Recommended Mods for Beginners#

Modpacks can feel pretty overwhelming at first.

Suddenly there are hundreds of new items, machines, blocks, and menus – and you have no idea where to begin.

This guide introduces a few mods that can make your life much easier, especially at the beginning.

1. JEI – Just Enough Items#

For beginners: Must know#

JEI is probably one of the most important mods you can learn when playing a modpack.

It shows you nearly all items and recipes directly in your inventory.

Instead of searching the internet for every single recipe, you can check things directly in-game:

• How is an item crafted?
• What can an item be used for?
• Which machine processes this item?
• Which items belong to a specific mod?
• Are there alternative recipes?

Why is JEI so important?#

In Vanilla Minecraft, you eventually know many recipes by heart.

In a large modpack, however, there can be thousands of additional items and recipes.

That is why JEI quickly becomes one of your most important reference tools.

Small example#

You find an ore while mining that you have never seen before.

Instead of wondering:

"What am I supposed to do with this?"

simply search for the ore in JEI and check which recipes and processing options are available.

This way, you naturally learn new mods while playing.

More information:
Just Enough Items – Official Project Page

2. Jade#

For beginners: Extremely helpful#

Jade displays information about the block, machine, entity, or object you are currently looking at.

Depending on the mod and its integration, it can show information such as:

• the name of a block
• which mod it belongs to
• what is inside a machine
• energy or fluid levels
• information about certain animals or blocks

Why is Jade so useful?#

Especially at the beginning, you will constantly see machines and blocks you have never seen before.

With Jade, you do not have to ask every time:

"What is that block?"

Just look at it and Jade will show you useful information directly.

This is especially helpful when visiting another player's base or looking at machines around spawn.

More information:
Jade – Official Project Page

3. FTB Chunks#

For beginners: Must know#

FTB Chunks is especially important on our servers because it allows you to protect your base and your area.

By claiming a chunk, you can basically say:

This area belongs to my base.

Claims protect your buildings and, depending on the server settings, also your chests, machines, and other blocks from unwanted access.

Why should you use FTB Chunks right away?#

You finally found a nice place with /rtp, placed your first chests, and maybe even started building a small house.

It would be pretty frustrating to later realize that your area was never protected.

So we recommend:

1. Find a place for your base
2. Claim your area
3. Set a home with /sethome
4. Then start building properly

FTB Chunks can also provide a map and, depending on the server settings, may be used for chunk loading.

More information:
FTB Chunks – Official Documentation

4. Waystones#

For beginners: Very useful#

Waystones allow you to travel quickly between different locations.

Once you have discovered or activated a Waystone, you can use it later for fast travel.

This is especially useful for:

• spawn
• your own base
• friends' bases
• important locations
• distant areas

Why should I use Waystones if /home exists?#

/home is a convenient way to return to your base, but Waystones can create an entire travel network between different locations.

This means you are not limited to a single home point.

More information:
Waystones – Official Project Page

5. Sophisticated Backpacks#

For beginners: Highly recommended#

If you have played modpacks before, you probably know this problem:

Your inventory is ALWAYS full.

You go mining for ten minutes and suddenly you are carrying:

• different ores
• food
• tools
• blocks
• plants
• mob drops
• random items you do not even understand yet

This is exactly where backpacks become useful.

Sophisticated Backpacks adds upgradeable backpacks that provide extra mobile storage.

Depending on the version and modpack, they can also be expanded with various upgrades.

Why is a backpack so useful early on?#

More inventory space means:

• fewer items thrown away
• fewer trips back to your base
• more relaxed mining
• better organization
• more space while exploring

Especially when exploring a modpack for the first time, additional storage is incredibly useful.

More information:
Sophisticated Backpacks – Official Project Page

6. FTB Ultimine#

For beginners: Very useful#

FTB Ultimine works similarly to a Vein Miner.

It allows you to mine multiple connected blocks, or blocks arranged in a certain pattern, at once.

This can save a lot of time when mining:

• ores
• stone
• wood
• larger areas

Why is Ultimine so useful?#

Imagine you want to clear a larger area for your base.

Without Ultimine:

Block... block... block... block... block...

With Ultimine, depending on the modpack, tool, and settings, you can select and mine multiple matching blocks at once.

Different mining shapes or limits may also be configured depending on the modpack.

More information:
FTB Ultimine – Official Documentation

Which mods should I learn first?#

You do not need to understand every mod immediately.

For the beginning, we recommend this order:

1. JEI#

Learn how to find items and recipes.

2. Jade#

Learn how to identify what you are looking at.

3. FTB Chunks#

Protect your first base.

4. Waystones#

Activate important travel points.

5. Sophisticated Backpacks#

Get some additional mobile storage.

6. FTB Ultimine#

Make mining and larger building projects easier.

One important thing before you go#

Do not try to understand the entire modpack right away.

That probably will not work anyway. :D

Modpacks are best learned step by step.

Found an unfamiliar item?

→ Look it up in JEI.

See a machine you do not recognize?

→ Look at it with Jade.

Want to know which mod something belongs to?

→ Jade and JEI can help.

Found a mod that looks interesting?

→ Check its items in JEI and explore it one step at a time.

Quick version for the impatient#

If you understand JEI, Jade, and FTB Chunks, you already have three of the most important tools for getting started with a modpack.