There are thousands of mods in Minecraft that have been created throughout its history. These mods range from simply modifying your interface to completely creating a whole new biome. Needless to say, picking the top 10 out of the supposed 55000 mods is very difficult. Mods that are on this list are usually either extremely popular, useful, or game-changing.
Optifine
Optifine is perhaps one of the most used utility mods in Minecraft. As a utility mod, this means that Optifine’s purpose is solely to enhance the gaming experience of Minecraft. It boosts the graphics by tweaking Minecraft’s lighting and rendering systems to increase their visibility. More importantly, it was intended to also boost the performance of the game, though the opposite might happen in some cases. Optifine is also needed if you want to use any sort of shaders. It also gives you extra options and controls for customization purposes which you can see on their Wiki page. Generally, there is really no reason why you should not download this mod.
WorldEdit
WorldEdit is a must-have mod if you love playing creative mode and doing large builds. It is also probably one of the most popular mods and building mods in all of Minecraft. The mod allows you to conveniently place, replace, or delete large batches of blocks. If you are like me, the most frustrating and boring section of a build is repetitively placing blocks across a large area. The process can take hours of mindless work. WorldEdit can do this work in a split second and save you a lot of time and sanity.
ComputerCraft
ComputerCraft is a mod that allows players to use and program computers and robots in their Minecraft world. The robots in ComputerCraft are called Turtles and are programmed through computers. The programming language used in the mod is the Lua programming language. I feel that this mod is the most impressive on this list. It creates a whole world of possibilities and automation in Minecraft. It also has the potential to teach players about the world of programming while playing Minecraft – killing two birds with one stone if you ask me. There is no denying that there is a learning curve for this mod, but there are plenty of guides out there to get you started with ComputerCraft.
Buildcraft and Thermal Expansion
I included these two mods together because they come hand in hand with each other. BuildCraft and Thermal Expansion are the OG’s when it comes to technology mods in Minecraft. Back in Minecraft 1.2, all the technology mod packs will always include these Buildcraft and Thermal Expansion. Since these 2 are technology mods, they add many new blocks and interactions that allow you to build a wide range of machines and automation devices. Both these mods are still in use and updated until this very day.
Better Portals
Better portals allow you to see the other side of the world through any portal, and without the need of entering the portal. The mod also removes the loading screen transition. This is perhaps the most straightforward and aesthetically pleasing mod on the list. It also adds another level of immersion when playing Minecraft. The mod really changes the experience you have when entering nether or end portals.
IndustrialCraft 2
IndustrialCraft 2 is another technology mod, similar to BuildCraft and Thermal Expansion. However, a major feature of IndustrialCraft that distinguishes itself from other tech mods is the nuclear reactors. Of course, with nuclear reactors comes nuclear bombs. Streamer Disguised Toast shows the power of the nuke by detonating it inside the OfflineTV Minecraft Server a couple of weeks ago, which creates a pretty spectacular scene. Allowing players to be a nuclear physicist and creating a weapon of mass destruction inside Minecraft puts this mod as one of the most interesting Minecraft Mods out there.
JourneyMap
JourneyMap is one of the oldest mods in Minecraft that is still widely used until this very day. The functionality of the feature it provides will greatly improve your Minecraft experience. Just like the name suggests, JourneyMap provides players with a map that maps your Minecraft world as you explore it. Keeping track of locations and their coordinates won’t be much of a hassle anymore with this mod. Note that the mod still needs to be personally configured to your own liking before it can be fully functional. The sheer usefulness and functionality of JourneyMap make it one of the best Minecraft mods.
Aether
Aether is one of the oldest and largest mods in all of Minecraft. It was released in 2011 and immediately rose to popularity in the community. It was so popular that people thought it was part of vanilla Minecraft. The Aether is a mod that adds a new realm called the Aether realm. Similar to all realms like The Nether, the Aether realm includes a wide variety of new mobs, blocks, and items. No other mods in Minecraft were able to be as well-built and large-scaled as Aether. The success of the Aether mod also prompted Mojang to hire its creator, kingbdogz, back in 2019.
Thaumcraft
Similar to all the technology mods that got mentioned above, there are also magic mods in Minecraft. The most popular magic mod of them all is Thaumcraft. Thaumcraft adds tons of new features such as alchemy, golemancy, and thaumaturgy. These new features will really take a lot of time to study. Most mod packs in Minecraft include Thaumcraft just because of its sheer magnitude, maybe even more than BuildCraft or Thermal Expansion.
Biomes o’plenty
If you are looking for a biome mod to add to Minecraft, I heavily suggest picking Biomes o’plenty. Biomes o’plenty is perhaps the best and most popular biome mods in Minecraft. As of writing this article, the mod adds an astounding amount of 60 biomes to the game. Moreover, these biomes also really look beautiful and are constantly updated.
