Minecraft Dungeons ‘Flames of the Nether’ DLC: Post-release, features, free update, and everything you need to know

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Everyone and their parents know aboutMinecraft, which remains one of the world’s most popular games today. A little newer, but still excellent, isMinecraft Dungeons, a game from Mojang Studios that takes place inside the expanding Minecraft universe. Instead of an open world with crafting and survival mechanics, Minecraft Dungeons is a classically-inspired, co-op-focused ARPG with hordes of enemies, piles of loot, and tons of secrets to uncover.

Minecraft Dungeons has expanded rapidly since its initial launch with a ton of DLC expansions. Now we’re onto expansion number four withFlames of the Nether, which finally takes Minecraft Dungeons to the fiery dimension filled with new threats, new locations, and new adventures.

Here’s everything you need to know about the Flames of the Nether DLC for Minecraft Dungeons.

Explore new worlds in Minecraft Dungeons.

It’s been a busy first year for Minecraft Dungeons, and now the ARPG dungeon-crawling Minecraft spin-off is looking ahead towards its future, with four new expansions planned. The first two, Howling Peaks and Flames of the Nether, are available right now, but players can also grab the new Season Pass to gain immediate access to all four expansions as soon as they launch.

When is the release date for the Flames of the Nether DLC for Minecraft Dungeons?

The Flames of the Nether DLC for Minecraft Dungeons releasedon Feb. 24, 2021 forXbox Series X,Xbox Series S, Xbox One, PCs, PS4,PS5, andNintendo Switch. There was also a free updateandfree cosmetic items available to all players that launched at the same time.

Minecraft Dungeons is also available throughXbox Game PassandXbox Game Pass Ultimate, but the Flames of the Nether DLC is not included on those services. You’ll have to either purchase the expansion separately for $6 or pick up theMinecraft Dungeons Season Pass, which includes Howling Peaks, Flames of the Nether, and two more expansions that will go underwater and tothe End. You can check out ourfull guide on which version of Minecraft Dungeons to buyfor some guidance.

Finally, Minecraft Dungeons is available throughXbox Cloud Gaming (Project xCloud), where it remains our top pick forBest Game on Xbox Cloud Gamingfor its fantastic touch controls. The Flames of the Nether DLC is also available there and only requires that you’ve purchased it or the Season Pass for Xbox consoles.

What is the Flames of the Nether DLC for Minecraft Dungeons?

Minecraft Dungeonsis built on a solid foundation of fantastic and rewarding gameplay, but it was undeniably light on launch content. Fortunately, Mojang Studios and Double Eleven have been hard at work fixing this weakness with post-launch updates and expansions. Three expansions were previously released for Minecraft Dungeons; includingJungle AwakensandCreeping Winteras part of Minecraft Dungeons: Hero Edition, and theHowling Peaks DLC, which is the first of four expansions included with the Minecraft Dungeons Season Pass.

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Every expansion so far has also launched a free update, which has varied in importance and size with each DLC.

That brings us to the latest DLC: Flames of the Nether. Launched alongside the game’s largest free update yet, Flames of the Nether concludes months of speculation that began right after Minecraft Dungeons initially launched by bringing the ARPG tothe Netherfrom Minecraft.

Hostile jungles and forever-winter lands have been just a taste of what’s to come! Here’s a sneak-peek of some of the amazing content we’re bringing to Dungeons next year – don’t worry if it doesn’t look sparkly and perfect just yet, we’ve still got work to do.pic.twitter.com/RLgCzBESGpHostile jungles and forever-winter lands have been just a taste of what’s to come! Here’s a sneak-peek of some of the amazing content we’re bringing to Dungeons next year – don’t worry if it doesn’t look sparkly and perfect just yet, we’ve still got work to do.pic.twitter.com/RLgCzBESGp— Minecraft (@Minecraft)October 3, 2020October 3, 2020

Rumors that Minecraft Dungeons would eventually come to the Nether began when players (including the Windows Central team) discovered a gently-hidden broken Nether Portal in the game’s Camp hub shortly after launch. The Nether Portal could only be accessed afterbeating the Arch-Illagerfor the first time and didn’t appear to have any other functions. Months later, our first official tease came duringMinecraft Live.

