Minecraft Dungeons II is expanding the dungeon-crawling formula of its predecessor in meaningful ways. From a newly interconnected world to deeper buildcrafting, new equipment options, and a host of co-op improvements, there’s plenty here to familiarise yourself with before you embark on this upcoming adventure sequel. Here are fourteen things you need to know before you buy Minecraft Dungeons II.
Brave the Unknown in an All-New Dimension
Mysterious portals are appearing across the Overworld, and entering one takes you to a brand-new dimension: the Sift. Unlike the familiar Deep Dark and Nether, the Sift is a glowing, vibrant land composed of ancient stone and lush vegetation. When there, you’ll encounter entirely new mob types, dimension-specific items, and the brand-new boss-tier adversary the Twisted Warden. Lore-wise, the Sift is speculated to be a place wandered by stray souls, with the Twisted Warden itself corrupted by their power as it guards the Deep Dark portal.
Exploration Follows an Interconnected Map
Where the original Minecraft Dungeons divided its adventure into individual missions, the sequel, instead, adopts a seamless approach to exploration. Large regions form an interconnected world, with narrative events, settlements, ancient structures, hubs, and numerous points of interest, plus caves and ruins with layouts that can vary between runs, all ensuring travel throughout Minecraft Dungeons II feels like an expansive adventure rather than a series of clearly defined expeditions.
Quests Come in Two Varieties
While the new interconnected world provides expansive exploration, Minecraft Dungeons II’s quest structure is a little more traditional, with them split into two categories: main quests and side quests. The former pushes the central story forward as you uncover the source of the unusual events occurring across the Sift while the latter provides opportunities to explore the world and help its inhabitants via light-hearted detours. One mission could see you tracking down the Twisted Warden, while the next you’re pursuing missing bees.
Combat Slots Are Expanded to Twelve
Buildcrafting potential has been greatly expanded for this sequel, with Minecraft Dungeons II increasing the number of available combat slots from six to twelve. This should give you considerably more room to experiment with your equipment and abilities, instead of being forced into a relatively limited selection of tools like the first game. Now, you’ll be able to create a more specialised combination moulded around the particular playstyle you’re chasing.
Armour Now Split Into Four Pieces
Armour now works differently in this sequel, too. Instead of treating it as a single piece of equipment, Minecraft Dungeons II splits armour into four separate categories: helmets, chestplates, leggings, and boots. The idea here, it seems, is to give you another opportunity to customise your character, shaping your overall build. Combined with the game’s expanded combat slots and deeper enchanting systems – which we’ll get onto in a minute – the new armour structure should give your loot hunting extra depth.
Projectile Weapon Ammo Switched to Unlimited
Projectile-based weaponry has been switched up in Minecraft Dungeons II, with ammunition now unlimited and automatically replenishing over time. This means you won’t need to constantly scour for more arrows or other ammo types during a raid. Instead, ranged weapons can be treated as a consistent part of your arsenal – you’ll just need to give them enough time to recharge.
You Can Finally Jump
Yes, finally, in Minecraft Dungeons II your heroes can jump! While this may sound like a small addition, a quick scan of the community’s response to this news tells you all you need to know – the inability to leave the ground in the first game adversely affected both exploration and combat in ways that were difficult to ignore. Jumping can now be used to reach areas that weren’t previously accessible, to navigate environmental obstacles, and as a combat tactic allowing you to perform attacks from above. Together with the returning dodge roll, this addition should make movement considerably more intuitive than it was in the original game.
Enchanting Has Been Overhauled
The sequel reintroduces Enchanting, but this time it’s been significantly reworked to give you greater control over your builds. A deeper and more flexible system than before, throughout exploration you’ll encounter enchantment books which unlock unique effects which can be added to your personal library. These can then be applied to your gear through the Enchantsmith, encouraging an intentional approach to the effects you apply to your equipment. Furthermore, enchantments can be upgraded and leveled up over time, meaning you can continually refine and strengthen your preferred builds.
The Entire Game Can Be Played Solo or Co-Op
Whether you want to forge through the Sift alone or you’re looking to cause chaos with your mates, Minecraft Dungeons II has you covered. The entire campaign is playable solo, or up to four players can form a party, with local couch co-op available alongside online multiplayer with cross-play. There’s also mixed co-op, allowing you to share the same console or PC while joining friends situated elsewhere online.
Matchmaking and Party Codes Are Included
And, if you don’t have a trio of friends able to play with you, you needn’t worry. Finding people to play with should be easy in this sequel thanks to the introduction of matchmaking. So, now, you can use matchmaking to find other players who are also looking for a party, and you can jump into the adventure together. Party codes are also available, giving you another way to connect with specific groups.
Co-Op Comes With Several Quality of Life Improvements
Minecraft Dungeons II isn’t content with just adding more ways to play together; it is also bringing ways to make co-operative play as seamless as possible. Loot is automatically shared between party members, for instance, which removes some of the friction around distributing dropped items. Reviving fallen teammates has also been accelerated, meaning you won’t need to spend quite as long waiting for someone else to get back into the fray. On the face of it, these are small changes, but they’ll make a meaningful difference to the flow of co-operative playthroughs.
Loot Can Include Random Bonus Effects
Minecraft Dungeons II’s loot system introduces an extra layer of unpredictability thanks to random bonus effects. Dropped weapons and armour, for example, now have the chance to include additional effects, meaning two pieces of otherwise identical gear can exhibit different abilities. It’s a further incentive to collect every drop rather than treating duplicate items as worthless, and if you’re chasing the most powerful build possible you’ll need to scour through every dropped item to find the strongest rewards.
There’s a Mini-Inventory on the D-Pad
Minecraft Dungeons II includes a mini-inventory that can be accessed via the D-pad. Designed to provide a way of accessing your equipment and quickly swap items, the mini-inventory also makes exploration more streamlined by removing the need to navigate through full inventory menus.
Release Date, Platforms, Price, and PC Requirements
Minecraft Dungeons II launches on September 29th to PC via Steam and the Microsoft Store, plus Xbox Series X|S, PS5, and Nintendo Switch and Switch 2. The sequel will also be playable on Xbox Game Pass day one. Price-wise, the game’s Standard Edition will set you back $29.99 while a Deluxe Edition retails for $49.99. To play the game on your PC, at a minimum you’ll need an Intel Core i3-8100 or AMD Ryzen 3 2200G CPU, an NVIDIA GTX 1050 or AMD Radeon RX 560 GPU, and 8GB RAM. Recommended hardware, however, includes an Intel Core i5-8400 or AMD Ryzen 5 2600 CPU, NVIDIA GTX 1060 or AMD Radeon RX 580 GPU, and 16GB RAM.
