Minecraft Dungeons officially releases the 'Hidden Depths' DLC and major free upgrade, changelog available

Minecraft Dungeons Dlc Hidden Depths Hero
Minecraft Dungeons Dlc Hidden Depths Hero (Image credit: Mojang Studios | Twitter)

Update, May 26, 2021 at 2:20 p.m. CT: The changelog for Minecraft Dungeons' Hidden Depths DLC and 1.9.1.0 patch update have been released

What you need to know

  • Minecraft Dungeons is an action-RPG from Mojang Studios, which receives regular updates and content expansions.
  • The fifth DLC for Minecraft Dungeons, 'Hidden Depths,' is now available to all players either as a standalone purchase or through the Season Pass.
  • 'Hidden Depths' includes a ton of new content like three gorgeous levels, tons of new gear and mobs to fight, and much more.
  • There's also a free update with a new "Raid Captains" feature and the Anniversary Event to celebrate one year of Minecraft Dungeons.

If you've been enjoying everything that Minecraft Dungeons has to offer, today will be a good day. Mojang Studios is officially releasing the Minecraft Dungeons Hidden Depths DLC today, which adds a wide range of additional content for players to enjoy in this co-op focused action-RPG adventure. The Hidden Depths DLC for Minecraft Dungeons is the fifth premium expansion for Mojang Studios' Minecraft spin-off, and is now available for Minecraft Dungeons on Xbox Series X, Xbox Series S, Xbox One, PC, PS5, PS4, and Switch.

Hidden Depths includes three new levels that take place underwater, creating vibrant and gorgeous environments for players to explore. Going underwater also presents unique challenges, like changes to dashing and arrow physics, oxygen levels, and more. On top of that, players will also have to overcome hordes of new mob types, including guardians, drowned, and additional variants of existing mobs like sunken skeletons. Players won't do this for naught, as Mojang Studios has added a bunch of powerful gear to discover and experiment with.

Players can pick up the Hidden Depths DLC for Minecraft Dungeons by itself, or you can get the Minecraft Dungeons Season Pass and obtain the Hidden Depths DLC on top of Howling Peaks and Flames of the Nether. Either way, you'll get the adorable baby turtle cosmetic pet!

There's something here for everyone, though. Minecraft Dungeons is also rolling out a completely free update alongside Hidden Depths, which will add new enchantments, balancing changes and bug fixes, and an all-new feature with Raid Captains! These powerful mobs are scattered all over the Minecraft Dungeons world, and defeating them will make everything on that level more powerful. If you succeed, however, you'll earn super powerful loot.

Finally, the Minecraft Dungeons Anniversary Event kicks off today, with numerous challenges and Seasonal Trials for players. Emerging victorious from these trials lets you earn exclusive gear, including new armor, melee weapon, bow, and cosmetic cape, all celebrating one year of Minecraft Dungeons.

Minecraft Dungeons and the free update for Hidden Depths is included in Xbox Game Pass for Xbox, PC, and Xbox Cloud Gaming. If you want the full Hidden Depths experience, though, pick up the premium DLC or the Minecraft Dungeons Season Pass. You can also play with a friend that owns Hidden Depths to gain access to all of their content.

In case you've been hesitating to try out Minecraft Dungeons, know that it's one of our favorites and among the best Xbox games around.

The full changelog for Minecraft Dungeons' Hidden Depths DLC and 1.9.1.0 patch update include:

Hidden Depths DLC

DLC features

  • Three new underwater missions
  • A mix of salty new mobs and enemies
  • New weapons, gear, and artifacts
  • Two new skins and a Baby Turtle pet

New weapons

Anchor (Melee) Encrusted Anchor (Unique Melee) Bubble Bow (Ranged) Bubble Burster (Unique Ranged) Coral Blade (Melee) Sponge Striker (Unique Melee) Harpoon Crossbow (Ranged) Heavy Duty Harpoon (Unique Ranged)

New armor

  • Squid Armor
  • Glow Squid Armor (Unique)
  • Turtle Armor
  • Nimble Turtle Armor (Unique)

New artifacts

  • Eye of the Guardian
  • Harpoon Quiver
  • Satchel of Elixirs
  • Satchel of Snacks

Free update

Raid Captains

  • Taking down these dangerous foes will immediately change the way you play the game. Beat them and they'll drop one of two tokens: one which instantly increases the mission's threat level and another which adds a rules modifier to your current mission
  • Survive the mission with tokens in tow and you'll earn the Raid Captain's Bounty, a special reward at the end of the mission. Seek out these Raid Captains to add a new level of challenge and rewards to your missions!

