5 best Minecraft mods to make survival challenging
Minecraft's Survival Mode hasn't been challenging for the community in some time outside of Hard/Hardcore Mode. Most players know what to expect and how to deal with the challenges of their survival progression. This is exactly why there are plenty of mods that make the process of survival more challenging than ever before.
Several Minecraft mods of this variety exist, making Survival Mode more challenging in different ways, including adding new mobs and bosses, introducing hazardous environmental conditions, or simply overhauling pre-existing dangerous locales. Whatever the case, if fans are looking for some extra difficulty in their next survival run, there are a few mods to check out.
Note: This list is subjective and solely reflects the opinions of the writer
5 of the best Minecraft mods for increased survival difficulty
1) Nyf's Spiders
Minecraft's spider mobs aren't exactly all that dangerous once players know how to deal with them. When walls are constructed a certain way, spiders can't climb them. This effectively makes an area spider-proof as long as it has sufficient lighting.
However, Nyf's Spiders is a mod made to change that, making spiders more dangerous and more believable. Spiders in this mod are capable of scaling walls more precisely while also being able to crawl on ceilings. This makes them more capable of slipping past player defenses, making survival more difficult overall even when a player's home or base is spawn-proofed.
2) BetterEnd
Minecraft's End dimension is the player's last stop in Survival Mode before "beating" the game, but it's not all that challenging with the exception of the Ender Dragon fight.
BetterEnd seeks to amend this by introducing new End biomes, complete with their own blocks and items, and adding game mechanics to learn and master.
However, the challenge stems from the new terrain generation as well as the end slime mob and the deadly shadow walker, which can blind players by successfully hitting them. Given the fact that one bad step is all that's necessary to fall into the void in the End, shadow walkers are no joke.
3) Deeper and Darker
For quite some time now, Minecraft fans have speculated that the central statues in ancient city structures contain the pathway to a hidden dimension.
The Deeper and Darker mod introduces this dimension in earnest with a location known as the Otherside. This dimension is complete with treacherous terrain, plenty of hazards, and a collection of otherworldly hostile mobs.
As if the deep dark and ancient cities weren't dangerous enough with the presence of the Warden, the Otherside dimension provides even more dangers, though the rewards in this mod may be worth it.
4) Aquamirae
Minecraft's oceans tend not to be all that challenging with the exception of ocean monument structures. The Aquamirae mod changes this in a significant way. The mod introduces a collection of new structures to explore as well as deadly and horrific deep-sea creatures in deep ocean biomes. There are even some new creepy mobs to face above ground in the mod's new icy location.
On top of it all, players have the opportunity to face a new nautical-themed boss known as the Ghost of Captain Cornelia, who comes with its own animations and a collection of abilities that are pretty tough to gameplan against, compared to the likes of the Ender Dragon or Wither.
5) Ender Dragon Fight Remastered
The Ender Dragon fight in Minecraft can be challenging for newcomers but tends to get figured out pretty quickly. For this reason, players tend to get used to defeating the boss easily the more they battle it.
The Ender Dragon Fight Remastered mod breathes new life into this boss fight by increasing the dragon's health to 500 and giving it a collection of new attacks and abilities, including:
- Commanding endermen to attack players
- Summoning a new mob known as end zombies
- Firing explosive fireballs
- Teleporting to end crystals
- Striking players with lightning
- Summoning and dropping anvils
- Spawning a miniboss that must be beaten before taking on the dragon again
With all of these changes, the Ender Dragon is far from a pushover. Moreover, the beast keeps its existing attacks, but its change in behavior will ensure that players don't just sleepwalk through its endgame boss fight.