Dungeons & Dragons is the latest in a list of major Minecraft crossovers, and the new DLC brings a variety of iconic elements from the tabletop roleplaying game with it. Improving equipment, fighting monsters, and journeying through dangerous caves have long been a major part of Minecraft, making some core gameplay tenets of DnD feel like natural additions. The DLC doubles down on elements of roleplaying progression and channels them into classic tabletop avenues, with the inclusion of four DnD classes particularly serving to set it apart from the typical Minecraft experience.
Over the nearly 50 years of its existence, the landscape of classes in DnD has shifted heavily. Although the fifth edition of the game features 12 classes in the Player’s Handbook, the first edition started with only three, now outdone by the Minecraft implementation. The new DLC also features classic monsters like beholders and mind flayers and iconic locations like Candlekeep and Icewind Dale, making it a potential treat for anyone wanting to see blocky takes on iconic DnD elements. In a time when Baldur’s Gate 3 is thriving, the Minecraft DLC nicely fleshes out the sphere of the best DnD video games.
4 Barbarian
Barbarians are the most straightforward tank option in DnD, a core premise that the Minecraft DLC translates. Paladins also make for excellent tanks, and fighters and druids can be easily built around the idea, but all of them can feature certain complications that take the focus away from running into the fray and swinging hard. Barbarians are traditionally driven by rage, with the ability to go into a frenzy that can make their foes quake on the battlefield. It’s not uncommon for them to be a bit slow on the uptake, as the Intelligence stat doesn’t play into any of their abilities.
Barbarians are equipped with greataxes in Minecraft, a weapon that also serves as the symbol of the class in the game. Their stats are solid across the board, represented in character creation by individual categories with 6 slots apiece. Barbarians get a 4/6 on Damage and Defense and a still-respectable 3/6 on Range and Attack Speed, making it difficult for them to fall on any particular failure. This is an easy class to pick up for anyone unfamiliar with the nuances of DnD classes and a familiar favorite for those who are.
3 Paladin
Paladins take a different approach to protection than barbarians do in DnD, but that doesn’t mean they’re any less effective at it. A high armor class, healing options, and the typical employment of a shield all make paladins reasonably impenetrable. Along with the sheer might of armor, the source of this power comes from the divine, as Paladins follow oaths that bind them to serving a sacred ideal. Paladins were first introduced as a subclass of the fighting-man, the prototype fighter in DnD, before later becoming their own class and persisting throughout various iterations of the game.
The Minecraft DnD DLC focuses on self-healing as the paladin’s method of protection, with a mere 2/6 on Defense in the basic stats department. Damage receives a moderate 3/6 and Attack Speed a dismal 1/6, making this the slowest class available in the DLC. Range comes out on top with a 5/6, with a longsword supporting sweeping melee attacks and the ability to smite foes with divine power potentially coming in clutch. Paladins can equip some heavy armor to get them up to their maximum potential in Minecraft, as brute strength won’t get them as far as it will for barbarians.
2 Rogue
As the name might imply, DnD rogues are much more focused on underhanded tactics than upfront battlefield prowess. Rogues benefit from stealth that can lead to powerful sneak attacks, typically complemented by skills in lockpicking and disguise. The rogue is one of the oldest classes in the game, appearing in its initial form as a Thief at the same time as paladins originated as a subclass in the 1975 Greyhawk supplement. Rogues might be too often employed by players more interested in ruining the lives of NPCs than achieving the party’s goals, but played well, they can be exceptionally fun and interesting characters.
Minecraft emphasizes the importance of getting up close and personal with the rogue, with a 2/6 stat for Range representing the intimate use of a shortsword. Damage is also a mere 2/6, but an Attack Speed of 5/6 counters this, with multi-hit attacks serving to wear down enemies in quick succession. Poison also plays a big role in the Minecraft implementation, granting enemies a more devious death when the situation calls for it. A 3/6 on Defense rounds out the rogue’s stats, with no unique tanky features but enough basic defensive capabilities to get by.
1 Wizard
The Wizard is the only Minecraft DLC class to have been introduced at the very beginning of DnD‘s lifespan, originally referred to as a Magic-User. Wizards bring the fantasy element of DnD to the forefront, setting aside the blade to attack enemies and handle problems with a variety of magical spells. It’s traditionally been best for a wizard to stay on the backline of combat, as a focus on ranged attacks and a general lack of protection makes fighting like a barbarian a very bad idea. In the right hands, however, this battlefield manipulation can be devastating.
The Minecraft version of the wizard steps away from traditional weaponry to embrace the wizard’s staff, which can be used both for attacks and deflection in combat. Unusually, the wizard features a 4/6 on defense here, making for an implementation of the character with less of a glass cannon concept than usual. An exceptional range of 6/6 is countered by a 2/6 attack speed and measly 1/6 damage, giving the wizard the least power to quickly dispatch a foe in many situations. Even so, the iconic status of wizards in DnD is hard to ignore, making them an excellent inclusion in the Minecraft Dungeons & Dragons DLC.
