Recently, we have focused more on the End dimension in Minecraft than usual. After taking stock of the chorus fruit and exploring the End highlands, we decided to publish a third article dedicated to this fascinating dimension. We chose to highlight an item that we believe deserves more attention — the shulker box!
Shulker boxes were introduced in Minecraft during the exploration update in November 2016, alongside illagers, woodland mansions, and observers. Initially, these boxes came in all six colors of the rainbow available in the game (which means the standard 16 colors), but they were recolored to a single hue in the 2017 “World of Color” update. Shulker boxes serve one primary purpose — item storage. They performed this role so effectively that they even earned a silver medal in the Duncan’s Minecraft Things that Can Hold Other Things Championship 2020, with the Ender chests taking first place.
What makes shulker boxes so large? The answer is simple — they don’t spill their contents when broken. Unlike regular chests, they securely hold all items even after being lifted and placed into your inventory. Set one down on the ground, open it, and all your belongings will still be inside. Magic? Not quite; it’s something else entirely — science!
In other respects, shulker boxes are just like standard chests. You can store materials inside and retrieve them using a hopper. Plus, their capacity is impressive — a full 27 stacks. This means that if you fill every slot in your inventory with shulker boxes, including each free hotbar space and all additional slots, you’ll end up with *better grab a calculator* 999 stacks, which totals to 63,936 items! You’ll be able to gather an enormous amount of dirt blocks.
But wait! Imagine you have a Traveler’s Chest from the End in your inventory, which contains 27 of its own shulker boxes. This means you’ll end up with a total of 1701 stacks, equating to 108,864 items! Now, what if you find a herd of llamas and fill their entire inventory with shulker boxes? *The calculator is already smoking* We would arrive at 4050 stacks, capable of holding… oh no, my calculator just exploded! It seems we may never find out.
Oh, I completely forgot. Just like a genie doesn’t grant an endless number of wishes, you can’t place other chests inside shulker boxes. My apologies. This could potentially disrupt the entire Minecraft universe. Now it’s time to discuss the less pleasant aspects—obtaining shulker boxes. To do this, you’ll need to locate a stronghold, fill the portal frame with ender eyes, go through the portal, defeat the Ender Dragon, explore the outer islands, and find an End City within them. After that, you’ll have to battle a bunch of shulkers while trying to stay alive and collect a few shells. If you’ve managed all that, the final step is quite simple. Place a chest in the center of the crafting grid, add shells on top and bottom, and voilà—your shulker box is ready!
Looking to make it one-of-a-kind? No problem! Simply combine a box in a craft grid with any dye. It’s the perfect choice for stylish players who want to avoid ruining their home decor’s color scheme with an outdated box. You can repaint it using a cauldron, and even refer to it as an anvil if you really want to organize your storage.
Now, if you’ll excuse me, I have to get going. I’ve got plenty of dirt to collect; these boxes won’t fill themselves!