How Minecraft's newest mob might have drawn inspiration from original Warden designs
The Warden is a horror-inspired mob created by the Minecraft team to be a force of nature the player has to face. It is summoned when sculk shriekers are activated three times and then navigates and attacks using vibrations and smell. It is nearly unkillable and has attacks like sonic boom, which can pass through blocks, shields and even other mobs. Upon defeat, the Warden drops a sculk catalyst, which converts the surrounding blocks into sculk blocks.
Creaking is the latest hostile mob introduced by Mojang. Unlike other hostile mobs, it doesn’t take damage from direct attacks, requiring a different approach to defeat. Instead, it releases orange particles that point toward its creaking heart, indicating where players must focus to eliminate it. This mob only moves and attacks when the players aren’t looking at it. When hit, the mob generates resin, which can be collected and made into different blocks.
The Warden and the Creaking are very different mobs in Minecraft, yet there may be a connection between them.
The story of the original Warden, The Stalker
On March 30, 2024, Minecraft’s official YouTube channel released an insightful video detailing the origins of one of its most terrifying mobs, the Warden. Originally, the Warden was conceived as a horror-driven experience inspired by the early days of Minecraft’s survival challenges, where the unknown was a core element of fear.
Named "The Stalker" during development, this sightless creature was designed to evoke a sense of dread and danger in the game’s darker regions, especially in the Deep Dark biome. The creators wanted players to feel as if they were being hunted, carefully navigating their surroundings as they avoided triggering sounds that would attract the Warden's attention.
Evolution of the Warden
Influences from trypophobia (the fear of holes) inspired the creation of a hollow, flesh-like design. The second design was called "The Hollowed," featuring a pale monster that resembled the Warden.
By combining favorite elements from the Hollowed and the Stalker, Mojang developed the Warden. It uses its acute sense of smell and sound to navigate. Its horns, resembling insect antennae, help detect vibrations created by the players.
Similarities and differences between Stalker and Creaking
The Creaking and the Stalker are not the same mob, but they share many similarities. The Creaking was originally designed to be Minecraft's first asymmetrical mob. However, the Stalker also has an asymmetrical design and a similar silhouette, suggesting that the Creaking might have reused elements of the Stalker’s design. Both mobs are designed to create an eerie, tense atmosphere and evoke a sense of being watched in the dark.
Despite these similarities, several key differences set the Creaking and the Stalker apart in design and behavior. For example, the Creaking is inactive while being observed, whereas the Stalker remains active. As an early version of the Warden, the Stalker could have posed a potential physical threat, in contrast to the Creaking, which does not take damage until its heart is attacked.