How to Get Ender Pearls in Minecraft
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How to Get Ender Pearls in Minecraft
Ender Pearl TipsEnder Pearls are one of Minecraft’s most versatile progression items — they’re simultaneously the key to finding the End portal (via Eyes of Ender), the utility teleportation tool that experienced players use constantly for movement and emergency escapes, and the gateway item through the End Gateway portal to End Cities. The progression arc for Pearls mirrors the broader game progression beautifully: first encounter them rarely from night Enderman kills, farm them more deliberately in the Warped Forest during Nether exploration, accumulate enough for End portal navigation, then post-Dragon collect them in bulk from End island Enderman farming for permanent utility use. The teleportation mechanic alone justifies keeping a Pearl supply in your hotbar at all times in the late game — the ability to instantly cross a gap, escape a mob pile, or reach a ledge without any crafting cost is uniquely powerful and available only through Pearls. The Stronghold guide and Blaze Rod guide cover the two parallel resources needed alongside Pearls for End portal access.FAQ
⚡ Quick Answer
How to Get Ender PearlsEnder Pearls drop from Endermen — tall black mobs with purple eyes found in most biomes at night and abundantly in the End. Each Enderman drops 0–1 Pearl (up to 4 with Looting III). You also get them from Piglin bartering (~2% per barter) and rarely from Stronghold chest loot. You need at least 12 Pearls to craft Eyes of Ender for Stronghold navigation. Endermen are easiest to farm in the End or from a dedicated overworld Enderman farm.
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Kill Endermen — the primary source. Endermen drop 0–1 Ender Pearl when killed by a player. With Looting III on a sword, the maximum drops increase to 4 per kill. Endermen spawn in most Overworld biomes at night (light level 0), in the Nether (Warped Forest biome specifically — large groups), and very abundantly on the End island (hundreds spawn naturally on the main End platform). For the most efficient pre-End farming, kill Endermen during night exploration — they’re common in plains, deserts, and most open biomes. For post-End farming, build an Enderman farm on the End main island for thousands of Pearls per hour. Endermen take damage from water and rain — use this to damage them without provoking them into a fight.
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Avoid aggravating Endermen — look at their body, not their eyes. Endermen become hostile when looked at directly in the eyes (the head area). Looking at their body or legs doesn’t aggravate them. Once aggravated, an Enderman teleports rapidly and deals significant melee damage (2.5 hearts per hit on Normal). The standard approach for safe Enderman farming: build a 2-block-high platform (Endermen are 3 blocks tall and can’t reach through a 2-block ceiling), look at their feet area, and swing your sword from safety. This «Enderman farm stand» technique eliminates teleportation and retaliation while letting you kill them efficiently.
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Warped Forest in the Nether — the best pre-End Pearl farm. Warped Forest biomes (teal-green Nether biomes with blue warped fungi) spawn Endermen naturally and in large groups — more densely than most Overworld areas and without the nighttime restriction. Explore or build in the Warped Forest and kill Endermen continuously. With a Looting III sword, a 20-minute Warped Forest session easily yields 20–50 Pearls. The Warped Forest is the best Pearl source before reaching the End — it’s accessible as soon as you enter the Nether and provides a reliable, time-unlimited Enderman spawn pool.
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Piglin bartering — secondary Pearl source. Piglin bartering with Gold Ingots has approximately a 2.18% chance of returning 4–8 Ender Pearls per barter. While lower probability than direct Enderman killing, bartering produces Pearls as a side product of Crying Obsidian farming — 50 Gold Ingots bartered for Crying Obsidian typically yields 4–8 Ender Pearls as incidental drops. This makes bartering a convenient supplemental Pearl source without dedicated Enderman farming. Keep Pearls that appear from bartering rather than discarding them — they accumulate over regular Nether operations.
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How to use Ender Pearls — teleportation and Eyes of Ender. Ender Pearls have two core uses: Teleportation — throw a Pearl by right-clicking; you teleport to where it lands, taking 2.5 HP fall damage. Use for escaping drops, crossing gaps, reaching ledges quickly, and repositioning in combat. Eyes of Ender — combine 1 Ender Pearl + 1 Blaze Powder in a crafting grid to make 1 Eye of Ender. Throw Eyes of Ender to locate the nearest Stronghold — they fly in the direction of the Stronghold and eventually break (each has ~80% return chance). You need 12 Ender Eyes to activate the End Portal (each portal frame slot takes 1 Eye, most frames already have an Eye, need to fill the rest).
