Zero-Cycle Dragon Kill
ExpertDragon FightKill the ender dragon while it is still flying: climb an obsidian pillar, build a setup on top and blow the dragon up with beds as it passes. You never wait for a perch, which takes perch luck out of the fight, and that is exactly why zero cycles have become more common. They are also the hardest dragon kill to learn.
When to Use
When you have practised the setups and carry enough explosives. On average a zero cycle is more consistent than a one cycle, because no time goes into waiting for the dragon to land. Where you spawn and where the dragon is decide which pillar and which setup you use, so that choice happens in the first seconds of the fight.
Estimated Time Save
The wait for a perch
Step-by-Step Guide
Read the start of the fight
The dragon spawns at 0, 128, 0 facing a random direction and starts in its holding pattern, flying between 24 nodes on rings 20, 40 and 60 blocks from the center. The first time it enters that pattern, it flies counter-clockwise.
Choose a pillar
Ten obsidian pillars stand in a circle 43 blocks from the exit portal. Their tops run from Y 76 to Y 103 in steps of 3, and the ones ending at Y 79 and Y 82 have iron bar cages. Your spawn position and the dragon's position decide which pillar you go for.
Climb it
Get to the top, for example by pillaring up next to it. Each pillar has a bedrock block, a fire and an end crystal on top, and crystals near the dragon heal it by 1 health every 10 game ticks.
Build the setup
The three main setups are called OG, Bridge and Modern. Which one you build depends on the pillar and on where the dragon is flying.
Explode as it passes
Beds and charged respawn anchors both explode when used in the End, and the dragon only takes damage from explosions and players. Turning on hitboxes with F3+B shows its damage boxes, which makes the timing easier to read.
Protect yourself
Explosion damage scales with how much of you the blast can reach. A block between you and the bed takes a large share of it; standing in the open beside your own bed explosion can kill you.
Pros
- +No waiting for the dragon to perch, so no perch luck
- +More consistent on average than a one cycle
- +Uses the same beds and respawn anchors you would bring anyway
Cons
- -The hardest dragon method to learn, with several setups to memorise
- -The right pillar and setup change with your spawn and the dragon's position
- -Destroying a crystal makes the dragon strafe you
- -Your own explosions hurt unless a block covers you