Minecraft Warden's Darkness Effect Is Even Scarier With Ray-Tracing

The terrifying Minecraft mob The Warden spreads a Darkness effect, and this atmospheric ability is even more spectacular with ray-tracing technology. Set for release in the upcoming Wild Update, The Warden is a nearly unstoppable foe who guards the Deep Dark underground biome. While The Warden survives a minute in lava, the Darkness effect is perhaps the scariest part of the blind behemoth.

Minecraft's Wild Update, planned to release in 2022, will introduce two expansive new biomes called Mangrove Swamps and the Deep Dark. While the swamps will add mangrove trees and frogs to the above-ground world, the Deep Dark is a terrifying underground realm that offers valuable rewards for those that dare to explore it. The buried ruins will contain the Sculk element, which spreads when a mob is killed nearby and alerts The Warden to the player's presence. The underground guardian's enormous health pool, alongside a Darkness effect that lowers visibility as it approaches, makes it an intimidating foe. However, one crafty Minecraft player did kill The Warden with fireworks using a specialized setup.

Related: Minecraft: Where To Find The Warden (& How To Kill It)

Reddit user markom58 recently demonstrated that The Warden's Darkness effect is even more terrifying with ray-tracing technology. The RTX tech makes lighting and reflections more realistic, with the Deep Dark going from eerily lit to nearly pitch black when the monstrous juggernaut arrives. A flowing stream of lava becomes the only source of light in the entire area, making the underground ruins even more unsettling and signaling the arrival of a truly unstoppable foe. This stark contrast between the lit Deep Dark and its darkened counterpart is achievable only with RTX.

Click here to see the full Reddit post and image gallery.

Minecraft is known for its simplistic blocky art style, but ray-tracing can put an amazing new coat of paint on the survival sandbox. A Minecraft RTX update on Xbox was recently released, allowing console gamers to make use of the advanced lighting technique, but developer Mojang subsequently removed the option from the game. Apparently the RTX option was added to Xbox by accident through a piece of prototype code, so Minecraft players on PC will retain sole access to ray-tracing for the foreseeable future.

Minecraft's Deep Dark is an oppressively cavernous underground realm, and The Warden's Darkness ability makes it even creepier. Ray-tracing on PC can maximize the underground terror, with the entire area going truly pitch-black when the deadly gatekeeper approaches. Though console versions of Minecraft unfortunately lack the option, RTX can add even more terror to the block-based survival sandbox and its Deep Dark.

Next: Minecraft Gameplay Looks Stunning With RTX

Minecraft is available on all platforms.

Source: markom58/Reddit