How to Respawn the Ender Dragon

Have you ever wanted to relive one of Minecraft's greatest challenges, or maybe you just need a massive XP boost for your enchanted gear? The first time you defeat the Ender Dragon is a massive achievement, but did you know that the dragon can be respawned and defeated again and again? It is one of the coolest hidden features in the game.

This ultimate guide is here to walk you through exactly how to respawn the Ender Dragon in Survival Mode. We will learn the details of the process, from gathering the rare items to placing the four end crystals that bring the colossal boss back to the End dimension.

Respawning is simply the act of summoning the Ender Dragon back into the End dimension after it has already been killed. This process is necessary for a few key reasons. Most importantly, it is the best way to get a massive influx of XP; the Ender Dragon drops 12,000 XP every time it is defeated, making it the top source for enchanting. Players also do it for the pure challenge of a major boss fight and to practice their fighting skills. While you only get the Dragon Egg the first time, the repeatable nature of the respawn is amazing for leveling up.

The Ender Dragon is the final and largest boss mob in vanilla Minecraft. It dwells in the End dimension and is the primary guardian of that plane. Its main goal is to attack the players and destroy blocks to protect itself. During the fight, it heals from the end crystals on the obsidian pillars, making destroying those crystals the first step in defeating it.

In this context, respawn means to actively summon a mob that has been defeated so that the fight can be repeated. It is a process initiated by the player using specific crafted items, essentially hitting a "reset" switch on the boss fight.

The first kill of the Ender Dragon is required to unlock the End for exploration, making the End Gateway portals spawn, and is the only time the Dragon Egg is left behind. Subsequent kills after respawning the Ender Dragon provide the same huge XP reward but do not spawn a new Dragon Egg.

To successfully respawn the Ender Dragon, preparation is everything. You need to be methodical in gathering the materials and equipping the right gear.

The entire respawn mechanism revolves around the four ender crystals. You will need enough materials to create four of them:

Obtained from killing Endermen. Creating an Enderman farm can make this process significantly faster, letting you collect the necessary Ender Pearls quickly.

These drop from killing Ghasts in the Nether dimension. The simplest way to defeat a Ghast is to reflect its fireballs with a sword or a projectile, but ensure it does not die over lava.

Each crystal needs seven Glass Blocks, meaning you need a total of 28 Glass Blocks. This requires smelting 28 sand blocks in a furnace.

Bring Diamond or Netherite armor (preferably enchanted), a strong bow and many arrows, and Slow Falling potions. A Water Bucket can save you from a lethal fall or extinguish flames. A good pickaxe is necessary for making paths or quickly breaking obsidian if needed.

The portal is a bedrock structure in the center of the island, where the Dragon Egg appears after the first kill. The four end crystals will be placed on the center block of each of the four sides of this portal base.

This crucial section will teach you how to combine your gathered materials to create the four end crystals needed for the ritual, ensuring you have the details on every item's exact spot in the crafting grid.

The recipe for a single Ender Crystal requires:

1 Ghast Tear

1 Eye of Ender

7 Glass Blocks

The Eye of Ender is crafted with an Ender Pearl and Blaze Powder.

In a Crafting Table:

Eye of Ender goes in the center slot.

Ghast Tear goes in the bottom-middle slot.

Glass Blocks go in all other remaining seven slots.

The Ghast Tear is the key ingredient. It provides the magical Regeneration properties that are necessary to magically heal the obsidian pillars and ultimately respawn the Ender Dragon. Without it, you cannot create the Ender Crystal and cannot respawn the dragon.

You must craft exactly four Ender Crystals to activate the respawn mechanism. This is a non-negotiable detail for the respawning process.

Once you have crafted your four end crystals, you are ready to respawn the Ender Dragon.

Go back to the End dimension. The safest place to stand is on the bedrock ring surrounding the Exit Portal, not inside the portal itself. The whole portal structure is where the action happens.

This is the most crucial step for how to respawn the Ender Dragon.

Look at the square bedrock base of the Exit Portal structure. It has four sides.

Place one Ender Crystal on the center top block of each of the four sides.

Placing the fourth crystal will immediately start the spectacular respawn animation.

Once the last crystal is placed, a massive purple particle beam will shoot up from each crystal, marking the start of the respawn sequence. This sound and visual spectacle is an amazing detail of the game.

The four particle beams will travel from the exit portal base to the obsidian pillars. You will notice that the pillars will be magically restored, and the destroyed end crystals that were on top of them will be fully healed.

The restored pillars will then collectively form a giant beam of light that culminates in the Ender Dragon returning to the main island with a roar. Be ready to fight immediately, as the dragon can attack as soon as it fully spawns and materializes.

For players on a server who have cheats enabled, you can access a different method using commands.

You can use the /summon command in the chat window to directly spawn a dragon at your location. You can specify its location with coordinates (e.g., /summon ender_dragon 0 100 0), or use tildes (~ ~ ~) for your current position.

Be aware that using the /summon command alone does not trigger the official respawn animation, which includes the pillars healing and the sound sequence. For the official respawn cycle, you will still need to place the four end crystals on the Exit Portal structure to activate the sequence.

Once the Ender Dragon is defeated again, you will collect a massive XP drop, and then it is time to continue your exploration of the End dimension.

You will receive the same huge XP reward, 12,000 XP, as the first kill, but the Dragon Egg will not respawn. You only get the egg once. The fight is still worth it for the XP alone!

Yes! This respawn process can be repeated an unlimited number of times for continuous XP farming. You can continue to respawn the Ender Dragon as long as you have the materials to create the four end crystals.

After defeating the Ender Dragon, whether for the first or fifth time, look for the small End Gateway portals. These small portals let players access the outer End islands, where you can find End Cities, get Shulkers for chests (Shulker Boxes), and, most importantly, obtain the coveted Elytra.

Before you start the respawn sequence, it is wise to know a few common errors to avoid any frustrating failures during the process.

If the end crystals do not activate the respawn, re-check that all four end crystals are placed on the center block of the four sides of the portal base. Even a small misplacement will skip the activation.

The end crystals explode after the respawn animation is complete and the ender dragon has fully spawned. To avoid taking damage, step away from the exit portal once the dragon has fully materialized.

If you are having trouble getting the Ghast Tears to drop, use a sword enchanted with Looting III. This enchantment will significantly increase the drop rate, helping you complete your list of materials faster.

Respawning the Ender Dragon is an exhilarating and rewarding process that adds a repeatable challenge to your Minecraft game. Learning how to respawn the Ender Dragon lets you take full advantage of the best XP source in Survival Mode.

The main steps are: Gather the materials (Ghast Tear, Ender Pearl, Glass Blocks), craft the four end crystals, and place them correctly on the Exit Portal structure.

It provides the largest single XP reward in the game, 12,000 XP, making it the top source for enchanting and leveling your gear. Fighting the Ender Dragon repeatedly is an amazing way to enhance your gameplay experience.