In Mojang Studios' franchise-expanding ARPG Minecraft Dungeons, there are a total of eight bosses. Four of these bosses are weaker "mini-bosses" that may appear in a multitude of places throughout, and the other four are stronger "main bosses" that only show up at pre-determined locations. In this Minecraft Dungeons guide series, we'll go over each and every boss, their strategies and attack patterns, how to fight them, and ultimately the best ways to come out on top in every battle, even on Apocalypse Difficulty.
The enderman is the third mini-boss in Minecraft Dungeons, and they come equipped with a screen distorting aura and a frustrating teleportation ability. Here's everything you need to know to beat them on any difficulty.
What is the enderman in Minecraft Dungeons?
The enderman is one of the most iconic hostile mobs in Minecraft, due to their striking appearance, tempermental personalities, and their rather clever name that plays into the End. They're here in Minecraft Dungeons as well, but in this universe they're powerful mini-bosses, which is appropriate given their ferocity and abilities in the vanilla game as well.
Enderman are fun little mini-bosses that also come with their own animations and screen distortion effect that makes them a nice present for Minecraft fans trying out the Dungeons spin-off. Their tendency to teleport away and vanish for five to seven seconds at a time can be annoying, but overall they're fairly simple bosses.
The enderman has exactly one strategy: hit the things, teleport away if in danger. It's pretty similar to how they act in vanilla Minecraft, although you don't have to stare at them to attract their aggression here. Enderman will always see you as hostile, and being a mini-boss can actually deal a decent bit of damage if you're a little squishier. That and they can teleport away, getting themselves out of trouble and letting other hostile mobs swoop in for the kill.
If all you needed to know was how endermen fight, you're free to go. Everyone else, read on for some in-depth analysis on how to fight the slender bois, even on Apocalypse Difficulty.
How can I beat the enderman in Minecraft Dungeons?
Fighting endermen in Minecraft Dungeons is more about patience and knowing where to direct your attacks than anything else, as endermen have a tendency to up and vanish for several long seconds at a time, and they're almost always accompanied by a myriad of other mob types. Endermen aren't super aggressive in their attacks, like redstone golems are, so taking the time to clear out the other mobs in the area while they're vanished is a good idea.
Melee-focused players
Bishy-bashy players will be just fine when it comes to the enderman, as players who use melee-type weapons tend to be more persistent when tracking down their prey. Endermen can deal a good bit of damage with a hit, but they're not that fast and tend to run away more than they press an attack. Using artifacts that increase attack speed or damage, like the Death Cap Mushroom, help you take advantage of the limited time endermen will stick around, and encourage the endermen to depart before they can attack too many times.
However, it's also important to remember your surroundings, and what else might be in the area. Endermen are rarely alone, so being swarmed by other mobs in the middle of a mini-boss fight is a distinct possibility. This is when melee-focused players can shine, by quickly changing gears to attack other mobs with impunity, rather than remain focused on where an enderman might teleport back into the fray.
Most importantly, keep an eye out on your health. Of course, it's always important to observe your health pool to ensure you're not killed, but endermen are fantastic at popping up and landing a quick blow, which can be unfortunate if you've been knocked down in health a little bit too much. Their damage isn't extensive, but it is moderate and can mean the difference between life and death. Artifacts that let you escape quickly, or let you heal, like the Light Feather or Totem of Regeneration, respectfully, can be good choices in these situations.
Range-focused players
Range-focused players may find themselves a little peeved by endermen, since they have a tendency to pop up and vanish quite frequently. Fortunately, they're not as annoying as in the vanilla game, where they'll vanish the moment you pop off an arrow, but it can still be annoying when your target is constantly shifting location, and disappearing before you're able to get into a good flow. Fighting an enderman with ranged weapons is more time consuming than other methods.
Area-of-effect attacks are great here, since they serve two purposes: damaging the elusive enderman before it can disappear again, and killing some of the weaker hostile mobs that might be hanging around in the area. For this purpose, artifacts like the Fireworks Arrow are awesome, or enchantments like Fuse Shot that deal explosive damage, or Multishot that increases the number of arrows you fire at once.
The most important aspect of these fights to remember is movement. Range-focused players are usually a little squishier than other players, and aren't as effective in close quarters combat either. Having an enderman pop up right next to you can be devastating, so quick movement is essential here. To this effect, the Ghost Cloak or Light Feather artifacts are great for escapes, with the former allowing you to move through mobs and obstacles, and the other giving you a quick penalty-free dodge that stuns enemies on your way down.
Souls-focused players
The effectiveness of a souls-focused player against an enderman will depend entirely on one factor: how many mobs it has backing it up. Endermen do not summon any minions of their own, but like I've mentioned several times, they do often spawn with a ton of surrounding hostile mobs, which are perfect for souls-focused players that need to refill their souls supplies. If you happen to find yourself alone against an enderman, you could be in trouble.
Lone endermen can quickly expend your souls, since they're very effective at evading, which could lead to wasted souls-based attacks. If you find you're up against one by itself, it might be best to resort to souls-free tactics similar to the two sections above, or sparingly use your souls artifacts when you're confident you can get off a clean hit.
