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    Per Landin
    Written By
    Per Landin
    Published
    4/15/22

    Meet the Wildfire

    A hot take on Minecraft's new hovering inferno

    Blazes are – besides ghasts, endermen, guardians, and pretty much every other hostile entity able to inflict harm upon you – the most menacing mob you can encounter in the Minecraft universe. Hovering high above the ground while shooting deadly fireballs at innocent, unsuspecting adventurers is all part of its sinister repertoire. With that in mind, it is mind-boggling that our beloved developers thought it was a good idea to cook up an improved and even deadlier version of this fiery foe. Some developers just want to watch their code burn!

    Mob D. Hovering inferno. Master Blaze. In Sweden, we say that a beloved child has many names, but in the Minecraft universe, it is now known simply as the wildfire – an all-new adversary in the upcoming seasonal adventure, Luminous Night. 

    Now, the wildfire is by no means new to the community. Back in 2017, this menacing mob made its dashing debut during Minecon Earth’s first-ever mob vote, losing to its equally dashing co-competitor, the phantom. The rest is history – one got to roam the sky, terrorizing insomniacs and late-night explorers alike, while the other became a forgotten chapter in a story not meant to be – until today.

    In the ancient year 2017, everything was in black and white. Even Minecraft concept art.

     

    “The wildfire felt like a very natural addition to Minecraft Dungeons. It was a mob we originally wanted to include in Flames of the Nether, but unfortunately, we ran out of time to make it as awesome as we wanted it to be. With Luminous Night, we finally got the time needed to perfect it, and it now feels like a natural fit for the game. It’s like a bigger blaze with stronger shields and bulkier health, and both add a bit of variety to our event-based mini-bosses, as well as a layer of challenge that I think is very interesting!”

    Laura de Llorens, Lead Game Designer

    One of the reasons the wildfire was delayed was the importance of finding a good balance between making it feel challenging enough without becoming too frustrating to deal with. As of Luminous Night, it can be encountered both inside the Tower and during Nether missions. You might not know when, but players who stumble upon it are in for an exciting barbeque fight!  

    “The cool thing about the wildfire, that sets it apart from other mobs, is its unique gameplay mechanic. It has four shields that need to be destroyed before you can do any damage to it. Now, if you're really strong and can destroy a shield in one hit that's great, but you need to destroy all of the shields before you can attack its health directly. It also does sneaky things like retreating whenever it takes too much damage and seeking out fire to regenerate its health. If it gets too much health back it'll make some new shields to protect itself with. It really is a tough mob!”

    Tom Pedalino, Game Designer

    According to Laura and Tom, one of the more important factors when designing new mobs for Dungeons is that they should serve a purpose for the levels they’re in. With the wildfire, they specifically wanted to change players’ approach to battles, offering something different than just another tank-heavy mob – something that could react in different ways and stand out more. At the same time, balancing such a complex mob for a wide player base can be a tricky task. 

    The wildfire will definitely make you stay up all ignight. HA! I'll see myself out...

     

    “We have a very dedicated fan base that tends to want tough challenges, especially those players that have been with us from the very beginning. But we also have a constant stream of new players joining the game, and we need to keep those people in mind as well. There’s a lot to take into consideration; how does this mob work on lower difficulty versus higher levels? Is it going to be a challenge for both players without being too overbearing on both? It’s a tricky balance, but I hope we nailed it!”

    Tom Pedalino, Game Designer

    Nailed it or not, one thing is certain: you're in for a warm welcome in Luminous Night, Minecraft Dungeons second seasonal adventure. Equip your best gear, and make sure to bring your favorite type of marshmallows!

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