Minecraft Dungeons Jungle DLC released at same time as free update

If you've been playing Minecraft Dungeons since launch, you've been playing a little over a month. If you've been playing that long, you might be ready for a DLC already. But for the rest of the world – the people that've not yet gotten in on the action – is it too intimidating to start a game that's already rolling with an expansion just a month after initial release? In any case, the goal for the profit-minded creators at Minecraft is clear.

This is not the update I suggested, but it may be the update that draws in the masses. The creators of Minecraft Dungeons have a value proposition with their game that's quite enticing. It has to do with feeling like you're truly invested in the game from the get-go.

If you buy the game for its lowest price, you'll find Minecraft Dungeons will cost you around $26 USD. You can play that, and you won't need to pay to play at any point in the future – or so we're to understand.

If you want to ramp up your game, you can then purchase the Minecraft Dungeons Hero Pass. That includes "a chicken pet" as well as a "Hero Cape" and "two player skins." It also includes two DLC packs, which would otherwise cost a separate amount of cash, each. The stand-alone cost of Minecraft Dungeons: Jungle Awakens is $7.69 USD.

The Minecraft Dungeons Hero Edition is approximately $39 USD, and it includes the same benefits as the Hero Pass. It's like buying the basic game and the Hero Pass at once. It may just be that the Minecraft Dungeons value proposal is perfect – pay just under $40 for the game with the expansions, OR pay $26 for the bare bones version of the game – your choice!

MEANWHILE there's a "free Lost Temple update" for Minecraft Dungeons – that's separate from the Jungle Awakens DLC. Per the creators of Minecraft Dungeons, the Lost Temple update includes "its own puzzles, rare loot, and secrets to discover."