Released May 26, 2020, Minecraft Dungeons offers to discover a very special genre: the dungeon crawler. Like a casual Diablo or PoE, the last Mojang's game will try to initiate novices to the Hack'n'slash genre but also to satisfy hardcore gamers. Check out our review for further details.
Introduction
When you launch the game, you'll be able to create your character. Three things to note:
- It’s just a skin that will have no influence on your hero’s abilities,
- You can create up to 4 different characters
- Choose well if you want to play online or offline before starting the game
Click on start to lauch the tutorial. Very practical, it will allow you to understand the basics of movement, attack and artifacts.
Freedom
Once the tutorial is finished, you are free to play as you see fit. You will then have access to a new level: Creeper Woods
When you choose a new mission, important information is displayed on the screen:
- The difficulty of the level (you can change it if you want)
- Recommended ability (and your current one): it'll adapt according to the level of difficulty chosen
- The loot and artifacts available in the level
- When you choose a mission for the first time, the loot and artifacts are unknown. It's up to you to discover them !
If you are playing the Creeper Woods for the first time, we suggest that you choose the Easy difficulty (level 1).
By completing a level, you unlock the other ones. There are 10 in total so far (DLCs are coming). Each level will have different creatures, settings and objectives. Free villagers, activate beacons, destroy potions, find a key ... Look closely at your screen to find out what the objectives are.
Tips
- You can activate your map in transparent (TAB on PC) so you always know where you are going,
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By pressing M, you will open your entire map and access key information: the number of secrets in the level, and the number of chests to open.
Secrets are kinds of events to trigger that are extremely well hidden (a lever to activate, a slab to walk on, a dungeon to discover, a piece of land to roll over etc ...). Take a good look everywhere! If a place seems suspicious to you, it might be a secret.
Emeralds
Emeralds are the currency of the game. The more you collect, the more artifacts and equipment you'll be able to buy.
Emeralds are harvested:
- by killing monsters,
- opening chests
- breaking the pots
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by recycling equipment you no longer use
It is possible to increase your chance of obtaining emeralds in particular by using the Prospector Enchantment or by using the Diamond Pickaxe.
You can use emeralds at Camp with two NPCs:
- The Blacksmith (unlocked once the Creeper Woods is completed): in exchange for a few emeralds, he gives you a random piece of equipment (a weapon or armor)
- The Wandering Trader (unlocked once the following three levels are completed): in exchange for a few emeralds, he gives you a random artifact.
The Camp
The camp is not limited to the Blacksmith and the Trader. If you explore the surroundings a bit, you will see that the HUB is in fact a village with:
- Chests to discover,
- A house for your avatar,
- A drawbridge that unlocks
- A very mysterious church filled with puzzles to solve,
- A Nether portal which is not activated at the moment,
- Scarecrows for combat training
Difficulty
By finishing the story mode (by default) once, you can unlock the higher difficulty mode: Adventure Mode. There will be more and tougher enemies, and the loot will be much more interesting. Similarly, once you have successfully completed all 10 dungeons in Adventure Mode, you will unlock the Apocalypse Mode.
- If you want good rewards, choose higher difficulty tiers than your current level,
- The best place to farm the experience, and the loots, is the Creepy Crypt.
Tips & tricks
- It's possible to summon a Wolf, a Lama or a Golem to fight alongside you: for this, you will need the appropriate artifact (the Tasty Bone or the Wonderful Wheat for example)
- Minecraft Dungeons is primarily a game designed for multiplayer. Even if the enemies are tougher, it's quite fun to play with 2, 3 or 4 people. In addition, this allows to make useful combos.
- There is no class system in the game, but it's possible to specialize (Archer, Warrior, Hunter etc ...) by choosing the appropriate weapons and armor.
- Take a good look at the basic effects of your equipment: enchantments are good, but sometimes effects are even better!
- Favor the Infinity enchantment for your bows since the arrows are not unlimited and you will quickly run out of stock.
Original content by Camille "Milkameluna" C.
In Minecraft Dungeons, Mojang have gone with a different genre, the dungeon-crawler, for their next take on the Minecraft universe. Does it offer something accessible to a general audience, while respecting the difficulty usually required for this kind of game? Our review reveals all.
