So, you’re ready to kill the beast. You've spent hours mining, trading with piglins, and dodging skeletons, and now you’re standing in a Creative world—or maybe you've got the rare "broken" stronghold in Survival—and you need to know exactly how to make the portal to the ender dragon. It sounds simple. It’s just a 3x3 square of blocks and some eyes, right? Wrong.
Most players fail their first time. They place the blocks, pop in the eyes, and... nothing. Just a silent room and a lot of wasted time.
The truth is that the End Portal is one of the most "finicky" blocks in all of Minecraft. If you aren’t standing in the literal center of the universe—well, the center of the portal—it just won’t work. The game checks for specific data values on those End Portal Frames. If they aren't facing the right way, the "gateway" logic never triggers.
Why Your Portal Isn't Lighting
Let’s get the technical stuff out of the way first.
Every End Portal Frame has a specific orientation. Think of them like stairs or logs. They have a "front" and a "back." If you look closely at the top of the frame block, you’ll see these little green decorative "tabs" or patterns. For the portal to activate, those tabs must be pointing toward the center of the 3x3 opening.
If even one block is rotated 90 degrees, the whole thing is just a collection of pretty rocks.
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In Survival mode, you don't usually have to worry about this because the game generates the portal for you in a Stronghold. You just find it, fill in the missing Eyes of Ender, and go. But sometimes, world generation glitches. I’ve seen strongholds get cut in half by a ravine or a mineshaft, deleting half the portal. In those cases, or if you're just messing around in Creative to test a speedrun strat, you have to build it manually.
The "Stand in the Hole" Method
This is the only way to guarantee it works. Don't walk around the outside like you're building a house. Instead, dig a 3x3 hole or just stand on the ground where the portal "pool" will eventually be.
Stay in that center spot.
Place the three blocks in front of you. Spin 90 degrees. Place the next three. Spin again. Place three. Spin one last time and place the final three. By doing this, you are ensuring that the "front" of every block is facing you. This aligns the metadata correctly.
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Gathering the Materials (The Survival Reality)
If you're doing this in a legit Survival world, you aren't actually "making" the frame blocks. You can't craft them. Even with a Silk Touch pickaxe, you can't pick them up. If you break one, it’s gone forever. This is a common point of confusion for newer players who see YouTubers building custom portals in Creative.
To get to the dragon, you need Eyes of Ender. Not just a few. You need 12 to be safe, though the portal usually has 1 or 2 already filled in.
- Blaze Powder: You have to go to the Nether. Find a fortress. Kill Blazes. It's dangerous, honestly.
- Ender Pearls: Kill Endermen or trade with Cleric villagers. Trading is way faster if you have a fletcher to get emeralds.
- Crafting: Combine them in your inventory.
Once you have the eyes, you follow them. Throw them into the sky. They lead you to the Stronghold. But here is the kicker: the Eye of Ender doesn't lead you to the portal. It leads you to the "start" of the Stronghold generation. You still have to navigate the maze of mossy stone bricks to find the actual portal room.
Look for the room with the Silverfish spawner. Pro tip: break that spawner immediately. Nobody has time for those annoying little bugs while they're trying to prep for a boss fight.
Secret Mechanics and Variations
Did you know the portal actually emits light? Once it's active, it has a light level of 15. That’s the highest in the game. It’s also a one-way trip until the dragon is dead or you die trying.
There's also a weird trick with "Portal Slicing" that technical players like the SciCraft crew use. By using update suppressors or specific piston setups, you can actually move the "portal tile" itself, but that's way beyond what most people need for a standard playthrough. For 99% of us, we just need the 12 frames in a ring.
Troubleshooting Common Mistakes
If it's still not working, check these three things. First, make sure you didn't accidentally put a block in the corners. The portal is a 3x3 square of air in the middle, surrounded by 12 blocks. The corners should be empty. Second, check for "void" blocks. If you're in Creative and you replaced a frame block, make sure you didn't accidentally leave a piece of grass or a torch inside the 3x3 area. It needs to be totally clear.
Third, look at the Eyes of Ender themselves. When they are placed correctly, the "pupil" of the eye looks slightly different depending on the orientation. If they aren't all aligned toward the center, the portal won't ignite.
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What Happens When You Jump In?
Once the dark, starry texture appears, the game has successfully checked all 12 blocks for the correct orientation. Jumping in teleports you to the "End" dimension.
You’ll usually spawn on a platform of obsidian. Sometimes this platform is buried inside the island, and you have to mine your way out. Other times, it’s floating over the void. If it’s floating, don’t just run off the edge. Always carry some cobblestone or dirt to bridge over to the main island.
The dragon is waiting. She’ll immediately start charging her breath and healing from the crystals atop the obsidian towers.
Actionable Steps for Your Next Session
- Stock up on Ender Pearls early. Don't wait until you want to find the portal to start hunting Endermen. Trade with piglins in the Nether for the fastest results.
- Bring a Bed to the Stronghold. Set your spawn point in the room right next to the portal. If the dragon knocks you into the void, you want to be able to jump right back in without traveling 2,000 blocks from your main base.
- Use the "Center Stand" technique. If you are building in Creative, never place blocks while flying over them. Stand in the center hole and rotate.
- Bring a Water Bucket. When you enter the End, you’ll likely need to ender pearl up the towers or wash away the dragon's lingering breath.
- Check the corners. Remember, the 3x3 layout of frames does NOT include the four corner blocks. Leaving them empty is standard, though filling them with other blocks won't break it—it just looks different.
The Ender Dragon fight is a rite of passage. Getting the portal right is the final hurdle before the endgame. Take your time, align the frames, and make sure your gear is enchanted before you take that leap into the dark.