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How to Get Ender Pearls in Minecraft: A Comprehensive Guide

Ender Pearls are crucial items in Minecraft, serving as the key to reaching The End and defeating the Ender Dragon. They’re also invaluable for teleportation and navigating tricky terrain. The primary way to obtain Ender Pearls is by defeating Endermen, though trading with villagers and bartering with Piglins also offer alternative acquisition methods.

Understanding Ender Pearls: Your Ticket to Adventure

Ender Pearls aren’t just teleportation devices; they’re integral to progressing through Minecraft’s storyline. Understanding how to reliably obtain them is paramount for any serious player.

Method 1: Hunting Endermen – The Classic Approach

The most common way to acquire Ender Pearls is by hunting Endermen. These tall, black, teleporting creatures are found in various biomes, but are particularly prevalent in the End dimension itself.

Location Matters: Endermen spawn more frequently in the Warped Forest biome of the Nether and in The End. While you can find them in the Overworld, your best bet for efficient farming is to venture into these dimensions.
Preparation is Key: Endermen are aggressive and powerful. Equip yourself with strong armor, preferably diamond or netherite, and a powerful weapon like a diamond sword with enchantments such as Sharpness, Smite (especially effective), and Looting.
The Gaze Aversion Technique: Endermen become hostile when you look directly at their eyes. Avoid direct eye contact! One strategy is to wear a carved pumpkin on your head. This prevents you from accidentally triggering them while looking around, although it does reduce your vision.
Water is Your Friend: Endermen take damage from water. Fighting them near a body of water or even under rain can give you an advantage, forcing them to teleport away or taking continuous damage if they can’t escape.
Looting for Luck: The Looting enchantment on your weapon increases the chance of an Enderman dropping an Ender Pearl. Looting III significantly boosts your drop rate, making farming much more efficient.

Method 2: Trading with Villagers – The Peaceful Path

If combat isn’t your style, you can trade with Cleric Villagers for Ender Pearls. The availability of this trade depends on the villager’s level.

Level Up Your Trades: Higher-level Clerics are more likely to offer Ender Pearls in exchange for Emeralds. Leveling up a villager involves trading with them repeatedly.
Curing Zombie Villagers: Curing a Zombie Villager turns it into a regular Villager. Cured villagers offer discounted trades, making them an excellent source of Ender Pearls if you can safely cure them.
Village Setup: Creating a dedicated trading hall with multiple Cleric Villagers is a great way to reliably obtain Ender Pearls passively. Remember to protect your villagers from zombies!

Method 3: Bartering with Piglins – A Risky Gamble

Venture into the Nether and barter with Piglins for a chance to receive Ender Pearls. This method is less reliable but can be a fun way to acquire pearls while exploring the fiery dimension.

Gold is the Key: Piglins are fascinated by Gold Ingots. Dropping a Gold Ingot near a Piglin will prompt it to examine the ingot and then offer you a random item in return.
Bartering Risks: Piglins can sometimes give you useful items, but they can also give you junk. It’s a gamble!
Avoiding Aggression: Wearing at least one piece of Gold Armor prevents Piglins from attacking you on sight. This allows you to barter safely.
RNG Factor: The chance of receiving Ender Pearls from bartering is relatively low, so be prepared to offer a lot of Gold Ingots.

Method 4: Finding them in Chests

While rare, Ender Pearls can occasionally be found in chests in certain structures.

Stronghold Libraries: Strongholds, the locations of End Portals, sometimes contain libraries with chests that may hold Ender Pearls.
Desert Temples: These structures have chests that can contain a variety of loot, including, rarely, Ender Pearls.
Abandoned Mineshafts: Chest minecarts in abandoned mineshafts have a small chance of containing Ender Pearls.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) About Ender Pearls

1. What are Ender Pearls used for besides reaching The End?

Ender Pearls are primarily used for teleportation. Throwing an Ender Pearl will instantly teleport you to where it lands, taking a small amount of damage in the process. This is useful for crossing gaps, escaping enemies, or quickly navigating the environment. They are also essential for crafting Eyes of Ender, which are needed to activate the End Portal.

2. How much damage do you take when teleporting with an Ender Pearl?

You take 2.5 hearts (5 points) of damage each time you teleport using an Ender Pearl. This damage is unavoidable.

3. Can Endermen pick up any other blocks besides grass blocks, sand, gravel, and mycelium?

Yes, since the 1.17 update, Endermen can pick up rooted dirt and moss blocks, in addition to the classics like grass blocks, sand, gravel, and mycelium.

4. Is it possible to farm Endermen automatically?

Yes, various automated Enderman farm designs exist. These farms typically exploit the Endermen’s teleportation behavior, funneling them into a kill zone where they can be easily dispatched, often with a single hit. These farms are most effective in the End dimension due to the higher Enderman spawn rate.

5. What is the best way to avoid Endermen attacks?

The best way to avoid Endermen attacks is to avoid direct eye contact. Looking at their legs or the ground around them will prevent them from becoming hostile. Wearing a carved pumpkin as a helmet also prevents accidental aggro, though it limits your vision.

6. Do Ender Pearls despawn if left on the ground?

Yes, Ender Pearls are subject to the standard despawn rules for items in Minecraft. If left on the ground for five minutes (6000 game ticks) without being picked up, they will despawn.

7. Can you teleport through walls with Ender Pearls?

Yes, you can sometimes teleport through thin walls or ceilings with Ender Pearls, especially if there’s a slight gap or visual glitch. This can be useful for accessing areas you shouldn’t normally be able to reach, but it’s not always reliable.

8. How many Eyes of Ender do I need to activate the End Portal?

You need a minimum of 10 Eyes of Ender to activate the End Portal in the Stronghold. There are 12 slots in the portal frame, but the portal can activate with fewer Eyes of Ender if some are already in place.

9. Can Endermen teleport through portals?

No, Endermen cannot teleport through Nether Portals or End Portals. This is why Enderman farms often use portals to transport players or items without allowing the Endermen to follow.

10. What happens if I throw an Ender Pearl into the void?

If you throw an Ender Pearl into the void, you will teleport to the lowest block available (usually y=0 or y=-64 in the newer versions), taking significant fall damage, likely resulting in death. Be cautious when using Ender Pearls near the edge of the world or in areas with void gaps.

11. Can I use Ender Pearls to teleport into a claimed chunk on a multiplayer server?

This depends on the server’s configuration. Some servers prevent players from teleporting into claimed chunks using Ender Pearls to prevent griefing. Others may allow it. Check the server rules before attempting to teleport into someone else’s claimed area.

12. Are there any advancements related to Ender Pearls?

Yes, there are a few advancements related to Ender Pearls. The advancement “Eye Spy” requires you to follow an Eye of Ender to the Stronghold. The advancement “The End?” requires you to enter an End Portal.