Minecraft wiki entry for Defeating_the_ender_dragon, associated text: Alternatively, end crystals may be used in place of beds. If you place several end crystals on the portal, wait for the dragon to swoop down and perch on the portal, then shoot the crystals with a bow or throw a egg/snowball at it. The dragon takes the explosive damage, plus 10 extra points of damage if the crystal was destroyed while the dragon is charging from it. This is significantly safer than using beds, and end crystal explosions don't create fires that beds do. However, end crystals are more expensive than beds, and it causes significant damage to the terrain.