Getting to the End

In Minecraft 1.20, netherite upgrades were added to the game. They change the way you get netherite by making it require going to bastions. Currently, to get to the End, all you need is to find the portal and to have extra eyes of ender. My suggestion is to make it harder to get to the End, by requiring something else. For example, the new trial chambers in 1.21 could be used. The breeze could drop an item that helps you get to the End.

My point is, it is too easy to get to the End. With the villager rebalancing and netherite upgrades, other simple tasks have become harder and more fun. Why not do that with the End too? After all, it is supposed to be the final boss fight.