Updated at: 08-03-2023 - By: Leo Hall
This section of our wiki guide will show you where to find each of the nine Runes hidden throughout the dungeons in Minecraft, allowing you to access the hidden Cow Level.
Searching for a particular item? You can learn everything there is to know about each rune by clicking on the corresponding quick links below.

What are Runes

Mooshrooms make up the entirety of a secret level codenamed “???,” which can be unlocked by finding 9 runes hidden throughout the game’s main story missions. These once peaceful creatures are now seething with rage and will attack anyone who crosses their path.
Players speculate that this secret area is a nod to Diablo II’s Cow level, which also existed in that game.
What do the runes in Minecraft Dungeons unlock? - Polygon

Development of Minecraft

Invented by Markus “Notch” Persson and later developed by Mojang, Minecraft first appeared in 2009. Its gameplay is a sandbox-style take on games like Dwarf Fortress, Dungeon Keeper, and Infiniminer, but it pushes that genre to new heights. Over 180 million copies have been sold to date, making it the best-selling game of all time and the company’s first official game.

At some point, Microsoft paid $2.5 billion to acquire Mojang and Minecraft from Persson, and Persson ceased further development of the game. There are now four different game modes available in Minecraft: Hardcore, Creative, Adventure, and Spectator. You can play it solo or with friends online, and there are thousands of add-ons, or mods, available for download to expand its already rich feature set.

Mining and crafting are the bedrock of Minecraft

It should come as no surprise that resource gathering and creation are the cornerstones of Minecraft’s universe. That, in all candor, is the main point of the game. To begin, you’ll need to head out into the wild, punch some trees to collect wood, then use that to make an axe. From there, you can work on assembling a collection of armor, weapons, furniture, tools, and precious minerals. You’ll have to construct a few temporary homes and storage vaults for your belongings along the way.

The game’s core loop of discovery, construction, and repetition is endlessly engaging so long as you keep your creativity in check. The Nether is a hellish world filled with incredible treasures and dangerous monsters, and adventuring there is a lot of fun for anyone, regardless of their artistic abilities.

You could also play a game of Cops and Robbers, go on a guided quest, or indulge in some minigames in one of the many premade worlds created by other players. There’s always a new modification or user-created content to get your creative juices flowing.

How Do You Find Runes

You should finish the game on the default difficulty setting before searching for runes. You won’t be able to access the runes in-game until this challenge is met.
If you’ve made it this far in the game, it’s time to gain access to the next level. Towards that end, head southeast of your camp to the site of the sizable church where the ceremony will be held. For your first visit, you’ll have to make your way through the trees to the church. This clearing can be found a short distance south of the house located due east of your camp.
Once you’ve made it past the church’s doors, you can lower the drawbridge by pulling the lever next to the entrance. Simply by lowering the drawbridge, you’ll have a much more direct and quicker route to your destination.
Now that the drawbridge is open, you should go inside and proceed to the far end of the room. A wall with a button on the floor and 9 symbols can be found here. When you press the button, all of the runes in your collection will instantly change to purple.
Minecraft Dungeons runes guide | Rock Paper Shotgun

How to Find the Creeper Woods Rune Location

At the end of Creeper Woods, after you’ve freed a large number of villagers, you’ll find the rune.
To find the Rune, head to the large open area shared by the trapped villagers and look for a stone crypt that has been built into the ground.
After finding the crypt, you can open the door by standing on top of it. Get the rune by going inside.

How to Find the Soggy Swamp Rune Location

The Soggy Swamp rune, like the one in Creeper Woods, is located at the very end of the level, to the right of the exit. The rune can be accessed by pressing a button located on the floor in front of a large stone pillar. A secret door can be accessed when the button is pressed.

How to Find the Cacti Canyon Rune Location

Near the entrance to the room containing the Blue Golem key is where you’ll find the rune of Cacti Canyon. The rune can be found on the ground to the left of the palm tree.
A button that, when depressed, unlocks the door to the Blue Golem Key’s storage area can be found here.

How to Find the Pumpkin Pastures Rune Location

You can access the rune halfway through the Pumpkin Pastures level by pressing the button at the end of the massive stone castle wall.
The button is buried in a pile of boxes, making it difficult to find. Press the button to open the secret passage and retrieve the rune.

How to Find the Redstone Mines Rune Location

The second place you’re asked to free some villagers is inside the Redstone Mine, and that’s where you’ll find the rune.
To get the rune, you have to activate a switch that is hidden behind some Redstone blocks near the room’s exit on the left side.
You’ll need to scour the ground thoroughly to unearth this one.
The rune is behind a secret door that will appear once the button is pressed.

How to Find the Desert Temple Rune Location

You can get the Gold Key Golem that will unlock the door if you follow the mission marker to the location.
To the right of the door leading to the space housing the key is a lever. Activate the secret door by pulling the level.

How to Find the Fiery Forge Rune Location

The Fiery Forge rune can be accessed by pulling a lever in the large mine, near the map’s prologue. The lever is situated next to the Redstone Golem, which can be found on the ground in the room’s initial phase.
If you pull the lever, a door will open up inside where you can retrieve the rune.

How to Find the Highblock Halls Rune Location

The rune can be found in the open market area of Highblock Halls, higher up to the right. This is close to a structure with a rooftop accessible to the public.
When you get to the right spot, pull the lever on the wall and you’ll enter a secret chamber.
Proceed indoors and activate the rune.

