Modscraper Modscraper Minecraft
Better Than Vanilla logo

Better Than Vanilla

Modpack

A modpack that brings Minecraft to modern standards, through many QOL, performance, and visual upgrades.

Type

Modpack

Modrinth Downloads

1,842

Modrinth ID

WPj1lra6

Last Updated

Jul 29, 2026

Description

The JAG's Essentials logo.

📖 About 📖

JAG's Essentials, as described by the tagline, is a modpack that brings Minecraft to modern standards, through many QOL, performance, and visual upgrades, by featuring my own personal essential mods. It enhances the core Minecraft experience without straying from its original charm, making the game feel more performant, and generally higher quality, while keeping it very vanilla. From better performance and improved lighting to controller support and dynamic sound, every change is designed to feel like a natural upgrade rather than a complete overhaul. Whether you're exploring, building, or playing with friends, JAG's Essentials provides a polished, enjoyable experience for both new and old players.

🛠️ Features 🛠️

  • Better performance, with Sodium, Lithium, C2ME, Noisium, and FerriteCore
  • More particles for stuff like breaking and placing blocks, plus water splashes and other stuff
  • Improved sound physics so there's reverb in caves
  • Pixelated shadows and lighting with Miniature Shader, that fits perfectly within the vanilla aesthetic
  • VanillaTweaks resource pack that fixes and changes a ton of stuff
  • Controller support for both Xbox and PlayStation controllers
  • Dynamic lighting from torches and other light sources
  • The ability to install resource and shader packs in game
  • Full rotation in third person so it doesn't feel as clunky
  • Other miscellaneous QOL features

📝 Credits 📝

This modpack is licensed under an All Rights Reserved license. While I created the modpack, the included mods and resource packs are the property of their respective creators. All credit goes to these talented developers, and any usage rights or restrictions are determined by them. Please refer to the individual mod pages for detailed information on permissions and usage policies.

Special mention: The Vanilla Tweaks resource pack included in this modpack was created on the VanillaTweaks website.

Compatibility

Mod Loaders

Fabric

Game Versions

1.21.4 1.21.5 1.21.8 1.21.11 26.1.2 26.2

Recommended Gear

Affiliate

Hardware and extras that pair well with this modpack.

As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

Screenshots

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Cloth Config API (Fabric/Forge/NeoForge)

Cloth Config API (Fabric/Forge/NeoForge)

Config Screen API for Minecraft

Mod 539,600,731
Mouse Tweaks

Mouse Tweaks

Enhances inventory management by adding various functions to the mouse buttons.

Mod 531,462,053
ImmediatelyFast

ImmediatelyFast

Speed up immediate mode rendering in Minecraft

Mod 302,002,147
Controlling

Controlling

Adds a search bar to the Key-Bindings menu

Mod 429,933,213
Collective

Collective

🎓 Collective is a shared library with common code for all of Serilum's mods.

Mod 323,996,205
Searchables

Searchables

Searchables is a library mod that adds helper methods that allow for searching and filtering elements based on component...

Mod 211,319,284
Fabric API

Fabric API

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Mod 480,123,459
[EMF] Entity Model Features [Fabric & Forge]

[EMF] Entity Model Features [Fabric & Forge]

EMF is an, OptiFine format, Custom Entity Model replacement mod available for Fabric and Forge.

Mod 232,796,015
YetAnotherConfigLib

YetAnotherConfigLib

A builder-based configuration library for Minecraft.

Mod 242,083,816
Sodium

Sodium

The fastest and most compatible rendering optimization mod for Minecraft. Now available for both NeoForge and Fabric!

Mod 371,237,042
Iris Shaders

Iris Shaders

A modern shader pack loader for Minecraft intended to be compatible with existing OptiFine shader packs

Mod 173,260,104
FerriteCore

FerriteCore

Memory usage optimizations

Mod 148,668,120
[ETF] Entity Texture Features

[ETF] Entity Texture Features

Emissive, Random & Custom texture support for entities in resourcepacks just like Optifine but for Fabric

Mod 99,193,983
Sound Physics Remastered

Sound Physics Remastered

A Minecraft mod that provides realistic sound attenuation, reverberation, and absorption through blocks.

Mod 197,719,249
Not Enough Animations

Not Enough Animations

Bringing first-person animations to the third-person

Mod 246,302,098
Lithium (Fabric/NeoForge)

Lithium (Fabric/NeoForge)

An optimization mod for Minecraft which improves server performance significantly.

Mod 220,833,929
Chat Heads

Chat Heads

See who are you chatting with!

Mod 161,431,839
Forge Config API Port

Forge Config API Port

NeoForge's & Forge's config systems provided to other modding ecosystems. Designed for a multiloader architecture.

Mod 144,017,446
Mod Menu

Mod Menu

Adds a mod menu to view the list of mods you have installed.

Mod 221,530,238
Fabric Language Kotlin

Fabric Language Kotlin

Fabric language module for Kotlin

Mod 199,263,679
Continuity

Continuity

A Minecraft mod that allows for efficient connected textures

Mod 133,642,438
Sodium Extra

Sodium Extra

Features that shouldn't be in Sodium

Mod 165,676,278
Shoulder Surfing Reloaded

Shoulder Surfing Reloaded

Shoulder Surfing Reloaded is a highly configurable third person camera mod for Minecraft

Mod 75,117,556
Particular ✨ Reforged

Particular ✨ Reforged

Particular is a mod that enhances Minecraft's ambience with many hand-crafted visual effects. Forge Port !

