How Minecraft Legends transforms classic Minecraft ideas into entirely new forms

At first glance, Minecraft Legends may seem like a bold move in a new direction, but rest assured that this new strategy title still has all the well-known elements of the epochal survival title – you might not notice it right away. You can expect to see all your favorite resources, mobs, and tools, but in a brand new strategy game setting – and even a 4v4 PvP mode featured in today’s Developer_Direct presentation.

So what is Minecraft Legends? Developed by Mojang Studios with partner Blackbird Interactive, the new title features a brand new story campaign and a fresh new PvP mode. Tackle the campaign alone or with friends, or jump into a 4v4 match to defeat the enemy team by destroying their base while building your own. It sounds very different than the original Minecraft, but – if you’ll forgive the pun – it’s made up of many of the same blocks.

Key to of course Minecraft are its procedurally generated maps that offer a unique experience every time you jump into a new game. Minecraft Legends is no different, generating new maps to conquer for each new battle. Traditionally, when it comes to a classic, everyone is on the same page Minecraft Server (or at least they should be), but inside Minecraft Legendsthe twist is that the map’s resources are competitive and its terrain is key to your progress – both must be used to triumph against the opposing team.

Speaking to Xbox Wire, Minecraft Legends Executive Producer Dennis Ries and Blackbird Interactive Producer Lee Pederson explain how Minecraft Legends uses randomly generated maps in both campaign and multiplayer to shake up the traditional PvP experience:

“It’s not like your traditional multiplayer situation where you have a few cards. Every time you play PvP, the strategy you want to use to win can be different than the game before,” says Ries. “Once we added that procedurally generated dynamic with the variety, that’s really how it felt Minecraft. The chaotic fun really shone through and we wanted to embrace that chaos.”

be resourceful

As each multiplayer map is generated, resources that you can use in battle appear in random areas, and some are more unique and useful than others. You’ll need to decide which strategy is best for taking on the opposing team based on where you’re building your base and the resources surrounding it.

“Each game is a new scene and there are different environmental challenges,” explains Pederson. “So when you build your base, you can, for example, take advantage of being on a mountaintop or build a tower behind you to hide it. You really need to align your strategy with what the world is generating for you.”

Ries adds that this could be a Redstone strategy, a Diamond strategy, or an Iron strategy – each resource offers different units and upgrades to build, and which one you happen to have can fundamentally change how you gain an advantage over one get enemy. You need to change how you progress through the game based on what you can save to progress in those early game moments.

“You just don’t know what’s going to happen, so you could change your strategy and go for a redstone strategy, for example, because that’s closest to you,” he adds.

Mob Rule(s)

It’s not just the environment that can provide resources. Minecraft Legends features many well-known mobs, from the classic Creeper to the Nether-native Piglins, who will attack anyone who traverses their territory. They all carry important items and can be used in a variety of ways to help plan your win.

Some Minecraft Enemies like skeletons and zombies are also here, but this time they are on your side, and you can also use their abilities. Seasoned Minecraft Players will have a feel for how all of these mobs behave (and attack), but will have to adjust to how useful they can be in this brand new context.

“Creepers will always explode, but now you have the ability to actually use a Creeper […] and aim in a certain direction,” explains Ries. “In PvP, piglins are a nuisance, but they’re necessary because they have items that you need [use to] Update. On the other hand, they can attack you, so while you’re implementing your strategy, they can disrupt them if you’re not careful.”

While the fight is in the foreground Minecraft Legends, there is a role for every type of player, from planning huge sieges against the enemy to exploring the map. Ries adds that in a team of four you can naturally feel drawn to a specific role, and you can choose what you want to do based on personal preference, whether it’s wielding swords at enemies or a specific resource to hunt for your base.

Everything about this base

As you might expect at this point, just like classic MinecraftBuilding things is a really huge chunk of the time you spend doing it Minecraft Legends. Building your base and making sure it can withstand enemy attacks is just as important as laying siege to the enemy. Once you have a basic structure in place, it’s time to get creative to deter your attackers. Build additional walls for enemies to navigate, place hidden traps, or raise mobs to protect your base. Make sure you also place your upgrade tower in a good spot so your base can be upgraded to withstand even the most fierce of attacks.

Setting up your base in Legends serves a new purpose, but shares many of the components of the classic Minecraft Building. You must collect wood, stone and other world resources to build walls, towers and gates block by block, and adventure for ores and hidden treasures that will help your team level up. The difference is that you have to think a little more about how your base works rather than how it looks in the sunset. However, winning with a cool looking base is an obvious flex.

While you have a lot of freedom in planning your battles (and your defenses), Pederson adds that the PvP experience is designed to be accessible to new players and you don’t need a lot of strategy or a ton of experience to jump in.” Since the maps are procedurally generated, there aren’t people who have mastered a map and then dominate newer players who come in,” she adds.

And that’s really the whole point, like Minecraft Legends can feel like this Minecraft, although they are part of a completely different genre. Like the original, Legends doesn’t just feature random elements – it builds its entire identity around them, rewarding players for working with what they have rather than doing the same thing every time.

Pederson puts it in very simple terms – terms that almost feel like a mantra for the game’s overall design: “Everyone has a new experience every time.”

Minecraft Legends launches April 18th Windows PC (Day One with PC Game Pass), Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One (Day One with Xbox Game Pass), Xbox Cloud Gaming, PlayStation, Steam and Nintendo Switch.

Minecraft Legends

Xbox Game Studios

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Discover the mysteries of Minecraft Legends, a new action-strategy game. Explore a gentle land of rich resources and lush biomes on the brink of destruction. The devastating Piglins have arrived, and it’s up to you to inspire your allies and lead them in strategic battles to save the overworld! Learn the story of Minecraft Legends and explore its new but familiar world as you experience the Minecraft universe in exciting new ways in this new action-strategy game. Explore a beautiful land, both familiar and mysterious, teeming with diverse life, lush biomes, and rich resources you’ll need to build your defenses and defeat the Piglin invasion. Inspire unexpected friends to form valuable alliances and lead them in strategic battles to protect their homeland. Bring the fight to the Piglins before their nether corruption engulfs the overworld! Challenge – or join forces with – your friends in exciting battles while defending your village and leading your allies to defeat your opponents.