What do I need to know about the Flames of the Nether DLC for Minecraft Dungeons?

Flames of the Nether is one of the most significant and most ambitious expansions yet for Minecraft Dungeons. We gleaned a ton of information from announcements and official teasers from before the expansion’s release, like thisMinecraft Dungeons' dev diary, which you can watch just above. Now that the update is fully released, we can spill all the details you need.

Levels and missions

Our first stop in our tour of the Flames of the Nether DLC is the locales. Mojang Studios is taking Minecraft Dungeons to new heights by including a staggeringsixmissions in Flames of the Nether, twice as many as any of the previous expansions. You’ll have to explore every level to learn all of its secrets, but we can at least tell you where they’re going to take you.

Flames of the Nether takes place in the most recent version of the Nether introduced inthe Nether Update, which means a ton more biomes for players to explore. The levels we know of include:

Tempting lava pools in the Basalt Deltas. Unknown ancient remains that litter the Soul Sand Valley. The mystical tranquillity of the Warped Forest…It’s clear the otherworldly biomes of the Nether are as breathtakingly beautiful as they are terrifying and unforgiving.pic.twitter.com/L5W0iDf0s0Tempting lava pools in the Basalt Deltas. Unknown ancient remains that litter the Soul Sand Valley. The mystical tranquillity of the Warped Forest…It’s clear the otherworldly biomes of the Nether are as breathtakingly beautiful as they are terrifying and unforgiving.pic.twitter.com/L5W0iDf0s0— Minecraft Dungeons (@dungeonsgame)February 10, 2021February 10, 2021

Beyond the locations we know Minecraft will go, there are still bastion remnants (the home of piglins) and ruined portals (Nether portals that have been destroyed) that can make appearances throughout Flames of the Nether. Mojang Studios also had to get creative with Mojang Studiosbuilding Flames of the Nether for Minecraft Dungeons, with all-new environments, objects, textures, and more.

This gives Minecraft Dungeonsplentyof ways to squeeze six full-sized missions from the Nether, complete with secrets and more. Flames of the Nether is absolutely one of the most visually stunning updates we’ve seen for Minecraft Dungeons so far.

Gear and items

As an ARPG, loot is the biggest draw of Minecraft Dungeons. The constant search for new, more powerful gear of all kinds of rarities by battling hordes of enemies draws players towards these kinds of games. Every expansion so far has added at least a handful of new loot to the expanding pool in Minecraft Dungeons, and Flames of the Nether is no different.

Just like with locations, the Nether provides tons of opportunities for Mojang Studios to introduce new gear. From flame-based enchantments andweapons, sturdy netherite gear andarmor, and even newUnique gear, there’s a ton that can be done.

Of course, there is also newartifactsthat give players special abilities.

Here’s all of the gear we’ve already seen in the Flames of the Nether DLC for Minecraft Dungeons:

Finally, we know that the Flames of the Nether DLC for Minecraft Dungeons introduces all-new top-tier equipment called Gilded gear. It’s only obtainable through endgame missions known as Ancient Hunts (more on those later), and it’s even more potent than Unique gear. Gilded gear possesses an extra enchantment slot over normal gear. However, the trade-off for such incredible power is thatenchantingGilded gear costs more points.

Mobs and bosses

One of the most notable changes made in the Nether Update was the vast array of diverse mobs that exist in their fiery ecosystem. This gaggle of ghastly mobs (yes, and Ghasts) makes for the perfect enemies in the Flames of the Nether DLC for Minecraft Dungeons.

The mobs (and boss(es)?) we know about in the Flames of the Nether DLC for Minecraft Dungeons include:

Those are all the mobs we can safely identify in official teasers, but a few more things could make an appearance. We’ll just have to wait and see.

That takes us to the subject of bosses. While the ghast is a likely candidate for a suitable mini-boss that breaks up levels and provides an additional challenge, what about the main boss? Without any further information, it would stand to reason that the brutalWitherwill take up the mantle. The Wither is dangerous, has varied attack patterns, and, well, already exists.

However, the main teaser for Flames of the Nether may give us a sneak peek at what therealmain boss could be. In the lower right-hand corner, we see something that looks like a combination between a mega-Ghast and a ghost-squid. Since key images for previous expansions also contained hints for the main boss, it stands to reason that this mysterious creature will represent the apex of the Flames of the Nether DLC for Minecraft Dungeons.

