How to Ban the End in Minecraft: A Comprehensive Guide

The End dimension, home to the fearsome Ender Dragon, is often considered the culmination of a Minecraft player’s journey. However, for server administrators or players looking for a different experience, disabling access to The End might be desirable. This article provides a clear guide on how to ban the End in Minecraft, alongside answers to frequently asked questions.

Banning the End: The Direct Approach

The most effective method to ban the End involves modifying your server’s configuration files. This method works for servers running either Bukkit, Spigot, or Paper—commonly used server platforms. Here’s a step-by-step guide:

1. Stop your Minecraft server. Ensure that your server is completely shut down before making any changes to the configuration files.
2. Access your server files. This can usually be done through your hosting provider’s file manager or via an FTP client.
3. Locate the bukkit.yml file. Navigate to the main server directory and find the bukkit.yml file within the configuration files folder.
4. Open the bukkit.yml file. Use a text editor to open and edit the file.
5. Find the allow-end setting. Scroll down through the file until you locate the line allow-end: true.
6. Change the setting to false. Modify the line to read allow-end: false. This crucial step disables the End dimension.
7. Save the file. Ensure you save the changes you made to the bukkit.yml file.
8. Restart your server. Start your Minecraft server for the changes to take effect.

Once your server has restarted, players will be unable to enter The End dimension through any means. This effectively bans the End, preventing access and any associated gameplay.

Alternate Methods and Considerations

While modifying the bukkit.yml file is the most reliable method, there are other, less conventional approaches to consider:

• Plugins: Certain server plugins offer more granular control over world access. You could explore plugins that specifically disable dimensions or teleportation to them. This option is more advanced but offers extra flexibility.
• Command Blocks: While not a direct ban, command blocks can be used to teleport players back to the Overworld if they manage to enter the End via other methods (such as console commands or plugin loopholes). This is a good failsafe to make the ban even more robust.
• World Border: Setting up a very small world border that doesn’t include any End islands can also prevent access, although this is more of a workaround than a direct ban.

Remember, that the allow-end setting in the bukkit.yml file is the most straightforward and reliable way to ban the End for all players without complex workarounds.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

Here are some frequently asked questions regarding banning the End in Minecraft, providing further clarification and helpful information.

1. Does Disabling the End Remove the Ender Dragon?

Yes, disabling the End effectively prevents players from accessing the dimension, including the Ender Dragon. Therefore, the Ender Dragon will be unaccessible as well.

2. Can Players Still Obtain Ender Pearls?

Yes, disabling the End does not prevent players from obtaining ender pearls from Endermen. However, players will be unable to use these ender pearls to travel to the End.

3. What Happens to End-Related Items Like Elytra?

Disabling the End does not directly remove elytra that players may already have in their inventory. However, players cannot get any new ones or repair those they already possess. If you want to disable elytra use entirely, you have to use specific plugins or configure server settings accordingly. We address how to do that below.

4. Can I Disable the Nether and the End?

Yes, you can disable the Nether similarly. Locate the server.properties file and set allow-nether=false. Remember to restart your server.

5. How Do I Disable Elytra on my Server?

To disable elytra use on your server, you need to configure your server’s configuration files. In the same bukkit.yml file, the following options related to Elytra are available.
isElytraDisabled: setting to true disables the use of elytras.
removeElytraInstances: setting to true will remove Elytras from players’ inventories.
checkElytraArmorSlot: setting to true will prevent users from equipping Elytras.

Set these options to true as needed to achieve the desired level of control over elytra.

6. Can Players Still Use End Portals in Strongholds?

No, with the allow-end=false setting in the bukkit.yml file, end portals will not activate. They appear as frames with the portals themselves not rendered. Players can not use the portals to access the End.

7. What Happens to Existing End Structures?

The End’s structures remain intact within your world save, so if you re-enable the End, they will be as before. The disabling of the dimension prevents access but does not delete them.

8. Does Banning the End Affect Other Dimensions?

No, banning the End only affects the End dimension and does not impact other dimensions, such as the Overworld or Nether, unless you configure to do so with additional changes.

9. Can I Reverse the Ban on the End?

Yes, simply set allow-end back to true in your bukkit.yml file and restart your server to re-enable the End.

10. Can I Use Command Blocks to Prevent Access to the End?

Yes, you can use command blocks to detect when a player enters the End and teleport them back to the Overworld. This serves as a secondary layer of prevention.

11. Are There Any Plugins That Make Banning the End Easier?

Yes, various server management plugins can offer more detailed options for controlling world access. Some are designed specifically for disabling dimensions. Research the available plugins on Bukkit/Spigot to find the right option for you.

12. Can I Still Obtain End Crystals?

No, end crystals are specific to the End dimension. If the End is disabled, players will not be able to obtain them. Similarly, they will not be able to re-spawn the Ender Dragon to obtain its egg.

13. How Big is an End Portal?

An end portal consists of 12 end portal frame blocks arranged in a 3×3 square with an open center. The portal must have an eye of ender in each one of these frames to be activated.

14. Can You Make a Nether Portal in the End?

No, nether portals can only be activated in the Overworld or the Nether, not in the End.

15. What Is Crying Obsidian and Can it be used for Nether Portals?

Crying obsidian cannot be used to construct Nether portals. It is a purely decorative variant of Obsidian and has no specific functionality. Standard Obsidian must be used for Nether portals.

Conclusion

Banning the End in Minecraft is a straightforward process that involves modifying your server’s configuration files. By setting allow-end=false in the bukkit.yml file, you can effectively prevent players from accessing the End dimension. This allows for greater control over the game’s progression, enhancing the server’s playability and offering alternative gameplay opportunities.