Minecraft wiki entry for Defeating_the_ender_dragon, associated text: Attempting to climb to the tops of the towers is extremely dangerous. Even if you build up using a dragon-proof material, such as end stone, the dragon can easily knock you off while you are climbing. Because of this, do not start to climb the towers until you have drunk another slow falling potion. However, it is necessary to get up to the top of the caged towers somehow, because shooting them from the ground is ineffective unless you have the skill to find the gap between the obsidian and iron bars. If you choose to use the method of pillaring up with blocks, place water below so that in the event of you getting knocked off the platform, you can land safely in the water. Additionally, if you use water, and you have brought a Riptide trident, launch yourself into the air and land on the tops of the towers. However, this technique may be unreliable.