Ender Dragon Drops: Dragon Egg and Experience

Key Takeaways

Point	Details
The Ender Dragon drops	The Ender Dragon drops 12,000 XP on its first defeat.
The Dragon Egg spawns	The Dragon Egg spawns once per world in Java Edition, twice in Bedrock Edition.
The egg teleports when	The egg teleports when mined; collect it by making it fall onto a non-full block like a torch or by using a piston.
Defeating the dragon activates	Defeating the dragon activates the exit portal and generates End gateways.
The dragon can be	The dragon can be re-summoned using End crystals for additional fights and gateways.

What the Ender Dragon Drops

Defeating the Ender Dragon for the first time in a world rewards you with a massive 12,000 experience points and causes the Dragon Egg to appear on the exit portal. The Ender Dragon page confirms:

Its initial defeat drops 12000XP experience.

The Dragon Egg is a gravity-affected block that serves as a trophy. According to the Dragon Egg documentation:

The dragon egg is a gravity-affected block that can be obtained only once per world (or twice in Bedrock Edition) by defeating the ender dragon.

Defeating the dragon also activates the exit portal, allowing you to return to the Overworld, and generates an End gateway for exploring the outer islands. As noted on the Ender Dragon page:

Defeating the ender dragon activates the exit portal, allowing the player to safely return to the Overworld, and generates an End gateway that provides access to the outer End islands.

How to Collect the Dragon Egg

The Dragon Egg is notoriously tricky to collect because it teleports when attacked. The Dragon Egg page explains:

It teleports to avoid being mined, but drops as an item if it falls onto a non-full block such as a torch or is pushed by a piston.

To safely obtain the egg, you can:

• Push it with a piston so it drops as an item.
• Let it fall onto a block less than one block tall, such as a torch or a bottom slab. When the egg lands on such a block, it breaks and drops as an item.
• Use an explosion to destroy it, which always makes it drop as an item.

In Java Edition, the egg generates at coordinates (0, 0) on top of the highest block with collision. The Dragon Egg page states:

In Java Edition, a single dragon egg is generated at (X=0, Z=0) when the first ender dragon is defeated.

Experience Points from the Dragon

The 12,000 XP from the first kill is a one-time bonus per world. Only the initial defeat grants experience; re-summoned dragons do not reward additional XP. However, you can re-summon the dragon by placing four End crystals around the exit portal for additional fights and gateway generations.

Edition Differences for Dragon Egg

The main difference between Java and Bedrock editions is the number of Dragon Eggs you can obtain. In Java Edition, only one egg spawns per world. In Bedrock Edition, you can get two eggs by defeating the dragon twice. The respawn mechanics also differ slightly: in Bedrock Edition, End crystals can be placed one block outward from the portal edges, as documented on the Ender Dragon page:

In Bedrock Edition, the crystals can be placed one block outward, in all or either of the four directions.

For more on edition differences, see our guide on Understanding Parity Issues Between Java and Bedrock Editions. You might also find How the Combat Update Changed Ender Dragon Strategies helpful for improving your fight approach.