Endgame changes

One of the biggest complaints levied against Minecraft Dungeons was the lack of meaningful endgame content. While the game was plenty fun, it quickly became repetitive as players burned through the limited amounts of content, hitting a max power level in less than 30 hours of playtime. Mojang Studios massively improved this situation with Apocalypse Plus mode, which added a further 20 difficulty levels and massively increased the power ceiling for characters. However, Apocalypse Plus was a tad unbalanced and felt unfair to casual players.

Despite this change, there were still weaknesses in Minecraft Dungeons' endgame content.

Fortunately, the Flames of the Nether DLC for Minecraft Dungeons has a plan to fix this. It’s adding procedurally-generated missions, which players have been pining for since launch. Apocalypse Plus also gets a ton of tweaks and changes to make it fairer, add even more to do, and help it meld better with the aforementioned procedurally-generated missions. Before release,Mojang Studios helped break down what to expect with these changes.

Here’s what you need to know about all the endgame changes in the Flames of the Nether DLC for Minecraft Dungeons:

Ancient Hunts

As part of the free update dropped alongside Flames of the Nether, Mojang Studios and Double Eleven added missions calledAncient Hunts. These procedurally-generated missions give players agency over what they place, provide nearly endless content to replay, and add a new level of difficulty and reward to Minecraft Dungeons.

Heroes, the hunt is on!Learn everything you need to know about your next procedurally-generated endgame adventure, Ancient Hunts – coming in our red-hot update on Feb 24:↣https://t.co/eClVpWgK2Y↢pic.twitter.com/BrXaFH238lHeroes, the hunt is on!Learn everything you need to know about your next procedurally-generated endgame adventure, Ancient Hunts – coming in our red-hot update on Feb 24:↣https://t.co/eClVpWgK2Y↢pic.twitter.com/BrXaFH238l— Minecraft Dungeons (@dungeonsgame)February 18, 2021February 18, 2021

These endless missions weave in and out of existing Minecraft Dungeons content and the Nether, and will be able to pull from the entire massive pool of mobs, loots, and locations already present in the game. While this all sounds very exciting, Ancient Hunts change a few things about Minecraft Dungeons' tried and tested gameplay loop.

Source: Mojang Studios

Unlike normal missions that are relatively set in stone and can be played at any point, Ancient Hunts need to be opened by players. To open a new Ancient Hunt, players choose what to “input,” effectively controlling how the Ancient Hunt will end up generating. The combined power of items you give has to be at least 100. Opening an Ancient Hunt means permanently giving up items and enchantment points to get new and exciting missions, but it also gives you control over what kind of experience you can expect.

You can give up Unique, rare, and common items, and even artifacts, and all of your items will have different runes that directly affect what you might find in your Ancient Hunt (and means it’s not random - there’s a system at work here). If you give up enchantment points as well, you have a much better chance of finding the best and rarest loot in your Ancient Hunt.

Whenever an Ancient Hunt is opened, players can choose to attempt to conquer the entire (large) mission all at once or drag it out over multiple play sessions. Inside, players will run into new and familiar threats and have a chance to find rare secrets and powerful rewards. The ultimate goal of tackling an Ancient Hunt, however, is defeating an intimidating Ancient mob.

Ancient mobs are extra-powerful versions of enchanted mobs, giving players a difficult obstacle to overcome. In exchange for defeating an Ancient mob, however, players have a chance to earn a brand-new tier of powerful loot in the form of Gilded gear, which has a gold sheen and thumbnail versus the orange of Unique gear.

