Windows 10 Minecraft players will be able to finally defeat the Ender Dragon, located in The End, now considered to be the end of Minecraft’s Survival mode.

Both Pocket and Windows 10 Minecraft versions can now stand up to the original Java-based version, and according to Mojang, this will be the update shipped with Minecraft’s Apple TV edition. With the addition of the update dubbed “The End,” players can now collect Ender Pearls and create a portal to travel to the ominous region where the game’s final boss resides.

The Ender Dragon, Minecraft, Windows 10
Minecraft’s The Ender Dragon. Image credit: Microsoft.

What’s new for patch 1.0?

Mojang, the company responsible for creating one of the most successful video games of the decade announced the upcoming update that will drive Windows 10 and Pocket versions of Minecraft up to 1.0, following the path of its PC-borne predecessor.

The update does not solely add the Ender Dragon and its habitat. Developers also managed to increase the world height to 256 blocks. They will also add Elytra, wings that allow players to fly in the game and see their creations from great heights.

Elytra are found in cities that reside in end cities. They are a pair of wings that are equipped in the chest armor slot and can get damaged with use. To repair the Elytra, one can join two of the same item or repair them fully by using 4 leather.

With Elytra equipped, the player only needs to jump in midair. The mechanic is similar to Super Mario 64’s wing cape, where the player has to keep a steady gliding rhythm. When facing up, the player will increase its altitude, but after a while, the momentum will cease and the player will dive down much faster. Players can enchant Elytra to prolong their durability, but without any enchantment, they allow for just a bit more than 7 minutes of flight.

Not every feature in the update will be revealed before the live launch: “There are a lot more features in the new update but we’re not going to go into those right now. We think it would be more fun if you find them out yourselves,” Mojang’s Owen wrote on the company’s blog.

The update will make the game compatible with Minecraft’s Gear VR Windows 10 and Pocket editions.

Android Minecraft players can go ahead and test the beta version of the patch by signing up through this link. Beta testers must remember that there are still plenty of bugs to fix, which is why they should report them to Mojang if they were to find any.

How to get to The End in Minecraft

The first record of The End was announced on October 7, 2011, by Notch, Minecraft’s creator. When experimenting to create a third dimension for Minecraft, beside the Overworld and the Nether, Notch envisioned a place where endermen and ender dragons would be. Eventually, he decided for a single Ender Dragon to reside in the dark place now known as The End.

For Minecraft’s original Java version, the 1.0.0 update featured The End and players could then create an End portal to access the dimension. When the player enters The End, the dragon would destroy the portal and force the player to fight him.

Minecraft, The End
Minecraft’s The End. Image credit: Minecraft Wiki.

Players cannot create an End portal in Survival mode, but rather must find and repair one that they may find in a stronghold. To activate it, the player must collect 12 Eyes of Ender and place them in each of the blocks that comprise the portal’s frame, which encases a 3×3 area. After the last Eye of Ender is set, the portal will activate, and the player can jump in to access the final stage of the game.

When players arrive at The End, they find themselves on a large island surrounded by other floating islands, all of which are made out of End Stone, a white block that can be collected by using a pick. Players can craft End Stone Bricks using 4 End Stones. End Stone cannot be destroyed by the attacks of the Ender Dragon, but it can be lit on fire to be used as a torch. End cities, where players can get Elytra, are found on these floating islands.

The End has several distinguishing features. First of all, the End’s sky is blank, and there is no day and night. Any bed that the player tries to use in the End will explode, making it impossible to respawn in the End if the player were to be killed by the Ender Dragon or any other hazard.

In the End, the player must defeat the Ender Dragon or be defeated. The dragon will be flying around the several pillars that adorn the central isle.

The Ender Dragon spawns even on Peaceful difficulty, in which it is unable to harm the player. The dragon usually circles the obsidian pillars located on the isle until it decides to fly toward the player and fire Ender charges at it. The dragon is only hostile to the player and can destroy blocks by passing through them. The dragon’s health bar will be located in the upper part of the screen. The best way to defeat the dragon is by destroying the Ender Crystals while he is being healed by them. Other than that, players should rely on arrows to defeat the first boss mob ever introduced in Minecraft.

Source: Mojang