The Minecraft Manhunts

The best chase scenes are now in-game footage

By Rob Cockerham | Sept. 13, 2020

I'd like to introduce you to Dream. He is a champion Minecraft speedrunner, which means that he is very, very good at completing the game quickly. Like breaking-world-records quickly. He is also a minecraft mod programmer. Late last year Dream started recording a new series on his YouTube channel where he tries to complete the game while another player hunts him down in the game. He calls it Minecraft Manhunt.

Whatever you think of the game or gamers or streamers, these chases have resulted in an incredible series of videos. They are unscripted thirty-minute car chases, with twists and maneuvers, tricks, resource management, booby-traps, jump scares and the absolute peak of minecraft skill.

I had a tough time navigating the videos in order, so I made a playlist.

Beating Minecraft

If you don't know anything about Minecraft, here's what has to happen to win the game: You have to kill the dragon.

To do that, the first thing you have to do is to build a doorway to the Nether dimension out of obsidian blocks. You can either build one out of mined blocks of obsidian, or you can drop lava into the path of flowing water to create blocks of obsidian. The doorway is rectangular and must be ignited with a flint and steel.

The Nether is a dangerous dimension mostly made of red netherack stone and lava. Once there, you need to find a brick structure known as a nether fortress and find the fire creatures inside known as blazes. When killed, blazes drop blaze rods, and you need 5 or 6 of these.

Next you need to go back through your doorway out of the Nether and find a hidden Stronghold. The Stronghold is an underground dungeon. The only way to find the Stronghold is to acquire some pearls from tall Enderman creatures. When you combine the pearls with powder from crushed blaze rods, they make Eyes of Ender, which will fly towards the fortress if you toss them into the air.

Once you have located the underground fortress, you need to find the portal room which contains another rectangular doorway, this time the portal is lying horizontally. To ignite this doorway, you have to place Eyes of Ender into the twelve frame blocks.

Through the doorway is another dimension: The "END".

The End is a sparse island of pale yellow moonstone blocks and a hundred endermen. The dragon is black and flies around spewing purple clouds of poison fire. The dragon's health is constantly being recharged by 10 vibrant crystals, situated at the top of 10 obsidian towers. The only way to defeat the dragon is to strike the crystals so that he is no longer being healed.

Minecraft Rules

Game Mechanics

If you sprint or jump or swim, you need to eat to keep up your speed.
You respawn back at your bed if you die. You can move your bed.
If you die, your armor and items remain on the ground where you died. You can pick them up if you return quickly.
Even a small amount of water can stop you from taking damage from a fall. Haybales and slime have a similar effect.
You can remain underwater for about 15 seconds, then you start taking damage until you drown. It is possible to find and make pockets of air.
It is possible to find esoteric ingredients to make potions of strength, invisibility, etc. These effects last about a minute.
There are special enchanted boots which freeze the surface of water, allowing you to walk on water.
You can throw Pearls from endermen to teleport. You will reappear wherever the pearl lands.