Client area
Elytra Minecraft: where to find them and enchantments
The elytra are one of the most coveted items in Minecraft. These wings, inspired by beetle elytra, allow players to glide and fly through the game's three dimensions, radically transforming the way they move. Considered an end-game item, the Minecraft elytra is essential for any survivor wishing to efficiently explore their world in 2026.
This guide covers everything you need to know: location in the End, flight mechanics, best enchantments, propulsion rockets, and repair methods.
What is the Elytra?
The Elytra is an equipment item that is placed in the chestplate slot. Once equipped, it replaces the chest protection, requiring a compromise between aerial mobility and defense.
To activate gliding, simply jump from a height and press the jump key in mid-air. The player then deploys their wings and can steer their trajectory by looking in the desired direction. Looking down increases speed, while looking up reduces it but allows for a temporary gain in altitude before stalling.
The elytra has 432 durability points, which corresponds to 7 minutes and 12 seconds of gliding without enchantment. When durability reaches 1, the wings adopt a damaged texture and cease to function, but they are never destroyed. They can always be repaired.
Where to find the Elytra (End Ships)
The Minecraft elytra cannot be crafted on a crafting table. They are found exclusively in End Ships, which are part of End Cities.
To access them, you must first defeat the Ender Dragon. After its defeat, an End Gateway portal appears at the edge of the central platform. Throw an Ender Pearl into this portal to be teleported to the outer islands of the End. End Cities are randomly generated on these islands, but not all cities have a ship. You may need to explore several before finding one.
The End Ship is a floating structure attached to the city by a bridge. Inside, in the treasure room, a pair of elytra is displayed in an Item Frame on the wall. Simply retrieve it by breaking the frame. Caution: a Shulker often guards this room, and its projectiles inflict the Levitation effect, which can propel you into the void.
Exploration tips: bring blocks to create bridges between islands, Ender Pearls for precision jumps, a carved pumpkin to avoid aggro from Endermen, and enchanted diamond or netherite armor.
How to fly (+ rockets)
Basic gliding allows you to cover long distances while gradually losing altitude. The optimal angle to maximize distance is about 15 degrees below the horizon: at this inclination, a jump from 64 blocks high covers about 237 horizontal blocks.
Firework Rockets transform gliding into true powered flight. To use them, hold a rocket in your hand and right-click in mid-flight. The rocket propels you in the direction you're looking, allowing you to gain altitude and maintain high speed indefinitely.
The basic recipe for a rocket is simple: 1 paper + 1 gunpowder = 3 rockets. Increasing the amount of gunpowder (up to 3) extends the propulsion duration. Do not add a Firework Star to your flight rockets: rockets with stars explode at the end of their trajectory and deal damage to the player.
Advanced tip: an enchanted trident with Riptide III can serve as an elytra launcher in the rain. The speed reached (up to 110 blocks per second) far exceeds that of rockets, making it a formidable combo for rapid travel.
For long flights in multiplayer, a high-performance server avoids chunk loading issues at high speed. Discover our Minecraft hosting offers with NVMe SSD storage for smooth loading even in fast flight.
Best enchantments for Elytra
The elytra enchantment is limited to four options, two of which are truly useful and two are curses to avoid. Here is the summary table.
| Enchantment | Max Level | Effect | Recommendation |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mending | I | Repairs durability by converting collected XP | Essential |
| Unbreaking | III | Reduces the probability of durability loss (~75% at level III) | Essential |
| Curse of Binding | I | Prevents removing the elytra once equipped (until death) | To avoid |
| Curse of Vanishing | I | The elytra disappears upon the player's death | To avoid |
The combination of Mending + Unbreaking III is the standard and definitive setup. Unbreaking III quadruples the effective flight duration (from 7 min 12 s to about 28 min 44 s), while Mending makes the elytra virtually eternal by automatically repairing it with XP. With this combo, just kill a few mobs or mine quartz between flights to keep durability at maximum.
To obtain a Mending book, the most reliable method is to turn a villager into a librarian and renew his offers (by breaking and replacing his lectern) until you get the desired book. For a complete guide on this enchantment and its best uses, check out our Minecraft Mending guide.
Apply enchantments on an anvil: place the elytra in the first slot and the enchanted book in the second. Mending costs 2 experience levels, Unbreaking III costs 3.
Repairing the Elytra
There are three repair methods, each with its advantages and limitations.
The first method is Mending. It is the preferred solution once the enchantment is applied. Collected XP is automatically converted into durability as long as the elytra is equipped. No manual intervention is needed.
The second method uses Phantom Membranes. On an anvil, combine the elytra with Phantom Membranes (dropped by Phantoms that appear when the player doesn't sleep for 3 consecutive nights). Each membrane restores 108 durability points, or 25% of the total. Therefore, 4 membranes are needed for a full repair. This method preserves enchantments but increases the repair cost on the anvil (prior work penalty).
The third method combines two pairs of elytra on a crafting table or grindstone. This method adds the remaining durabilities but removes all enchantments. It is only useful if you have multiple unenchanted pairs.
The grindstone can be used to reset the prior work penalty: by disenchanting an elytra on the grindstone (without adding anything), the repair counter resets to zero. You can then re-enchant the elytra at a lower cost. However, with Mending, this manipulation rarely becomes necessary.
Elytra FAQ
Can you wear armor at the same time as the elytra?
The elytra replaces the chestplate. You keep the helmet, pants, and boots. That's why boots with Feather Falling IV are highly recommended to reduce fall damage in case of a rough landing.
Does the elytra work in the Nether?
Yes. The elytra works in all three dimensions: Overworld, Nether, and End. In the Nether, flying with rockets over lava is one of the fastest means of transportation in the game.
How many rockets are needed for a long journey?
A stack of 64 rockets (duration 1) allows for about 3 minutes of continuous powered flight. For a journey of 10,000 blocks, plan for about 20 to 30 rockets with an optimized trajectory. Duration 3 rockets (3 gunpowder) are more efficient per unit but cost more resources.
Are there multiple elytra per world?
Yes. Each End Ship contains a pair of elytra, and the outer islands of the End are infinite. You can obtain as many elytra as you find ships. Ironically, the first elytra makes finding subsequent ones much easier.
How to avoid losing your elytra upon death?
The keepInventory game rule (activatable with /gamerule keepInventory true) keeps the full inventory upon death. On a server, this option is configured in the world settings. Outside of this option, always carry a Totem of Undying in your off-hand to avoid accidental deaths in flight.