As the name suggests, Gilded items are for the truly sophisticated hero!But if you want to strut your stuff in these extra-enchanted goodies, you’ll need to prove yourself against an Ancient Mob… Or barter with a certain gold-loving new merchant!pic.twitter.com/yc6QbzYVm2As the name suggests, Gilded items are for the truly sophisticated hero!But if you want to strut your stuff in these extra-enchanted goodies, you’ll need to prove yourself against an Ancient Mob… Or barter with a certain gold-loving new merchant!pic.twitter.com/yc6QbzYVm2— Minecraft Dungeons (@dungeonsgame)February 19, 2021February 19, 2021

Gilded gear can come in common, rare, and Unique varieties of gear you already know and love but have one key difference: Gilded gear can have an extra, random ability on top of what that piece of gear normally has. This means Gilded gear can be the most incredible and useful loot in the entire game, with a few caveats:

This all means that Ancient Hunts are extremely high-risk, high-reward. In exchange for permanently sacrificing gear and enchantment points, players have a chance to overcome new challenges, explore new locations, and possibly defeat an Ancient mob to obtain the most powerful gear in the game. To have a better chance of finding Ancient mobs, players can also permanently give up their enchantment points.

Ancient Hunts provide players a way to spend their excess resources and equipment and to make the economy in Minecraft Dungeons more complex overall. Also, the plan is for players to revisit Ancient Hunts repeatedly as they battle through the newly revampedApocalypse Plus mode, which is receiving a ton of changes in the Flames of the Nether update:

Apocalypse Plus

Apocalypse Plus mode was added for free during Minecraft Dungeons' Halloween eventand provided a great injection of endgame content for players to explore. Apocalypse Plus added 20 new difficulty levels beyond what the game previously offered, on top of massively increasing the maximum power level for gear.

While Apocalypse Plus mode was a great addition, it was far from perfect. Exponential difficulty increases meant many players were never going to reach the end, as Apocalypse Plus became astronomically more difficult towards the final levels. There were also several loadouts and play styles that could exploit Apocalypse Plus, and more dedicated Minecraft Dungeons players could reach the end of Apocalypse Plus with relative ease (most notably by replaying shorter levels like Arch Haven).

This combination meant Apocalypse Plus alienated casual players while not giving veteran players enough content to keep them satiated.

In Flames of the Nether, Apocalypse Plus gets some serious updates to make it more consistent, fair, and to add even more on top of what’s already present. All these changes come as part of the Flames of the Nether’s free update, meaning all players will be able to take advantage.

Other endgame changes

Besides Ancient Hunts and Apocalypse Plus changes, Flames of the Nether adds two more endgame changes. Just like with the previous endgame additions, these are also included as part of the free update launching alongside Flames of the Nether.

First, a new currency besidesemeraldsis being introduced in the free update - gold! Gold can be found in brand-new chests either in Ancient Hunts or Flames of the Nether missions. So what can gold be spent on, and how does it differ from emeralds?

Well, this shiny new currency can be turned around and spent at the brand-new Piglin Merchant, who joins other vendors in the Minecraft Dungeons camp like theBlacksmith vendor,Mystery Merchant vendor, and more.

The Piglin Merchant is an all-new vendor that will setup shop in your Camp as soon as you earn your first piece of gold. Don’t worry; this piglin has figured out a way to live in the Overworld without becoming zombified and is happy to conduct business with you.

In exchange for your gold, the Piglin Merchant will offer a variety of gear and items. The Piglin Merchant even has a small chance to offer the supreme loot in Minecraft Dungeons: Gilded gear. Save all the gold you collect on your adventures, and be sure to check in with the Piglin Merchant regularly for new ways to spend it.

Emeralds are still very much here and will still be used to spend at the other five vendors currently in Minecraft Dungeons.

Other additions

We’ve gone over everything we know about the Flames of the Nether DLC for Minecraft Dungeons except for a handful of loose ends. Most updates for Minecraft Dungeons have included a handful of smaller changes or additions, like new cosmetics or skin options, and Flames of the Nether is no different.

A new pet? An undiscovered cave?That inviting purple glow… What adventures might lie beyond?pic.twitter.com/f5dBFB8CtXA new pet? An undiscovered cave?That inviting purple glow… What adventures might lie beyond?pic.twitter.com/f5dBFB8CtX— Minecraft Dungeons (@dungeonsgame)February 7, 2021February 7, 2021

10 new Achievements join Minecraft Dungeons' existing pool with Flames of the Nether-themed challenges for players to complete.

The paid Flames of the Nether expansion includes two new skin choices for characters and a Baby Ghast cosmetic pet that joins the ranks of Baby Chicken, Arctic Fox, Parrot, and Baby Goat.

