How to Survive a Fall

Falling from high places is a popular way to die in Minecraft. There are a few ways to escape from a long fall.

Falling 23 blocks will normally kill you even if you start with full health. All of the videos below show me surviving a 40-block fall.

Emergency Equipment

These items will help you survive a fall in an emergency situation, if you fall from a high place.

Diamond Boots Feather Falling

This enchantment on your boots will reduce the damage you take from a fall, by a random amount. You will almost always survive a 40-block fall, and may survive an even higher one.

Here I only just survived - but I survived!

Water Bucket Water Bucket

Landing in water will break your fall so that you take no damage at all. To take advantake of this, you can carry a water bucket and empty it just before you land so that you land in water.

You can only empty the bucket when you are close enough to click on the ground, so timing is essential. It takes a little bit of practice to learn this skill, but it can be very useful. Don’t try this in real life!

Ender Pearl Ender Pearls

When you throw an Ender Pearl you will be teleported to wherever it lands, so if you’re quick and throw your Pearl you can abort your fall and land somewhere safe.

You take an amount of damage when you land, but this is reduced by good armour (and Feather Falling boots will help too). This is the only method on this page that is likely to save you if you are falling into lava or the Void.

Chorus Fruit Chorus Fruit

If you find yourself slowly rising into the air, it probably means you are visiting The End and have encountered a Shulker. Simply eat a Chorus Fruit (also found in The End) to be teleported back to safety.

Elytra Elytra

Also to be found in The End, the Elytra is a wings/cape thing that allows you to glide.

You must be wearing the Elytra in the slot for your chest armour. Then, while in the air, press Jump to start your glide. You can control the direction with your mouse.

Soft Landings

The next few tips won’t help you if you’re in the middle of a falling emergency, but instead they are things that can help you avoid fall damage if you are in a position to plan ahead. These are things you can place where you want to jump or might fall later, or that you can look for if you need to make a long jump while exploring.

Water

Jumping into water, even shallow water, will allow you to land safely.

Hay Bale Hay Bales

Place Hay Bales on the ground and the amount of damage will be reduced by 80%.

Although you’re still taking damage, it’s not much for this 40-block fall and with full health you’d survive a fall of 100 blocks.

Hay Bales are a great option for placing around your base if you prefer jumping off the roof to using the stairs.

Slime Block Slime Blocks

Slime blocks are crafted from Slime Balls. When you land on one you will bounce like on a trampoline and take no damage.

Be careful that you don’t bounce too high and suffer a heavy landing elsewhere.

Press Jump as you land to perform a controlled landing with no bounce (but still no damage). If you press Sneak while you land you will not bounce but you will take full damage, so don’t do that.

Ladders and Vines

Ladders and Vines can be placed on walls so you can climb up and down. If you fall onto a ladder or vine, you will slow down to climbing speed and not take any damage.

Be careful landing on ladders; they have a top surface you can stand on, and if you land on that you will take damage. You need to make sure you land next to the ladder as if you were climbing it.

Vines do not have a top surface, so they are easier to land safely on.

Cobweb Cobwebs

If you fall into a Cobweb it will catch you and stop you from taking any damage, but

Avoid the Fall in the First Place

TIP: If you are worried about falling from a high place, hold down Sneak to avoid accidentally stepping of the edge.