The Best Minecraft Mods to Play with Friends on a Server

Before choosing: loader, version and who installs what

Mods don't go on Paper: Paper is for plugins. A modded server uses Fabric, Forge or NeoForge, and each mod is made for one of them (the differences). On 26.3, almost every mod on this list is on Fabric and NeoForge; Forge has fallen behind on several.

Everything has to be on the same Minecraft version. Pick the mod you want most first and check which version it's out for: if it's Create, the server runs 1.21.1 with NeoForge, and every other mod has to be on 1.21.1 too.

For each mod we say which side it goes on according to Modrinth. “Both sides” means the server and every player need it; “server only” means your friends can join without installing it; “optional” means it works even if only one of the two sides has it.

Proximity voice chat: Simple Voice Chat

Simple Voice Chat (slug simple-voice-chat). You hear others depending on how close they are in the world, and there are groups to talk among several people at any distance. It's the one that changes a game with friends the most: nobody has to open Discord on the side.

It's on Fabric, Forge and NeoForge for 26.3 (version 2.6.25, from 22 October), and also as a Paper plugin, so it works without switching the server to mods. It goes on the server, and every player who wants to talk installs the mod in their game. It needs its own port for voice: the Simple Voice Chat guide covers it.

Map, protected claims and parties: Xaero's and Open Parties and Claims

Xaero's Minimap (xaeros-minimap) and Xaero's World Map (xaeros-world-map). A minimap in a corner with nearby players and mobs, waypoints, and a full map of what you've explored. Both have a 26.3 release on Fabric, Forge and NeoForge (from 20 October). They're client-side: each player installs them; on the server they're optional.

Open Parties and Claims (open-parties-and-claims). Each player claims chunks and nobody else can break or open anything in them; you can also form parties that share those claims, shown on Xaero's map. It's the anti-griefing protection for a modded server. It goes on the server; for players it's optional (with Xaero's map they see their claims coloured in). Version 0.33.0 for 26.3 on Fabric, Forge and NeoForge.

Teleporting between bases: Waystones

Waystones (waystones). Stones you find in villages or craft: you activate them by touching them and then travel from one to another. With friends who build far apart, it saves hours of walking without giving anyone /tp.

It goes on the server and on every player. Release for 26.3 on Fabric and NeoForge (on Forge it goes up to 1.21.11). It needs Balm, by the same author.

Backpacks: Traveler's Backpack and Sophisticated Backpacks

Traveler's Backpack (travelersbackpack). Wearable backpacks, with fluid tanks and dozens of designs. Release for 26.3 on Fabric and NeoForge.

Sophisticated Backpacks (sophisticated-backpacks). Backpacks you upgrade with modules: pick up items on their own, sort, smelt, refill your inventory. On 26.3 it's only on NeoForge and needs Sophisticated Core. Both go on the server and on every player.

Shared storage: Tom's Simple Storage

Tom's Simple Storage Mod (toms-storage). It connects your chests to a terminal where you can search for and take out anything, while looking like normal Minecraft. In a shared base it puts an end to “who stored the iron, and where?”.

It goes on the server and on every player. Release for 26.3 on Fabric and NeoForge.

Building machines together: Create

Create (create). Gears, belts, mills and trains to automate farms and factories you can watch working. It's the most requested mod for group play, because a Create factory splits nicely among several people.

But it's behind: its latest release is 6.0.10 for 1.21.1 with NeoForge (and 1.20.1 with Forge); on Modrinth it has no release for 26.x. If you want it, the whole server runs 1.21.1 with NeoForge, and every other mod on that version. It goes on the server and on every player. The Create server guide explains it.

Cooking and farming: Farmer's Delight

Farmer's Delight (farmers-delight). New crops, a kitchen with a cooking pot and cutting board, and dishes that fill you up more than normal food. It gives anyone who doesn't want to fight something to contribute to the group. The original goes up to 1.21.1 with NeoForge (and 1.20.1 with Forge).

For 26.3 there's Farmer's Delight Refabricated (farmers-delight-refabricated), the Fabric version maintained by other authors (3.6.29, from 19 October). Both go on the server and on every player.

Carrying chests and animals around: Carry On

Carry On (carry-on). You pick up a full chest or an animal with empty hands and carry it away. Handy for moving a base or taking the cows to the new pen without emptying anything. Version 2.12.0 for 26.3 on Fabric, Forge and NeoForge; it goes on the server and on every player.

Dying without losing everything: GraveStone Mod

GraveStone Mod (gravestone-mod). When you die, a grave appears holding your whole inventory, instead of it being scattered on the ground. It saves you from losing everything to a silly death without taking away the risk of dying. On 26.3 it's only on NeoForge; it goes on the server and on every player.

If you don't want mods for this, the game rule does it without a grave: type gamerule keep_inventory true in the console and nobody loses their inventory when they die.

A world with more to explore: Terralith

Terralith (terralith). Almost a hundred new biomes made only with vanilla blocks, with structures to discover. It goes on the server; for players it's optional. Version 2.6.5 for 26.3 on Fabric and NeoForge, and also as a datapack. It only changes chunks that haven't been generated yet: the new terrain appears when you explore far away or in a new world. It needs Lithostitched.

Quality of life and performance

Just Enough Items, JEI (jei): search for any item and it shows you how it's crafted. Jade (jade): tells you which block or mob you're looking at and which mod it comes from. AppleSkin (appleskin): how much each food fills you up. All three have a 26.3 release on Fabric and NeoForge and are optional on both sides: they work even if only the player has them. With lots of mods, they're the ones that save you asking in chat every two minutes.

Lithium (lithium) and FerriteCore (ferrite-core) are invisible: Lithium makes the game logic faster and FerriteCore uses less memory. Both have a 26.3 release on Fabric and NeoForge and are optional on both sides: on the server alone you already notice them. With a long list of mods, also check how much RAM the server needs.

How to add them to a NapNodes server

1. Make a backup

   In “Backups”, before changing anything. A mod that doesn't fit can damage the world when it loads.

2. Switch the server to mods

   Servers are delivered on Paper. In “Mods & plugins” → “Server type”, choose Fabric or NeoForge and the version (26.3, or 1.21.1 if you'll use Create), and it switches with your world inside.

3. Install them from the panel

   In “Mods & plugins”, search for each mod by name: only Modrinth and CurseForge mods that work with your loader and version show up, and they install with their dependencies (Fabric API, Balm…). Better a few at a time.

4. Restart and check the console

   With “Restart”. In the “Console” you'll see if something is missing or a mod doesn't load; the console names it.

5. Pass the mods on to your friends

   A modded server has its own napnodes.com/jugar/… page with the player-side mods ready to download: your friends install those and join. The rest is in how to add mods to a server.

Frequently asked questions