How to Find the Obsidian Pinnacle Rune Location

The Obsidian Pinnacle rune is located in the library-like area toward the map’s latter half. When you get inside, look for a small library marked on your map and follow the mission marker there.
You need to clear out the hordes before you can reach the bookshelves in the room’s back corner. To unlock a door, use the book on the left and interact with it.
Enter and use the rune on the ground.

How to Get to the Secret Moo? Level

Once you’ve gathered all the runes, you can press the button inside the church again to open a secret passage to a room with two chests and a map. If you have this map, you can enter the hidden area labeled “???”.

Complexity in its simplicity

Because Minecraft’s world is generated procedurally, no two playthroughs will ever be the same. In addition, there are close to 400 one-of-a-kind items to find and acquire. Redstone, the game’s equivalent of electricity, is widely regarded as one of the game’s best innovations. As a result of this feature, players have been able to create everything from complex puzzles and mazes to roller coasters and even a fully functional iPhone 6.

Minecraft is unique among video games because of its emphasis on player creativity. It not only allows you to do whatever you want, but also equips you with potent tools to make anything you can think of. Although it may center on fundamental activities like mining and crafting, there is no limit to how far you can progress.

How to Find All 9 Rune Locations - Minecraft: Dungeons Wiki Guide - IGN

Play how you want

There’s still plenty to do in Minecraft, even if you can’t build an iPhone 6 from scratch (or even if you can’t bear to think about it). Minecraft allows players to build incredible structures and more. You don’t have to make anything complicated if you’d rather devote your time to traveling. Discovering new areas and amassing a collection of potent weapons to use on your adventures is a major part of the fun. Your own style of play is encouraged in the game. Playing Minecraft in any way you like will never feel like a mistake. There is a lot to do in any mode, even if you don’t want to build anything particularly complex. Have fun digging for diamonds, exploring underground caverns, starting a farm, raising livestock, or constructing a basic home. You and your pals can work together to construct buildings, embark on quests, and conduct bizarre blocky experiments.

Available on a wide variety of devices

The Minecraft games come in two different flavors: the Java Edition and the Bedrock Edition. Bedrock can be played on a wide variety of devices, including Android, iOS, and game consoles, but the Java edition is PC-only. In order to play on a PC despite the ban, you must launch the Bedrock client. As Microsoft is now the sole owner of Minecraft, you only need one login (your Xbox Live credential) to access the game across all of your devices. Makers of Minecraft were foresighted in making the game accessible on a wide variety of platforms. The developers’ consideration of cross-platform play allows you to compete against, and collaborate with, friends who have the game on a different platform.

When you feel stuck, explore the ever-expanding mod community and give modding a try. Minecraft has one of the largest modding communities in the gaming industry, with a wide variety of mods available to suit different tastes and budgets. We assume that your interest in Minecraft has been piqued because you are reading this, and we urge you to give the game a try to determine for yourself whether or not its reputation as the most played PC game of all time is justified. It’s fascinating to learn about all the things you can do in Minecraft, but experiencing it for yourself is a lot more exciting.

How to unlock the secret cow level in Minecraft Dungeons

Getting to the hidden cow level requires a lot of deception. Lacking the proper context, it is highly unlikely that you will ever find the key to this hidden level. The first order of business is to locate the fortified encampment. South-east of the main camp area, there is a drawbridge that can be raised. In order to lower the drawbridge, you’ll need to get to the other side, but that means finding a new route.

To access the secret cow level, you must first complete the campaign on easy. After the campaign is over, head south-east from the camp where you spawned. Leave the house in your rearview mirror and proceed. The area should be equipped with springs, which can be used to traverse to the other side.
Here, an arrow indicates a narrow tree-lined walkway that prospects can follow to reach the stronghold

Keep an eye on the trees to the south-west, as the path from here leads to an unfinished Nether portal (it’s missing a block of obsidian). It’s easy to miss the narrow path hidden among the foliage. We’ve marked the location of this route with an arrow in the image above. Follow the road until you reach a drawbridge. Turning on the switch will allow you to bypass the longer route back to base camp. Continue on into the fort’s interior.

In this stronghold, you can keep a tally of all the runes you’ve uncovered. The button in the rear of the fort will be highlighted with a triangle rune if this is your first time visiting. More letters on the back wall will light up when the button is pressed as you collect runes. The image of a dog on the far wall can be clicked for hints about the location of the runes. Upon retrieval of all nine runes, return here and activate the switch.

Minecraft Dungeons cow level explained

In case you have all nine runes, the door to the fort will open when you push the button at the end of the hall. Two chests and a level map can be found inside. Using the map, you can gain access to the?????? area.

There are a lot of Mooshrooms around here. Their approach is slow and hostile. There are numerous side passages that lead to treasure chests and additional Mooshrooms. If you have the right build, these Mooshrooms can be a great way to grind experience points, so be sure to check out our guide to the best builds for Minecraft dungeons.

As the final boss of the level, the “Mooshroom Monstrocity” must be defeated. The golem uses Mooshrooms instead of lava and fire, making it similar to the boss of the Fiery Forge. If you can use a Wind Horn to slow the boss down, defeating it is relatively simple. You’ll have to keep up with the Mooshrooms while dodging slams and mushroom bolts from the Monstrocity. Fortunately, there are ledges at various heights where you can take refuge.