With over 300 Million copies of the game sold on almost every platform you can think of, it’s kind of hard not to be familiar with Minecraft. Its cubic shape and infinite Voxel Generation is iconic to say the least. Its simplistic sandbox appeal has undoubtedly been one of if not the biggest success in gaming history. But after a few thousand hours in the game, despite its random generation and seemingly infinite possibilities, things can start to seem repetitive.
Millions of people have created modifications to the game to enhance or change it to their liking, and millions more have downloaded them, myself included. But while many people strive to change the game in their favor, further amplifying Minecraft’s already heavy god complex, I like to expand the world in a way that feels “natural”. Here are 10 Mods that will take your Vanilla Minecraft experience to the next level!
1. Better Nether
An entire dimension overhaul! Better Nether provides us with the Nether update we deserved. Adding over a dozen new beautiful biomes to the Nether, each teaming with its own ecosystem of Vanilla Friendly Mobs. Before, going to the Nether was a dreadful, grueling, and boring necessity. With this mod, going to the Nether is the highlight of my game!
2. Better End
Similar in nature to Better Nether (in fact made by the same people), Better End aims to enhance the entirety of the End Dimension, with another set of incredibly gorgeous biomes, and perfectly vanilla mobs! The end is now no longer baren and yellow, but teaming with color and life, making yet another one of Minecraft’s tedious Adventures, into a wonderful and exciting expedition!
3. Biomes O’ Plenty
With the Nether and the End now being some of the most gorgeous places in the game, the Overworld is looking a bit… lacking. Not to worry, Biomes O’ Plenty has you covered! Honestly there are too many biomes to count, luckily an achievement counts them for you! With 66 fantastical biomes throughout all 3 of Minecraft’s dimensions, you’ll never run out of places to visit!
4. Serene Seasons
Now that we’ve overhauled the Overworld, it’s time to make the day count matter, with Serene Seasons. Now Minecraft’s overworld has real life’s classic 4 seasons of Spring Winter Autumn and Summer. Each season gets a visual appearance, with grass and leaves changing color. Crop growth is now also affected by seasons. While a hearty crop like carrots or wheat might grow in more than one season, some crops like potatoes and beetroot may only grow in one.
These dimension overhauls are great so far, but filling these dimensions and biomes we’ve still got the same old boring vanilla structures. To fix this, let’s introduce:
5. Choicetheorems Overhauled Villages!
One of my personal favorite village revamp mods, no longer do villages feel like copy-pasted buildings with a new coat of paint. CTOV adds completely new structures for each village type, all made from blocks that would be available nearby, making every village you visit feel unique and special. They don’t seem too modern, but they do give villages the love they deserve. With better spawns, larger sizes, and better road generation, these villages not only enhance the appearance, but almost fix their frustrating generation.
6. YUNGNICKYUNG
An interesting addition to the list, this isn’t actually a mod, but rather a mod creator. YUNGNICKYUNG has created some of the most visually, and functionally impressive structure overhauls I have ever witnessed. From Witch Huts to Strongholds, everything just feels more alive. Zombie Dungeons now become dangerous Crypts, with perilous corridors and confusing hallways. Jungle Temples now become monuments to the sky, filled to the brim with daring movie-like traps and a massive treasure haul at the bottom. Checking out any number of YUNGNICKYUNG’s mods is a must when overhauling your vanilla world.
Our worlds are looking more lively already! But wait… there’s something missing. There’s not enough life! Animals! We need Animals!
7. Alex’s Mobs
With over 80+ vanilla style mobs, Alex’s Mobs does what Mojang was too afraid to do themselves. No seriously, this mod adds sharks! From Seagulls to Cave Centipedes, each mob in this mod offers something unique and interesting to the world of Minecraft. Alex’s Mobs is a must have in any new modpack I create, and I wont play modded Minecraft without it!
8. Friends And Foes
Let’s take a look at some long lost friends! The mod Friends and Foes, adds many mobs that you older players may recognize. That’s right! Friends and Foes adds almost every single mob that ever lost a mob vote or got forgotten in the files into Minecraft! The team behind Friends and Foes made sure to follow in Mojang’s footsteps, making each and every one of these mobs just as they intended, and honestly the world is all the better for it. From Mooblooms to Wildfires, passive mobs, to minibosses, not a single mob was left behind. Many of the mobs even have structures to go along with them.
9. Guard Villagers
Going back to Villages, don’t you wish they could fight back against the monsters of the night? Have you ever felt like the iron golems weren’t enough to protect your villagers from becoming Zombified? Ever felt alone during a raid and wanted some backup? Look no further than Guard Villagers! A vanilla friendly mod that adds Guards to villages. Villagers, kitted out in armor, and given a crossbow, a sword, and a shield, these guys are the perfect counter to those pesky Pillagers, and the battle that ensues during a Raid will be legendary!
Fantastic! Now we have our biomes and dimensions overhauled, and we’ve added tons of new mobs and structures, what could be next?
10. FOOOOOOOOOODD
As the final addition of vanilla friendly mods I would like to introduce a 3 in one package! These mods together form the holy trinity of delectable meals, and will keep your stamina full and your hunger low for days on end!
Farmers Delight, the main ingredient to this trifecta, is a mod that adds several new ingredients found throughout the world, and more dishes than I can count to make from them. From Salads and stews to Hamburgers and Bacon, there are different meal types, and bonuses that push your saturation and stamina past that of the 4 vanilla meats.
Nether’s Delight, is a light addon to Farmers Delight, adding various Nether ingredients, and dishes sure to keep your hunger satiated even in the depths of hell! And finally. Chef’s Delight, is a very simple mod that adds 2 new villagers to properly sell you the items in Farmers delight should you not have the time to cook them yourself.
Each and every one of these mods on their own works to enhance the different aspects of Vanilla Minecraft. And when used together, they make some of the most fun I’ve had playing Minecraft in years!
