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Initially scheduled to be part of the upcoming Caves & Cliffs Part 2 Update, it was announced at Minecraft Live this year that Deep Dark Cities and everything contained within them will instead be coming in 2022's Wild Update. So, players will have to wait a little longer to see what lies within these new biomes.
These areas that are going to spawn at the very bottom of Minecraft worlds hold plenty of mystery for players, who are already eager to get exploring. Not much is known about them, but the snippets Mojang have shown publically hold tons of potential.
Sculk Blocks
The first thing most players will notice about Deep Dark Cities is the very dark blue blocks that line the ground almost everywhere. In a weird way, they look like some kind of corrupted grass. These have been named Sculk Blocks, and they add to the dark feeling when exploring these cave areas.
What's more, there's evidence suggesting they're some kind of infestation that feeds on death. It has been shown in official videos that mobs that die nearby to Sculk Blocks will cause the Sculk to spread, pushing its vines out onto the stone nearby.
Sculk Sensors
There is even evidence suggesting that Sculk is somehow alive, as it is able to track the player as they move around the world. While they have no eyes to follow players, they have some sense of hearing, as any player who makes noise nearby to these sensors will set them off.
This means walking while not crouched, breaking blocks, opening chests, or throwing snowballs/eggs can be dangerous propositions. Interestingly, these give off a Redstone signal when activated, which will give mechanically-minded players more possibilities than ever in their Redstone devices.
Sculk Shriekers
While the sensors keep track of the player, they have to be sending their signals to something, and that is where the Shriekers come in. These blocks will react to any Sensors that get set off in the area by making a bunch of noise, and inflicting the Darkness status effect onto the player, making it harder to see.
That's not all, though, as while the player has to deal with their lack of sight, they must be careful, as setting off too many Shriekers in a short amount of time and in a small enough area will cause something far more dangerous to burrow up from under the stone.
The Warden Is Designed To Be Unkillable
The Shriekers summon a brand new horrifying boss monster known as The Warden. This monster is twice as tall as players and three times as wide. They have no eyes, but players will be drawn to look at its open chest cavity, with a glowing heart inside.
It's currently unknown how much health The Warden has, but it hits harder than anything in the game. The video from Minecraft Live showed a player in full Netherite armor dying in just two hits to the creature. What's more, developers have said that they don't intend for players to kill it, and in the rare event it does die, it won't drop any loot, so players aren't encouraged to go after it.
The Warden Has A Sense Of Hearing & Smell
While they can't see players and thus won't immediately attack, they have other ways of finding their prey. Like the Shriekers, they too can receive signals from Sculk Sensors, indicating any nearby noise. This means players will need to sneak their way around or throw projectiles to make distracting noises.
They must still be on their toes, though, as The Warden also has a sense of smell that it can slowly track players with. This means that it must be kept distracted or will slowly hone in on the player's location anyway.
The Loot That Lies Within
What treasure makes all this trouble worth it is currently unclear. New rare and valuable items will likely be added to entice players into these cities, like when Mojang added the Elytra to get players out and explore End Cities.
In the Minecraft Live video, one treasure chest was shown being opened, and it contained String, Snowballs, and two Enchanted Books, one for Looting 3 and the other for Quick Charge 3. These are pretty powerful enchantments, so other late-game stuff will likely be on offer.
The Wild Update will release in 2022 for Minecraft Java Edition and Minecraft Bedrock Edition.