Minecraft Dungeons is a rare gem. It combines the excitement and chaos of dungeon crawlers with the adorable blocky world of Minecraft. The game works really well as a couch or online co-op experience but is equally playable alone. However, its real beauty is in its simplicity. The mechanics are complicated enough to feel engaging but simple enough for all ages and abilities to understand. This makes it ideal for families to play together. Here's what newcomers need to know about the quirky title and how it works.

Starting Off

The first thing you'll see is a character creation screen. Simply choose the character that looks the most appealing to you. Every hero is the same and their abilities are customized through gear.

Once you've got your team together or selected an offline solo adventure, you'll start off by playing a tutorial level. As you play, the game will prompt you with a rundown of the basic mechanics and controls you'll need to know.

Yellow waypoint arrows and a map will guide you and gear is assigned per person when it drops, meaning everyone benefits equally, although unfortunately, you cannot trade.

After this, you'll set up a camp that will be your base for the rest of the game. Here you'll find traders to purchase gear from, emerald chests to collect and a mission map. Clicking this will allow you to select your next adventure. Difficulty levels are fully adjustable and are displayed on each level. They show your strength and the recommended strength so you don't get overwhelmed.

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The combat mechanics are simple. You'll have a ranged weapon and a melee one. Simply face your enemies and fire. The only things you need to know are that ranged weapons fire from a distance but will run out of ammo and melee weapons are always usable but you need to be close to hit enemies with them.

Arrows are used by all ranged weapons and can be collected from mobs and supplies chests. If you run out, your ranged weapon will make a weird noise and will no longer shoot.

There are some more complex fights later, but for most enemies the tactics are simply hit them and avoid anything that comes flying at you. Don't be afraid to explore as you fight. Some boss levels contain traps you can set off to do damage. Click buttons, move around, fire a bunch of arrows. Remember, the game prioritizes fun over complex tactics.

Survival And Revival

If you're playing as part of a team you can revive teammates. Simply go up to them and hold the button shown on the screen. Players also have access to a healing mechanism. It looks like a potion bottle and you can see it next to your health bar. Pressing this regenerates your health but it does have a cooldown, so it'll be a short while before you can use it again. Collecting food or health potions will also regenerate smaller amounts of health.

If the worst happens and all your team is killed, then you'll have three more chances to defeat the level. You'll all be revived close to the point you died and  — thankfully— lower level bosses do not regenerate the health they lost before you were all killed.

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Gear And Artifacts

As you defeat mobs you'll acquire different sets of gear and artifacts. The gearing system only offers a choice of melee weapon, ranged weapon, armor, and up to three artifacts. This means that while gear is customizable there is no complex system to navigate.

All you need to do is think about what you want to do. If you want to be a ranged player then hunt out the gear that helps arrow regeneration and ranged damage. For those in a melee role look for healing gear and weapon damage increases. Anyone who is playing a tank role, where you keep enemies on you, needs threat generation and healing. There is also a soul harvesting mechanic where you can collect souls from fallen enemies and then use them to power artifacts that heal or destroy.

You'll naturally acquire appropriate gear as you progress. The main things to look for are the numbers and the rarity. Usually the larger the number the better the gear but if your gear is rare or unique it can be better than common gear of a slightly higher level.

Enchanting And Enjoyment

Gear can also be enhanced by enchanting. This is powered by points you gain as you level and is pretty intuitive. If you salvage gear you'll get the points back. Just look for stats that will benefit your style.

Minecraft Dungeons is primarily designed for enjoyment, accessibility, and fun. Above all just play the game. You can get reasonably far just by pointing, shooting, and looting so why not give it a go?

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