Top 5 things to know about End city in Minecraft

Towering above the islands in the End, Minecraft's End cities have plenty to offer for the adventurous. These generated structures contain some of the best loot in Survival Mode, so they're worth searching for.

While End cities are undoubtedly great to explore, players won't usually be able to access them right away. Typically, before heading to the outer islands of the End, where the cities are located, Minecraft players will have to deal with the Ender Dragon and defeat her first to ensure that there are as few hazards as possible before accessing the gateway portals and exploring the rest of the dimension.

When players finally have access to the End cities, there are a few things worth keeping in mind while exploring.

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Top Facts to Remember While Exploring Minecraft's End Cities

5) Overall Structure

Not all end cities in Minecraft generate the same way (Image via Mojang)

End cities consist of multiple smaller structures when they generate in-game. This includes towers reaching relatively high into the sky, from a single tower to multiple towers branched via interconnected passageways. These towers are constructed of end stone and purpur blocks, making them somewhat resistant to damage, albeit still being breakable with the right tools. These structures' only natural light sources are End rods and ender chests.

End cities can generate several different rooms and floors. While many rooms are relatively empty, minus the occasional shulker or banner decoration, players can often find spiral staircases that lead up to a loot room.

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4) Accessing the Cities

End gateways are the most surefire way to access End cities (Image via u/littleswenson/Reddit)

While there are other ways to get to the outer islands of the End, where cities are located, the simplest way to reach them is via gateway portals. These can be found around the central island when players first enter the End and battle the Ender Dragon. Up to 20 total gateways can be spawned around the central island depending on how many times the dragon has been defeated, though their arrangement depends on the Minecraft world's seed.

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3) Beware the Shulkers

Shulkers may seem weak, but they can still cause problems for Minecraft players (Image via Mojang)

While End cities might seem relatively defenseless, players will want to watch as they scale the cities' towers and search their rooms. Shulkers can spawn throughout End cities and blend in quite well with the surrounding environments. The primary way shulkers attack foes are through bullet projectiles, which track targets and deal damage while also causing the target to levitate for ten seconds. While this doesn't sound dangerous if players levitate too high up and fall, they can take a sizable chunk of fall damage.

Fortunately, shulkers can be quickly dispatched as long as players are cautious about their positioning. Even better, these box-shaped creatures drop shells that can be used to craft incredibly useful shulker boxes.

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2) End Ships

End ships are an additional structure found near End ships in Minecraft (Image via Mojang)

As players make their way through End city towers in Minecraft, it's understandable to take a peek at the horizon. Players will likely find an End ship this way, and journeying to these vessels is well worth the effort. Though these ships are small, they contain even better loot than those found in End cities. Once players have picked a city clean of its contents, it's time to make their way to the End ship to finish their pillaging effort.

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1) The Loot

Elytra are far and above the top loot items worth finding in End cities and ships (Image via Mojang)

When it comes to loot that can be found in End cities and ships in Minecraft, the items are some of the highest quality in the game. Cities contain enchanted tools, weapons, armor, and raw materials like ingots, emeralds, diamonds, and horse armor. However, once players make their way to the End ship, they can find rare and spectacular items like the head of the Ender Dragon and Elytra.

Elytra allow players to glide and fly as long as they're equipped, making them one of the most helpful pieces of equipment in Minecraft Survival Mode.