Saving the Server from Sculk! ▫ Empires SMP Season 2 ▫ Minecraft 1.19 Let's Play [Ep.25]

Empires SMP Season 2 continues!
Empires SMP is a Minecraft 1.19 multiplayer server with a small group of incredible content creators... and our equally incredible visitors from Hermitcraft!
In today's episode, the Sculk spread has gone too far. Cubfan135 is possessed, and has been hiding Sculk Catalysts and swapping lights for soul torches in an attempt to spread sculk throughout the server! With the infection now reaching the Museum and the Greatbridge, I confront Cub about the Sculk menace and recruit Falsesymmetry and Shubble to help me restore Cub back to his old self again.
We also get help from cleaning lady PearlescentMoon and museum security engineer JoeHills to fix up the Ancient Capital!
Throughout this series I'll be collaborating, trading, scheming and fighting with a bunch of awesome creators! You can find their channels below:
‪@bdoubleo‬
‪@cubfan‬
‪@docm77‬
‪@FalseSymmetry‬
‪@FalseSymmetry‬
‪@fWhip‬
‪@GeminiTayMC‬
‪@GoodTimesWithScar‬
‪@Grian‬
‪@iJevin‬
‪@impulseSV‬
‪@JoeHillsTSD‬
‪@JoeyGraceffaGames‬
‪@KatherineElizabeth_‬
‪@Keralis‬
‪@ldshadowlady‬
‪@TheMythicalSausage‬
‪@TheOrionSound‬
‪@PearlescentMoon‬
‪@rendog‬
‪@Shubble‬
‪@Dangthatsalongname‬
‪@SmallishBeans‬
‪@SolidarityGaming‬
‪@TangoTekLP‬
‪@xisumavoid‬
‪@ZombieCleo‬
Cinematics recorded and rendered using the Replay Mod: replaymod.com/
Shaders used: Complementary Shaders www.curseforge.com/minecraft/...
Background Music :
Minecraft OST by C418, Lena Raine
Time lapse music: Miyolophone - "Mandragora"
Follow the Empires SMP Season 2 playlist here:
• Empires SMP Season 2 ▫...
----
Watch my streams live every Tuesday, Thursday, and Sunday around 3pm BST! / pixlriffs
Follow Pix on Twitter for video updates, screenshots, and other fun stuff! / pixlriffs
GNU Paranor001
#Minecraft #Survival #Multiplayer #Empires #SMP

[@Kat999xx]

Pearl bringing Pix his favourite rock in the game, and him responding with "I like you. Friend", a netherite tool and a cleaning lady job is friendship goals and you can't convince me otherwise

[@darubyprincxx]

autism to autism communication

[@aramere3650]

I think he fell in love in that moment

[@dingo4ever]

"I like you, friend" might be the best most wholesome line ever said

[@thenopequeen]

Brings you shiny rocks "I like you. Friend" Relatable

[@sierrad.7654]

Yessssss

[@ahaaas9433]

Pix complementing sculk through his gritted teeth is so hilarious. "yes :) sculk :) so great :)"

[@KitsukiiPlays]

Right?! I watched CubFan first and it was “why is Pixl acting sus?!”

[@Lynthari]

Right lol I feel for his dentist 🦷 lol

[@thememeqween]

hehe

[@Dandygirl_94]

Pix is such a good actor 😅 I would have believed him if my brain was full of skulk. I love the cinematic effort that Pix puts into his videos, they are truly a masterpiece.

[@flamingtorrent2109]

“You got a whole bunch more so :) really excited :) to see”

[@sexy_seal]

at the start of the series: *I'm not gonna have a story* now: *conqueror of skulk* *lord of copper* *the historian* *discoverer of the dodos* *archeologist* *David's dad* *father of the server*

[@takoyakiiii]

Also David's Dad

[@stan8479]

And RenDog’s dad!

[@charlessandison5740]

Professional Dad

[@KP-cb4sy]

Cocatrice slayer?

[@runedoom]

Grumbot's dad when the hermits leave.

