Minecraft Dungeons II truly sang when I reached its endgame and settled on a character build I loved. I wielded an Emerald Hammer that electrocuted nearby enemies and a crossbow that pierced through them. I upgraded and enchanted all my armor pieces so they either healed me or made potions even more effective. I felt powerful, in control of every encounter, and like nothing could stop me. I wish Minecraft Dungeons II didn’t wait for its endgame to give me that incredible power fantasy.
Minecraft Dungeons II is a step up from its 2020 predecessor, which gave the action RPG dungeon-crawling formula popularized by Diablo a Minecraft makeover. The added jump mechanic makes traversal and movement more fluid, in-game menus surface important information effectively, and there’s more enemy and weapon variety than before. It even adds meaningfully to Minecraft as a franchise by introducing a new ethereal dimension called the Sift, coming to Minecraft proper in 2027.
Shortcomings from the original persist, though, like its eschewing of a class-driven character progression approach in favor of an item-driven one. Player abilities aren’t tied to character classes like Barbarian or Monk. Instead, every weapon, piece of armor, and ability-granting artifact or talisman I found had unique effects. I then had to mix, match, upgrade, and enchant those at different vendors to create the tank-like build I settled on by the endgame.
This approach should have been freeing, since I wasn’t locked into a specific character build. In practice, progression is linear yet aimless, as no individual piece of loot stood out to me until I improved it with enchantments. I never felt I was mastering a certain playstyle in Minecraft Dungeons II, just that I stumbled onto something powerful. I went with the flow and learned to like whatever the most powerful loot I had was until something better dropped.
At first, the fun came primarily from the boss fights. By the time my artifacts and other loot made the standard enemy encounter entertaining, I was already playing through the most repetitive endgame content. That stings, as Minecraft Dungeons II is quite short, and its endgame currently just consists of wrapping up unfinished side quests and destroying Storm Generators for randomized loot and upgrade currency. I beat it in under 10 hours, and after 15 or so hours, I feel like I’ve seen everything the game has to offer. Now, I mostly just enjoy randomly matchmaking into co-op sessions to help weaker players.
Those obsessed with the little bits of lore we occasionally get about the Minecraft universe will find revelations to enjoy here. The story pits players against the Illiger High Council, who discovered the soul-filled Sift dimension and are wielding its power to take control of the Overworld. It’s a light, breezy narrative that unfortunately ends unsatisfyingly.
The story ultimately serves as a backdrop for its open-world setup across the Overworld and Sift, though players’ actions don’t impact the world as much as I would have liked. Minecraft Dungeons II’s connective tissue to Minecraft is mostly aesthetic; it offers a beautiful isometric rendition of the Overworld and recognizable tools-turned-weapons, but I never did much mining or crafting during the adventure.
Minecraft Dungeons II proves this spin-off franchise can stand on its own and improve with subsequent entries at a time when Xbox is refocusing on its biggest IP. There’s plenty of room to expand, improve, and let me reach that endgame feeling of satisfaction much sooner, though. Right now, Minecraft Dungeons II is simply a straightforward, entry-level action-RPG.
