Mojang showed off more of its upcoming action-strategy spin-off Minecraft Legends at Minecraft Live today, including an early look at the game’s four-player co-op. We also found out more about what your hero is using in the fight against the Piglin Invasion, and met some of the game’s key allies. Check out the trailer below for a fresh look at Legends’ 2023 launch.

Earlier this week, I attended a Legends briefing with Director Narrative Design, Kevin Grace, who insisted that the game is primarily about “making friends.” Don’t worry, you’re thinking of proper Minecraft spin-off here – your character will still beat piglins. However, making friends is easy with the three tools that Legends puts at your disposal, namely the Flame of Creation, the Banner of Courage, and a magical lute. The flame can spawn friendly mobs, while the banner gathers and commands those friends. Grace said music is also important to the way Legends plays, and playing the right tune on the lute is useful for summoning allies to gather resources and build for you.

The Legends version of the overworld comes under attack when you start the game, and Grace showed off a few more types of piglins that you’ll encounter in battle. Instead of vanilla Minecraft’s “ugly-cute” creatures, Grace said these piglins are “more dangerous-cute” and perfectly happy to stab your character. Each type of Piglin has their own personalities, fighting styles, and bases to bring down. We were also introduced to what Grace called the voices of the overworld, the hosts known as foresight, action, and knowledge. These characters are the ones who will give your character their tools and help guide you through Legends.

I’m not exactly sure why, but Legends really makes me think of a 3D version of Kingdom: New Lands. Perhaps it’s the mounted player character, the towers erected in the wilderness, or the bands of fiercely cute enemies that you need to attack your assembled, roving band of minions. Whatever it is, I’m digging it up. It’s reassuring to know that Homeworld 3 developers Blackbird Interactive are working with Mojang on the game to bring that extra dose of strategy nous. Grace said the game has a greater emphasis on story than other Minecraft games, which is another appealing change.

We haven’t heard much about Minecraft Legends since Ed showed up at Gamescom with a preview build in August and was won over by his combination of strategy and blocks. “From what I understand, your job here is less about dishing out the hardest hits like an unstoppable army commander and more about acting as a support system for your troops,” he said. “They are the ones who can bring down fortresses; They divide themselves through the things that stand in their way and make sure they carry out their tasks effectively. You’ll get by with a little help from your friends I think.

Minecraft Legends is slated for release on Steam and the Microsoft Store in Spring 2023. It’s also coming to PC Game Pass at launch.