[@sardsvib]

Are we just gonna ignore that Pix said "well, I've taken care of demons before"

[@wanderingaceminecraftandmo8034]

This implies his encounter with Xornoth is in his memories... given the more loremaster attributes he has... *the fate of the Pixandrian King revealed?!*

[@ttry1152]

​@@wanderingaceminecraftandmo8034 could u exolain the finally?

[@crow__bar]

Hermitcraft joining Empires: *-Steals-** Borrows items from members* *Destroys the economy with farms* *Starts a server-wide killing game* *Spreads sculk everywhere* *Refuses to elaborate* Truly agents of chaos the lot of them.

[@thegameplayer125]

and also has awoken the homicidal urges in empires false

[@magicaleraser2914]

I love how cub is just playing the role of the little kid while Shelby is the doctor/therapist trying to give him medicine

[@BeeDrill..]

Doctor?

[@grimmsoul3096]

dictor? do you mean doctor or dictator?

[@magicaleraser2914]

@@grimmsoul3096 DOCTOR-

[@grimmsoul3096]

@@magicaleraser2914 ok lol

[@randomwingithingy]

And so the saga of the sculk comes to a close...I love that the solution was to literally splash him with every potion possible lol

[@magicaleraser2914]

Ikr?

[@RandomGuyFelix]

They gotta make him get the "How Did We Get Here?" achievement

[@luigiboi4244]

Honestly I would have just built a decontamination chamber, trap him in it, and then flood it with hand sanitizer, bleach, or something like that.

[@magicaleraser2914]

@@luigiboi4244 I would've built that soul-sqeezing machine Mumbo made when he was a pig

[@Dandygirl_94]

@luigiboi4244 this was certainly the discount equivalent of that 😅 just trap him in a hole and potion him

[@dohnemerinogaming]

Pixl to Pearl: Theres a resemblence, and cleanliness is next to godliness... Pixl to Cub: There's probably a cleaning vacancy, you should take it I think Pixl is raising the next God of Empires.....

[@meeshell9173]

Yup

[@flamingtorrent2109]

We don’t need another one 😂

[@Snowstorm174]

@@flamingtorrent2109 empires can always use another deity

[@rudrodeepchatterjee]

@@Snowstorm174 We got the Sun, we got the Pearl, now we need the Soap!!! #Soapfan135

[@Zeldrake]

I know Pix said he doesn't go too deep into the stories but him getting stuck in this one was amazing, quips like "They might have a vacancy for a cleaner? Consider applying" are masterful

[@Pixlriffs]

My whole approach to this season has been to help other people tell their stories. I'm not aiming to have a personal character arc, but I can still help make everyone else's arc a success 😄

[@theimmortalhipster]

“I like you. Friend.” Is the most wholesome interaction ever😂 Also loving the little ways you’ve been getting directly into the role play with everyone else! This series has been so fun to watch!

[@AtticHaunt321]

For someone who was self-admittedly not much of a role player in season 1, you’ve come a long way! Well done, sir!

[@LeopardMask12]

+

[@stormynoga]

Pix has the secret lore ability we never knew about

[@ttry1152]

Lored of lore

[@kiorashiro6108]

S1 empires corruption solution: we need all these complex things from every empire to banish Xornoth in a complex ritual. S2 empires corruption solution: haha potions go brrrrr

[@shipradev911]

Lmao

[@rebeccaharbison1742]

Clearly it's because Pix and False weren't part of the de-corruption plot in S1. 😜 (Yes, I know that's not the reason, but I find it funny.)

[@matthewparker9276]

Cub was merely infected, they still need to destroy the source, which will put up a stronger fight.

[@HydraNara15]

@@matthewparker9276 Oh my flame you're right... Xornoth was released at the end of Empires, wasn't he? ... Has he harnessed the sculk...?

[@JessalienYT]

@@HydraNara15 he also died when Scott did sorry if I spoiled it but I'm pretty sure a lot of people know this most people who watch empires

[@rootyful]

"This is going to need some Serious Dedication" Love that I knew immediately where this is going

[@stan8479]

We all deserve to play Minecraft with someone as gentle and dedicated as Pix.

