Difficulty in Minecraft Dungeons II works in two layers. A difficulty setting with Easy, Normal and Hard options changes how strong enemies are. On top of that, Milestones raise the challenge and the loot as your hero levels up. Mojang’s help center only covers how co-op changes difficulty, so everything else below reflects the launch version, and we note where Mojang or its developers have said more.
It works very differently from the first Minecraft Dungeons.
The Difficulty Setting
The game has a difficulty slider with Easy, Normal and Hard, and you can change it at any time from the Difficulty Selection menu. The setting changes the damage you deal and take: Easy raises your damage and halves the damage you receive, while Hard cuts your damage and raises what you take. It also nudges the threat level described below, one step down on Easy and one step up on Hard.
There is a catch to Easy: special and unique items never drop on it. Mojang hasn’t documented the setting itself, so these numbers reflect the launch version and a patch could change them.
Milestones: The Game Gets Harder as You Level Up
As you play, a Milestone banner pops up telling you “Mobs are more challenging” and “Item drops are better.” What triggers it is a threat level that starts at 1 and rises by 1 every 5 character levels, up to a maximum of 20, with a Milestone each time it climbs. So it follows your hero’s level rather than the story. The first one usually arrives around the early Lost Merchant quest, but it is the level, not the quest, that sets it off.
- Enemies get tougher at each Milestone. Stronger mob variants become more common (Royal Guards and Spider Jockeys from threat 2, Ravagers and Vanguards from threat 3, soul corrupted mini-bosses from threat 4), and your own damage and damage resistance are scaled down as threat rises.
- Loot improves too, including a better chance of unique items.
So the game ramps up on its own; you don’t need to raise the setting to keep it challenging. It also means extra levels alone will not make a hard fight trivial: each Milestone brings tougher enemies along with the better loot, so keep your gear upgraded at the Blacksmith.
What the Developers Say
Creative director Måns Olson told PCGamesN that:
- Mobs scale up in the late game.
- Character levels raise your enchantment limit and your chance of finding unique gear, which is how you keep pace. Our enchantments guide explains how to spend your points.
- The endgame’s Storm Generators come in different difficulties, so post-story challenge is something you choose.
Co-op and Difficulty
Mojang settles this one. Its cross-play and multiplayer help page says the game’s difficulty “will change based on how many players are within the game, becoming more difficult with each friend that joins.” Some early reviews described enemies scaling to power level instead, but the official answer is that every extra hero makes fights harder. Mojang’s in-game features help page adds that quest, level and item-drop progress is not saved for you if the party leader is significantly further along, and its co-op article says matchmaking pairs players by story progress, region and power level. Our co-op guide covers the rest.
What’s Different From the First Minecraft Dungeons
If you played the first game, forget its system:
- No Adventure or Apocalypse difficulties have been seen in Dungeons II. Threat rises on its own with your level instead, as described above, and the difficulty setting nudges it one step either way.
- No New Game Plus. As of launch, there’s no NG+ or higher difficulty to unlock after the credits.
- The endgame is Soul Storms instead, with Storm Generators of different difficulties, alongside refights of beaten bosses.
Tips If It Feels Too Hard
- Upgrade your enchantments to level 3 where you can.
- Chase unique items, which drop more often at later Milestones.
- Use the right weapons; our guide to the best early weapons is a good start.
- Bring friends for the late bosses, listed in our boss guide, knowing the game raises its difficulty for each player who joins.
- Lower the difficulty setting if a fight is blocking your story, then switch back: special and unique items never drop on Easy.
Every guide is on our Minecraft Dungeons II hub.
Frequently Asked Questions
What difficulty settings does Minecraft Dungeons II have? Easy, Normal and Hard, and special and unique items never drop on Easy. Mojang hasn’t published an official list.
What are Milestones in Minecraft Dungeons II? Threat level increases. The threat level rises every five character levels, up to 20, and each rise makes enemies tougher and loot better.
Does Minecraft Dungeons II have Apocalypse difficulty? No Apocalypse or Adventure difficulty has been seen. Those belonged to the first game.
Is there New Game Plus in Minecraft Dungeons II? Not as of launch. The endgame is Soul Storms and boss refights instead.
Does co-op make Minecraft Dungeons II harder? Yes. Mojang’s help center says the difficulty rises with each friend who joins the game.