Mojang announced Minecraft Dungeons for the first time in 2018, but we had to wait until E3 2019 to get a first idea about the gameplay.
It’s set in the same world as the block-breaking place we are familiar with and appreciate, and the design is approximately the same, but as a game it has a few differences.
A new category, a new engine, new mechanics, new things, new plot – it’s a total reconsideration of the tried and tested Minecraft recipe.
New interviews offer us some information about Minecraft Dungeons’ launch date, gameplay, and more.
What do we understand from Minecraft Dungeons?
An isometric action-RPG placed in Minecraft’s world, created by Mojang using Unreal Engine 4. It’s a little bit inspired by Diablo 3 and other ‘classic dungeon crawlers’ and contains a heavy importance on loot and combat. You’ll get the chance to explore procedurally generated branching levels with up to three friends, destroying mobs, find the clues for simple puzzles (think buttons and levers), and modify your characters. You’ll match above and below ground across many biomes.
Do we have any release date?
We don’t have an exact date yet, but we know it will be launched sometime in spring 2020. The costs will be around $20, and you have the possibility to pay for the base game and an extra season pass for two things of DLC.
Story and ideas
In Minecraft Dungeon you’ll get the mission to defeat the all so-evil Arch-Illager, who has been kidnapping NPCs and generally initiating a nuisance. The plot unfolds over a series of levels, each has its own mission, like saving a specific character or defeating a miniboss.
Mojang comes with other information about it and tells us that the plot will be light touch, and the main idea will be based on combat and character evolution.
Minecraft Dungeons rules
You can quit or join a session at any time, and the difficulty will enthusiastically adjust based on your party size.
Combat description
It’s a combination of fight and ranged combat against big groups of enemies from an isometric approach. If you’ve played Diablo and its category, you know roughly what to expect – although it’s especially designed to be easy to access, so it might be created to look more simplistic than another PC action-RPG’s.
You can also pick the enemies from a big distance with bows and crossbows. You’ll also collect items called ‘artifacts’ that offer you special skills, which you use at the cost of resource. For example, the E3 2019 gameplay trailer shows us a thing called a Corrupted Beacon, which shoots a permanent beam that destroys the enemies. It costs ‘souls’ to use.
Mojang told Windows Central there will exist 20 things per weapon type: 20 melee, 20 ranged and 20 artifacts.
All of them, including artifacts, can be changed for enchantments. These enchantments have the possibility to come with chain lighting to a fight or double the damage output of an artifact.
No mining or building
The thing with Dungeon is that you don’t have to build or mine at all. Mojang says that’s to keep you going next to a steady pace, throwing you from fight to light without any interruptions.
New items vs. the loot boxes and microtransactions
Mojang make the promise that Dungeon won’t have any loot boxes or microtransactions; all your equipment will be getting in-game. You’ll also find loot in chests or an fallen enemies, but you’ll have the possibility to buy gear using emeralds earned from missions.
No classes
Your character build is only determined by the gear you choose to wear and keep, as well as the enchantments on it. You can modify your character build on the fly, exchanging out items to adjust to the situation at hand.
The armor will probably be the most important item for determining your play type. It affects both the amount of sentence you can get and your movement speed, and specific armor types will offer other bonuses. Light armor makes you the best with ranged weapons, for example, so it’s perfect for an archer build.
What can we do with the enchantments?
These items are randomized bonuses attached to other equipment you’ll get. To activate and make them more powerful, you’ll have the task to invest more experience points into them, which isn’t different to the main game. Enchantments distinguish between weapons that would otherwise be the same.
What mobs will become your enemy?
It’s said to be the old guard from the sandbox game, but with a couple of new low foes thrown in. We’ll still have the Necromancers and Wraiths, plus something new, the ‘piggybank mobs ‘.
Endermen are stronger than in Minecraft: they can teleport everywhere from your attacks, diminish your visibility, making it harder to deal with all the other enemies around you.
How does Minecraft Dungeons’ procedural generation work?
Each level is procedurally generated. That brings the categories of mobs that spawn, the layout of dungeons and the location of loot. Well, because it’s an overall story we must expect some jiffs to be hand-made. We’ll be able to go to hub-style area between missions, which won’t be procedurally generated.
How the endgame will be handled?
Smashing the story mode once will unlock extra hard modes. You’ll be able to challenge missions you’ve already done, and the game will show you how hard it expects each one to be based on your party’s cumulative gear score.
The crossplay will be maintained?
Things are still unknown, but Windows Central said that Xbox One and Pc players crossplay should be expected.
Is there any mod support?
The possibility of player-created dungeons is explored.
Xbox Game Pass for Minecraft Dungeon
Since it’s a Microsoft-launched game, the odds are good.
Source: PCGamer.com