[@grazzap56789]

"Im still alive....." CHOP! "Not anymore Cub....." Priceless

[@LeopardMask12]

I love the way he said it. Kinda badass, but also regretful. By killing Cub, Pix did something that wasn't pleasant, but had to be done...

[@aramere3650]

I love how Pearl showed up with blocks and cleaning on the mind and Pix fell head over heels in love 😂

[@jerrydoesyoutube]

In love with cleaning

[@Kat999xx]

And so the sculk saga ends! Why do I feel like everything's coming to a close so quickly 😢I don't want the hermits to go home...

[@lordofdarkness4204]

I swear if this series ends right after the Hermits leaves I am not going to be happy...

[@Kat999xx]

​@@lordofdarkness4204 I don't think it will, purely because the hermits all have unfinished projects. A good example would be Tango with Decked Out 2

[@Kat999xx]

​@@lordofdarkness4204 However, I am crossing my fingers in hoping that maybe, just maybe, there'll be another sort of hermitcraft-empires crossover, in which the Empires and Hermits can travel freely to and from each other's worlds (obviously without bringing items across, the hermits would easily crash the Empires economy) whenever they feel like it. Maybe something to do with "lore" and the rift being stuck in "limbo"

[@lolli_popples]

Well your in luck because a certain Sheriff and Goblin aren’t too keen on them leaving yet either.

[@_kaleido]

I have a feeling that Jimmy’s and Fwhip’s new arc of trying to keep the Hermits from going home is going to lead to something. It might lead to the Hermits being stuck in Empires for a while longer, it might lead to an empires season finale, but I have a feeling that they might mess something up and the Emperors will end up stuck in the Hermitcraft server. Then they’ll get to tour and build stuff there like the Hermits did!

[@mcwheesus]

I wonder if the slowdown in the timelapse at 25:43 was a nod to Pearl's timelapses.

[@Pixlriffs]

Absolutely was, lol. I've been watching Pearl for the recap the past couple of years, I've always enjoyed the way she edits time lapses

[@danielbellus7067]

My name's Riffs, Pixlriffs - archeologist, historian and double skulk agent - at Your service!

[@danielrhouck]

15:28 “throw a cocktail of potions at him” A *furious* cocktail, to be specific.

[@limistonya]

I stopped by a few times in pix's twitch streams and saw how he was using litematica to find them (someone in chat taught him how to use the verifier to highlight the catalysts as "incorrect blocks" in the world) and i found that method so ingenious and efficient! i know it doesn't fit in the lore-centric episodes of empires, but i think its depressing that people on youtube dont get to see the magic of it happening because it was a) genius and b) still an unfathomable amount of work

[@itszeewoah7654]

Pix's voice is just so calming I want him to read to a bed time story(◍•ᴗ•◍)

[@darubyprincxx]

hey, good news! over on his twitch livestreams, pix has been reading LOTR! i'm not sure where exactly to find it, but i'm sure there are archives somewhere :]

[@kazville_]

he does have a podcast with joel duggan called the spawn chunks if you want to check that out

[@liamengram6326]

​@@darubyprincxx They are on his partner's twitch where they are hand writing out the LOTR books. Celerymin on Twitch for the VODs.

[@katyamak]

I legit sometimes listen to his minecraft guide series videos at bedtime sometimes. Hes just so chill :)

[@eloquentornot]

Brilliant! I love how the forced smile is audible in your voice as you talk about how the sculk is spreading all over your base! I wonder if because you showed Cub The Machine, maybe the Evermoor fog knows about it now? I also noticed that the patch of sculk around Cub's head looks a bit bigger with those veins added to it at the end, maybe this isn't quite over even if Cub is no longer involved... Also I love the interaction with Pearl, so fun!

[@h.cschannel]

this episode was amazing start to finish. loved seeing c!pix mad because something interesting always happens when that happens. the idea of tricking cub with the disguise and the "I love skul :) it's so *suprress shudder* pretty!" to get pix to come alone was brillent. the skin was beautiful buoth in looks and how it had the fandom panicking. loved how you/pix was still acting friendly with cub as you continued to try to kill him and getting false and shelby involved with the potions was great. the scenes with pearl was so wholesome and adorable to watch. the "I like you. friend." is my favorite even with the tease with the pearl lore at the end. joe did a very good job and now we have a new outdoor wing to museum and a memory of the event. also shoutout to false_ and pix's very polar reactions to seeing a giant toad.

