Minecraft Legends is the synthesis of Minecraft and Command and Conquer style of games. It takes everything that makes the original game special while also infusing it with something new, making it a refreshing experience. This comes in the form of a variety of new mechanics, such as allay construction.
In Minecraft Legends, allays have the ability to build certain structures at the request of the player. This can range from simple walls to buildings that provide buffs to the player. It's an interesting mechanic the franchise has never seen before, considering the only entity capable of construction has been the player. It is also something Minecraft could also see being incorporated into the original game.
Bringing Allay Construction to Minecraft
All of Minecraft's best builds are created through the will of a player. While some commands can be used to aid in that process, it is the handmade survival builds that often take the most ingenuity in their creation process. That has long been the beauty of building in Minecraft: the idea that with enough time and resources, players could realize their wildest dreams. That fantasy fulfillment is much of what keeps the game relevant today. Seeing the ingenuity or talent of other players builds has also helped create a community with strong bonds with both the game and each other.
Allowing the allay, one of the many mobs confirmed in Minecraft Legends, to have the ability to build in Minecraft is a bit out of the norm in terms of its usual updates. For starters, only the player has been known to have the ability to build throughout Minecraft's recent history. This may have implications in the franchise's lore, possibly suggesting that allays are the souls of an ancient group of builders responsible for the construction of things like mine shafts and ancient cities. This could also partially explain their similarities to their polar opposites, vexes. It may even lend some credence to the idea that maybe the story told in Minecraft Legends is partially true, as it is only confirmed to be a myth as of now.
As for a gameplay perspective, players might find allays to be incredibly useful for building structures. As to not devalue the traditional building experience, the complexity of their structures could be limited; they might only build walls out of a single block type. After all, it may not be a good idea to subtract from the creative process of building too much through the allay. This would also give more uses for the allay, as their current use can be a little too niche to benefit players consistently.
There may also come some issues with this incorporation of the allay construction mechanic. For example, taking any amount of the building process out of the player's hands could be seen as an attack on the creative process of building. Some may believe that creative liberties for Minecraft should be limited to spin-off games as to not hinder the traditional Minecraft experience. Regardless of its incorporation, being able to manipulate blocks in complex ways has primarily been limited to the player, and will likely stay that way for years to come.
With Minecraft Legends having a confirmed release date, players will soon be able to experience allay construction firsthand. Though the mechanic may not ever be implemented into Minecraft, its possible applications are nevertheless interesting to think about. Perhaps other features from the game may make their way into the original game in the future.
Minecraft Legends releases on April 18 2023 for PC, PS4, PS5, Switch, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.