Now that Minecraft's Caves and Cliffs Part 2 update has come and gone, players will inevitably start looking to the franchise's future. Players already have a good idea of what's coming next, since 2022's Deep Dark Update is partially composed of a number of features delayed out of Caves and Cliffs. The Deep Dark Update might bring frogs and fireflies to Minecraft swamps, but it also contains the Warden, a terrifying new mob that'll stalk a new biome found in the depths of Minecraft caves. Ever since it was first announced, the Warden has captured the attention for its fans for its spooky design and overwhelming power.
When explaining Wardens, Mojang has been very explicit about their purpose: Players are not meant to fight them. Wardens are instead intended as a living obstacle that roams the new Deep Dark biome, forcing players to move stealthily and think on their feet. Even if that's the Minecraft mob's purpose, though, it's inevitable that players will try to fight Wardens. If Minecraft players will challenge Wardens to battle, then Mojang might be wise to reward victorious players with a special loot drop, but that could stand in the way of the Warden's design principles.
The Pros and Cons of Warden Loot
If the history of Minecraft has proven anything, it's that Minecraft players love to come up with challenges for themselves. Its sandbox model lends itself well to player-created objectives and minigames. That makes it seem likely that many players will take it upon themselves to fight the Warden, even if Mojang wants players to stay away.
Defeating a Warden would come with obvious bragging rights, since it can kill players in Netherite armor in two hits, but pride doesn't seem like a completely satisfactory reward for slaying such a dangerous creature. Minecraft players would greatly appreciate a large material award too, whether the Warden drops a rare resource of simply a huge amount of experience points.
Putting a bounty on Wardens in this way would definitely be satisfying for Minecraft's boldest fans, but it would come at the price of contradicting Mojang's intentions for the mob. Mojang has said before that it wants the Warden to be seen as a force of nature, rather than a boss monster, so it's doing everything it can to make the Warden impossible to fight. Attaching huge loot to Wardens would incentivize Minecraft fans to hunt Wardens, rather than making Minecraft players think differently like it's supposed to.
Minecraft's Most Dangerous Game
Ultimately, Mojang's intentions seem like they take priority in this case. While it'd be great to get a rare item from a slain Warden, it's more interesting to see the Warden play a new type of role in Minecraft. The Wither and the Ender Dragon already offer fans boss monsters that can be slain with force. In contrast, the Warden turns the player's instinct on its head, forcing them to adapt and use their wits, rather than charging into battle. The Warden doesn't need loot to be a compelling mob; the sense of fear and need for critical thinking that it instills already go a long way to diversify the Minecraft experience.
Of course, odds are that Minecraft players will test their mettle against the Warden anyway. While there may not be mechanical rewards for slaying a Warden, there's definitely a lot of entertainment value in watching players try to hold a candle to it. Once the update releases, it wouldn't be surprising to see Minecraft YouTubers challenging each other to kill a Warden. At the end of the day, players will get rewards for a beating a Warden, thanks to the loot chests found in the Deep Dark biome's Ancient Cities. They'll just have to beat the Warden with guile, rather than force.
Minecraft is available now for Mobile, PC, PS4, Switch, and Xbox One.
