It’s quite easy to see that Minecraft Dungeons is heavily inspired by Diablo, the legendary isometric action RPG. the franchise has captivated fans for decades and built a solid foundation for the genre. Even though fans were divided on Diablo 3‘s graphics and art style direction, the first two garnered heavy respect that still carries the franchise to this day. There are people out there who still play Diablo 2. It’s absolutely crazy to see how massive its fanbase has grown.
Disclaimer: Before continuing further, please understand there are some very minor and basic game spoilers ahead. What you are about to read is END GAME content. The overall story, gameplay, and many other aspects are still undisclosed to minimize as few spoilers as possible.
It was incredibly smart for Minecraft Dungeons to follow in Diablo’s footsteps. Thankfully, the developers know how to make sure to pay their respect to Blizzard. Mojang Studios decided to throw in probably the best homage to Diablo possible, and I’ll tell you how to get it.
Update: You only have to beat the game once on default to unlock access to the building. Once the jump pads are unlocked in the camp you can start your hunt for the runes! For a complete guide as to where you can find them, our friends over at Maroonersrock have compiled a great list! Source: Minecraft Dungeons Rune Guide.
Another Journey
First, you are going to have to play the game for a good amount of time. Players have to beat the game each time on all three difficulties (See update). By this time, you’ll definitely get a good grasp of the story, so there’s no reason to put any spoilers here. Once you’ve made it back to camp, you’re going to want to find a way to get across that bridge that’s been raised this whole damn time. There is a side path just north of it, and as you explore around your campground you’ll eventually stumble upon that path.
Once you take the path down and come across the giant church, it’s time to hit the lever to lower the bridge and walk inside that church. As you enter, the sides are plastered with pixel paintings of the developers themselves. Some normal looking, others whacky and funny. All people with a passion for making fun and wonderful games. As you make your way down the long hallway, at the very end you stumble upon two things. A painting of a dog you can interact with, and a golden button in a fireplace mantel inside a large room with runes inscribed on top of it.
Hunting Runes
If you count them, there are ten in total. That’s odd… because there are eleven locations but only ten of them are actual missions. Ok, let us see what the dog painting does too. When you interact with it, the painting will change to a random picture. Click it again repeatedly, and it will continue to cycle through more pictures. These are all hints as to where you need to go. The clues even provide a sound clip to help you figure it out. Simply put, you need to go to each location again. Minecraft Dungeons has one final hurrah!
Another dive through each level? Simple enough! What isn’t simple though, is finding exactly where to look for these runes. Are they on the wall somewhere randomly or on the floor? Nope. Thankfully each level has “secrets” for you to uncover each time you play, and the runes are a part of the secrets in each level. All you have to do is look for is a lever hidden on a wall somewhere, or a small tile slightly hidden from you to interact with. This will open up a door, and grant you access to the room with the rune.
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If you are having trouble figuring out which ones are left and lost track, go revisit the puppy painting. It will recycle through and show you which areas remain. Once you obtain all ten runes, you can finally head back to the church and press that big golden button. Finally, the wait is over!
Moo?
So, what exactly does that button do? Does it give you some crazy good weapon or artifact? Nope. Better. A brand new secret level. That’s right. A secret level that has been both a blast and a pain to play. Anyone that has played Diablo 2 will get a good chuckle or rejoice, or both. Welcome, to Minecraft Dungeons secret cow level. 
Yes, the secret level in Minecraft Dungeons is a secret cow level called “Moo?”. This a fantastic tribute to Diablo 2 and Blizzard. For those that don’t know, Diablo 2 has a secret “cow” level that fans absolutely loved. You would enter this secret level, fighting off hordes of cows standing upright, wielding weapons as if they were normal soldiers. This provided a fun way to continue your gear grind for the ultimate quest to find that perfect build.
So, being able to go and play against a bunch of rampaging red, mushroom infected cows for loot is a delight. Make sure to have a decent build going in though… they are no pushover! This, is where the true end game begins. Stay tuned to LordsofGaming.net for the upcoming review of Minecraft Dungeons.