New enchantments

  • Guarding Strike (Melee)
  • Luck of the Sea (Armor)
  • Multi-Charge (Ranged)
  • Refreshment (Ranged & Melee)
  • Rush (Armor)

Disable screen shake

  • Added a toggle to Accessibility settings that allows players to enable or disable screen shaking

New Achievements

  • 10 new Achievements / Trophies to unlock on your adventures

Bug fixes

  • Fixed several crashes that could occur during gameplay
  • Local co-op can now be played on PlayStation 4 without having to sign into a Microsoft account
  • Fixed the number of killed enchanted mobs or mini bosses not updating properly for merchant progress and achievement progress
  • Poison damage now scales with item power
  • Artifact-summoned pets can no longer destroy Scatter Mines
  • Iron Golem sounds can no longer be heard after the Golem has died
  • Fixed the Heart of Ender's spinning attack only appearing for those host during online co-op
  • Fixed arrows from Flaming Quiver and Thundering Quiver dealing instant kill damage when deflected by a mob with the Deflecting enchantment
  • Fixed some antivirus software preventing progress from being saved
  • Powershaker's explosion no longer blocks other players' arrows
  • Secret locations no longer use placeholder narration when completing the missions
  • Fixed a chance of players getting stuck in the cage after dying on Underhalls
  • Players can no longer use 'Return to Checkpoint' while downed
  • Removed unnecessary sound effects from the Download Hero screen
  • Fixed enemy arrows not damaging Bees
  • Fixed TNT collisions on falling blocks, gates, and Geomancer walls
  • The 'Subtitles' option in Accessibility settings now has a proper toggle like other options
  • Fixed Weeping Vine Bow, Bone Cudgel, Living Vines Armor, and Golden Piglin Armor not having unique shimmering sounds when dropped during gameplay
  • Fixed the Environmental Protection armor property not reducing damage properly when Rugged Climbing Gear was equipped
  • Fixed the Key Golem falling through the ground on Desert Temple
  • Fixed players seen as holding both melee and ranged weapons on the inventory screen
  • Increased the spacing of artifact icons on the Upload / Download Hero screens when playing on Xbox Cloud Gaming
  • Fixed overlapping touch controls and effects counter on the HUD when playing on Xbox Cloud Gaming
  • Fixed mobs getting launched into the air after getting killed by the Fire Trail enchantment
  • Chat wheel messages can now be selected using the D-Pad
  • The Daily Trial modifier '50% of melee mobs have the Weakening enchantment' is no longer applied to ranged mobs
  • Artifact Charge no longer triggers after picking up a consumable item
  • Improved the readability of the focus indicator on the friends list by using both outline and background highlight

Known issues

  • Players may get the 'Unable to Verify Game Ownership' error message during mission playthroughs
  • Ancient Guardian fight may not start on Abyssal Monument
  • Disconnecting the internet before finishing the mission softlocks the game
  • Conduits cannot be picked up by other players if the client who held the Conduit left the session

Update, May 26, 2021 at 2:20 p.m. CT — The official changelog for the Hidden Depths DLC and 1.9.1.0 patch update are here

Mojang Studios has officially released the changelog for the Hidden Depths DLC and 1.9.1.0 patch update for Minecraft Dungeons, and we've added the full list of bug fixes, features, and changes above. There are also some known issues to keep in mind. To get Hidden Depths DLC-specific features, players will either have to buy the DLC or play with a friend who owns it. All of the bug fixes and patch update features are available to all players on every platform, though.

Zachary Boddy
Staff Writer

Zachary Boddy (They / Them) is a Staff Writer for Windows Central, primarily focused on covering the latest news in tech and gaming, the best Xbox and PC games, and the most interesting Windows and Xbox hardware. They have been gaming and writing for most of their life starting with the original Xbox, and started out as a freelancer for Windows Central and its sister sites in 2019. Now a full-fledged Staff Writer, Zachary has expanded from only writing about all things Minecraft to covering practically everything on which Windows Central is an expert, especially when it comes to Microsoft. You can find Zachary on Twitter @BoddyZachary.