Minecraft wiki entry for Defeating_the_ender_dragon, associated text: If the player does not want to use a bow, a crossbow is a great alternative. The advantages of a crossbow are that it has a longer range and can inflict more damage than a regular bow. However, a crossbow cannot be enchanted with Infinity, so it is possible to run out of arrows while using it. You can also cannot enchant a crossbow with power but you can enchant a bow with power which makes a bow deal more damage. On the plus side, with the Piercing enchantment the arrows fired can pass through non-mob entities, so it is possible (although difficult) to destroy multiple end crystals with a single shot. Fireworks are not recommended since they do not destroy the end crystals and don't deal any damage to the ender dragon. Alternatively, Multishot can greatly increase your hit rate while the dragon is circling high around the tops of the towers, where it is usually a waste of arrows to even try with a bow or ordinary crossbow.