Easy Methods to Locate End Cities in Minecraft Explained

In the expansive world of Minecraft, End Cities stand out as some of the most rewarding structures to explore. Despite the allure of ancient cities, End Cities are unparalleled in the special treasures they offer, including the coveted Elytra—as well as essential materials for constructing Shulker boxes. However, locating these fantastic treasures can be quite a challenge. Here, we present some effective strategies to simplify your quest for these elusive structures.

Understanding End Cities and End Ships in Minecraft

An End City comprises a collection of unique structures that emerge on floating islands within the End dimension. These cities are exclusively found on the outer islands, far from the primary island that hosts the Ender Dragon. The architecture of End Cities includes a variety of towers, skyscrapers, and, occasionally, rare loot structures.

Adjacent to End Cities, you may encounter an End Ship, which is an exceptional loot structure harboring some of the game’s finest treasures. In this guide, we’ll simplify the navigation of End Cities and their accompanying ships, as their proximity is determined by random generation.

Top Strategies for Locating End Cities in Minecraft

Finding End Cities can be a daunting task without the aid of cheats or specialized tools. Here, we offer a traditional exploration method, as well as various strategies using commands and maps:

Method 1: Exploration

End-Portal-with-12-Eyes-of-Ender — Image Credit: Minecraft/Mojang (Screenshot by Udayveer Singh/ Beebom)

End-main-island-with-ender-dragon-dead — Image Credit: Minecraft/Mojang (Screenshot by Udayveer Singh/ Beebom)

End-gateway-portal — Image Credit: Minecraft/Mojang (Screenshot by Udayveer Singh/ Beebom)

outskirts-of-the-End-dimension — Image Credit: Minecraft/Mojang (Screenshot by Udayveer Singh/ Beebom)

Begin your journey by entering the End dimension via the End Portal located in a stronghold. For guidance on finding these strongholds, check our dedicated guide.
First, you need to defeat the Ender Dragon if you haven’t done so already.
After defeating the dragon, look for End Gateway Portals, small structures made of bedrock featuring a teleportation portal.
Approach one of these gateways and throw an Ender Pearl into the portal.
Due to their size, directly walking into the portal is impossible, so using Ender Pearls or a trapdoor is essential to access it.

The gateway portal will transport you to the outskirts of the End. From there, you will need to build bridges between floating islands until you discover the End Cities. It’s advisable to bypass smaller islands, as they typically offer minimal resources.

Method 2: Utilizing Commands and Cheats

Allow-Cheats-in-Minecraft — Image Credit: Minecraft/Mojang (Screenshot by Udayveer Singh/ Beebom)

coordinates-of-the-closest-End-city — Image Credit: Minecraft/Mojang (Screenshot by Udayveer Singh/ Beebom)

If you prefer to bypass exploration and are comfortable using cheats, follow these steps to swiftly locate an End City using commands:

Enable cheats in your Minecraft world.
Toggle the “Activate Cheats” option in Bedrock Edition settings or the “Allow Cheats” option in Java Edition LAN World settings.
Enter the End dimension and ensure the Ender Dragon has been defeated.
Utilize the command ‘/locate structure minecraft:end_city ‘ to identify the coordinates of the nearest End City.
Manually navigate to these coordinates or teleport directly to them for swift access.

Method 3: End City Finder Tool

Result of Seed Command — Image Credit: Minecraft/Mojang (Screenshot by Udayveer Singh/ Beebom)

As a final method for locating End Cities, consider using third-party tools like Chunkbase. Here’s how to effortlessly locate End Cities using this tool:

Discover the seed code for your Minecraft world by entering the command ‘/seed’ in Java Edition.
For Bedrock Edition, find the seed code in the world settings menu.
Visit the Chunkbase website using your preferred browser.
Input your seed code in the “seed” textbox, select your version from the dropdown, and choose ‘The End’ dimension.
On the End City map displayed, click the purple boxes to reveal different End cities.
By selecting a box, you will see the coordinates for that specific End City.
To travel directly, click the copy icon to obtain the teleportation command, paste it into your game’s chat, and easily teleport to the desired location.