[@LeopardMask12]

Yesss, c!Pix getting angry is so good. The beginning of this episode really gave me similar vibes to the season 1 rant about doing better pranks!

[@h.cschannel]

@@LeopardMask12 same! he didn't seem quite as angry and more distraught but similar vibes

[@SilasOfTheWoods]

Honestly the whole “past villain gets memory loss and then becomes a janitor” gives serious Bob from Percy Jackson

[@Sherin974]

Man you are, real bold or crazy to be walking around 400 levels with all this skulk everywhere.

[@Pixlriffs]

Fun fact: when killed, regardless of how much XP the player has, you can only ever drop 100 XP. That's the equivalent of 7 and a half levels. Which is why you never reclaim more XP than that when you die and return to get your items. That's still enough to spread 100 sculk blocks, which sucks, but nowhere near as much as 652,780 sculk blocks would

[@Chriscsg89]

@@Pixlriffs Now that is a fun fact! The more you know

[@TheKweenII_09]

@@Pixlriffs big brain

[@lolli_popples]

Lets hope the fog doesn’t possess more people. It clearly has an agenda.

[@Brenilla]

Having an outdoor exhibits/sculpture garden as a museum extension would be amazing!

[@Coffin_Bean]

I think the sculk from where Cub died has spread a little, might wanna contain it asap 👀 As always, great video! Have a feeling this won’t be the last of the sculk 😮

[@spiritomb108]

There's a good the entity known as "Skubfan135" isn't finished yet...

[@JustAnODSTyt]

Two People can’t be first. Therefore I denounce the two laying claim, and shall claim first place for myself

[@lightning_11]

10/10 roleplaying, Pixelffs. I love how well you played the part of someone pretending to agree with Cubfan while secretly hating everything he was doing!

[@holly2786]

I imagine pix trying to sit through the conversation with cub just thinking about how slimy and gross he feels with the sculk all over him

[@sallystar4498]

Yes. Just yes. That would suck.

[@jennymay9793]

The hole story of the sculk was so much fun, and Pix roping in False and Shelby to get Cub back from being possessed was so much fun , I love the lore and role play it adds so much more to just epic building. The cleaning lady giving Pix the tiny ore you could tell Pix loved it😁😎.

[@LeopardMask12]

I want to highlight something that was very subtle, that idk how many people would have noticed. The way you, when you first started talking to Cub, sounded like you were trying to match the vocal style that Cub has been using whenever he's being affected by the sculk?? But not just sounding like you were trying to do that same voice, but sounding like you were trying to *mimic* that voice to convince Cub that you had been sculked too. It worked _so well._

[@ToppyTree]

"I'd love to take some off your hands" 5:15 really gave me a good laugh Pix

[@screamer22222]

"this is gonna take some serious dedication...", i see what you did there, very clever indeed

[@comadustfire4795]

Loved this episode Pix! With the Hermits throwing out leaving corrupt Cub on Empires when they travel home, it wasn't looking good for him. Great job on curing him. Your interactions with Pearl were so much fun to watch.

[@remainingquestions904]

i noticed your wings havent gotten a fancy look yet - if youre looking for ideas, how about stitched together old maps?

[@thomasfplm]

It would be funny if Cub came out with giant ears and the size of a toy.

[@sansplays123]

The thing that makes me paranoid most in this video is pix has 400 levels

[@charliethunkman]

Well, thats only about 20 minutes of work to rebuild. As long as he doesn’t die near skulk its perfectly fine.

[@rudrodeepchatterjee]

@@charliethunkman even if he does it's still not that bad, because he will only drop 7 levels i.e 100 xp. That would mean a lot of skulk and skulk utilities, but not as much as you think.

