Empowered mobs and poison are the two things that hurt new Minecraft Dungeons 2 players most. Empowered mobs are the blue, soul-enchanted enemies that soak damage, and the standard answer is to fight them at range. Poison, from zombies and spiders, stays on you for a long time, so carry a potion and don’t stand in it.
What are empowered mobs in Minecraft Dungeons 2?
They’re regular enemies that got soaked in soul power, and you can spot them by the blue glow. The first ones turn up in Honeycomb Fields, when the Grand Illusioner opens a rift on the farmer’s quest. They take almost no damage from a basic melee weapon. One player said the blue ones took no damage from him at all.
They’re worth the trouble, though. Empowered mobs drop echo shards, which level merchants and pay for enchanting (see the merchant section in the enchanting guide). Flame constructs in dungeons are a similar story: very tough, and they drop shards.
How do players deal with them?
Keep them at range. That’s the whole strategy, and it’s the tip you’ll hear from everyone.
- Bow. Arrows recharge by themselves, so you can plink from a distance. The starter bow holds 15.
- Double crossbow. Players like it for skipping the charge, and it gets a bonus when you jump-attack.
- Jump and shoot. You can shoot from the air, not only attack.
- Cancel projectiles. An arrow fired at an incoming projectile can knock it out of the air, which matters against blue casters.
- Rocket and horn. The artifact loadout that keeps a pack off you.
The ranged enchanted variety often has no melee attack at all, so staying away is nearly free. Enchanted shield-and-lightning melee types hit hard, and the bow is the technique that works on them.
How bad is poison?
Bad. “The most brutal thing in this game” is how one player put it. Poison zombies in Howling Woods apply an extremely long poison, and one hit can take away half your health. Spiders come back too, and the Sift has poison attackers of its own. Poison drains you over time, so it kills people who think they’re safe after the enemy dies.
What helps:
- Potion first. “Use your fireworks. Don’t forget your potion.” Drink before you’re low.
- Kill them at range. Shoot poison carriers before they reach you.
- Gear that shortens bad effects. Some pants recover negative effects 20% faster, which is the kind of piece to keep for poison-heavy areas.
- Group revives. Downed allies come back much faster when more people revive at once, and players say to gang up rather than go one by one.
- A healer artifact. The Picnic Basket shares healing food with the team.
Other dangerous types
- Healers among Sift enemies keep others alive, so kill them first.
- Blue mobs in the Sift take reduced damage on top of the empowerment.
- Ichor and Sift water hurt you and drain souls at the same time.
- Ambush rooms in dungeons send waves, so don’t spend all your cooldowns in the first one.
- Mini-bosses like the Enderman appear at random on the map. The honey artifact’s bees slow it down, which players found useful.
Do milestones make the game harder?
Yes, on purpose. When you reach one, the game tells you drops are better and mobs are more challenging. It’s a step system, and it sits on top of the global easy, normal and hard setting (see settings and offline mode). Check the boss guide for the bigger fights that follow.
Quick checklist
- Carry a ranged weapon even if you play melee.
- Drink a potion at the first poison tick.
- Kill healers first.
- Go through the campaign walkthrough to see where the poison zones fall.
Not confirmed yet
Exact poison damage, duration and the milestone thresholds haven’t been published. Whether talisman effects help against poison hasn’t been tested in depth.