In Mojang Studios' franchise-expanding ARPG Minecraft Dungeons, there are a total of eight bosses. Four of these bosses are weaker "mini-bosses" that may appear in a multitude of places throughout, and the other four are stronger "main bosses" that only show up at pre-determined locations. In this Minecraft Dungeons guide series, we'll go over each and every boss, their strategies and attack patterns, how to fight them, and ultimately the best ways to come out on top in every battle, even on Apocalypse Difficulty.
One of the most numerous mini-bosses in the game is the redstone golem. Here's everything you need to know.
What is the Redstone Golem in Minecraft Dungeons?
Redstone golems are the only new mob in Minecraft Dungeons out of the four mini-bosses, and are possibly the most commonly seen one. They're the boss of Redstone Mines, and often show up in Fiery Forge. If you're unlucky, you can also run into a string of them in the game's final level, Obsidian Pinnacle, which can lead to an intense couple of minutes. These mobs are slow and powerful, appropriate given their large size and stance.
Redstone golems are the beefiest of the mini-bosses, so support-type players or anyone who doesn't deal a lot of damage will have a slow time battling them, and their persistence paired with close-range abilities make them annoying for pretty much anyone. They're thought out well, but battling them repeatedly at later stages can feel repetitive, making you yearn for more variety in mini-bosses.
Redstone golems aren't known for strategy, and have exactly two moves in their disposal. One of these moves is pretty easy to wrap your head around, and amounts to "punch anything that moves." This attack is effective, as it does a decent amount of damage and has considerable knockback. The other move is more interesting, in which the redstone golem kneels down and summons a bunch of "mines" that persist even after the redstone golem has gotten up and started moving again. These explode when you enter their aura, and can be an unfortunate complication while fighting the big guy.
If you're content just knowing what redstone golems are and how they fight, you're free to go. If you want a little more info, read on to find out exactly how you can beat the redstone golem on any difficulty, even Apocalypse.
How can I beat the Redstone Golem in Minecraft Dungeons?
The definition of a "tank," with strong close-quarters combat and an annoying amount of health, summarizes the redstone golem. Their biggest weakness is obvious, being their inability to retaliate while they prepare their explosive mines, coupled with slower movement. Redstone golems are committed to destroying their opponent, however, making them difficult to distance from at times. Every player does have an avenue of strategy to explore here, making them well-rounded mobs.
Melee-focused players
Melee-focused players will have a bit of a mixed bag with redstone golems. On one hand, when redstone golems kneel to set up some mines, it presents a perfect opportunity to lay them out and cause as much destruction as possible. On the other, those same mines that offer a golden moment to attack can also very abruptly end a battle when combined with their brutal punching attack.
Players that focus on speed and agility like rogues will need to wait for redstone golems to kneel, using artifacts like the Light Feather to avoid mines and the Death Cap Mushroom to take advantage of the very limited time. You also need to be cautious, as redstone golems kneel for a few brief seconds. The moment their back begins to flicker, it's time to start retreating. Redstone golems will attack the moment they stand up, and speed-focused builds may struggle a lot more to take the hit.
Sturdier players can afford to stand up to a redstone golem a little more, using enchantments that buff defense and health and focusing on hurting the redstone golem as much as possible. Mines should still be avoided at all costs, just to prevent any unnecessary damage. The Gravity enchantment could also be a big help to mitigate the knockback effect if you plan to stay toe-to-toe with a redstone golem.
Range-focused players
Using ranged attacks against a redstone golem also elicits a mixed bag of results, which is almost entirely the fault of how persistent these giants are. Redstone golems are exclusively close combat fighters, keen to find an opportunity to squish you, which can make taking the time to fire a few arrows nearly impossible. They're also quite large and effective at blocking paths, making it difficult to maneuver around them.
To this effect, range-focused players that use faster bows will be able to resort to quick attacks every few seconds, while slower archers that deal more damage will need to ensure they don't waste any attack — unless you're happy to fight a redstone golem for ages, or risk running out of arrows. This means using enchantments that focus on damage, or enchantments like Multishot that can take advantage of the redstone golems' large size.
No matter what kind of range-focused player you are, artifacts that aid in dexterity can be a big help in getting around a redstone golem before it walks you into a corner. Ghost Cloak is an awesome choice, allowing you to walk straight through mobs in a pinch. Combining this with a dash can let you slide right past a golem, giving you more room to set up more attacks. Winning just means being more determined than your opponent.
Souls-focused players
Redstone golems may be the first boss souls-focused players will come across in Minecraft Dungeons that gives them a real challenge. Unlike some of the other bosses, redstone golems doesn't rely on minions or summoned mobs. This can make it really difficult to keep your souls supply up, especially against a foe that's notoriously sturdy, even against powerful souls artifacts like the Corrupted Beacon.
Enchantments like Soul Siphon or Unique gear like the Eternal Knife that has a chance of harvesting souls on a hit instead of a kill can help with this, but the chance is rather low and relies on you consistently nailing the redstone golem, which can be difficult and risky if you're a little squishier than some other players.