[@QuasarEE]

Was a bit afraid a Dark Cubfan clone was going to rise out of the sculk at the end 😆

[@izzyliberty8720]

oh my Pix really did just roll around in a bunch of sculk to look like cub, huh... lika chinchilla in a dust bath

[@TheEmergencyBanana]

Fun fact: frogs will eat any food they can fit in there mouths (even other frogs).

[@salemoleander]

"I'm really excited to see what you do with those" said like it's being stated under threat of death lol I love the conclusion to this plot! Disguising yourself was a masterstroke

[@tnichols312]

I couldn’t tell if it was a bit, or if Pix was genuinely mad about the damage to the ancient capital

[@ryanreklaw]

I think he was a little agitated about it since a lot of his base is natural generated blocks and is mostly outside and is near an area that is almost always being loaded so mobs were dying/spreading skulk without him even being online. Cub did not mean to cause such harm though and Pix knows this, but from watching Pixs 3 hr stream of catalyst hunting he had moments of agitation showing; especially when asked if anyone knew about the extent that Cub went on the server... Cub is a hardcore grinder and one hell of a trickster... and I think behind the scenes he(Cub) came and helped clean up a little too himself.

[@Zeldrake]

@@ryanreklaw People forget that Cub had no megabase or huge industrial area on Hermitcraft S9. Instead, Cub built *Total Chaos.* That kind of energy and mad ingenuity doesn't go away overnight. :P

[@marxmaiale9981]

Cuban would make a good Joker. He had a good run at a villan arc, very effective...maybe too good at it.

[@Yirggzmb]

Cub is scary and I love it

[@meetgor534]

16:20 either i am missing something or this is a teaser to archaeologist pix's backstory.

[@sallystar4498]

I hope so. Can't tell if it's season 1 reference or season 2 lore but so few people are talking about it

[@juniper7339]

Is anyone else concerned about Pixlriffs getting so close to sculk so much? Seems like covering yourself in it, digging so much of it up...well, I'm pretty sure he didn't put it over his eyes, but they were blue anyway...

[@DaleTrevors]

I love how Pixlriffs leaned into the storytelling aspect of this series and fully embraced the role-playing part of this show. One of my absolutely favourite characters

[@abeldahlin1994]

Just finished Pearls video, now another great video from an awesome person, thanks for the amazing videos.

[@LaGrenouille09]

I LOVE the story telling in this episode! And the collabs. Amazing!

[@Raining4rain]

Finally, we got the conclusion to the mystery in pearls video

[@lightning_11]

It's fun to watch Pixelriffs get forced out of the passive place he has taken in the lore for so long...

[@retropockystick]

aww im just so happy to see Pix having fun and socializing with everyone! ♥

[@gayalouage3616]

The emerald ore is with fwip in his gold pile in his base! Go get it pix!

[@mtaylo26]

Great video!!! I am glad people are hiring the cleaning lady. I am actually happy that Cub is cured because it was driving me crazy...lol I was like, oh they worked so hard to make their empires look good. Shelby really needs to do something about that Fog. This has been a great crossover. I hope the Hermit viewers have enjoyed it as much as we have.

[@shumpytastic3577]

really wish sadist was a fan of empires so they could draw fights from this :(

[@charlotteadam7864]

“Points to anyone in the comments who can figure out where this is going” Pix is this a reference to you giving the unwitting incarnation of the harvest goddess an all powerful scythe

[@annepopmc]

I literally love the collabs from this crossover - so fun

[@Undercover_Pineapple]

I smiled through most of this! I needed this! Thanks Pix (and everyone else) for such a brilliant episode!

[@hiddenunderhatse8094]

The righteous indignation at the begining it reminded me of the season one Copper King like it's almost like he was channeling his aggravation and it's all NOT Again not on my watch! And the bit with Pearl was touching All I have to say was this was awesome

[@pinknolan]

I would love it if the sculk left at the base of the tree grew into its roots and grew into an “sculk tree” that has to be contained

[@selasiovec8581]

this does make an interesting path forward for the Evermore though. will the potions work on the fog or does it just work on the sculk? Pix and Pearl are two wholesome peas in a pod :) and i'm here for it

[@mimihochkeppel4435]

I believe that sculk cub should be considered a cthonic horror rather than a cosmic one, due to his ties to the underground, the souls he shepherds, and the fact that death makes him stronger.

