Minecraft has existed for a long time, and over the years, players started to add their own touch to the game in the form of mods. Some of these mods, despite being created almost over 10 years ago, still exist or have contributed to making the game's modding scene what it is today. Let's explore a few of the mods that have changed Minecraft's history.
1. Ice and Fire
Ice and Fire: Dragons is a mod that was originally created for Minecraft 1.10.2, peaking in popularity in version 1.12.2. The project is somewhat updated to this day, having its latest update for 1.20.1.
The mod is about dragons, as the title suggests, and other mythological creatures.
The project was a great success, now sitting at over 98 million downloads and having a sequel, Ice and Fire II, in the works. It has inspired many other creations, as well as addons for the project and modpacks centered around it.
You'll be able to find Dragon nests around your world, which contain precious loot and resources guarded by these dangerous entities. Brave adventurers could attempt to slay a dragon, and even a few could domesticate one. That's right, you can tame a dragon. Explore the world of Ice and Fire and become a dragon master!
2. Thermal Expansion
Thermal is a series of mods that have been a cornerstone of Minecraft modding for well over a decade, covering diverse categories like farming, logistics and transport, mobility, and more!
The mods receive regular updates, and the series is not over yet! The size and ambitions of this project are immense, and it is safe to say it was (and still is!) a pillar in the Minecraft modding community.
3. Mowzie's Mobs
Mowzie's Mobs was one of the first mods to add bosses to the game.
However, it differentiates itself from others for its unique battles and fluid animations.
The project has its roots in the early versions of Minecraft, being created almost 10 years ago for 1.7.10.
These monsters can be found all over the world, like the Ferrous Wroughtnaut, a giant armored knight with only one weakness, and the Frostmaw, a colossal ice creature possessing a precious ice crystal with the powers of winter.
The mod is still updated today! It is even playable in the newer versions of the game, for example, 1.21.1, a common modded version. It has, without a doubt, inspired other boss mods, now popular for its uniqueness.
4. Mekanism
Mekanism is the grandfather of tech machinery mods, having a staggering 160 million downloads on CurseForge. The mod revolutionizes the way Minecraft is played, introducing tiers of machinery for every stage of gameplay. Every Mekanism machine can be upgraded to a factory, essentially turning into your very own super unit.
It doesn't stop there. The mod has multiple other tools to make your experience greater, like hydrogen-powered Jetpacks to let you reach the highest places with no difficulty, a small, cute, and loyal robotic friend that follows you around, and a Digital Miner thanks to which you can say goodbye to evenings spent mining!
And let's not forget... the heavy core of the whole operation. A Fusion Reactor used to harness the power of the sun into heavy machinery.
Mekanism possesses multiple addons to expand your journey even further, and with their documentation always available, you'll enjoy immersing into the technological world brought to Minecraft.
5. Apotheosis
Apotheosis lets you reach the peak of your strength and get the most out of your equipment while staying true to vanilla mechanics.
Apotheosis is massive, and to be able to cover the aspects of the mod, we need to dive into its additions.
Affix Items
Affixes strengthen any item you may find. Similarly to enchantments, they are applied to items, but they work differently. Each affix item has a Rarity, which controls what types of affixes it will receive and how strong they are, giving stats boosts or more power-ups.
Gems and Sockets
Sockets are like slots that allow you to attach Gems to your items. These essentially grant more buffs of their own and have a custom rarity system, from a low level like Flawed to a top-notch level, Perfect.
World Tiers
World Tiers are a progression system for you, your gear, and your enemies.
There are five tiers that require you to complete special challenges to advance, but with a great reward.
A higher tier means getting better loot drops with powerful Affixes and being able to find Unflawed and Perfect Gems, turning you into an all-powerful entity.
There is more, check it out on the official page of Apotheosis!
6. Applied Energistics 2
AE2 is an automation mod with a unique approach to inventory management. The mod revolves around using sci-fi machines to convert matter into energy.
Applied Energistics revolutionizes storage in Minecraft by adding a network-based digital storage system, where items and blocks are stored as energy in a digital form within a network of connected devices.
The mod also introduces other quality of life additions, like Auto-Crafting, Networking, and Channels, allowing devices connected to the same network to communicate and interact with each other, and Spatial Storage, allowing players to store entire regions of space digitally.
It's not all, as there are Unique Resources to discover to fabricate these contraptions.
AE2 is known for the complexity and depth it adds to Minecraft's tech gameplay, so if you are a player who loves to automate processes for your grinding session, this is the mod for you.
7. The Twilight Forest
A classic mod that is still popular today is The Twilight Forest.
It's a brand new dimension filled to the brim with bosses and new mobs, blocks, trees, tools, and creatures of all kinds.
The peculiarity about The Twilight Forest is that, unlike other dimensions, where you have the freedom to do what you want, to progress here, you have a path to follow.
You start by facing mythological creatures like the Naga, a gigantic snake in a maze, and follow up in the journey that will take you across multiple lands and environments, from boiling hot to freezing cold.
The mod introduces one-of-a-kind utensils like giant tools from the Giant Clouds or the Lich's wand, giving you a protective shield.
If you manage to make your way through the enemies, you'll be rewarded, but failing in the wrong areas may cost you your most prized possessions...
8. Vampirism - Become a vampire!
To conclude, let's talk about a mod that has accompanied many players over the years for its unique theme: Vampirism.
Vampirism isn't like other mods: it doesn't add something, it lets you become it.
As suggested by its name, you can decide to transform into a Vampire and gain powerful traits and abilities.
Vampires are fast and strong, but have a few weaknesses: they are only satiated by blood, and fear the sun (also make sure to not include Garlic in your diet). As you level up through rituals that require you to slay enemies, you can unlock multiple abilities, like being able to turn into a Bat and fly!
Don't like Vampires? Hunt them down. The mod allows you to alternatively become a Vampire Hunter, giving you precise tools and mechanics to take down these dangerous creatures.
The new biome (as shown in the image) is a bloodthirsty forest full of Vampire Barons called the Vampire Forest, where you'll need to venture to obtain items required for rituals.
Despite being created a decade ago, it is still very much updated today, with many addons like Werewolves that make the experience even richer, especially in multiplayer!
What about you? Tell us your favorite mod you would play back in the day!
Was it an adventure? Technology? Maybe a new dimension?
New to the game? Tell us if you found any of the ones covered today interesting!