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Installing Forge Mods Tutorial for Minecraft

Created on December 12, 2014

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To really understand the Minecraft Forge mod installation process, you need to first know what Minecraft Forge actually is. It’s a modding API which both makes it easy to install a number of different mods, as well as keep track of compatibility between installed Forge mods. Like other mod loaders, some mod developers have made their Minecraft additions specifically to run with Forge, as others make their mods to run best using Modloader or other tools. Minecraft Forge is perhaps the most popular among these tools, with the greatest number of compatible mods for players to choose from.

Installing Minecraft Forge is necessary before it can be used to install or manage any mods. Follow the steps outlined below to get Forge installed and ready to use:

  1. First, you must play Minecraft at least once. This won’t be an issue for most people, but if you just downloaded the game, you must play it at least once before proceeding.
  2. Now you’ll need to find the installation file and download it. Minecraft Forge is available in a number of places, but the best one is probably www.minecraftforge.net.
  3. You’ll end up with a JAR file. Open this and click the Install Client button. There is another button for installing servers as well, but unless you are hosting your own server, you can ignore this.
  4. You should get a message stating “Successfully installed Forge build xxxxx”. In your launcher, you’ll now have a new profile to select, named Forge.
  5. Use this profile when you want to add or remove mods from Minecraft, or play the modded version of the game.

Video tutorial!

Now you’ve got to track down whatever mods you want to add to Minecraft. There are various websites hosting Minecraft mods, resource packs and other content, and these are probably the best places to start your search. Once you find a mod or multiple mods which you like, download them. You’ll need to manually open up your Minecraft directory and move the downloaded mods into the Mods folder next. Then, the next time you launch Minecraft, you should see the mods you’ve added when you click the mods button.

That’s all there is to it. Forge will tell you if mods you have installed are incompatible with one another, but if you are using mods which are compatible with Forge, that should never be a problem anyhow. Essentially, installing mods using Forge is just like modding the game the normal way, except Forge automates some of the operations and cuts out a lot of the moments where human error could lead to a botched installation or cause Minecraft to crash. It’s a highly useful tool and it comes recommended by many players because of its ease of use, availability and compatibility with a host of mods.

The ends you can accomplish with mods are numerous. There are mods which change the way worlds are generated when creating new worlds, mods which add new types of technology to Minecraft, mods which alter and upgrade storage containers or add new containers altogether, and much more. Some mods are purely cosmetic, just changing the appearance of items or adding new paintings, sculptures, windows and other items to beautify your Minecraft world. Other mods add new food items, or give the player new abilities like magic spells. The sky is the limit when it comes to modding Minecraft.

Again, when you’re looking for mods, you’ll want to make sure they are compatible with Minecraft Forge before you go trying to install them. Not all mods will work with Forge, even if a majority of mods will; there are other modloaders and API tools out there besides Forge, and people have been working to make mods for those specific platforms just like people have been working to make Forge mods.

Besides tracking down interesting mods, you might also be interested in making mods of your own and giving something back to the Minecraft community. While that won’t be covered here, if you go to the corners of the Internet where Forge mods can be found, you’ll more than likely find a community of modders who can help you along your way.

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