[@gkac9864]

Hehe "it's gonna take some serious dedication" very funny Pix 23:39

[@StarNanny]

Thank goodness! I was beginning to fear timing was off and a point of no return was imminent. That sculk stuff is no joke. 👍

[@ajbiffl4695]

smh missed opportunity when cub was like "i see the skulk on your skin" you should've gone "it's starting to grow on me"

[@thegameplayer125]

an end to what is by far the most bizarre story in empires and 1 of the most bizarre stories on hermits season 9

[@spielesicherung6009]

The "backstabbing whit a trident" moment would have been a lot more dramatic if cub actually died....

[@princesskitty9574]

He's like a giddy little puppy when he saw what pearl brought XD

[@spyseahorse4277]

Missed pearl at the start of season 2 but shes here now 👍👍

[@ayo-its-raven8780]

was i the only one that realized that sculk patch around cub's head had grown bigger at the end?

[@lrrrruleroftheplanetomicro7221]

Empire’s False bloodlust showing within the first sentence

[@MrBarstow]

I love how Cub low key left a catalyst in the hole he climbed out of.

[@joda7697]

Love that you got the cleaning lady in on this. Always a pleasure seeing pearl.

[@seanabbott4164]

I love the throw back to the Machine! Although when you brought Cub down there I was definitely concerned. LoL Bringing an Eldritch Skulk horror to a machine that Mass produces Skulk... Seemed like a terrible idea. Glad it worked out!

[@KM-vv5bu]

Pix and Pearl have the best interactions!! So wholesome

[@seanm7445]

28:30 Skulk-ture park!

[@tristanscott5037]

does this mean we can now call Pix ,Shubble ,and False the Skulk Busters

[@eroraf8637]

Think you missed a sculk vein on the statue. At 26:00 after the cleanup timelapse, just below the diagonal bit. Just thought you might like to know.

[@jordanian4477]

This ep was so damn good, excellent story telling pix, loved the sculk arc, glad Cub is cured

[@xxxTheManOnFirexxx]

Such a great episode. The ancient capital rises again! (Plus perfect levels of rp)

[@hannahjordan573]

Pixelriffs should totally join Hermitcraft!😊

[@eduardpeeterlemming]

Short but lore heavy saga

[@jithebee]

looking forward to seeing what the Cub sculkcture is going to be :)

[@percymalice3587]

i feel like the "real" cub wudve done it much worse hahaha, sculk cub is just huge scale prank, normal cub is huge scale prank+profits.

[@charlize6794]

"we will throw the book at him" LOLLL pix HAHA

[@SushiKat_Studios]

Love how each ‘conflict’ in empires has a color scheme associated with a recent mc update ❤

[@laurenismeme]

18:59 Great quote XD

[@glitchedgamerz]

The Sculkian has a chance to arrive by using the power of the fog. The Sculked Air released is hidden but it exists.

[@sicksid3534]

Nice Episode! Cool to see you cut off the problem at it's source! Glad that you thought of getting shelby involved! Really was a good strat! And who better to solve the problem than the preserver of this wonderful world!

[@adhallya]

Fun fact: my city has the biggest outdoor museum in the country, spread all over the city, in the parks and parking lots, so it could be pretty fun to have one in the Ancient Capital 😄

[@sierrad.7654]

“I like you-friend”

[@Shark_cool]

Imagine if Pix defeats Cub 300 style. "This is EMPIRES!"

[@PotatoFaceMakeup]

I love your profile pic and name

[@jamesshepherd2649]

I loved this episode. I listened to spawn chunks first and was so excited for this but that was alot of fun nice to see the hermits getting into the story(LORE)

[@Logan0503]

This was a very good episode! It’s cool to see you participate a bit more directly in the RP and the lore, even though that’s not your main role on the server.

[@ahnafmuntaha4183]

Pix (wagging tail): I like you, friend!!!

[@vickiefederico6376]

Awesome content. I love your posts and you streams. Thank you for sharing 😊

[@mace1234]

I love the little piano notes at the very beginning, very beautiful