Minecraft: Oh captain, my raid captain

Some say that to be an effective boss, you need to be a good communicator, an excellent delegator, and a skillful coordinator. Sure, an effective, boring boss! My kind of boss leads with fear, possesses untold powers, and preferably aims for world domination. Much like the raid captain – an all-new mob introduced in the latest free update of Minecraft Dungeons . Did I mention it also helps your resumé if you have a maniacal laugh?

Raid Captains are some of the most troublesome, hard-fought opponents you can encounter in Minecraft Dungeons. As the top brass of illagerkind, these high-ranking heads can be found roaming many of Dungeons’ sub-missions, accompanied by a so-called “raid party”.

Before you ask for an invite; a Raid Party isn’t exactly the festive or celebratory kind. Raid parties and their Captains are party crashers , bent on stopping any fun-loving heroes who might stumble upon their path. I learned this the hard way, and I’m definitely not inviting them to my socially distanced gatherings anytime soon!

A raid captain usually shows up in the form of either a pillager or a vindicator, and is easily identified by the large, ominous banner they carry on their backs. Defeating one might be tough but is well worth the effort – especially if you’re a fan of treasure. And who isn’t a fan of treasure? Raid Captains! You have all the reason to despise these guys.

To the victor go the spoils

Unlike most superiors, raid captains aren’t meant to make your life miserable enriching. Instead, they’re there to offer Dungeons players a new challenge in the form of emergent difficulty – which also comes with plenty of rewards!

When a Raid Captain is defeated, they drop their banner – which players can pick up to instantly increase a mission’s difficulty. Banners come in two forms – Threat Banners and Mystery Banners – both of which alter the difficulty of the mission in their own unique ways. Threat Banners bump up the threat level of the mission and Mystery Banners add a devious twist in the form of a mission modifier.

Players can collect up to three of each type, but by doing so, they are going to make completing the mission much, much harder. That may sound dangerous but it’s well worth the risk! Completing a mission with one or more banners will earn you a Raid Captain Bounty – a second reward chest containing either a weapon or an armor piece. The more banners acquired, the better the reward – and these rewards can be amazing, as the chance of getting a unique item increases exponentially the more banners a player has collected.

Raid Captains are just one of many new features found in the latest free update of Minecraft Dungeons. I would love to tell you more about them, but since I’m off to my leadership training class, I guess you’ll just have to go and experience it yourself. My teacher tells me I have a great laugh!