Mod 35,375,738
Resource Pack Overrides

Resource Pack Overrides

Ensures important resource packs stay always active and helps clean up the pack selection screen.

Mod 70,751,552
BaguetteLib

BaguetteLib

A simple but powerful event library that gives mod developers the control they actually need.

Mod 33,129,455
Text Placeholder API

Text Placeholder API

Placeholder and Text manipulation library for your Minecraft mods.

Mod 63,061,052
Concurrent Chunk Management Engine (Fabric)

Concurrent Chunk Management Engine (Fabric)

A Fabric mod designed to improve the chunk performance of Minecraft.

Mod 36,167,050
Smooth Scrolling

Smooth Scrolling

Customize the scrolling smoothness or speed in various places like chat, hotbar, creative screen...

Mod 11,673,477
Preferred Gamerules

Preferred Gamerules

Light-weight mod for changing the default values of gamerules.

Mod 649,048
Zoomify

Zoomify

A zoom mod with infinite customizability.

Mod 106,745,713
Unique Dark

Unique Dark

Dark GUI with unique textures for functional blocks. Dark mode for 78 mods

Resource Pack 3,491,252
Essential Mod

Essential Mod

Enhance your Minecraft with one simple mod. Host worlds for free, chat with friends, and so much more!

Mod 42,901,097
ThreatenGL

ThreatenGL

Threatens Minecraft to use modern versions of OpenGL

Mod 818,070
Break Free

Break Free

Lets you keep breaking blocks when you switch items

Mod 1,387,035
LambDynamicLights

LambDynamicLights

The most feature-complete and optimized dynamic lighting mod.

Mod 100,778,686
Particle Rain

Particle Rain

replaces the default weather with particle effects

Mod 38,675,793
WorldEdit CUI

WorldEdit CUI

WorldEdit CUI is a graphical user interface for WorldEdit, designed to assist in using WorldEdit and prevent accidental...

Mod 670,283
voxy

voxy

A Level of Detail rendering mod

Mod 6,068,289
WorldEdit

WorldEdit

In-game Minecraft map editor - build bigger things more quickly!

Mod 75,558,059
Boat Item View

Boat Item View

See your held items when in a moving boat!

Mod 29,695,726
No Resource Pack Warnings

No Resource Pack Warnings

Disable warnings for outdated resource/data packs

Mod 15,769,827
Polytone

Polytone

Custom Block Sounds, Colors, Lightmaps, Colormaps, Post Shaders, Custom Item Models, Biome Variant Textures, Gui modifi...

Mod 26,513,453
Programmer Art Continuation Project

Programmer Art Continuation Project

A high effort continuation of Programmer Art, covering assets from 1.13-1.21+

Resource Pack 805,058
Enchanted's Sodium Options

Enchanted's Sodium Options

Changes Sodium's video settings screen to match the style of vanilla screens better

Mod 57,750
NoisiumForked

NoisiumForked

Optimises worldgen performance for a better gameplay experience.

Mod 4,315,915
LibJF

LibJF

A library for my mods

Mod 19,206,275
Respackopts

Respackopts

Config menus for resource packs

Mod 14,224,649
Wakes

Wakes

Adds splashes and wakes while traveling on water

Mod 9,043,880
Miniature Shader

Miniature Shader

Extremely lightweight with shadows and reflections

Shader 8,457,333
Eating Animation

Eating Animation

Adds animation for eating food and drinking potions

Resource Pack 159,062
C418 Songs Only

C418 Songs Only

A resource pack that removes all non-c418 background tracks from the game.

Resource Pack 636,986
Controlify (Controller support)

Controlify (Controller support)

Adds controller support to Minecraft!

Mod 30,730,664
Particle Interactions

Particle Interactions

Adds particles to more interactions in the game, such as placing blocks or stripping logs. Fully configurable and client...

Mod 2,900,982
Resourcify

Resourcify

In-game resource pack, data pack and shader browser and updater

Mod 15,398,800
Status Effect Bars

Status Effect Bars

Adds customizable bars to the status effects overlay to show the remaining duration of effects.

Mod 11,018,155
Fire Rekindled

Fire Rekindled

Various animated texture overhauls and additions, PBR supported!

Resource Pack 1,304,431
Shine

Shine

Adds selective bloom to Minecraft.

Mod 663,990
Cosy Critters & Creepy Crawlies

Cosy Critters & Creepy Crawlies

Adds adorable atmospheric animals: birds, bugs, and bothersome creatures.

Mod 1,460,193
VeinMiner

VeinMiner

VeinMiner

Mod 101,284,569
Superflat World No Slimes

Superflat World No Slimes

🙅 Removes those pesky slimes when you're trying to be creative in a superflat world.

Mod 6,427,823
Atmosfera

Atmosfera

Adds atmospheric sounds to Minecraft!

Mod 1,164,432
Tightfire

Tightfire

Makes fire render tighter against blocks like slabs and fences

Mod 1,172,198
Global Datapacks

Global Datapacks

Adds a shared datapacks folder that works across all your worlds.

Mod 362,268
Just Like Rays

Just Like Rays

Ray-like light in minecraft

Mod 11,615
Smooth Entity Shadows

Smooth Entity Shadows

Makes the Shadows under Entities Smooth. The closest you can get without shaders and optifine!

Resource Pack 21,733
TickLowerPerm

TickLowerPerm

Allow command blocks to run the /tick command!

Mod 4,934
Shinier Tools

Shinier Tools

makes tools and armor (item) look shinier and less flat

Resource Pack 6,632

External Resources