Minecraft’s new DLC brings Dungeons & Dragons to the block world

New batch of special MinecraftDLC arrives at the right time for players who suddenly crave more experience like Baldur’s Gate 3. In partnership with Everbloom Games and Dungeons & Dragons publisher Wizards of the Coast, Minecraft’s Dungeons & Dragons DLC is a story-driven action-adventure that merges the world of D&D with the iconic blocks of Minecraft. Not only does the DLC include locations and monsters from the game’s primary 5th edition setting, the Forgotten Realms, but it also introduces a whole range of role-playing mechanics – a class system, stats, and dice-based combat – in order to truly capture the D&D feeling for Minecraft.

“You have some pillars of D&D, which are combat, exploration, and roleplay,” explained Mojang senior producer Riccardo Lenzi in an interview with Polygon. “So it was about trying to hit all these pillars in a way that is satisfactory, that feels like D&D.”

Image: Mojang/Everbloom Games

It features an entirely new interface that includes a quest-log, specialized inventory screens and a glossary. The DLC also boasts more voiceover than any licensed pack and a complexer soundtrack. MinecraftMusic is activated by combat and location. It all goes to further the DLC’s story, which follows the player’s character on an unlikely adventure.

“Their mind gets merged with that of a golden dragon. So they’re sharing the [same] body,” said Lenzi. “That creates a lot of banter. Conflict. The dragon wouldn’t want to be in a human body. This is the start of a buddy-comedy movie. You go through adversity, you become friends, you create some bonds.”

Image: Mojang/Everbloom Games

While the DLC includes a lot of D&D-specific elements — spells like Magic Missile, monsters like Beholders, and locations like Candlekeep — Lenzi clarified that it’s not a straight-up D&D simulator. The framework remains very much intact. Minecraft, even if it’s more action-RPG focused than the vanilla experience. He added that those looking for a direct D&D simulator should play Baldur’s Gate 3 instead.

Still, the D&D/Minecraft fusion makes sense, and it’s one that Lenzi says he’s been waiting to do for a long time. After all, a fundamental part of both Dungeons & Dragons and Minecraft The sandbox environment offers endless possibilities for creating your own adventure.

“Wizards of the Coast have been incredibly accommodating and flexible,” said Lenzi. “They said, ‘Imagine this is a playground’ — which is similar to what we do in Minecraft. Imagine this is a playground: As long as you don’t go around breaking toys, and injuring other kids or yourself, it’s fair game … They weren’t afraid. [our team] breaking D&D or anything like that. ‘If you break it, we will let you know. But you go ahead. Just don’t be afraid.’”

On September 26, the Minecraft Marketplace will have the new DLC.