#NPC GRIAN AND ROBOT GRIAN MY KINGS

[heeleys-the-musical]

Hermitcraft Season 8 Theorycrafting

This is all a hypothesis, but based on current and future information I have some ideas on an overarching plotline for season 8. This is very long, so TLDR is evil alter egos wreck the server so bad they have to flee to the end/nether and nuke the overworld.

Minecraft’s Caves and Cliffs update was so big it had to be split in two. With season 7 fading and new features on the horizon, the Hermits have decided to jump right into season 8. The second part of the update has been postponed to winter 2021; this will completely change minecraft’s world generation. In the past, the Hermits have been able to update and extend the world border so they can play with new features, but I don’t see this being possible this time. This update will change the world height limit and geography so drastically it would probably break the server or make a awkward transition. What to do?

Partway through season 7, there was a major nether update. Instead of restarting the whole server or travelling very far to get the new stuff, the Hermits reset the whole dimension. Could they potentially do this with the overworld when 1.18 comes out? I’m sure it’s possible, but resetting the overworld is a pretty drastic change to make. All the builds there would be deleted and have to be abandoned. Certainly there would have to be a bigger reason.

After the success of the 3rd Life SMP, more hermits seem to be warming up to the possibility of roleplaying/improving. There’s always been a light roleplay element on Hermitcraft, and it’s only been increasing with time. I don’t think it’s impossible that they could plan long-term for a major event like this.

Evil alter egos are making a comeback! Most notably, the recent animation that heralds Evil X’s return and what appears to be a corruption of iJevin (whether this will be an alter ego or just a gimmick is still to be seen.) Helsknight was born in season 7, and Wels has already expressed a greater interest in season 8, which seems to indicate him being more active. It’s worth pointing out that Wels has embraced roleplay/lore in the past, in regards to his late arrival to season 7, and seems to adore the Helsknight character. Ren’s Stargazer plotline is following him to season 8, and Ren is basically the server’s loremaster supreme so he could lead this whole charge (after his performance in 3rd Life as the Red King I expect great things from Ren). There are other, less ‘canon’, fan favorite alter egos that could be included in this list, like NPC Grian and badtimeswithscar, or even an enemy no one saw coming, like a certain robot son that was lied to and betrayed by his fathers and now seeks revenge. The Hermits are creative people, I’m sure they can come up with even more.

My theory: season 8 begins as per usual. They play, build, mine, and have fun. The evils are there, but at the moment they are just up to regular small-scale shenanigans and allude to something bigger. The Hermits make modest bases, and perhaps have an unspoken affinity for building in dimensions other than the overworld. Over time, iJevin and potentially Ren would have to be redeemed/purified, and I’m sure they could play up their guilt about previous evil actions.

As Caves and Cliffs part 2 gets closer, the evils start to ramp up their actions. (A backup save of the server would probably have to be made at this point). I’m talking death traps, TNT dupers, murdering beloved pets, wither storms, perhaps even spawning an ender dragon in the overworld. At some point, they become unstoppable. The Hermits all agree that the only way to stop this reign of terror is to destroy the overworld dimension with the evils still in it. They evacuate, carrying all of their possessions to the other dimensions and stocking up on blocks that will no longer exist in 1.18, such as deepslate iron and coal ore. Farms are torn down and packed into shulker boxes to be reassembled. Villagers are moved to the nether. There are tearful goodbyes to day one bases.

Finally, the Hermits completely evacuate the overworld and reset the whole dimension, sealing the evils and their chaos inside. When they come back through the portal, there is a freshly generated 1.18 overworld waiting for them. Thus begins season 8.2. They have to start building from scratch, but they are able to keep all of their progress from earlier in the season. From this point on, the server proceeds as a regular SMP.

How the story proceeds from here depends on how well it went over with fans. If it wasn’t popular, all major roleplay plots can end here and they can proceed as they used to. If it does go over well with the fans, it can be hinted that the evils survived the purge and will return one day.

3rd Life SMP proved that the Hermits are capable of and very skilled at improv, and this storyline could contribute to that. This theory could be the overarching plot, but the rest of the content would be up to the creators. It would be entertaining without feeling scripted, it would explain the transition to 1.18 terrain mid-season, and it would have a set end point in case they want to tone it down later.

Thank you for coming to my TED talk, I am a fully employed and college-educated adult who spends her free time writing theories and fanfiction about the silly people playing the block game.