How to Get the Ender Dragon as a Pet in Minecraft
The simple answer is: you can’t, not in vanilla Minecraft. The Ender Dragon, Jean (as Notch affectionately named her), is a formidable boss mob designed to be a challenge, not a companion. However, the Minecraft community is nothing if not resourceful, and there are ways to achieve the illusion of having a pet Ender Dragon, or even to have smaller, dragon-like pets within the game. Let’s dive into the details.
The Vanilla Minecraft Reality
In the standard, unmodded version of Minecraft, taming or keeping the Ender Dragon as a pet is impossible. After defeating the Ender Dragon for the first time, an Ender Dragon Egg appears atop the exit portal. This egg is purely decorative; it cannot be hatched into a rideable or trainable dragon. Attempting to interact with it directly will only cause it to teleport a short distance away.
So, What Can You Do?
While a full-sized, tamed Ender Dragon isn’t possible in vanilla Minecraft, here’s a breakdown of what you can do:
- Obtain the Dragon Egg: This is your trophy for defeating the Ender Dragon. It serves as a memento of your victory and can be displayed proudly in your base.
- Re-summon the Ender Dragon: After the initial defeat, you can use End Crystals to respawn the Ender Dragon and fight her again. This doesn’t make her a pet, but it does allow for continuous battles and more XP.
- Mods and Datapacks: This is where things get interesting. Mods can fundamentally change the game mechanics, allowing you to tame dragons, add dragon pets, or even ride them. Datapacks, while less powerful than mods, can also introduce new mechanics and behaviors to existing mobs.
- The Illusion of a Pet: Creative players have devised ways to simulate having a pet dragon. This can involve using command blocks to teleport smaller entities (like parrots or vexes) around the player, giving the appearance of a miniature dragon following along.
- Dragon-Themed Pets: The game does offer dragon-themed pets, although they are from other sources. For example, in Hypixel Skyblock you can obtain Ender Dragon pets, Golden Dragon pets, and others that are inspired by dragons and can follow you.
- Build a Museum: Players can push the Ender Dragon into the Overworld to build a museum full of every mob.
The Modding and Datapack Solution
For those determined to have an Ender Dragon companion, mods are the most reliable solution. Many mods exist that add fully functional dragon companions to Minecraft. These dragons can often be tamed, ridden, and even trained to fight alongside the player.
Popular Dragon Mods
Here are a few examples of popular dragon mods:
- Ice and Fire: Dragons: This mod adds a variety of dragons to the game, each with unique abilities and characteristics. Players can hatch dragon eggs, raise their dragons, and eventually ride them into battle.
- Dragon Mounts 2: This mod focuses on dragon riding. Players can obtain dragon eggs from various sources and hatch them into rideable dragons.
- How to Train Your Minecraft Dragon: Heavily inspired by the “How to Train Your Dragon” franchise, this mod allows you to train and befriend various dragon types.
Datapacks: A More Limited Approach
Datapacks can also be used to create a simulated pet dragon. By using complex command systems, datapacks can alter the behavior of existing mobs or introduce new mechanics. While they can’t create a fully functional dragon like a mod, they can offer a unique and customized experience.
Minecraft’s Pet Options and the Importance of Game Design
While you can’t have Jean, the Ender Dragon, as a pet, Minecraft offers a variety of pets that can be tamed and kept as companions. Dogs, cats, parrots, horses, and even axolotls can become loyal friends in your Minecraft world.
Why No Tameable Ender Dragon?
The decision not to make the Ender Dragon tameable is likely a deliberate design choice. The Ender Dragon is intended to be a challenging boss, a symbol of achievement, and a gateway to the End City. Taming such a powerful creature would drastically alter the game’s balance and undermine the significance of defeating it.
The developers at Mojang carefully consider the balance of gameplay, the challenges presented to players, and the overall sense of progression. Introducing an element like a tameable Ender Dragon would require significant rebalancing of the game’s difficulty curve.
The game designers must be able to make difficult decisions to deliver a great experience to the player, even if that means that not everything the player wants is implemented.
FAQs: Ender Dragon Pets and Minecraft
Here are some frequently asked questions about Ender Dragons, pets, and related topics in Minecraft:
1. Can you keep the Ender Dragon as a pet in vanilla Minecraft?
No, you cannot tame the Ender Dragon in the standard, unmodded version of Minecraft.
2. How do you get the Ender Dragon Egg?
The Dragon Egg appears on top of the exit portal after defeating the Ender Dragon for the first time.
3. Can you hatch the Ender Dragon Egg?
No, the Ender Dragon Egg is purely decorative and cannot be hatched into a live dragon in vanilla Minecraft.
4. How do you respawn the Ender Dragon?
You can respawn the Ender Dragon by placing four End Crystals on each side of the portal surrounding the Dragon Egg pedestal.
5. Are there mods that allow you to have dragon pets?
Yes, many mods, such as Ice and Fire: Dragons, Dragon Mounts 2, and How to Train Your Minecraft Dragon, add fully functional dragon pets to the game.
6. Can datapacks create dragon pets?
Datapacks can simulate dragon pets to a limited extent by modifying the behavior of existing mobs, but they cannot create fully functional dragons like mods.
7. How do you obtain End Crystals?
End Crystals can be crafted using ghast tears, glass, and ender eyes.
8. What do you get for defeating the Ender Dragon?
Defeating the Ender Dragon grants you a large amount of XP, access to the End City, and the Ender Dragon Egg.
9. Is there a male Ender Dragon?
The Ender Dragon is canonically female and nicknamed “Jean” by Notch.
10. Can you bring the Ender Dragon to the Overworld?
While difficult, it is possible to push the Ender Dragon through the exit portal using pistons, bringing her to the Overworld.
11. Can you get multiple Ender Dragon Eggs?
In Java Edition, you only get one Dragon Egg. In Bedrock Edition, you get two: one after the first defeat and another after the second.
12. What happens if you touch the Ender Dragon Egg?
Touching the Dragon Egg will cause it to teleport a short distance away.
13. How do you pick up the Ender Dragon Egg?
To pick up the Dragon Egg, you must make it fall onto a non-solid block like a torch. Hitting it directly will cause it to teleport.
14. What is the Golden Dragon Pet?
The Golden Dragon Pet is a pet that can be purchased from the Golden Dragon in the Dragon’s Lair within the Crystal Hollows in Hypixel Skyblock.
15. Is it possible to have other dragon-like pets in Minecraft?
While not the Ender Dragon, you can obtain other dragon-themed pets through various mods or in servers like Hypixel Skyblock.
Understanding the Social Impact of Gaming
The world of Minecraft extends far beyond the game itself. It fosters creativity, collaboration, and problem-solving skills. Understanding these aspects of gaming is crucial in today’s world. You can learn more about this on the Games Learning Society website at https://www.gameslearningsociety.org/. The GamesLearningSociety.org explores the intersection of games and education.
Conclusion
While a tameable Ender Dragon remains out of reach in vanilla Minecraft, the game offers numerous other pet options and endless possibilities for customization through mods and datapacks. Whether you choose to embrace the challenge of re-summoning the Ender Dragon for repeated battles or explore the modding community for a dragon companion, the world of Minecraft provides countless ways to satisfy your dragon-taming desires. Happy crafting!