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Extra Hard Mode
These new Worlds are extremely inhospitable and challenging to survive on.
Many of these challenges are more exciting and interesting to learn as you go by surprise but if you like spoilers read on.
World Rules
Mining
- Stone is extremely hard, making tunneling with a pickaxe impractical. Players will have to scout the wilderness for natural caverns, or make their own caves with much-improved TNT (see below). This brings exploration, navigation, and risk-taking to the forefront of gameplay.
- Cave-ins are a persistent threat. Mining ore softens the stone around it, which can then fall and injure the careless player. Dirt and grass, which is often compacted into a solid mass in cavern ceilings and floors, will also come crashing down when disturbed. Of course, TNT can make a really big mess, since it also softens stone to subject it to the pull of gravity.
- Loose materials like cobble and dirt will fall like sand and gravel, forcing players to solve mining obstacles (like giant pits) by bringing appropriate building materials with them or getting very creative in their approach, rather than just using the dirt and cobble they conveniently picked up along the way.
- The TNT recipe produces 3 TNT, and each TNT explodes 100% more violently versus Vanilla TNT, making TNT a useful tool for mining and worthwhile to craft. Further, exploding TNT will produce a more "natural" devastation with lots of fallen rock and other rubble.
Torches
- No permanent flames near diamond level (there's not enough oxygen). Players will have to get creative with their lighting, for example using dimmer redstone torches (spooky!), moving lava around with buckets (dangerous!), using glowstone (expensive!), or lighting temporary flint/steel fires (risky!). This also discourages players from dumping water on all the lava, since it can be a valuable source of light, holding monsters at bay.
- Players may not attach torches to loose materials like dirt, grass, and sand.
- Torches left out in the rain will go out, falling to the ground as items.
Player
- Putting out a fire up close (by hitting it or trying to smother it with a block) will catch the player on fire. The best approach is to smother it with falling blocks, water, or destroy the block beneath it.
- Environmental damage like falling, explosions, and suffocation reduces health more, and often applies temporary effects like slowing, blindness, or dizziness.
- Breaking netherrack may spark a fire.
Monster Rules
- Underground, monsters spawn even in the light (but not very close to players).
- Double monster spawns near and under sea level in normal worlds. Caves are now more scary than the surface, as they should be.
Combat
Overworld
- Spiders are more common under sea level and randomly drop web around them when slain, potentially introducing obstacles into an ongoing combat situation. Monsters can break through web if stuck.
- Blazes spawn near bedrock in the normal world. These blazes are unstable and will explode violently when slain, often causing cave-ins.
- Skeletons have a chance to fire a knockback arrow or a silverfish, and your arrows will usually pass harmlessly through them.
- Zombies slow the player on attack, and sometimes come back to life shortly after being slain, pushing players to rush forward into the unknown. If slain while burning, they will never re-animate.
- Endermen sometimes teleport the player during combat.
- Witches are more common, any may appear anywhere on the surface. They use poison splash potions infrequently, preferring instead to summon henchmen, teleport, and toss explosive potions.
Creepers
- A portion of creepers spawn charged, and will explode with the power of (Vanilla) TNT at the slightest touch. Get out your bow and arrow, run like hell, or get creative. Even falling from a small height may set off a charged creeper, making them truly terrifying to deal with. Be aware of your surroundings!
- Creepers (and Blazes) sometimes drop live TNT when they die, challenging players to react quickly.
- Creepers in ExtraHardMode are made of fireworks. When set on fire they launch into the air with fireworks and a big bang!
Nether
- Blazes spawn everywhere in the nether, not just in nether fortresses, and may split into two full-health blazes when slain. They drop gunpowder and glowstone dust, both useful for faster diamond mining in the normal world. They also drop fire when attacked, introducing combat obstacles.
- Zombie pigs are always hostile, because the nether isn't scary enough otherwise. When slain in nether fortresses, they reliably drop nether wart.
- Ghasts are much stronger and can drop more loot and experience when slain. You should be very careful when fighting them.
The End
- The Ender Dragon respawns so that all players have a challenging common goal, and he always drops a dragon egg when killed. It makes a great trophy for the slayer's house.
- The Ender Dragon spews explosive fireballs which throw flaming shrapnel on impact. He also summons minions to his aid, making combat challenging and frenzied - forcing players to hit a moving target with arrows while simultaneously dodging fireballs and battling minions.
- Building is not allowed in the end, so players must face the dragon and his minions head-on.
- All players are notified when a player challenges the dragon, and will also be notified of the outcome of the battle. When the dragon defeats a player, he regains 25% of his health.
Building
- Realistic block placement rules will force players to think a little harder about construction, especially when climbing higher or crossing water, lava, or a trench.
Farming
- Irrigating crops is now non-trivial, because buckets will not move water sources. In early game, players who want faster crop growth have to search out natural water sources and plant near them. Players can eventually irrigate anywhere by collecting and moving ice (requires silk touch enchant) or trading for ice, then melting it. Remember, most crops do not REQUIRE water to be useful, they just produce faster when it's nearby.
- Some plants will die, forcing players to do the math and conserve their seeds. Of course bonemeal can be used to produce more seed for wheat, but overeating can quickly reduce a carrot or potato crop. This has the effect of rebalancing food sources, encouraging players to build bigger gardens for the same output. Plants are more likely to die when planted in dry soil or in the desert.
- Plants need natural light to grow. Plants which don't get sufficient natural light will die.
- If snow falls on plants, it will cover them over and kill them, leaving only a lump of snow where the plant used to be.
- Melon/pumpkin seeds are not craftable, restoring their status as a rare and desirable find. Players can still "roll the dice" by breaking a full-grown stem to see if they get an extra seed back.
- Bonemeal won't work on mushrooms. Mushroom farming will be limited to the more challenging and scientific mushroom spreading mechanic (dark place with suitable head room and room for shrooms to spread).
- Nether wart isn't farmable. Instead, players can get more by killing zombie pigmen in nether fortresses.
- All sheep are white, but may be dyed temporarily (for one shearing). This encourages players to learn how to make various dyes, and explore farming options for those dyes. It will also make some wool colors much more rare than others, since some dyes are more difficult (or impossible) to farm. A new recipe allows you to dye 8 wool at once.
- Animals aren't worth experience because it's too easy to (literally) farm them.
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