End Highlands

The end highlands are the tall hilltops at the heart of each outer End island. They are the only place where chorus trees grow, and the best place to find end cities. This end highlands finder reads your seed and marks the nearest highlands on the map above. The map switches to the End automatically, so you can plan an elytra run.

Where end highlands generate

End highlands only appear on the outer End islands. Those islands lie past a gulf of void, roughly 1,000 blocks from the main island.

Each large outer island has highlands at its center. Around them, the terrain slopes down into end midlands, and the edges become end barrens. Note that this biome split exists in Java Edition only. In Bedrock, the whole End is a single biome.

What you find in the end highlands

The ground is end stone, covered in tall chorus plants. In fact, chorus trees grow naturally nowhere else.

• End cities: purpur towers guarded by shulkers.
• End ships: some cities have a ship with an elytra and a dragon head.
• Return gateways: the exit end gateway can generate here.
• Mobs: endermen, plus shulkers inside end cities.

Chorus fruit lets you teleport short distances and works as food in a pinch.

The highlands are also where you find the most chorus fruit. Cook it in a furnace to get popped chorus fruit. That item crafts purpur blocks and, with a blaze rod, end rods. So a short harvest gives you both food and building blocks.

How to find end highlands with the map

In game, beat the ender dragon and throw an ender pearl into an end gateway. You land on the outer islands, often near highlands.

The map shows you where to head. Enter your seed and choose Java. The map moves to the End and flies to the nearest end highlands, marked on screen. The list on the left contains more highlands. Click one to jump to it and spot nearby end cities.

Once you have coordinates, fly there with an elytra or bridge carefully across the void.

End highlands tips

Shulkers make you levitate when their bullets hit. Keep slow falling potions or a water bucket handy, because the drop can kill you. Their shells are needed for shulker boxes.

Bring plenty of fireworks if you already have an elytra. Highlands are spread out, so flying between islands saves a lot of time. Finally, pick up a few chorus flowers to grow chorus plants at home.

Looting end cities

End cities are the main reason to visit the highlands. Each city is a set of purpur towers with loot chests inside. The loot can include enchanted diamond and iron gear, diamonds, gold and emeralds.

Some cities also have an end ship floating beside them. Inside, you find an elytra in an item frame and a dragon head on the bow. There are two loot chests on the ship as well.

Climb carefully. Shulkers hide in the walls and look like purpur blocks until they open. Many players pillar up the outside of towers instead. Each ship holds only one elytra, so check several cities if your group needs more.

Version history

The outer End islands, end cities, chorus plants and shulkers arrived in Java 1.9. In 1.13, the outer islands were split into biomes, and the end highlands got their current name.

End Highlands FAQ