The only way to get an Elytra in Minecraft is to find one on an End Ship in the outer End. You beat the Ender Dragon, travel through the End Gateway to the outer End islands, find an End City that has a ship, get past the Shulkers, and take the Elytra out of the item frame on the ship.
It’s an endgame item, so there’s no crafting recipe and no shortcut.
But the actual process is simple once you know the steps – and this guide walks through every one, plus what to bring, how to fly, and how to repair it.
Quick Answer
- Where it is: in an item frame on an End Ship (a floating ship that generates next to some End Cities).
- How to get there: defeat the Ender Dragon, then use the End Gateway portal to reach the outer End islands.
- The catch: only about 56% of End Cities have a ship, so you may need to check a few.
- Main danger: Shulkers, which shoot projectiles that make you levitate – deadly over the void.
- Can you craft it? No. The End Ship is the only source in survival.
What Is an Elytra?
The Elytra is a pair of wings you wear in your chest slot.
With it on, you can glide through the air by jumping off a height, and with firework rockets, you can fly almost anywhere – across oceans, up mountains, and over your whole world.
It’s widely considered the best item in the game for travel, which is why so many players make getting one their main endgame goal.
The one trade-off: it takes your chestplate slot, so you can’t wear body armor and an Elytra at the same time.
Where to Find an Elytra
Elytra are found only on End Ships.
An End Ship is a small flying vessel that generates floating next to some End Cities, out on the large outer islands of the End dimension.
Not every End City has one. Roughly 56% of End Cities generate with a ship, so if the first city you find doesn’t have one, just move on to the next.
On the ship, the Elytra sits inside an item frame near the back, guarded by a Shulker.
How to Get an Elytra: Step by Step
1. Beat the Ender Dragon
You can’t reach End Cities until you’ve defeated the Ender Dragon.
Find a Stronghold, activate the End Portal with Eyes of Ender, and beat the dragon in the central End island.
Come prepared – bring strong gear, food, and plenty of blocks. Our guide on getting netherite covers gearing up before the fight.
2. Use the End Gateway to reach the outer islands
After the dragon dies, a small End Gateway portal appears near the exit portal (a bedrock frame with a glowing center).
Throw an Ender Pearl into it.
It teleports you about 1,000 blocks away to the outer End islands – the large islands covered in chorus plants where End Cities spawn.
Bring a stack of Ender Pearls and blocks, because there’s an open void between islands.
3. Find an End City (with a ship)
End Cities are tall purple-and-yellow structures, easy to spot from a distance.
Travel across the outer islands until you find one – then check whether it has an End Ship floating beside it.
If it doesn’t, keep exploring. Flying tools like an End City finder by seed can help, but in survival, you simply travel and search.
4. Get past the Shulkers
End Cities and the ship are guarded by Shulkers – block-like mobs stuck to walls that shoot homing projectiles.
Those projectiles inflict Levitation, floating you upward and then dropping you, which is lethal over the void.
Kill them with a bow or sword, place blocks to break the line of sight, and never fight near an edge.
A bucket of water, a slow-falling potion, or simply waiting out the levitation can save you from a deadly fall.
5. Take the Elytra from the item frame
Make your way onto the End Ship.
At the back of the ship, you’ll find the item frame holding the Elytra – break it or take it out, and the wings are yours.
While you’re there, grab the rest of the loot: the End Ship also has a Dragon Head on the front and brewing stands with potions in the treasure room.
What to Bring to the End
Pack for a long, dangerous trip:
- Strong armor and a good weapon (netherite or enchanted diamond).
- A bow to deal with Shulkers from range.
- A stack or two of blocks for bridging gaps and blocking projectiles.
- Ender Pearls to cross the void and escape danger.
- Food and a few potions (regeneration, slow falling, or a water bucket).
- An empty inventory slot or two for the Elytra and ship loot.
How to Fly With an Elytra
Equip the Elytra in your chest slot (where your chestplate goes).
To glide, jump off something tall and press the jump key again in mid-air to spread the wings.
Look down to gain speed and pull up to glide farther – but on its own, the Elytra only takes you downward.
To actually fly up and across long distances, use firework rockets: while gliding, right-click a rocket, and it propels you forward.
Rockets need gunpowder, so a creeper farm is the best way to keep a stockpile – see our best Minecraft farms guide for that.
How to Repair an Elytra
An Elytra has 432 durability and loses 1 point per second of flight, so it does wear out.
You can repair it in a few ways:
- Phantom membranes on an anvil – phantoms drop these, and each membrane restores a chunk of durability.
- Mending – enchant the Elytra with Mending, and the XP you collect repairs it automatically. This is the best long-term fix; here’s how to get Mending.
- Unbreaking – makes it last much longer between repairs.
With Mending and Unbreaking, your Elytra can effectively last forever.
Frequently Asked Questions
You get an Elytra from an End Ship in the outer End. Beat the Ender Dragon, use the End Gateway to reach the outer islands, find an End City with a ship, get past the Shulkers, and take the Elytra from the item frame on the ship.
No. Only End Cities that generate with an End Ship have an Elytra, which is about 56% of them. If a city has no ship, move on and find another.
No. There is no crafting recipe – the End Ship is the only source of Elytra in survival Minecraft.
After defeating the Ender Dragon, throw an Ender Pearl into the End Gateway portal that appears. It teleports you to the outer End islands, where End Cities and ships generate.
Wear it in your chest slot, jump off a height, and press jump again to glide. Use firework rockets while gliding to boost forward and fly long distances or upward.
Use phantom membranes on an anvil, or enchant the Elytra with Mending so XP repairs it as you play. Unbreaking helps it last longer, too.
Yes. There’s one Elytra per End Ship, but the outer End has unlimited End Cities and ships, so you can collect as many as you want.
Yes. On both Java and Bedrock, the Elytra comes from an End Ship in the outer End after beating the Ender Dragon. The steps are the same.
The Elytra is the single best upgrade for getting around Minecraft, and now you know exactly how to get one.
Beat the dragon, pearl through the End Gateway, find a city with a ship, survive the Shulkers, and claim your wings.
After that, grab a stack of rockets, and the whole world opens up. For more End-game goals, see how to pick up the dragon egg on your way out.
