This feature is part of Dot’s New Year Resolutions series, where we’re looking ahead to the gaming goals we have for 2024. You can check out the entire series here.
In over a decade of playing Minecraft, I’ve worn many hats. Farmer, Miner, Builder, Sheep-killer to name just a few, but I’ve never been able to call myself a Dragon Slayer.
The Ender Dragon is the end goal for players in Minecraft, providing a challenging boss fight that marks the “end” of the game and opens the door for new challenges and materials—but I’ve never got my hands on them.
I’m not even sure the Ender Dragon is actually real or whether it is just a myth the villagers mumble about while I’m sneaking through their houses stealing carrots and whatever else I can get my hands on.
But I’m assured the Ender Dragon is genuinely lurking, and he’s waiting for me. I’m never usually one to shy from a challenge, yet I’ve never even gotten close to slaying the beast before, and I’m not exactly sure why.
Easily Distracted
It’s not like I’ve never set out to beat the Ender Dragon before. I’ve specifically hunted down World Seeds, where the portal to the beast is easily accessible, so I don’t need to worry about searching far and wide for its location, yet I still didn’t make the jump.
I’m far too easily distracted. Whether it be a new Mineshaft to explore or a new build I need to complete, Minecraft has far too many other tasks for me to complete, and even when my focus is on the dragon, I’ll then have my head turned by a newly released game.
These games come and go, with all sorts of challenges completed along the way, and I’ve even slayed Dragons in other universes. Still, the Ender Dragon remains. I hear him mocking and taunting me, saying I don’t have the bottle to face him.
Is he right? It may be partly true. I’d probably have to go on this adventure alone, as my friends are unlikely to return to Minecraft, and the thought of falling at the final hurdle and losing everything is offputting, particularly as, no matter how many videos I watch, I still don’t have the foggiest idea what I’m doing.
It’s time I put those fears behind me, though. I need to grow up and stop looking after chickens or trapping Villagers in Obsidian. It’s time for the Ender Dragon to fall.
The Year of the Dragon
Surely it’s fate that on February 10, 2024, the Chinese New Year falls and starts the Year of the Dragon. You literally couldn’t write it. It’s a sign from the Minecraft Gods—this is my year.
The slate of game releases in early 2024 also opens the door for me to complete my challenge, though I’ll likely have to wait until after I’ve dived into Palworld and Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League.
That takes me until maybe the end of February, which can start a countdown for this challenge. The Ender Dragon must be felled. The time has come. I vow to take up arms and defeat this monstrosity.