Despite being almost a decade old now, Minecraft has been going stronger than ever. New map packs and updates come all the time and the modding community has been killing it pretty much since day one. 2017 was a good year for mods, and with January out of the way it’s looking like 2018 is lining up to be just as good. Here’s a list of some of the best mods of January 2018. Big props to everyone who worked to make these mods and here’s to another great year for Minecraft!
Extended Days
The day and night cycle has been an integral feature of Minecraft for as long as the game’s been around. Everyone knows the basics, you’re safe during the day and at night all the monsters come out to mess you up. Though what this mod allows is for both longer days and longer nights. Tired of having to go to a bed to reset to morning or bringing up the keyboard commands? Save a few more minutes with this mod. Night not quite hardcore enough for it? Make it even longer and tougher on you.
Minecraft Discs
If you’re like a lot of gamers out there then you probably like listening to things on YouTube while you game. What the Minecraft Discs mod allows you to do is skip the middleman entirely. Just download your favorite YouTube videos and slap those bad boys on a music disc for easy listening. Enjoy a nice podcast as you craft your world or share some funny sound clips with some friends. The sky’s the limit with this one and it helps to give each Minecraft world that extra bit of added personality.
Mobs Properties Randomness
If you’ve played Minecraft for any stretch of time then you’ll get familiar with the game’s mobs real fast. It doesn’t take long before the Creepers and Spiders and Endermen all lose their threat and just become nuisances, but what if you could spice things up a bit? The Mobs Properties Randomness mod is just what you’re looking for then. Simply put, this mod gives you the ability to randomize and manipulate the stats and properties of the game’s enemies.
Do you want a lightning fast zombie who hits like a truck? Go for it. A Creeper that moves like a slug? Sure, why not? You can manipulate things in tons of different ways to make even these old faces feel new again. Randomizing the stats will assure every encounter feels fresh and challenging. For those big on the survivalist element of Minecraft, you can’t go wrong with this one. It can be a bit tricky to get set up right though, so be careful.
Better Railroads
The title kind of gives this one away doesn’t it? The Better Railroads mod does exactly what it says, it gives the player better railroads. In addition to making railroads easier to build without breaking, the mod also adds a number of different types of railroads and minecarts. No longer will players need to take a five minute minecart ride from point A to Point B. Just get in a shiny fast minecart and you’ll be there in no time.
Enhanced Farming
While technically a revitalization of an older mod, Enhanced Farming sets out to create a more robust, in-depth farming experience for Minecraft players. With this mod, players will be given access to a number of new possible plants to grow including fruit trees, lemons, mint, chocolate, and more. As well as with a number of rakes you can use to help prepare them. It also gives Minecraft something it has been sorely missing across these nine long years: a scarecrow.
It’s already a good mod, and better yet, the creator plans on making it even better as time goes on. For now though, it’s definitely one of the best new ones.
Old and Removed Features
Change can be very scary, particularly when it comes to video games. Like any other video game out there, Minecraft has changed a lot over the years. A lot of stuff was added and some was removed or changed for one reason or another; but what if you happened to really like that stuff they took out? Well this mod has you covered.
It’s still pretty early in development, but what the Old and Removed Features mod does is bring back features from the Minecraft 1.12 Survival Tests including pigmen and ruby ore. It’s still a work in progress, but what’s there is plenty fun. Everything old is new again.
StalCraft2/King Hogarth’s Armor Mod
What a large majority of Minecraft mods out there tend to do is add new types of items and minerals into the base game. Or at the very least some new variants of existing items. In the spirit of that, here’s three mods that offer some new armor, tools, and weapons for you to enjoy.
- StalCraft2: This mod gives you lots of new swords to try out. Swords made from all kinds of wood and minerals with different levels available. It’s a nice way to get a bit more nuance in your weapon crafting.
- King Hogarth’s Armor Mod: Big props to the creator of this mod. For his very first mod he’s delivered four new ores, sets of armor, tools and mining levels all in one package. Like StalCraft, this exists mainly to help amplify your current arsenal a tad and get more bang for your buck with equipment.
- MOAR Stone Tools: Exactly what it sounds like. This mod takes those useless stone minerals like Granite and Quartz and makes you able to make some tools with them. Suddenly those useless things just got a whole lot more useful.
/GM Command
Sometimes the best mods are the ones that just save you a few extra seconds. With /GM Command, players can change their Minecraft game mode with a few very simple, short commands. Simply type /gmc, /gms, /gmsp, and /gma in order to change your game mode to either Creative, Survival, Spectator, or Adventure accordingly. Perfect for if you suddenly get ambushed or plan on changing game modes a lot.
Respawn Location Picker
Here’s a story any seasoned Minecraft player will know all too well. You’re enjoying your game, mining for things, making a home, just playing good ol’ Minecraft. When suddenly a monster blindsides you and the next thing you know, you’re dead. Oh, and you forgot where you were so good luck getting your items back. Mercifully, the Respawn Location Picker offers you a very convenient fix for that. Upon dying you get your coordinates so you can rush right to it without wasting any time. Simple? Yes, but very handy.
Better HUD
At last here comes the latest in a long line of HUD mods. This mod in particular gives players a much more detailed HUD to work with. Not just that though, but you’re free to customize the HUD to your liking. Want more details? Go for it. Wanna turn it all off? Knock yourself out. It’s another instance of a mod giving a player a choice they wouldn’t otherwise have and in a game like Minecraft, that’s a pretty big deal and worth applauding.
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