Hey guys, as many of you know I've been working on and publishing The Star Modpack since basically the beginning of the Valence SMP. It's been updated with each new version the server updates to, and will continue to be updated in the future! Now that we finally have blogposts on the website, I figure now is a great time to make a post explaining all the mods and what they do, as well as recommendations for other mods not included in the Star Pack by default, for those who want more out of their mods than the baseline.

I'm going to break this into sections based on mod category, for easy access.

Download

This list is up-to-date as of version 1.21.1 of Minecraft on the Valence SMP.

Optimization Mods

This section will include mods that simply improve how the game works to get you more FPS.

Entity Culling

Doesn't render entities you can't see. Helps a lot with performance of mobs, chests, item frames, etc.

Exordium

Renders the GUI with less FPS than your actual game (the important part).

FerriteCore

Reduces memory usage for the game.

ImmediatelyFast

Generally improves the rendering speed of basically everything by 10-20%.

Krypton

Optimizes the networking the game uses. Takes a lot of the code from the proxy server we use (it's really good!)

Lithium

Mostly optimizes the server performance, but helps on the client and if you play singleplayer.

ModernFix

Speeds up the game launch speed, patches other mods, and generally fixes a ton of small stuff.

Sodium

The BIG rendering optimization mod, routinely triples the FPS people get.

Sodium Extras

Adds a bunch of extra settings to Sodium, mostly for Optifine feature parity.

Utility / Quality of Life Mods

This section will include mods that add nice utility features or quality of life changes that don't affect the overall game very much but are still noticeably useful.

CIT Resewn

Lets you specify custom item models via name, lore, or other NBT tags. Used heavily for custom items on the server. (Originally from Optifine)

Continuity

Implements connected textures for resource packs. Makes glass and grass not have borders between them. (Originally from Optifine)

Entity Texture Features

Lets resource packs change entity textures more. Allows for things like variants. (Originally from Optifine)

Entity Model Features

Lets resource packs completely change mob models. (Originally from Optifine)

Iris Shaders

Adds support for shaders! Lets your game look as good as a 2024 release with RTX On. (Originally from Optifine)

More Chat History

Extends the chat history to store up to 16,000 messages instead of like 100.

No Chat Reports

Disables chat signing so that you don't get globally banned from all Minecraft servers for typing a message in chat.

Skin Shuffle

Lets you easily swap between skins. We used to use a mod called Skin Swapper, but that's not updated for 1.21, so we found this mod instead. The coolest part is that we have server-side support for this mod which means you don't have to leave and rejoin the server for your skin to actually swap!

Xaero's Minimap & World Map

The definitive mini/world map mod. JourneyMap just doesn't compare. We also have server-side support for this mod so that it swaps maps when you swap instances.

Zoomify

The best zoom mod for Fabric. Lets you choose an Optifine-style zoom or just about anything else. Definitive improvement over Ok Zoomer.

Fabric / Library Mods

This section is basically just the rest of the mods not listed above, as they don't serve a purpose directly to users but are for the mod makers.

• Cloth Config API
• Fabric API
• Fabric Language Kotlin
• Mod Menu
• YetAnotherConfigLib (YACL)

Resource Packs / Shader Packs

This section will not have actual mods, but resource/shader packs that can alter the appearance of your game in stunning ways.

Resource Packs

• Excalibur
• Mizunos (Not updated to 1.21 yet)
• Jicklus
• Stay True (Official Valence Recommended Pack)

Shader Packs

Do keep in mind that running shader packs requires installing the Iris Shaders mod, which is included in the Star Pack by default.

• Complementary (Unbound or Reimagined) w/ Euphoria Patches
• Sildur's Vibrant Shaders
• Bliss

Mods That Others Often Use

This section will include mods that are not actually in the Star Pack, but that lots of people use that give them a better experience on the server.

Stendhal

The premiere book-editing mod. Lets you save and import book data to/from a file, insert color codes and other characters, and much much more. Highly recommended for any aspiring writers.

Jade

WAILA, HWYLA, etc. all exist to answer the age-old question: What Are You Looking At? Jade is the latest and greatest of this style of mod, with beautiful animations and great support for other mods.

Litematica & MaLiLib

Helps you build by showing a ghost schematic in your world. Also has an Easy-Place mode that is not allowed on the server, so please don't try to use it over and over again. :(

Freecam

Lets you move your camera outside of your body. Useful for screenshots and looking around while sitting and rp'ing. Abuse is a bannable offense.

Gamma Utils (Fullbright)

Lets you change the brightness of the game to absurd values, essentially removing all shadow entirely. Useful for seeing in the dark.

Bobby / Farsight / Distant Horizons

The first two of these mods (Bobby and Farsight) keep chunks you've already loaded outside of your render distance, essentially allowing you to see farther than you normally would. Distant Horizons generates low-quality landscape around you to give the illusion of a bigger render distance, though at the cost of some mod compatibility.

Atmosphere Mods

Skin Layers 3D

Fills in the gap between your skin's outer and inner layer, giving a nicer look to most skins.

Presence Footsteps

Adds a bunch of immersive sounds to the game. Great for players looking to get into their character fully.

Not Enough Animations

Uses the third-person animations in first-person. Essentially lets you see your legs, both arms, and full animations like eating instead of the normal ones.

Better Third Person

Makes it so that your character doesn't follow where you're looking in F5. Nice to look around you while walking and such.