Minecraft – How far can endermen reach

minecraft-java-edition

How far away can an enderman reach and pick up a block? It would be useful to know for building endermen defenses around a base. I understand fences keep them out, but how far away from my buildings do the fences need to be to keep any enderhands off of them? I'd like to know how far laterally as well as how far above and below them they can grab.

Best Answer

Reportedly at PAX (summary) it was said that they have a two-block reach: you'll want to have a one-block buffer zone between the fence and anything of value.

The reach, based on the pictures I've seen of the Endermen's destruction (and my own experience), appears to be directly in front, 1-2 blocks laterally, and from ground to eye level. Diagram:

Enderman facing to the right -> o ..
                                o ..
                                o ..

o : Enderman body
. : Blocks that are fair game

Evidence of Enderman mischief:

Coincidentally, this mirrors the one-block buffer zone you need to have for beds in order to sleep undisturbed.

Interestingly, vines might be a better alternative to fences, if you're okay with the appearance: Endermen will take the vine block before taking anything behind it. Since vines automatically regenerate, you'll have a defense that's more compact than a fence with a buffer zone.