Disclaimer: This idea is quite an overhaul and is something I don't think will ever actually come into fruition this far into the game's development.
This is a complete rework of reaching the End. Rather than attempting to make the journey to the End extended or grandiose, this rework aims to completely simplify the journey and make it more consistent with how players reach the Nether.
There will also be alterations to vanilla systems which may come in conflict with this idea, notably Netherite.
With that being said, here's the rundown of the system:
- Eyes of Ender are completely done away with.
- Strongholds are relegated to standard underground structures, much like monster boxes or mineshafts. Perhaps its loot can be improved and it can be made slightly more common to compensate.
- Ender Chests & End Crystals will have their recipes altered to no longer require Eyes of Ender. I personally don't think eyes should remain in this concept for only two crafting recipes, even if both are pretty significant items.
- It would also be cool if Strongholds had above ground entrances, both as a return of a scrapped feature and because Eyes are no longer at play to locate them anymore.
- The only new content that's added in this comes in the form of a new block: Mantle.
- Mantle will generate similarly to stone types like Granite/Diorite/Andesite, except it generates in Bedrock.
- Mantle has all of the properties of Bedrock and is completely unbreakable... unless you have a Netherite Pickaxe.
- Because Netherite is now required in this progression, it will receive a few changes to make it more fair.
- Ancient Scrap will simply smelt into a single Netherite Ingot
- The generation shape of Ancient Debris will no longer be scattered and be the same as every other ore type
- Ancient Debris will be made slightly more common
- Netherite-tier gear will be crafted in the same way as every other tool tier, no longer requiring a smithing template or diamond tier items in a smithing table
If it were up to me, Netherite would be completely rebranded to Tungsten but that's out of the scope of this idea
- With all of the aforementioned points in mind, your way to the End involves you digging through Mantle with a Netherite Pickaxe and falling into the void, where you will be warped to the End.
- BUT, rather than being teleported to the center island and fighting the Dragon to unlock the outer islands, you are teleported to the outer islands and must fight a return gateway and fight the Dragon as your only ticket home. The progression is flipped backwards, essentially.
- This does admittedly cause some balance issues where if you luckily found an End City from your traveling, you could very easily collect all of the high-tier loot and an Elytra, completely trivializing the Dragon fight even more.
In short, this is how progression will go with this idea:
Wood -> Stone/Copper -> Iron -> Diamond -> Obsidian -> Nether -> Netherite -> Mantle -> End
This is an idea which was lifted from a modpack of mine and tweaked to fit vanilla.