Minecraft Dungeons is the newest game from developer Mojang Studios set in their blocky universe. An isometric dungeon crawler, Minecraft Dungeons tasks players with battling through hordes of enemies to obtain better gear and abilities. Similar to titles like Diablo, there are a few secrets hidden throughout this game including secret levels. One of these is simply dubbed “???,” but fans of the genre will instantly recognize it as the hidden cow level.
To access this secret level, players will need to collect a bunch of runes that are locked behind hidden doors. There are a total of nine runes and you will only be able to access these runes once you beat the entire campaign. After the credits roll, you will be able to go through the missions again on any difficulty to hunt for the runes. You do not need to complete the mission once you’ve collected the rune. Just grabbing it will suffice.
We recommend doing this on a lower difficulty so you can just breeze through the hordes of enemies with little trouble. Here is every rune location in Minecraft Dungeons, along with how to access the secret “???” level.
How to Access the Cathedral
Before you begin your journey you’ll want to open up access to the cathedral at your camp. To do this, head past the blacksmith and go south by the small farm until you reach a jump pad. Use this to traverse the canyon and then head left. There is a hidden entrance that’s covered by some trees so it can be difficult to see. Just keep hugging the wall until your character finds the path.
Now snake around and go north towards the church. You will not only be able to access the cathedral but lower the drawbridge so you don’t have to take the long way again. Inside is where you will gain access to the hidden level, so remember this area and go to the map.
Rune 1 – Creeper Woods
The first rune is near the small town that’s occupied by corrupt villages. While you’ll be tasked with freeing them, just leave these villages alone for now and head left. Battle through anyone who gets in your way until you reach a small wooded area where there is a flat stone floor and some gravel. In the gravel, you’ll find a switch that can be thrown to open up a hidden door. Enter this location, follow the path, interact with the switch, and collect the rune that spawns in front of you.
Rune 2 – Cacti Canyon
For this rune, you will need to progress through the level until you reach an area where you need to retrieve some keys. In the bottom left side, you’ll find a gated area that requires you to take out a few waves of enemies. Once all the foes are defeated, approach the palm tree closest to the stone wall and click the switch behind it. This will open up a secret entrance to the second rune.
Rune 3 – Soggy Swamp
Unfortunately, this rune is located at the very end of the level after you defeat the boss. Once the cauldron is defeated, head through the gateway but do not interact with the exit door. Instead, approach the large stone pillar that has some mushrooms growing around it on the right. You’ll get a prompt to press a button, revealing the location of the third rune.
Rune 4 – Pumpkin Pastures
The fourth rune is pretty early on in the level after you pass the first house that’s on fire. To your right, there will be a large hill you can climb that connects to a stone wall. Scale the hill and run by the second ruined house on the right until you are walking alone some ramparts. You’ll find the next switch behind some crates on the far end of the wall. If you arrived at the drawbridge, you have gone to far so turn around and head back.
Rune 5 – Redstone Mines
This is another rune that is pretty late in the level, so progress through the mission until you’re tasked with freeing villagers for the second time. Fight through the hordes of enemies and hug the northern wall. Move right along this wall until you start descending down towards some Redstone crystals. You’ll find the switch among these crystals near a lantern. There are a lot of enemies in this location, so consider clearing it out first before you hunt for the switch!
Rune 6 – Fiery Forge
The easiest rune to obtain, when you start the level progress through the mine until you reach the first door. Enter it and keep running to the left until you descend down some steps near a dead Redstone golem. You’ll see a very obvious level in the back corner which will open up a hidden door when activated.
Rune 7 – Desert Temple
About midway through Desert Temple you will be tasked with finding a gold key. Traverse through the trap infested area until you are able to access the key. Once the walls are lowered, you’ll find another hidden level in the top right corner of the room next to a palm tree and some plants. This one is easy to miss if you’re rushing through the level, so make sure to scour the area connected to the gold key room.
Rune 8 – Highblock Hall
Getting this rune is a bit of a slog. You will need to make your way through almost the entire level until you leave the hall and head outside to a small village infested with zombies and skeletons. Make your way through the village and keep to the right. Go up some stairs until you reach a level in the stone wall below some stained glass windows.
Rune 9 – Obsidian Pinnacle
The last of the runes can be found in the library about halfway through Obsidian Pinnacle. Once you are inside, kill the golem and villagers until you reach a large library. At the northern end you will be able to interact with a book on a bookshelf. Clicking it will activate a secret passageway where the rune is located. This is the only rune that doesn’t require you to enter another area, it will spawn in the hidden room you access.
Unlocking the Secret Cow Level
Now that you have all the runes, head back to your camp, and enter the church. Run all the way to the back and click the switch below all the arcane symbols. If you’ve collected all the runes, these symbols will glow purple which opens up the wall in front of you. Now open up the chests and grab the scroll to unlock the “???” level on your map back at the camp.
Congratulations! You have access perhaps the biggest secret in Minecraft Dungeons, now get ready to slaughter hordes of bovine for some loot.
