The Packspire blog
Modpacks, minus the headaches.
Making your own pack, fixing the crash, playing with friends, and keeping it working when mods update. In plain English.
Start here · Playing together
The 2 week Minecraft phase: why it ends and how to beat it
· 4 min readEveryone knows the 2 week Minecraft phase. Here's why it fizzles out, and how a modpack built around how you like to play can keep it going for months.Read it- Performance
How to allocate more RAM to Minecraft in any launcher
How to allocate more RAM to Minecraft, step by step, in the CurseForge app, Modrinth App, Prism Launcher, ATLauncher and the official Minecraft Launcher. · 4 min read - Guides
How to install a modpack in Minecraft, step by step
How to install a modpack in Minecraft with the CurseForge app, Modrinth App or Prism Launcher, from a pack page or a file, then set the memory and play. · 5 min read - Playing together
How to make a modded Minecraft server (step by step)
How to make a modded Minecraft server your friends can join any time: use the pack's server pack or install NeoForge, remove client-only mods, then host. · 5 min read - Playing together
How to play modded Minecraft with friends (4 ways)
How to play modded Minecraft with friends, compared: Open to LAN, LAN over the internet with e4mc or Essential, or a server. Plus why Realms can't run mods. · 5 min read - Guides
Is CurseForge safe? An honest answer for players and parents
Is CurseForge safe? Who runs it, how uploads are scanned, what happened in the 2023 fractureiser malware attack, what the app's ads are, and how to stay safe. · 5 min read - Guides
Modrinth vs CurseForge: which should you use?
Modrinth vs CurseForge compared fairly: the sites and their apps, ads, open source, pack files, which launchers import each, and how mod authors get paid. · 5 min read - Guides
NeoForge vs Forge: which one should you install?
NeoForge vs Forge explained. What NeoForge is, whether Forge mods work with NeoForge, and which mod loader to install for a Minecraft 1.21.1 modpack. · 4 min read - Balance
Duplicate ores in your modpack: why you have five kinds of copper
Big modpacks end up with the same metal from several mods, cluttering chests and breaking recipes. Why it happens, and how unification fixes it. · 3 min read - Performance
How much RAM should I allocate to Minecraft for a modpack?
How much RAM to allocate to modded Minecraft, how to allocate more in CurseForge, Modrinth App and Prism, why more isn't always better, and what servers need. · 4 min read - Guides
How to make a Minecraft modpack (CurseForge, Modrinth or Prism)
A plain-English, step-by-step guide to making your own Minecraft 1.21.1 modpack: picking a loader, choosing mods that work together, testing and sharing it. · 5 min read - Playing together
How to pick a modpack to play with friends (that everyone sticks with)
Most friend-group modpacks are too big, too broken or built for one person. How to pick mods for a group, keep it small, and get everyone on the same server. · 4 min read - Maintenance
How to update a modpack without losing your world (and roll back if it breaks)
How to update a Minecraft modpack without losing your world, and what to do if an update already broke it: back up, roll back, and update safely next time. · 4 min read - Fixing crashes
Minecraft exit code 1 in a modpack: what it means and how to fix it
"Game crashed, exit code 1" tells you almost nothing on its own. Here's what it really means in a modpack, where the real error is, and the usual fixes. · 3 min read - Fixing crashes
Mismatched mod channel list: what it means and how to fix it
Kicked from a modded Minecraft server with "mismatched mod channel list"? Your mods and the server's don't match. How to find the difference and fix it. · 4 min read - Guides
NeoForge or Fabric: which should your modpack use?
NeoForge and Fabric are the two main Minecraft mod loaders. Here's what each is good at, why you can't mix them, and how to pick one for your pack. · 3 min read - Fixing crashes
Why does my modded Minecraft keep crashing? How to find the mod causing it
Modded Minecraft keeps crashing on startup and the log is a wall of text? How to read the crash report, find the mod to blame, and fix it, step by step. · 5 min read