If the enderman is like most of them, and comes equipped with its own miniature army, you're probably pretty set. Enderman aren't particularly sturdy, and souls artifacts are some of the highest damage abilities in the entire game. You'll make quick work, especially if you take advantage of the endermen's absences to replenish souls from surrounding mobs.
Companion-focused players
I'm sure you're expecting me to lament the sorry state of companions in Minecraft Dungeons, and how unfortunate it is that those of you who relied on furry or metallic friends to aid you in battle will have a much tougher time of it, but that's not as true with the enderman. This is because the enderman doesn't deal a bunch of damage and it doesn't have a bunch of health. The enderman's challenge comes from its teleportation, which gives it an edge in versatility over other mobs.
Companions can be great for mitigating the danger of surrounding mobs, and quickly swarming the enderman before it can get to you and lay you out flat. They're also a great distraction, allowing you to pepper the enderman with a quick barrage of arrows or join the brawl and do some hack-and-slashin'. As long as you monitor the health of your companions, preferrably using armor that give your companions health when you use health potions, like the Wolf Armor, or enchantments like Radiance and Radiance Shot (depending on if you're melee or range-inclined).
That's right, this is one battle where companions can actually be a help instead of a hindrance. Now, they're not necessarily better against the enderman than other tactics like just a big hammer or a high-powered bow, but you're not completely at a disadvantage by whipping out a couple of wolves, as long as your loadout reflects your intention to rely on your companions. What a nice change from other bosses, eh?
What are some tips for every boss fight in Minecraft Dungeons?
Every boss is different, and every player approaches these bosses in a unique way. However, there are always tips and tricks that work in any fight in Minecraft Dungeons, regardless of how you play. Here's a list of all the essential tips for every boss fight, which should aid you in winning even on Apocalypse Difficulty.
- Choose your playstyle, and build your loadout around that. Minecraft Dungeons gives you a constant revolving door of new loot to try out, meaning you should be able to narrow down the direction you want to go in. Different gear compliments each other (like dual-wielding weapons with fast armor, or a bow with armor that increases arrow drops), so you can customize a perfect set for how you want to play. To get ahead of the curve, read up on our lists of weapons and armor.
- Artifacts are essential for any player. No matter how you decide to play, artifacts are the special sauce that exponentially increase your capability in Minecraft Dungeons. There's a good variety to experiment with, from artifacts that are clearly aimed at certain players, to more niche ones that players will find creative uses for. It's always a good idea to keep at least one of each artifact so you can test new combinations as you go, but you can also read our comprehensive list of artifacts.
- Unique gear takes things to the next level. Where things truly get interesting in the later game is using unique weapons and armor to augment your loadout. These unique weapons possess attributes and characteristics that set them apart from the standard gear they're related to, giving you an extra ability on top of what you can add with artifacts and enchantments. Uniques can truly narrow down what you're going with, whether it's the ultimate battle mage, or a super-nippy rogue that heals as they shred their opponents. Here's a list of all the unique gear to get you started.
- Not all weapons are created equal, and enchantments are the difference. Finally, enchantments on your gear are the final push that takes you from "capable" to "everything is exploding and I heal five times a second." You get enchantment points as you level up, so you should always be spending these points to make your gear even better. These enchantments are pseudo-random, as well, so even two identical pieces of gear can have completely different enchantments. Make sure to check these constantly, as a weapon with different enchantments or an extra slot can overhaul your entire loadout in one fell swoop. Here's a list of all the enchantments to get you started.
- Keep moving, and use the "Dash / Dodge" button wisely. It's important to keep moving in Minecraft Dungeons, to prevent enemies from surrounding or pinning you down. It also helps to avoid some of the more devastating attacks, especially from big bosses. Dungeons also gives you a dash that lets you roll out of trouble once every few seconds, which can be crucial in a fight. Use this button wisely, as you can't spam it and you'll have a temporary period of slow down immediately afterwards.
- Don't hesitate to retreat, if necessary. Minecraft Dungeons is not particularly liberal with their health potions, forcing you to wait a not-insignificant amount of time between health top-ups. If you're in a tough fight, there's nothing wrong with backing up to wait for your next health potion to come in, or to allow your artifacts to cooldown for another use. To this end, the dash button can help you evade immediate danger and give you a chance to retreat.
Glad that effect is off my screen
In this guide series, the enderman is the third mini-boss in Minecraft Dungeons. That's because you may not see one until later in the game, like you will the evoker, and they're not as prominent or as big of a threat as redstone golems. They're almost a "mini" mini-boss, and are closer to the last mini-boss, the skeleton horsemen, than the former two. The animations at play here are awesome, and a great attention to details from Mojang Studios to cater to existing fans and entice new players as well.
Minecraft explores the dungeons.
Minecraft Dungeons is the next saga in Minecraft's story, and Mojang Studios have knocked another one out of the park. Awesome co-op combat paired with powerful loot, all at a crazy affordable price? There's not much more you could ask for in an epic dungeon crawling ARPG.
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