and the items recovered.

Compare our Minecraft figurines based on available space and the silhouettes you wish to associate around the End theme.

Recovering the elytra and checking the loot

Elytra are found in an item frame in the ship's treasure room. Secure the room and retrieve the item, then check that it is indeed in your inventory. Do not leave the area just because the frame appears empty: look at items on the ground and available slots.

Also examine the ship's chests. They may contain interesting equipment and resources. Take the time to read the enchantments, but do this sorting in a protected room, without leaving an active enemy behind you.

The dragon head located at the front of the boat is another possible souvenir. Prepare a support under the collection area to avoid losing the item into the void. It remains optional: if your equipment or supplies are running low, the elytra alone may justify returning.

Before any flight attempt, consult our guide on flying with elytra and rockets. Wings must be equipped in place of the chestplate, and propulsion rockets must not contain a firework star. A pair of wings in your bag does not turn a fall into a glide.

If you have never flown, take the bridge and descend via a prepared path. You can learn to take off and land in a clear area of the Overworld. The first return with elytra does not necessarily require you to use them immediately.

Bringing back shulker shells and organizing storage

Shulkers can drop shells when they die. Collect them before leaving a room and reserve a spot for them in your inventory. With two shells and a chest, you can craft a shulker box.

This box keeps its contents when it is broken and retrieved. It makes future expeditions much more comfortable because you can carry resources grouped in a single object. However, it is not indestructible: losing the box can also mean losing the items it contains.

An Ender chest serves another function: its personal inventory can be accessed from other Ender chests. Prepare how to retrieve the block if you take it with you; Silk Touch is useful for transporting it intact. Our comparison of Fortune or Silk Touch helps in choosing the corresponding pickaxe.

Organize resources by usage: wings and flight gear, shells, equipment to be sorted, decorative blocks. This separation prevents filling a return chest without knowing where the main item of the expedition is located.

Armor trim templates found in the cities are then prepared at the smithing table. Keep the copies you wish to duplicate before consuming them on a first piece.

Finishing the expedition and preparing for the next one

Return to a gateway whose location you noted. It leads back to the central island; the central portal then allows you to exit to the Overworld. Keep the pearls and food necessary for these two stages.

If you are exploring as a group, agree on the distribution of the elytra before the first ship. One ship does not automatically provide a pair for every player. Shells and other resources can be shared, and then a subsequent trip can target a second ship.

At the base, repair your wings, prepare enchantments, and practice flying before heading off into the distance. Note the coordinates of visited cities to avoid scavenging the same ships again. A good exploration log saves as much time as a fast-travel route.

To extend the atmosphere, the Enderman, Creeper, and tools wall stickers can accompany a small set dedicated to adventure. The Minecraft stickers and the Minecraft room decoration guide help in choosing a surface and a legible composition.

Our guide on setting up a Minecraft desk helps reserve space for display items without obstructing the keyboard. Browse the Minecraft mugs to pair the Enderman with another character or maintain a dark palette around the color purple.

Frequently asked questions about End cities and ships

Does every city have elytra?

No. The wings are found in the ship, and not all cities have one. Observe the upper sections before searching the entire structure if your priority is to obtain a pair.

Are the elytra in a chest?

They are displayed in an item frame in the ship's treasure room. Nearby chests contain other rewards. Verify that you have indeed collected the wings before leaving the room.

Does Slow Falling protect against the Void?

It slows your descent but does not create ground beneath you. It can give you time to reach an accessible surface; it does not make a dead-end fall harmless.

What to do if the city has no ship?

Decide if the shells and chests justify a visit, then resume the search in a recorded direction. A city without a ship can still provide useful resources to organize the next expedition.