The modding scene for Minecraft is one of the most expansive and creative out there right now. With several platforms specifically dedicated to Minecraft modding, the range of features players can add or change from those of the vanilla game is seemingly endless. Whether players want to train their own dragon, explore outer space or even catch & train Pokemon, there is a Minecraft mod out there that will allow them to do just that.
Every now and then, one mod will become so popular or add such an essential feature that the team at Mojang will have no choice but to take note. Over the years, the Minecraft community has seen modders lead the way when it comes to new developments and features in the game, some of which players couldn't imagine living without.
10 Ender Chests & Shulker Boxes - Storage Between Dimensions
One of the biggest challenges when exploring in Minecraft is managing inventory space. With a limited number of slots for items, it can be difficult to determine what valuables you keep and which players have to leave behind when on their travels.
Thankfully, the folks who developed the Ender Storage mod had an elegant solution. Crafted with Blaze Rods, Obsidian and an Ender Pearl, the player could craft an Ender Chest, which would store any items held within it, even after the chest is broken. Sound familiar? In Version 1.3, Ender Chests would become a feature in Vanilla Minecraft, giving players a personal storage system. Then, in Version 1.9, Shulker Boxes were added, which gave players even more portable storage options.
9 Various Animals - There's Always Mo' Creatures
The animal population used to be very limited. Cows, Sheep, Pigs & Chickens were the only non-hostile animal mobs that populated Minecraft, and if you wanted more, you'd have to look to the modding scene. Several mods added different animals to the game, but by far the most popular was Mo' Creatures.
Seeing the more densely-populated worlds Mo' Creatures offered players, Mojang got to work, giving players more animals for the vanilla game. Now, Horses, Turtles, Fish, Llamas, Polar Bears & Pandas all roam the infinite plains of Minecraft, with Goats & Axolotls hitting worlds in Version 1.17.
8 Raids - Defending Against An Invading Force
The NPC Villagers of Minecraft can never catch a break, it seems. As if the Zombies and Creepers of Minecraft weren't enough of a threat to their defenceless homes, modders decided they needed dedicated attackers. Various mods have the raid concept over the years, all offering slightly different takes. The Invasion Mod put the player up against waves of mobs in any location they choose, while the Raiders Mod sends attackers directly to your doorstep at random intervals.
Come Version 1.14, vanilla Minecraft would get a taste of the brutality. Dubbed the Village & Pillage Update, this update allowed villages to come under siege from the evil Illager force, bringing with it some new mobs to give players a challenge.
7 Hoppers - Transportation (And A Billion Other Uses)
Version 1.5, known as The Redstone Update, expanded the already limitless possibilities of Redstone mechanisms. One of the most significant additions was the Hopper, which sucked up items and transported them into Chests or other Hoppers. When combined with other Redstone tools, their usage became significantly expanded, allowing for contraptions the likes of which most players will never understand.
However, if a player had ever used the Buildcraft mod, the Hoppers from Version 1.5 may look rather familiar. BuildCraft's Hoppers (since renamed to Chute) are functionally similar to the vanilla ones, only with quicker item transportation and less interaction with Redstone. Still, they were a vital part of machine-building for many years.
6 Stone Variants - A Selection Box of Stone Flavours
Several mods have attempted to redesign Minecraft's cave systems for a more interesting mining experience. They usually took very different paths to this goal, but one feature that was added across the board was different types of stone. Be it IndustrialCraft's Marble or The Chisel Mod's Limestone, modders added a veritable smorgasbord of different coloured stones for use in builds.
Mojang would soon take note, as Version 1.8 filled Minecraft's caves with three new types of stone, Diorite, Granite & Andesite. Since then, Blackstone & Basalt have been added to the Nether, as well as mossy variants on some stone blocks, for a splash of color in stone-based builds.
5 Elytra - Soaring Through The Sky (Into A Wall)
Covering a lot of ground quickly can be difficult in Minecraft, so the best way is not to use the ground at all! Several mods, most notably Openblocks, have given the player some form of air travel. Sometimes it was Terraria-style wings; other times, it was Creative Mode flight. What players found the most fun was the Glider.
Mojang looked to this feature when coming up with loot to use when building the new mysteries of The End in Version 1.9. Eventually, it was decided the Elytra would become one of the primary rewards in these Cities, allowing players to soar through the sky to their heart's content.
4 Copper - The Basis Of All Technology
Minecraft Mods that add modern technology and advanced machinery are not hard to come by. BuildCraft & IndustrialCraft are credited as the archetypes for this genre, but in the years since, mods like Mekanism, Advanced Rocketry & Immersive Engineering have pushed the concept to its limits.
What do almost all of these mods have in common? Copper! The vast majority of these mods require players to mine Copper out of the ground to serve as the foundation of all their machines. As of Version 1.17, Copper has become an official feature in Minecraft. As it's so new, it's currently not used for much, however, it certainly opens the door for more advanced technology to come to vanilla Minecraft in the future.
3 Dual Wielding & Shields - Advanced Combat
Long gone are the days of Minecraft combat being decided by who can spam-click the fastest. Version 1.9, titled The Combat Update, changed Minecraft's combat forever, adding a Shield to the game and a second hand in which to hold it. The second hand has become a key aspect of gameplay, allowing not just Shields to be held, but Maps, Torches & Tools as well.
That said, The Mine & Blade Mod was ahead of the game in that aspect, giving players not just a second hand but a whole weapon wheel from which to select their tools. Along with Shields, The Mine & Blade mod revolutionised Minecraft combat long before Mojang tried it.
2 Nether Biomes - Five Circles of Hell
For a long time, The Nether was a boring place to be. The red, lava-filled hellscape was striking when you sparked your flint and steel and entered for the first time, but after exploring it for a while, it quickly became samey and uninteresting. For many years, modders sought to remedy this. Biomes O'Plenty added a few different environments, while Lycanite's Mobs added some truly hellish foes to fight.
When Mojang came to overhaul the Nether, they went all-out, taking some cues from the aforementioned mods. As of Version 1.16, the Nether is now home to five different biomes, all of which house unique and interesting blocks, items & mobs with a wide range of uses.
1 Recipe Book - The Minecraft Wiki...In Minecraft!
To put it lightly, Minecraft has a lot of crafting recipes. While plenty of players have done it, committing all of these recipes to memory is a tough task and can make the early game difficult, especially if your game is filled with modded recipes. Like with every problem in Minecraft, there's a mod for that. Too Many Items and its spiritual successor, Not Enough Items, gave player access to the full list of items in the game and how to craft all of them. It became an essential mod and a foundation for any mod pack.
By Version 1.12, the vanilla game had expanded so much that Mojang decided they needed something similar in the game. Thus, the Recipe Book was born. It functions slightly differently between Java & Bedrock editions, but both allow the player to search and view crafting recipes for any item they choose, making incredible memory or the Minecraft Wiki a requirement of the past.