Minecraft’s vast worlds are part of its enduring appeal. Exploring these landscapes can be an adventure in itself, but traversing mountains, oceans, and sprawling biomes can be time-consuming on foot. That’s where the incredible ability to fly comes in. While Creative mode offers instant flight, the true sense of achievement in Minecraft Survival comes from earning your wings. This guide will walk you through both methods of taking to the skies, focusing on mastering flight in Survival mode and obtaining the coveted Elytra.
Flying in Creative and Spectator Modes: Instant Aerial Access
For players in Creative or Spectator mode, flight is readily available and incredibly simple to activate. These modes are designed for building and exploration without survival constraints, and flight is a core part of that freedom.
To initiate flight in Creative or Spectator mode, simply double-tap the jump button. On most computers, this is the spacebar. You’ll instantly ascend into the air, gaining a bird’s-eye view of your Minecraft world.
Once airborne, controlling your flight is intuitive:
- Ascend: Press and hold the jump button to fly upwards.
- Descend: Press and hold the crouch button (usually Shift on PC) to move downwards.
- Sprint for Speed: Hold the sprint button (usually Ctrl or double-tap W on PC) while flying to drastically increase your speed, allowing for rapid traversal of large distances.
To disengage flight and return to the ground, simply double-tap the jump button again. Importantly, in Creative and Spectator modes, you are immune to fall damage, so you can descend from any height without risk. However, be cautious of falling into the void, particularly in dimensions like The End, as this will still result in death and respawn.
Mastering Flight in Survival Mode: The Elytra Adventure
For players who embrace the challenge of Survival mode, flying is a more rewarding, albeit more complex, endeavor. In Survival, flight is not an innate ability but rather an earned privilege, granted by a rare item called the Elytra.
The Elytra essentially acts as a pair of wings, allowing you to glide through the air. It’s a game-changer for exploration, building at height, and escaping dangerous situations. However, obtaining the Elytra requires venturing into the perilous dimension of The End.
Obtaining the Elytra: Embarking on an End City Expedition
The Elytra is exclusively found within End Ships, which are structures associated with End Cities in the outer islands of The End dimension. Reaching these islands requires defeating the Ender Dragon, Minecraft’s formidable final boss.
Upon defeating the Ender Dragon for the first time, two gateways will generate. One leads to the end credits and your world spawn point, while the other provides passage to the outer End islands, the location of End Cities and End Ships. To enter this gateway, you’ll need to throw an Ender Pearl into it.
Entering the End gateway with an Ender Pearl to access outer islands for Elytra.
Alternatively, for players who prefer to avoid or postpone the Ender Dragon fight, a very lengthy but possible method is to build a bridge from the main End island to an outer island. Be warned, this is an incredibly resource-intensive and time-consuming undertaking, as the nearest islands are often over 1000 blocks away. If you choose this route, setting your spawn point near the initial End portal with a bed is highly recommended to mitigate the risk of death from falling.
Once you arrive in the outer End islands, search for End Cities. Not all End Cities have End Ships, but roughly half of them do. End Ships are visually distinct, appearing as large, levitating vessels anchored near End Cities.
Spotting a floating End Ship near an End City for Elytra acquisition.
Boarding an End Ship and navigating its interior will lead you to a level constructed with black Obsidian blocks. Here, you will find the Elytra displayed in an item frame. It is typically guarded by a Shulker and accompanied by two chests containing valuable loot, making the acquisition even more worthwhile. Break the item frame to claim your Elytra. While defeating the Shulker is not mandatory to obtain the Elytra, it will significantly ease your looting process.
Claiming the Elytra from the item frame in an End Ship, guarded by a Shulker.
Soaring the Skies with Elytra: Gliding and Firework Propulsion
Flying with the Elytra in Survival mode operates differently from Creative mode flight. It’s more akin to gliding, requiring momentum and careful management of your trajectory. However, with the clever use of fireworks, you can effectively achieve sustained flight.
To use the Elytra, equip it in your character’s chestplate armor slot. Then, find a high vantage point. Jump off the edge, and while falling, press the jump key once more to deploy the Elytra and begin gliding.
When gliding, be mindful of in-game physics. Steep angles can cause you to stall and lose altitude rapidly, potentially leading to a crash. Excessive speed upon impact with the ground or walls can also result in significant damage or death.
A key indicator of losing altitude while gliding is your character’s legs beginning to wobble or flail. To maintain or regain altitude and achieve extended flight, equip firework rockets to your hotbar. While gliding, use a firework rocket item. This will provide a substantial speed boost in the direction you are facing, propelling you upwards and extending your flight duration. With a sufficient supply of fireworks, you can theoretically fly indefinitely across your Minecraft world.
Using firework rockets with Elytra to boost and extend flight in Survival mode.
It’s important to note that the Elytra has durability and will degrade with use. To repair a damaged Elytra, you can combine it with phantom membranes at an anvil. Alternatively, combining two damaged Elytra at an anvil will also repair them, merging their remaining durability. Phantom membranes are obtained by defeating Phantoms, nocturnal flying mobs that spawn after you haven’t slept in your Minecraft world for several in-game days.
Conclusion:
Whether you choose the instant aerial access of Creative mode or the challenging but rewarding journey to obtain Elytra in Survival, flight dramatically changes how you experience Minecraft. Mastering flight in Survival, especially with Elytra and fireworks, opens up unprecedented possibilities for exploration, building, and adventure. So, take to the skies and discover your world from a whole new perspective!