This is when having an alternative approach can help, like being able to lean on your secondary weapon (whichever, depending on your playstyle), and mimic the strategies of melee or range-focused players. It'll take a while, and could lead to some impromptu deaths, but without your primary method of attacks, a backup plan is necessary. Low and slow is the way to go, you know?
Companion-focused players
It's becoming a bit of a habit to say this, but it holds true for pretty much any boss in Minecraft Dungeons. While companion-focused builds can hold up just fine against regular mobs, they're not nearly as effective against bosses. Against redstone golems, the issue isn't due to the difficulty of controlling your companions or keeping yourself protected while you attack, but simply that companions in Minecraft Dungeons aren't sturdy enough to take hits from a redstone golem.
Unless your companion artifacts are an abnormally high level, they may still fall apart when up against the punches and explosive mines. Wolves, while capable of doing some damage, are the weakest of the three companions health-wise. Iron golems are a better substitute here, with their larger health pool, but you'll only find those later on in the game, and their attack speed will be slower.
Llamas, out of the three companions, are the most appropriate. As long as you keep your distance, support with a ranged weapon, and take advantage of the whistling technique (pressing the corresponding artifact button to call companions back to you, with a cooldown) if they don't retreat with you. Otherwise, don't neglect the rest of your loadout to focus solely on your companions, that way you have something to fall back on in tough boss battles.
What are some tips for every boss fight in Minecraft Dungeons?
Every boss is different, and every player approaches these bosses in a unique way. However, there are always tips and tricks that work in any fight in Minecraft Dungeons, regardless of how you play. Here's a list of all the essential tips for every boss fight, which should aid you in winning even on Apocalypse Difficulty.
- Choose your playstyle, and build your loadout around that. Minecraft Dungeons gives you a constant revolving door of new loot to try out, meaning you should be able to narrow down the direction you want to go in. Different gear compliments each other (like dual-wielding weapons with fast armor, or a bow with armor that increases arrow drops), so you can customize a perfect set for how you want to play. To get ahead of the curve, read up on our lists of weapons and armor.
- Artifacts are essential for any player. No matter how you decide to play, artifacts are the special sauce that exponentially increases your capability in Minecraft Dungeons. There's a good variety to experiment with, from artifacts that are clearly aimed at certain players to more niche ones that players will find creative uses for. It's always a good idea to keep at least one of each artifact so you can test new combinations as you go, but you can also read our comprehensive list of artifacts.
- Unique gear takes things to the next level. Where things truly get interesting is using unique weapons and armor to augment your loadout. These unique weapons possess attributes and characteristics that set them apart from the standard gear they're related to, giving you an extra ability on top of what you can add with artifacts and enchantments. Uniques can truly narrow down what you're going with, whether it's the ultimate battle mage, or a super-nippy rogue that heals as they shred their opponents. Here's a list of all the unique gear to get you started.
- Not all weapons are created equal, and enchantments are the difference. Finally, enchantments on your gear are the final push that takes you from "capable" to "everything is exploding and I heal five times a second." You get enchantment points as you level up, so you should always be spending these points to make your gear even better. These enchantments are pseudo-random, as well, so even two identical pieces of gear can have completely different enchantments. Make sure to check these constantly, as a weapon with different enchantments or an extra slot can overhaul your entire loadout in one fell swoop. Here's a list of all the enchantments to get you started.
- Keep moving, and use the "Dash / Dodge" button wisely. It's important to keep moving in Minecraft Dungeons, to prevent enemies from surrounding or pinning you down. It also helps to avoid some of the more devastating attacks, especially from big bosses. Dungeons also gives you a dash that lets you roll out of trouble once every few seconds, which can be crucial in a fight. Use this button wisely, as you can't spam it and you'll have a temporary period of slow down immediately afterward.
- Don't hesitate to retreat, if necessary. Minecraft Dungeons is not particularly liberal with their health potions, forcing you to wait a not-insignificant amount of time between health top-ups. If you're in a tough fight, there's nothing wrong with backing up to wait for your next health potion to come in, or to allow your artifacts to cool down for another use. To this end, the dash button can help you evade immediate danger and give you a chance to retreat.
They may hang out in packs
The redstone golem is a fantastic addition to the Minecraft universe and absolutely deserves to be added to vanilla Minecraft. Between their striking appearance and attacks that aren't overcomplicated, they're a solid boss that offers an avenue for almost any kind of player. The only complaint I can levy against them is that they're a little too numerous on the final level of the game, leading to a bit of a repetitive feeling when fighting them. You'll already be an expert before that point, though.
Minecraft grows up and and reaches out.
Minecraft Dungeons is the next saga in Minecraft's story, and it looks like Mojang and Microsoft are hitting another one out of the park. Minecraft Dungeons combines the familiar world we all grew up on with an injection of Diablo, a whole lot of fun. Available on every platform you're on, for a ridiculously tempting price, what's not to love?
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