Both Minecraft Legends and Minecraft Dungeons are spinoff games produced by Microsoft, based on the famous sandbox builder Minecraft. While the same source materials may inspire these two titles, their respective storylines and gameplay styles are completely different.

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Minecraft Dungeons is a game that centers around exploration and has you and your friends exploring linear levels, all in an effort to finish an overarching storyline. Meanwhile, Minecraft Legends focuses on large-scale combat with real-time strategy mechanics. If you are unsure which of these games would be more appealing for you, check out their pros and cons below.

6 Minecraft Legends: Real-Time Strategy

Unlike the ever-expanding sandbox from the original Minecraft, Legends focuses on large-scale battles and real-time strategy gameplay. Specifically, you will spend your days building an army of Minecraft mobs and fortifying different villages, all to defeat an army of Piglins invading from the Nether.

The game is split between day and night, with the daytime consisting of farming materials and constructing defenses to protect your village. As night falls, Piglins will pour out from the Nether, and you must take to the battlefield and command different mobs to overcome these dimensional invaders. This gameplay loop will continue as more powerful mobs attack each night, and you will be forced to rebuild your defenses and expand your army from this gargantuan threat.

5 Minecraft Dungeons: Dungeon Crawler

Minecraft Dungeons is aptly named because the core gameplay revolves around exploring different levels and underground dungeons to defeat hostile mobs and upgrade your loot. Unlike the original version of Minecraft, you can only play this game with up to four other players, and none of you will be able to mine or freely explore the world.

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Instead, you will traverse through linear levels while unlocking different loot that not only upgrades your damage but also determines what kind of class you are currently playing as. Furthermore, playing through the game will unlock unique abilities that can be used to maximize your damage and assist you on the quest to save the world from the Arch-Illager.

4 Minecraft Legends: Piglin Story

Minecraft Legends is a game that takes place before the events of Minecraft and features a storyline about a legendary hero who united the Overworld against forces from the Nether. In the game, Piglins have mysteriously joined together and plan to take over the Minecraft world by launching a massive invasion.

Luckily, you play as an unknown historical hero who stood up against these adventurers by uniting Minecraft mobs together. Interestingly, unlike typical Minecraft gameplay, hostile overworld mobs such as skeletons and zombies will work alongside your and your villagers since everyone must work to fight the Piglin threat. As you progress through the story, you will venture into the Nether to face off with the leader of this hostile invasion.

3 Minecraft Dungeons: Illager Storyline

While Minecraft Legends focuses on fighting off invaders from the Nether, the overarching storyline of Minecraft Dungeons focuses on the corruption of the Arch-Illager. In Minecraft, tribes of Illagers attack innocent villages, pillaging their resources and attacking the defenseless inhabitants. This dynamic is translated and revamped into a linear storyline in Minecraft Dungeons, complete with cutscenes that are only available within the game.

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In Minecraft Dungeons, the Arch-Illager is ostracized by his people because he does not believe in their violent ways but is also banned from living in any ordinary village. As he sadly explores the world by himself, he comes in contact with a mysterious object named the Orb of Dominance.

After this occurrence, the Arch-Illager vows to take over the world, and it is your task as an adventurer to put a stop to these evil plans before he subjugates the entire Minecraft world.

2 Minecraft Dungeons: More Content

One aspect that sets Minecraft Dungeons apart from Minecraft Legends is the overwhelming amount of DLC available for the game. With five different DLC packs available for purchase, these new content packs allow you to explore new levels, equip your character with new weapons, armor, and skills, and finish the extended storyline of the game.

When compared to Minecraft Legends, Dungeons simply has a larger amount of content, but you must pay some extra money if you are interested in exploring everything the game has to offer.

Luckily, since this game is no longer being updated, there is an ultimate addition of Minecraft Dungeons available for purchase which includes the main game and all the DLC in one simple package.

1 Minecraft Dungeons Or Minecraft Legends?

Ultimately, the choice between Minecraft Dungeons or Minecraft Legends depends on what kind of gameplay experience you value more. If you are interested in playing with your friends, Minecraft Dungeons offers an enjoyable storyline and exhilarating real-time combat. However, a large amount of DLC is available for Minecraft Dungeons, which may discourage some people from purchasing the game completely.

On the other hand, Minecraft Legends is a game that can also be played with friends, but mainly offers a single-player experience where you command an army of mobs to defend the world. If you have experience with other real-time strategy games, you will surely love applying these mechanics to Minecraft.

It is important to note that while Minecraft inspires both of these games, neither option offers similar gameplay to the original game and instead focuses on creating a new gameplay experience within the Minecraft franchise. Overall, both games are solid purchases, meaning you should simply pick whichever title offers gameplay that appeals to you the most.

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