Minecraft Dungeons released last week to a mostly positive reception, and one of the things that has driven that response is the wide array of new mobs introduced for the game. Between the various original bosses and the exciting new enemies, there is a lot to keep even veteran Minecraft players on their toes. A rundown of each new mob in the game as well as how best to handle them will prove helpful to players, especially when entering into higher difficulties such as Adventure mode after beating the game on Default.
Although Minecraft Dungeons does include classic Minecraft mobs such as Zombies, Skeletons, Creepers, and Enderman, its dungeon crawler nature necessitated the introduction of new enemies for the player to face to provide more variance. Each of these new mobs are unique in that they require the player to approach situations in a different manner. Although there are many new variants of Illagers, Skeletons, and Zombies in Minecraft Dungeons, they will be grouped together here as they are not technically new mobs. That said, most don't know that Illagers were actually designed and created for Minecraft Dungeons, but were added into Minecraft before this game released.
Necromancer
Necromancers serve the Nameless One in the Desert Temple, and though skeleton-like are not really a variant of the average skeleton. These enemies are extremely tough to deal with, especially in numbers, as they are capable of summoning hordes of undead to fight by their side. In addition to this, they also fire projectiles at the player, dealing moderate damage and making it even more difficult to close the distance. Once engaged, these enemies aren't terribly tough, but getting through the summoned skeletons and zombies is much easier said than done.
Weapons with long reach, such as the glaive, are great for taking these enemies down, as they are capable of cleaving through the summoned reinforcements and sometimes even hitting the Necromancer as well. By far the best way to deal with a Necromancer is to take it out with ranged weapons either before it manages to summon or through the use of piercing rounds or the Torment Quiver. Should it come down to a melee confrontation, however, players should know that killing the summoned mobs won't create an opening, as before they are all slain new ones will appear. With that in mind, it is best to focus on the Necromancer and find a way to circumvent its reinforcements.
Wraith
Wraiths are found throughout several levels of Minecraft Dungeons, and provide challenge in the form of creating hazards. These ethereal beings will fly towards the player and summon a 3x3 area of blue fire centered around their character. Standing in this fire deals damage over time, and while this is manageable for short periods of time, standing in it for too long can quickly prove deadly. To make matters worse, they often come in groups of two or more, and standing in two sets of fire results in double damage.
Finally, if attacked at melee too much, Wraiths will disappear, teleporting away from the player to a safe distance. Alone, these enemies aren't anything to write home about, but when they are placing walls of fire around while the player is trying to deal with other mobs such as the aforementioned necromancer, things can get out of hand quickly. Focusing heavy damage at the first opportunity to strike is the best way to deal with these creatures, but players will need to try their best to finish them off before they manage to teleport away to safety.
Minecraft Dungeons Bosses
All of Minecraft Dungeons' bosses are unique to the game as well (not including certain mini bosses like the Enderman and the Skeleton Horse). Throughout their journey, players will come face to face with the Corrupted Cauldron, the Nameless One, several Redstone Golems, and the Redstone Monstrosity before finally facing off against the Arch Illager himself. There is even a sort of secret boss which takes place after defeating the Arch Illager the first time, but that won't be spoiled here.
When it comes to fighting bosses, as a general rule players should exercise caution. It is always best to observe the enemy's patterns before making a true attempt at defeating them. GameRant has detailed guides for how to defeat each boss in Minecraft Dungeons, so interested players should check those out. Already many of these bosses have been modded into the base Minecraft game, but it remains to be seen whether or not any of these are being considered for an official introduction to the game.
Variants
There are also several variants of existing mobs. Zombies come in varying sizes, some with iron equipment and the like. Skeletons in particular have a few interesting new variants, such as the Temple Guard Skeletons found in the Desert Temple level. Wielding a tower shield and a glaive, these enemies are not only tough to kill, but deadly at a pretty long range as well. Seeing more depth added to the original Minecraft's desert temples would be cool, especially if these Temple Guard Skeletons and the previously mentioned Necromancers and Wraiths were to make their way into the game as well.
It is the Illagers, however, that have the greatest number of variants by far. Players will find themselves going up against the typical pillagers and vindicators found in Minecraft, and the Evoker enemy type even makes an appearance in Minecraft Dungeons, but there are several levels of Illagers each stronger than the last. At the end of the game, players will have to face off against Royal Guard Illagers, which are extremely well armed and armored. Brandishing maces, heavy shields, and full suit of plate armor, these militant Illagers would be a very cool addition to the base game of Minecraft.
Minecraft Dungeons is available now for PC, PS4, Switch, and Xbox One.