This guy has a surprisingly masculine voice for his size.
| “ | Hang on to you're stomach. This'll juuuuust take a second. | „ |
| ~ Knowledge before transporting the Hero into the Well of Fate. |
Welcome to my second PG proposal. Admittedly he is a pretty niche character from an already niche game, but I've had this proposal sitting in my sandbox for a while. I'm happy to finally bring him to the table.
What's the work?
Minecraft Legends is an action-strategy game, a spin-off of the best-selling video game, Minecraft. It is set thousands of years in the past, where the Piglins have started a massive invasion on the Overworld. The Hero (player) must master tools, ally with mobs, defend villages, and manage resources in order to power their army and take down the Piglins.
Who is He/What Has He Done?
Knowledge is one of the three Hosts, others being Foresight and Action, god-like characters who are known as the "Caretakers of the Overworld." They are essentially the ones who built the Minecraft world. When first discovering the Piglin invasion, they wasted no time in finding the bravest and most creative hero for the job. When the Hero willingly accepts this task, they are brought into the Well of Fate, where the Hosts give them artifacts and teach them necessary skills.
After this, the Hero is transported to the Overworld, where they set off to defeat the Piglins. The Hosts used their telepathy to communicate and gives helpful tips to the Hero whenever needed.
Onto Knowledge himself, he is arguably the most intelligent Host who loves to tinker and create things, most notably the Golems. He plays a hefty role in the construction of the Overworld, Piglin war, as well as generally being a good and helpful person. Here are a list of his actions:
- He built the Golems and Firsts to help construct the Overworld, which the Hero would later use as soldiers.
- The First of Stone helped move mountains.
- The First of Oak helped plant seeds.
- The First of Brick shielded the Hosts from the elements.
- He constructed Lighting Rod Towers to prevent forest fires.
- He created the Legendary Lute, Banner of Courage, and Flames of Creation, essential artifacts for the Hero's journey.
- He sympathized with Foresight when she was visibly distraught from witnessing the invasion.
- Along with the other Hosts, he helped teach the Hero how to use the three artifacts he created.
- Using telepathy, he frequently communicated with the Hero, providing them with useful tips.
- He provide the Hero instructions when faced with an unfamiliar duty/obstacle.
- He created the Grindstone and Mossy Golems specifically to help the Hero in their quest.
- He plays with his new Golems and introduced them to the older ones.
- With the Allays, he created a way to move around Stun Towers for the Hero.
- He helped the Hero reawaken the Firsts.
- He crafted axes for the Warriors. Knowledge was hesitant while doing this because he did not want more people fighting in the war.
- He is always very kind and supportive of his friends.
Admirable Standard
Since the Admirable Standard of Minecraft Legends isn't as high as the Heinous Standard, I'd say Knowledge stands out well. For starters, he is easily the most admirable Host. Unlike the other two, Knowledge's role in constructing the Overworld is actually known (more information in the mitigating factors section,) meaning he doesn't rely on Fridge Brilliance. Besides that, Knowledge also has the most direct role in the war, allowing the Hero with important artifacts he invented: the Legendary Lute, Banner of Courage, and Flames of Creation. He also allowed the Hero to use the Cobblestone and Plank Golems as their first soldiers. The action that stood out the most was creating the Mossy and Grindstone Golems specifically to help the Hero in their quest. This meant that Knowledge didn't just hand old technology to the Hero and called it a day, but went out of his way to make completely new ones. If not for all these gifted essentials, the Hero wouldn't have even made it to the first Piglin outpost.
Knowledge's only real competition is the Hero themselves, who allied mobs, defended villages, and defeated the Piglins. However, he still stands out because he provided the Hero most of their resources to do those deeds. On top of that, he also teaches them how to use those tools and provides important tips throughout their journey. In summary, Knowledge is the backbone of the Hero's forces, playing a huge part in saving the Overworld.
Another thing to note is the reason the Hosts never participated in combat is because they are complete pacifists. However, this doesn't mean they just sat and watched the Piglins take over their world, as all played important roles during the war, especially Knowledge.
Mitigating Factors
Knowledge has nothing in terms of corrupting factors. He is kind, pacifistic, and is always supporting the Hero whenever he can. He never displays any jerkish behaviour. Moral agency also isn't an issue because he is visibly disturbed when first witnessing the Piglins pollute the Overworld, meaning he can tell what is right and wrong.
The part where things a little questionable is off-screen heroism. It was never explained how Knowledge's Cobblestone and Plank Golems helped in the construction of the Overworld. However, this is too minor because the Firsts, another one of Knowledge's creations, DO have specifically mentioned roles in the construction. According to the Hosts, they helped move mountains, planted forests, and protected them from the harsh weather. Additionally, when the Hero comes across the Firsts while deactivated, the Hosts express proud and thankful memories of them doing those hefty deeds. Another possible problem is the creation of the Legendary Lute, Banner of Courage, and Flames of Creation. In-game, it is never mentioned that Knowledge created these, but thanks to official guide books, it is confirmed that he did.
Some might argue that Knowledge letting his Golems participate in war is inhumane, since they are shown to have personality. However, this argument does not hold up since the Golems are always eager to participate in the fighting, never showing cowardice or willing to back down. This is especially evident if we look at the first cutscene, where a Plank Golem excitedly nods when Foresight mentions that Golems will help defend the Overworld.
If you dig deep into the Legends rabbit-hole, you can find an animation from Minecraft Live where Knowledge is seen running away from the Piglins, suggesting cowardice. However, this animation is non-canon since it is just supposed to be a fun story of Jens, a well-known developer, making a guest appearance in the Legends world. Even then, Knowledge states "the Piglins are moving faster than we thought, we need more time!" meaning that retreating was the safest option anyway. Nothing canon would suggest Knowledge is a coward
Final Verdict
With his large role in saving the Overworld's millions of lives, with basically zero corrupting factors, I believe Knowledge deserves a yes. However, I'll let you guys decide.