How to Build an Enderman XP Farm in Minecraft

The Enderman XP farm is the single fastest experience farm you can build in survival Minecraft. A properly built version produces 30+ levels per minute and stacks of ender pearls as a byproduct. It works because The End has only one mob in its spawn pool (Endermen), so every spawn attempt succeeds. Combine that with an endermite lure and you get a non-stop stream of Endermen walking straight into your kill chamber.

Why build this farm?

• Fastest XP source in the game, nothing else comes close.
• Produces unlimited ender pearls for elytra travel and stasis chambers.
• Simple redstone, zero redstone dust required for the basic version.
• Works identically on Java and Bedrock (1.21+).

Materials list

Item	Quantity	Notes
Building blocks (any full block)	~500	Cobblestone works fine
Slabs (any type)	~200	Bottom slabs prevent spawns on surfaces you don't want
Ender pearls	~20	For throwing to generate an endermite
Minecart	1	Traps the endermite permanently
Rail	1	For placing the minecart
Name tag	1	Prevents the endermite from despawning
Anvil	1	For naming the tag
Trapdoors	~100	Any type. Endermen see them as full blocks and walk over them
Carpet or bottom slabs	~50	Spawn-proofing the platform edges

Step-by-step build instructions

Step 1: Travel to The End and find a location

Defeat the Ender Dragon if you have not already. Then fly or bridge out at least 200 blocks from the main End island. You want open void below and no other platforms nearby so that the mob cap is entirely devoted to your farm. The further out you go, the fewer stray spawns you lose to distant platforms.

Step 2: Build the spawning platform

Build a large flat platform. The optimal size is roughly 25x25 blocks. Make it from full solid blocks. This is where the Endermen will spawn. Place bottom slabs around the edges (a 2-block-wide border) so that Endermen cannot spawn on the rim and fall into the void before reaching your kill zone.

Top-down view (simplified):

  SSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS
  S                           S
  S   BBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBB   S
  S   B                   B   S
  S   B     SPAWN AREA    B   S
  S   B                   B   S
  S   B         X         B   S   X = Endermite position (center)
  S   B                   B   S
  S   B                   B   S
  S   BBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBB   S
  S                           S
  SSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS

S = Slabs (spawn-proofing)
B = Full blocks (spawning surface)

Step 3: Build the pillar and kill zone

From the center of your platform, build a pillar exactly 43 blocks tall. At the top, create a small 3x3 platform. This is your AFK spot. The 43-block height matters because Endermen spawn on the platform below, spot the endermite through 43 blocks of air, and path toward it. When they reach the edge, they fall and take lethal fall damage (or near-lethal, leaving a one-hit kill).

At the base of the pillar, carve out a 1-block-tall gap. This is where you stand to hit the Endermen's feet. They pile up here after falling 43 blocks and have 1-2 hearts left, so a single punch kills them.

Side view:

     [AFK Platform]       <-- Y + 43
          |
          |   (43-block pillar)
          |
          |
  ========X========        <-- Spawning platform level
         [_]               <-- 1-block gap (kill zone)
        GROUND             <-- Your standing position

Step 4: Set up the endermite lure

Stand on the spawning platform and throw ender pearls until an endermite spawns. There is roughly a 5% chance per pearl. Once one appears, immediately place a rail and then a minecart on top of it. Push the endermite into the minecart or let it walk in. Once trapped, name it with a name tag so it never despawns.

Position the minecart at the exact center of the spawning platform, ideally on top of the pillar base. The Endermen need a clear line of sight to the endermite from anywhere on the platform. If the endermite is blocked by a wall or sits too low, the Endermen will ignore it.

Step 5: Add trapdoors for pathfinding

Place open trapdoors along the edges of the platform, lining the inside of the border. Endermen are 3 blocks tall but their pathfinding AI treats trapdoors as solid walkable blocks. They try to walk across the trapdoors, fall through, and drop 43 blocks to the kill zone. Without trapdoors, many Endermen will stop at the edge and refuse to walk off.

Step 6: AFK and collect

Climb to the top of the 43-block pillar. The Endermen below will continuously spawn, spot the endermite, pathfind toward it, fall through the trapdoors, and land in the kill zone at your feet. Swing your sword (or even your fist) to collect XP and ender pearls.

How it works: the mechanics

The End dimension has a unique spawn pool. Only Endermen can spawn there (excluding the dragon fight). This means the game never wastes spawn attempts on zombies, skeletons, or spiders. Every single mob cap slot goes to an Enderman.

Endermen have a special aggro behavior toward endermites. They will pathfind toward any endermite within 64 blocks, regardless of whether the player provoked them. By trapping an endermite in a minecart at the center of the platform, you create an irresistible lure.

The 43-block fall height is calculated to leave Endermen with half a heart to one heart of health. Since Endermen have 40 HP (20 hearts), and fall damage is calculated as (blocks fallen - 3) / 2 hearts, a 43-block fall deals 20 hearts of damage, leaving them nearly dead. One hit from any weapon finishes them off, and since you deal the killing blow, you get full XP.

Efficiency stats

• XP per minute: 800-1,200 XP points (roughly 30 levels per minute from level 0).
• Ender pearls per hour: 2,000-4,000 depending on looting enchantment.
• Mob cap usage: 70/70 hostile mob cap in singleplayer, higher on servers with more players.

Common mistakes

• Building too close to the main island. Endermen spawn on the obsidian pillars and main island, eating into your mob cap. Go at least 200 blocks out.
• Forgetting to name the endermite. Unnamed endermites despawn after 2 minutes. If your lure vanishes, the farm stops working.
• Wrong pillar height. Too short and the Endermen survive with too much health. Too tall and they die from the fall, giving you no XP since you did not deal the final hit.
• No trapdoors on edges. Without trapdoors, Endermen cluster at the edge and refuse to walk off. The farm produces a fraction of its potential.
• Looking at Endermen while AFK. If you make eye contact with an Enderman while standing at the kill zone, it teleports away instead of falling. Angle your camera down or wear a carved pumpkin.

Upgrades and variations

Add a sweeping edge sword to hit multiple Endermen per swing. Place hoppers and chests below the kill zone to auto-collect ender pearls. For a fully AFK version, add a kill mechanism like entity cramming (push 24+ Endermen into a 1x1 space) or fall damage that kills outright (increase pillar to 45+ blocks). You lose the XP from the killing blow in the full-AFK version, but the pearl collection continues.

Frequently asked questions

Does this farm work on Bedrock Edition?

Yes. The mechanics are identical. Endermite aggro, trapdoor pathfinding, and fall damage all function the same way. The spawn rates may differ slightly because Bedrock uses a different spawn algorithm, but the farm design is unchanged.

Can I use this on a multiplayer server?

Absolutely. On servers, the mob cap scales with player count. If other players are in The End at the same time, your rates drop because mobs spawn near them too. For best results, be the only player in The End while farming.

What if the endermite dies?

Throw more ender pearls until another one spawns. Name it and put it in a fresh minecart. The farm resumes immediately. To protect the endermite long-term, surround the minecart with glass panes so Endermen cannot punch it.

Is Looting III worth using?

Yes. Looting III increases the ender pearl drop rate from 0-1 to 0-4 per kill. If you want pearls alongside XP, bring a Looting III sword. If you only care about XP, any weapon works.

Need a server that handles all this? Astroworld Hosting, NVMe SSDs, Pterodactyl panel, DDoS protection on every plan.