On top of that, Minecraft Dungeons celebrates 10 million players by dropping a free cape and Baby Pig cosmetic pet that’s be available to everyone for free alongside the Flames of the Nether DLC.

Finally, Flames of the Nether includes the usual batch of balancing tweaks as part of its free update - with a handful of surprise additions as well! Flames of the Nether adds brand-new enchantments to the Minecraft Dungeons pool that players will be able to discover on their gear.

New enchantments include:

These enchantments will offer players new ways to play and hopefully make the regrettably weak companions in Minecraft Dungeons a more viable option for endgame loadouts.

What is the free update with the Flames of the Nether DLC for Minecraft Dungeons?

Every expansion that’s launched for Minecraft Dungeons has included some kind of free update. In some cases, it’s been a ton of balancing changes and bug fixes, while another expansion added major additions like a revamped Camp with all-new vendors. The Flames of the Nether DLC for Minecraft Dungeons is no different. It will be launching alongside a free update available to all players, regardless of whether they purchased the major expansion.

Furthermore, the free update dropping alongside Flames of the Nether is arguably the largest and most ambitious free update so far and should make dedicated Minecraft Dungeons playersveryhappy. Here’s what you can expect in the free update:

What is the price for the Flames of the Nether DLC for Minecraft Dungeons?

The Flames of the Nether DLC for Minecraft Dungeons may come with a substantial free update, but the majority of content there will still need to be purchased.

We know that Flames of the Nether is included in the Minecraft Dungeons Season Pass for $20, including Howling Peaks, Flames of the Nether, and the next two expansions for Minecraft Dungeons.

Flames of the Nether can also be purchased separately, and fortunately costs the same as previous expansions (despite its added content).

As always, anyone can access content from DLC expansions, including Flames of the Nether, by playing with a friend who has purchased it. If you play Minecraft Dungeons co-op with someone who owns the Season Pass, for example, you’ll be able to play all the levels and gain all the rewards by playing in their lobby.

Enter the Nether.

Players who only want access to the Nether without shelling out for the full Season Pass can now purchase Flames of the Nether for Minecraft Dungeons by itself. Even better, the extended amount of content in Flames of the Nether doesn’t amount to a higher-than-average price tag.

Are there Xbox Series X|S Optimizations in the Flames of the Nether DLC for Minecraft Dungeons?

Minecraft Dungeons already looked and played great on practically every platform it’s available on, but it has noticeably lacked any next-gen enhancements for the powerful Xbox Series X|S duo (an ailment that also unfortunately afflicts Minecraft). With Flames of the Nether, this is finally rectified.Minecraft Dungeons is now Optimized for Xbox Series X|Swith the Flames of the Nether update, and those enhancements are free for all players.

Minecraft Dungeons already supports Microsoft’s Auto HDR feature on Xbox Series X|S, and did not add native HDR support in this update.

The Xbox Series X|S enhancements for Minecraft Dungeons includes:

What is the full changelog for the Flames of the Nether DLC for Minecraft Dungeons?

Alongside all of the major changes we’ve already gone over in our comprehensive guide to the Flames of the Nether DLC for Minecraft Dungeons, there are also lots of smaller changes, quality-of-life improvements, balancing changes, and bug fixes. Fortunately, we also have the full changelog to spill it all.

Thefull changelogfor Minecraft Dungeons' 1.8.0.0 Flames of the Nether update includes:

Free update

Ancient Hunts

Gilded gear

Gold currency & Piglin Merchant

Xbox Series X|S Optimized

New enchantments

Free cosmetics

Return to Checkpoint

New Achievements

Paid DLC

DLC features

New weapons

New armor

New artifacts

Balance changes

Arch Haven & Soggy Swamp

Apocalypse Plus

Mob enchantments

Blacksmith

Enchantment slots

Artifact cooldown effects

Ravager

Rampart Captain

Wind Caller

Wolf

Mace

Katana

Daggers

Rapier

Soul Scythe

Hunting Bow

Power Bow

Trickbow

Windbow

Bug fixes

Known issues

Minecraft Dungeons is always better when played with a friend, but this is especially true when you’re venturing into the dangerous and wild Nether. Never miss a moment with one of thebest headsets for Xbox Series X|S, which combines excellent in-game audio with superb built-in mics.

Explore new worlds in Minecraft Dungeons.