Minecraft is a game about creativity. Half of the play experience is devising new ways to customize your world, making the best map anyone has ever seen. While the Minecraft base game is all well and good, you can expand its creative boundaries through Minecraft mods.
Since the early days of Minecraft: Java Edition, modders have devised various ways to alter the game. You can easily download these mods thanks to the internet, making Minecraft an entirely different beast.
This guide will cover how to download a Minecraft mod and some of the best mods out there from world generation mods to scary mods.
Note: This article involves downloading third-party software. Please be aware of that before continuing.
How To Download Mods
There are various ways to install mods for Minecraft, but the easy way is through CurseForge.
CurseForge is an expansive mod manager for all sorts of video games — Minecraft being its biggest.
Let’s go over how to download CurseForge.
How to download CurseForge
1. Head to CurseForge.com
Navigate to the CurseForge.com website.
2. Download the app
Select Get CurseForge App on the website’s top-right corner.
From here, you can choose between the Windows, Mac, or Linux versions. In this guide, we’ll be covering the Windows version.
Select Download standalone.
Go through the installation and intro processes until you reach the Choose a Game screen. From here, select Minecraft.
3. Set up CurseForge’s Minecraft mods folder
After clicking Minecraft, you’re taken to a modding folder setup process. Select Standard and click Continue.
4. Browse modpacks
Now, it’s time to look at some mods. Click Browse Modpacks.
From here, you can choose between a list of mods and modpacks. Modpacks are a collection of mods put together to create a new experience, while mods are one-of-a-kind modifications to your game.
For example, Kaleidio’s Battle Pack is a modpack that includes a list of mods like Advancement Stats, AI Improvements, Better Burning, and dozens of other mods. You can choose to download individual mods like Advancement Stats or choose a Modpack with tons of mods to completely overhaul your game.
5. Install mods or modpacks
To install a modpack, simply click on it and select the Install button. The pack will automatically download and install everything it needs to run.
Once the modpack installs properly, the Install button will switch to Play. Click it, and Minecraft will launch with the mods installed.
Now, the process is complete! From here, you can browse additional mods and modpacks. Have fun altering your game!
The Best Minecraft Mods (Including The Most Popular Minecraft Mod)
Let’s get into some of the best Minecraft mods on the market.
Optifine
No matter who you ask, anyone who knows what they’re talking about will tell you Optifine is an essential Minecraft mod.
Interestingly, Optifine doesn’t add content to the game like most Minecraft mods. It’s also considered a “client” more than it is a mod due to how deeply it alters your game.
A Minecraft client is an in-depth set of features that adjust how Minecraft works on the backend. Clients might include different Minecraft launchers or user interface elements and typically change how you interact with the game at a base level.
Optifine enhances vanilla Minecraft by changing how it takes advantage of your PC’s hardware — adding shaders and dynamic lighting support while expanding your graphics customization options.
One example is the mod’s mipmap options. A higher mipmap level results in smoother textures at a distance, ensuring far away blocks look just as good as those close to you. Higher mipmap levels might tax your PC more but will slightly enhance your visual experience.
Note: Clients can significantly impact your Minecraft experience and may cause issues. Only adjust the settings you understand to minimize problems.
Other examples include a much further render distance, better fog control, and extra antialiasing levels, among many other add-ons. These additions are only possible due to Optifine’s deep control of Minecraft, hence its need to be a client instead of a mod.
The client has also been known to increase frame rates (fps) on lower-end machines. If you only pick one download from our list, make it this one.
Biomes O Plenty
Biomes O Plenty adds various new biomes to your Minecraft world, expanding upon the base game biomes quite a bit.
More than new biomes, however, this mod adds extra custom content like trees, blocks, and plants. It’s an excellent way to spice up your Minecraft exploration.
Alex’s Mobs
Alex’s Mobs adds 89 monsters, bosses, and other new mobs to make your Minecraft world feel more alive.
Each of these new mobs has a purpose: dropping items or adding a challenge to your play experience.
Many mobs are based on real animals; some are bosses in the Overworld, Nether, and The End.
If you want your Minecraft exploration to feel new again, this mod will do the trick.
Twilight Forest
Twilight Forest is a very popular dimension mod that essentially adds a new world to your game.
According to the mod creator, this map introduces new weapons and armor, dungeons, bosses, and even combat or gameplay mechanics.
It’s a must-have mod for those wanting another map to explore — one full of hand-crafted content.
Note: The mod website states that it does not work with Optifine. You’ll have to uninstall the Optifine file to use this mod. Your FPS shouldn’t take too much of a hit!
Just Enough Items
Just Enough Items is less of a mechanics and gameplay overhaul mod than many of the best mods.
Instead, it provides a new user interface for viewing and organizing Minecraft crafting recipes.
Installing this mod removes the need to memorize or look up crafting table recipes, keeping your experience in-game.
Plus, the mod creator allows other mods to utilize Just Enough Items, meaning mods that add tools, weapons, or blocks will also show up here.
Immersive Portals
Immersive Portals is a pretty simple mod, but it makes exploring the world much more fun.
This mod enables see-through portals and lets you walk through them without a loading screen.
This isn’t a world gen mod or anything, but a mod that enhances immersion deserves a spot in any best Minecraft mods list.
Nature’s Compass
Nature’s Compass pairs well with biome-focused mods, as it adds an item that directs you to new biomes.
This mod is highly recommended for survival players.
It dramatically speeds up the exploration process, allowing you to find specific biomes (and their blocks) without using a map.
Immersive Vehicles
The Immersive Vehicles mod doesn’t add new combat mechanics or armor.
It adds a whole new set of gameplay tools through vehicles.
That’s right — enhance your ability to explore with planes, cars, semi-trucks, and more.
This mod is a hilarious (and safe!) way to explore your Minecraft world, and it stays in the spirit of Minecraft by requiring you to craft vehicles with existing resources.
Environmental Creepers
The best Minecraft mods are made up of two aspects:
- They’re simple.
- They involve Creepers.
The Environmental Creepers mod fits the bill here — modifying Creeper explosions so they drop destroyed blocks as items.
This means you’re no longer struggling to fill Creeper holes after a surprise boom, saving you time and improving your survival mode experience.
Come Hang Or Give NameHero Game Servers A Try!
NameHero specializes in delivering some of the very best in gaming server tech without breaking the bank. DDR4-3200 RAM, NVMe storage, AMD EPYC CPU’s and more come with every Minecraft server!
Already have a server? That’s okay, come hang out with us on Discord!
Max is a freelance writer with a love for gaming and technology. He’s always looking for the next big game to play and tinkers with tech in his remaining free time.
Leave a Reply