Mojang Studios' Minecraft is an unstoppable juggernaut of a title, with the game notably crossing 131 million monthly active users in the last year. Minecraft also happens to be the best-selling game of all time, and despite being a decade old, it still frequently occupies a very high spot on Twitch and YouTube viewership leaderboards.
Overall, it's clear that pretty much everyone loves Minecraft. However, that doesn't mean there's not room to improve, and one part of the game that could definitely use some improvement is its Survival Mode. Here's why.
Survival in Survival Mode is too simple
The core issue I have with Survival is that due to how easy and simple it is (even on Hardcore), the game never pushes you to meaningfully interact with any of its building or crafting systems. The game practically showers you with food everywhere you look, and it's possible to create iron armor, iron weapons, a shield, and a bow within 15 minutes of spawning if you know how to find the ore. Once you get to that point, the survival part of Survival Mode is over with — you'll never be threatened by more than a handful of basic mobs at any one time, and any difficult mobs you encounter can be taken down easily from range or with a basic kiting strategy. Even Minecraft's iconic "first night" has become a joke; it used to be something everyone feared, but once players realized all you needed to survive it was a dirt cube, the tension that originally made overcoming the first night special evaporated.
Limitation breeds creativity, and Survival Mode could definitely use some limitations.
I'm the kind of player that likes to have reasons beyond my own boredom to build advanced structures, explore, and hunt down specific crafting materials for new items. Currently, Minecraft doesn't provide many reasons to do these things, and that's because most items and structures I can build in the game lack purpose. Why bother making potions or using enchantments when staying safe is laughably easy already? Why should I build a fort when a dirt hut is just as effective at keeping mobs out at night?
Doing it "just for fun" is a fair answer to those questions, but should that be the only thing driving players to engage with Minecraft's deeper features? I don't believe so. To Mojang's credit, the recent Village & Pillage and Nether updates gave players some new incentives to fortify villages, collect gold, and explore the Nether, but Survival Mode still has a long way to go. And until there are more reasons to engage with the game's various systems, Survival Mode will remain woefully boring compared to similar experiences like Valheim.
Get creative with some new mechanics
So, how are some ways that Mojang can flesh out Minecraft's Survival Mode? Some ideas I've had include:
- Roaming mob hordes that can overwhelm the player in direct fights, incentivizing them to build defensible structures.
- Allowing mobs to break through dirt, encouraging the use of sturdier building blocks.
- A higher average number of enemies in general to make combat a bit more difficult.
- New types of ores and equipment to lengthen and expand progression.
- More dungeons that reward the player with valuable loot, incentivizing exploration.
I think these additions would do a good job of encouraging players to interact more with the game's building, exploring, and crafting systems without making Minecraft feel like a different game. Many modpacks for Minecraft: Java Edition, such as RLCraft, have already implemented mechanics like these and have been met with an overwhelming positive reception from Minecraft's community. Therefore, Mojang should look to these modpacks for inspiration and ideas on how they can be added to the official game.
How far should Mojang go?
It's important for Minecraft to stay true to its identity.
I wholeheartedly believe that Minecraft will be a better game if Mojang fleshes out Survival Mode with new mechanics and mobs that increase the difficulty and drive players to engage more with making potions, using enchantments, building advanced structures, and the game's other systems. That being said, it's also important for Minecraft to stay true to its identity as a creativity-focused survival game accessible to both children and adults. I don't want Minecraft to become too intense or difficult; I just want the game to be a little tougher so that Minecraft doesn't feel like it's bloated with novelty items and mechanics you'll never use.
The best way that Mojang could introduce a revamped Survival Mode is to make it a different difficulty option you can select when creating a world, similar to the Hardcore setting we have now. This would make it so that fans who prefer the original Survival Mode could still play it, while "Survival Mode+" would be there for folks like me.
Your thoughts
Do you agree with me that Minecraft's Survival Mode is boring and needs an overhaul, or do you think it's fine as it is? Let me know. Minecraft is available now on Xbox One, Xbox Series X, Xbox Series S, and Windows 10 (and Windows 11) PCs. It's one of the best Xbox games ever, so we definitely recommend picking it up.
Minecraft
Available everywhere you play
Minecraft is an inarguable and complete success. It has sold copies in the hundreds of millions, has a huge following of dedicated players, and lets you unlock your every creative desire. It's also available on every platform imaginable, including Xbox One, Windows 10, PlayStation 4, and Nintendo Switch. Play with anyone, and play anywhere.
Brendan Lowry is a Windows Central writer and Oakland University graduate with a burning passion for video games, of which he's been an avid fan since childhood. You'll find him doing reviews, editorials, and general coverage on everything Xbox and PC. Follow him on Twitter.
