How to Get Shulker Shells in Minecraft
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How to Get Shulker Shells in Minecraft
Tips
Shulker Boxes completely change how Minecraft inventory management works. Before them, long trips were limited by your normal inventory, but once you have several Shulker Boxes, exploration and resource gathering become much easier.
Since Shulkers only appear in End Cities, this is really part of the same progression path as how to beat the Ender Dragon in Minecraft and then pushing deeper into the outer End islands.
Most players also combine shell farming with how to get Elytra in Minecraft, because both rewards come from End City exploration and are usually collected on the same trip.
To get the best shell yield from every city, it also helps to upgrade your weapon first with how to enchant items in Minecraft, especially for Looting III.
⚡ Quick Answer
Step by Step
Shulker Shells drop from Shulkers — the box-like enemies found exclusively in End Cities in the outer End islands. Each Shulker drops 0–1 shell on death, with a 50% base drop chance. Use a sword with Looting III to increase drops up to a 68.75% chance per kill. You need 2 shells per Shulker Box — the most useful storage item in the game. To reach them, you first need how to beat the Ender Dragon in Minecraft.
1
Defeat the Ender Dragon and access the outer End islands via the End gateway portal. Throw an Ender Pearl into the small bedrock portal that appears after the Dragon dies to teleport to the outer islands where End Cities spawn.
2
Find an End City — explore the outer islands by bridging or using Ender Pearls. End Cities are large purple and yellow tower structures. Every End City contains Shulkers both inside the towers and on the exterior walls and floors.
3
Approach Shulkers carefully. They hide inside their shell when idle and open briefly to shoot homing projectiles that inflict Levitation — sending you floating upward uncontrollably. Stay close to walls and ceilings to limit how high you can float, and always keep a water bucket ready to cancel the effect.
4
Hit them when their shell opens. Shulkers are immune to damage while closed. Wait for them to open and expose their inner body, then strike quickly before they close again. A sword with Sharpness V kills most Shulkers in 2–3 hits when open.
5
Use Looting III on your sword to maximize shell drops. Without Looting the drop chance is 50% — with Looting III it rises to nearly 69%. Over a full End City clear this difference adds up to several extra shells that would otherwise require finding another city. If you still need better gear, follow how to enchant items in Minecraft.
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Bring a water bucket for every End City run — when hit by Levitation, place water on the ground before you float too high. It cancels the effect and prevents fall damage when you descend.
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Shulker Boxes are the goal — craft one with 2 Shulker Shells and 1 Chest. They hold 27 items and keep their contents when broken, making them the only portable storage container in the game. Take as many shells as possible per city, especially if you’re also trying to get Elytra in Minecraft on the same trip.
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Shulkers can teleport when hit — if one disappears after taking damage, check nearby walls and surfaces. They always teleport to a solid surface within a short range.
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Dye Shulker Boxes different colors to create a color-coded storage system — combine any dye with a Shulker Box in a crafting table to change its color. Essential for organized base storage.