How to Get and Use Ender Pearls / Blaze Rods for Eyes of Ender

How to Get and Use Ender Pearls & Blaze Rods for Eyes of Ender

Finding and activating the End Portal takes Eyes of Ender; those function as homing compasses to locate the Stronghold
and keys to open the End Portal Frame. An Eye of Ender can be crafted from an Ender Pearl and Blaze Powder made
from a Blaze Rod. Now, you will need numerous Eyes of Ender (probably around 12-16), so it would be a good idea
to think of ways to farm Ender Pearls in the Overworld/Nether and Blaze Rods in a Nether Fortress.

✦ Essential Crafting Recipes & Math

Blaze Powder Recipe:

▸ Craft 1 blaze rod into a crafting grid to produce 2 blaze powder.

Eye of Ender Recipe:

▸ Craft an Eye of Ender by combining an Ender Pearl + Blaze Powder in a crafting grid.

Target Quantity:

▸ At least 12-16 Eyes of Ender (you’ll need at least 12 to fill the portal frame blocks, and you have to account for the 20% shatter chance when using them to track the portal).

✦ Fastest Ways to Farm Ender Pearls

Ender Pearls can be obtained in three different ways:

1. The fastest way to get Ender Pearls is by trading with Piglins in the Nether:

To do this, you have to be wearing at least one piece of Gold Armor and enter a Nether Wastes or Bastion Remnant biome. Once there, you can either throw gold ingots at Piglins or right-click them with gold in your hand. As a result, you will get 2-4 pearls for each gold ingot, which is the best reward in the game, and it doesn’t require you to fight any bosses.

2. Another way to get Ender Pearls is to hunt Enderman down in a Warped Forest biome, which is located in the Nether world:

It is the most dangerous biome in the game, as it has the highest rate of Enderman encounters. To survive an Enderman encounter, you have to build a 3×3 stone roof two blocks above the ground and look into an Enderman’s eyes while attacking its legs.

3. The third way is to trade with a Cleric Villager:

To do this, you have to find a Cleric, which is a village profession that sells Ender Pearls for emeralds. To get a good price, you have to upgrade them to the Expert level by completing their job site (Brewing Stand).

✦ How to Farm Blaze Rods Safely

Blaze Rods are obtained as a reward for defeating Blazes, enemies that spawn in Nether Fortresses.

1. Locating a Blaze Spawner

Head to a Nether Fortress and look for an exposed and elevated part of the fortress with a Blaze spawner.

2. Preparing a Farming Box

Surround the spawner with a wall or a block of Cobblestone, leaving 1 block of space on the leg level of the spawners. It will block the fireballs from the Blazes, while leaving enough space to attack their legs with a sword.

3. Using the Looting Enchantment

A Looting III sword adds up to 4 extra Blaze Rods per killed Blaze, which significantly reduces the time needed to farm the rods.

✦ How to Use Eyes of Ender to Find the Stronghold

Once you generate your Eyes of Ender, here’s how to use them:

Throw an Eye of Ender: while holding an Eye of Ender in the Overworld, it will float up in the air before flying in the general direction of the nearest stronghold, then breaking or landing.
Follow the Eye: walk 200-300 blocks in the direction the Eye flew until you throw more Eyes to mark a straight line going towards the stronghold.
Find the Stronghold’s Location: when you start getting thrown Eyes of Ender going downwards into the earth instead of up and away from you, you’re directly above where the stronghold is
Dig Down: spiral dig or make a double ladder shaft going down until you break through the top of the stronghold made of stone bricks
Activate the Stronghold’s Portal: find the portal room and place an Eye of Ender in all of the empty portal frame blocks until all 12 blocks are filled with an Eye of Ender and the portal is activated.

✦ Pro Tips & Mistakes to Avoid

Do Not Throw Eyes of Ender Repeatedly

Throwing an Eye of Ender costs durability, as it has a 20% chance to permanently shatter with each use. To conserve your eyes, throw them at least 200+ blocks away in a straight line.

Always Bring a Shield Against Blazes

Blazes shoot fireballs that do large amounts of damage. A regular wooden shield can block all of their fireball damage, giving you a chance to get up close and personal or run away.

✦ Frequently Asked Questions

You will need to have at least 12 Eyes of Ender, preferably 16. It is possible to find a portal frame with some eyes already in it, but 16 eyes can fill 12 slots if some of them are broken while looking for the portal.

Blazes can only be found in Nether fortresses, either in spawners or naturally spawned.

The fastest way would be to trade with a Cleric Villager of Expert level, if possible, and that would give you 1 Ender Pearl for 5 Emeralds. Otherwise, you can try to kill Endermen at night in biomes like Plains or Desert, whichever is more common.

✦ Final Thoughts

Combining the fast collection of Ender Pearls through Piglin trading, together with the secured Blaze Spawner, will give you all the materials needed to craft Eyes of Ender in a matter of minutes. After that, just follow the flight path of your Eyes of Ender straight to the Stronghold and open your way into the End!