How to find and use elytra in Minecraft

How to find and use elytra in Minecraft 

Elytra are wings that take up the chestplate slot and provide the only way to fly in Survival mode. They can be found in just one type of structure, the final one, so this is a task for a player who has already completed the main part of the game. Let's go through the whole journey: how to reach the right location, grab the wings, learn to fly with them, and keep them in good repair. The flight mechanics in Minecraft have stayed the same for many updates, so this guide is relevant for modern versions. 

Preparation 

The trip for elytra goes through the End, so gathering your gear settles half the matter. Before you start, you should bring along:

• Diamond or netherite armor with protection enchantments.

• A bow or crossbow with a stock of arrows and a sword — against the Ender Dragon and shulkers.

• 12 Eyes of Ender — to activate the End portal (some frames in the stronghold may already hold an eye).

• Ender Pearls — at least 4–6, without them you can't cross the End gateway.

• Fireworks — so you can return home straight from the air.

• 1–2 stacks of building blocks — the outer islands are separated by the void.

• Good food: cooked meat, golden carrots.

• A water bucket — in case you fall.

Step 1. Open the End portal 

The End portal is hidden in a stronghold underground. Throw an Eye of Ender into the air — it will fly toward the nearest structure. Follow it, throwing new ones from time to time, until the eye starts to sink: the stronghold is hidden right beneath that spot. Dig down and find the room with the portal — a square 5×5 frame above lava.

Insert an Eye of Ender into each of the 12 portal frames. When the last one falls into place, the portal activates. Before you jump, make sure all your gear is on hand — there's no coming back through this portal.

An activated End portal in a stronghold room, all 12 frames filled with Eyes of Ender 

Step 2. Reach the outer islands 

The portal drops you onto the central island of the End. If the Ender Dragon is still alive, you first have to defeat it: destroy the End Crystals on the obsidian pillars, then strike the boss when it dives down to the portal.

After the dragon's death, an End gateway appears near the exit — a small block-portal. You can't walk into it, the opening is too small. Throw an Ender Pearl into the gateway — it will teleport you thousands of blocks away, to the outer islands, where the structures you need generate.

The End gateway after defeating the dragon

Step 3. Find an End City and End Ship 

The outer islands are scattered patches of End Stone separated by the void. Move in one direction, building bridges across the gaps. Your landmark is the End City: tall towers of purpur blocks and End Stone Bricks, visible from afar. If you have administrator rights (or cheats enabled), you can instantly find the coordinates of the nearest settlement with the console command /locate structure minecraft:end_city.

The elytra itself isn't lying around in the city. It's carried by the End Ship — a vessel-shaped structure that drifts in the sky next to some cities. Not every city has a ship: if there isn't one, look for the next settlement. From one of the towers, a bridge with a closed arch at the end leads outward — that's the handy spot to reach the ship by throwing an Ender Pearl.

An End City with purpur towers, an End Ship drifting in the sky nearby 

Step 4. Take the elytra from the ship 

The ship is guarded by shulkers. Their projectiles inflict the levitation effect — dangerous near the void, so shoot the mobs down with arrows before they hit you. The treasure room is in the stern superstructure; its entrance is a doorway at the back.

Inside, an item frame with the elytra hangs on the wall, and a brewing stand stands nearby. A separate shulker guards the room. Shoot it down, aim at the frame, and take the wings. In the hold there are also two chests of loot — gold and diamond items, enchanted goods.

Elytra in an item frame on the room's wall, chests and a shulker nearby 

Step 5. Equip the elytra and fly 

The elytra goes in the chestplate slot: drag it into the armor slot or hold it in your hand and press the use key. It's the same slot as the chestplate, so you'll have to remove your chest protection.

To take off, jump from a height and press the jump key again in mid-air — the wings open and gliding begins. In the optimal mode, elytra give a ratio of roughly 10 to 1: ten blocks forward for every block of descent.

Direction and speed are controlled with the camera. Look down — you'll gain speed but lose altitude. Look up — you'll slow down and rise a little. Sharp turns quickly bleed off speed, so for long flights keep a smooth trajectory slightly above the horizon.

A firework rocket is needed for full flight. Use it in your hand while gliding — it pushes you in the direction the camera faces and lifts you up. This way you can fly as long as you like, until you run out of rockets or the wings' durability.

Flying with elytra using a firework rocket

Repairing and enchanting elytra 

Elytra have 432 durability points, and they lose one per second of flight — that's about 7 minutes of flying in a row. When durability drops to 1, the wings stop working but don't fully break: they can always be repaired. 

Ways to repair:

• A phantom membrane on an anvil — the main option. Membranes drop from phantoms, which appear at night if you don't sleep for 3 days.

• Two damaged elytra — you can combine them on a crafting table, anvil, or grindstone, adding up their durability. On a grindstone, however, all enchantments are removed.

Useful enchantments are applied with an enchanted book on an anvil:

• Mending — restores durability using collected experience orbs, so repair becomes automatic.

• Unbreaking III — roughly quadruples the flight time before wear.

Alternative ways to launch 

A firework is needed for sustained flight, but you can start flying without one:

• A jump from a great height — mountains, cliffs, or a built column.

• A trident with the Riptide enchantment, in rain or water, throws the player forward and launches flight.

• A Potion of Slow Falling together with a jump gives a small lift — a slow but free substitute for fireworks.

Conclusion

Elytra provide fast travel over great distances. Over long distances they outpace a horse and a boat and remove the need to build roads. Compared to a horse or boat, the wings require long preparation — a trip to the End — but after that they become the main means of transport in Minecraft. This guide suits those who have already defeated the Ender Dragon or are ready to do so for the sake of access to flight.