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How many Ender Pearls do you need — Pearl budget for the End. To find and open the Stronghold End Portal: 12–16 Eyes of Ender for navigation (each throw has a ~20% chance of breaking) + 12 Eyes for portal activation (though most portal frames already have Eyes pre-filled — expect to need ~2–8 to fill the remaining empty slots). Total budget: collect at least 20 Ender Pearls (plus 20 Blaze Powder for Eyes) before attempting Stronghold navigation. This gives sufficient buffer for Eyes breaking during navigation and enough for portal activation. Blaze Powder comes from Blaze Rods from Nether Fortresses — 1 Blaze Rod = 2 Blaze Powder, so collect 10+ Blaze Rods alongside your Pearl farming.
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Looting III nearly doubles Pearl drops — always use it for Enderman farming: base drop rate is 0–1 Pearl per Enderman (average ~0.5). Looting III raises the maximum to 4 and significantly increases average drops. For dedicated Pearl collection sessions, using a Looting III sword cuts the number of Endermen you need to kill roughly in half compared to an unenchanted sword.
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MLG Pearl throw — land on a Pearl to cancel fall damage: throwing an Ender Pearl while falling teleports you to the Pearl’s landing point, potentially to a safe location. This «MLG Pearl» technique is used to survive accidental falls from great heights — throw the Pearl at ground level as you’re falling and you’ll teleport safely to the ground. The 2.5 HP teleportation damage is far less than full fall damage from large heights. Practice this technique before relying on it in dangerous situations like the End portal room.
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Water kills Endermen fast — lure them into rain or ponds: Endermen take damage from any water contact — rain, standing water, rivers. During rainy weather, Endermen you’ve aggravated will quickly take significant passive damage from the rain while chasing you, often dying before they reach you. Lure an aggravated Enderman near a pond edge and they’ll often step in and die from water contact. This is particularly effective since Endermen don’t drop their Pearl in water — kill them before they pathfind away from the water.
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Ender Pearl into End Gateway portal — the only way through: as mentioned in the End City guide, the End Gateway portal after defeating the Dragon is too small to walk through. Throwing an Ender Pearl directly into it teleports you through to the outer End islands. Stock 2–3 Pearls specifically for this use when preparing for post-Dragon exploration.
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End island Enderman farm — the most efficient Pearl source post-Dragon: after defeating the Ender Dragon, the End main island has hundreds of Endermen already spawned and more spawning constantly. Build a 2-block-high platform (the Enderman cage technique) and work through the island methodically. 30 minutes of End island Enderman farming with Looting III produces more Pearls than most players will ever need — enough for Eyes of Ender stockpiles, constant teleportation, and all Stronghold navigation.
Where do you get Ender Pearls in Minecraft?
Ender Pearls drop from Endermen (0–1 per kill, up to 4 with Looting III). Endermen spawn at night in most Overworld biomes, in large groups in the Nether’s Warped Forest biome, and abundantly on the End island. They also appear as a rare drop from Piglin bartering (~2% chance, 4–8 Pearls) and occasionally in Stronghold chest loot.
How many Ender Pearls do you need for the End Portal?
You need 12 Ender Pearls (crafted into Eyes of Ender with Blaze Powder) to fill all 12 End Portal frame slots — but most frames already have Eyes pre-filled, so typically only 2–8 empty slots need filling. Collect 20+ Pearls to have enough for portal activation plus the Eyes used during Stronghold navigation (each throw has a ~20% chance to break).
How do you use Ender Pearls in Minecraft?
Right-click to throw an Ender Pearl — you teleport to where it lands, taking 2.5 HP damage. Use for crossing gaps, escaping falls, and quick repositioning. Combine 1 Ender Pearl + 1 Blaze Powder in a crafting grid to make Eyes of Ender — throw them to locate the nearest Stronghold. Also throw into the End Gateway portal to access End City islands.
What is the fastest way to get Ender Pearls in Minecraft?
Kill Endermen in the Warped Forest biome in the Nether — they spawn densely and constantly without a nighttime restriction. Use a Looting III sword to maximise Pearl drops. A 20-minute Warped Forest session yields 20–50 Pearls. Post-Ender Dragon, the End island Enderman farm is even faster with hundreds of Endermen already present.