Minecraft challenge runs are a mainstay of the game's creator community. It's generally not what we'd consider a violent game but you do encounter a surprising amount of enemies in an ordinary playthrough, whether it's the zombies that bother you at the beginning, farming items from creatures in the Nether or even slaying the Ender Dragon and so a pacifist playthrough is trickier than you imagine. You enact a lot of violence, but you don't plan on it.
SwitchBackMongo is a Minecraft YouTuber who plays in Hardcore. SwitchBackMongo decided that the violence cycle must end and embarked on a mission to stop the game without killing any Minecraft mobs. Well, mostly. Technically, they didn't kill anything. But the explosive beds - that's correct - they used around Ender Dragon certainly did.
Anyone who has played Minecraft before knows that you must defend yourself if you are looking for resources. If you're in the crust of the overworld the skeletons, spiders and creepers are all likely to seek out and kill you, so just getting away from them is a massive task. Even the act of grabbing some iron can get you into fights or, you know you could be killed. Remember, this is Hardcore, so death isn't an option.
For SwitchBackMongo the most important sticking point was the Nether. MINECRAFT was a Blaze enemy that is the sole source of Blaze Rods in the game. They are a crucial ingredient in the creation of the Eye of Ender, which can lead to The End, making Blazes one of only two enemies that must be killed in order to be 'complete' Minecraft. But does that mean you need to kill them?
SwitchBackMongo explores a variety of ways to deal with them in the video, including watching as an Iron Golem decimates fifty Blazes without dropping, before going to Google like many of us to find an answer. Thankfully, wolves truly are man's best friend, and they were able to get the job accomplished.
The entire event is enjoyable to watch because it's a brand-new venture for the prolific Minecraft YouTuber, and they're not 100% certain of the best way to approach it. It's rare to find an event that hasn't been completed before, especially in a game such as Minecraft.
In other impressive Minecraft runs there was a group of players who managed to complete the game in under two minutes, and another player decided to capture the Ender Dragon instead of killing it. Check out our list with the top Minecraft seeds when you're here to discover some beautiful worlds for your next game.