fridge

fridgePack - Minecraft Hardcore on an already difficult modpack

16 | 30th Aug 2025

I recently took on the challenge of playing my own modpack, fridgePack, on Hardcore mode.

For those unfamiliar, Hardcore mode in Minecraft means that if you die, your world is deleted. This adds a significant layer of difficulty and tension to the game, especially when combined with a modpack that already increases the game's complexity.

So, then, how did I do it? fridgePack doesn't play like your average Minecraft experience; the items you'll want to look out for are completely different and progression is marked by exploration, not by traditional crafting and building.

So here's how it's done.

Getting Started

The hardest part

The hardest part of starting a Hardcore world in fridgePack is the very beginning. You spawn in a world with drastically increased heights, no tools, and no immediate way to defend yourself. The first few minutes are crucial, as you need to quickly gather resources and find shelter before night falls and hostile mobs come out, because my god, they are powerful.

Your first priority needs to be finding a village. Not only do they provide safety from the majority of risks, but they'll also greatly help for completing the starting quests. This is the first big difference between vanilla and fridgePack, because unlike vanilla, you can't just start by punching a tree and calling it a day.

Well, I mean.. you could.... but progression happens much slower that way. I've personally considered my hardcore worlds hopeless if I haven't found a village before sundown. Remember; it is PITCH black at night. You won't even be able to see the threats coming your way.

Using the ParCool mod to your advantage while you find a village is essential, as you can use it to navigate the rough terrain quickly. It's a good starting point, but after a while, you're going to run into great heights that ParCool won't suffice with. The Paraglider is very important for ensuring you can traverse down great heights without reduced risk, so in order to craft it, you'll need to be on careful lookout for cows and horses to get leather. It's also useful because completing the Paraglider quest grants you a backpack, which you'll use as your main storage before you have a home.

And remember; cows are scarce in this world, so you'll need to take advantage of every single one you see. If you see a cow, kill it. You need the leather for the paraglider. You can always breed them later once you have a place to call home.

Personally, the first night is always where I've fallen flat. You need to be quick, you need to be smart, and you need to be lucky. If you can make it through the first night, you're already ahead of the game.

So you've located a village.

Time to complete your objectives

The best time to complete the Getting Started questline is once you've found a village. Make your way through the objectives, and also check all of the chests as they can contain equipable items that will greatly benefit you.

Luck shines the most when finding these items. There are certain items you'll want to keep an eye out for, because they'll greatly enhance your capabilities to survive the biggest risks.

Bunny Hoppers: a feet item that'll prevent you from taking fall damage and increase your jump height. Both of these stats are really good for traversing the land, and fall damage negation in general will make your life a LOT easier. I was lucky enough on my current run to find them in a jungle temple, and they've saved me both in terms of time and my life.
Infinity Ham: a relic that acts as a regenerating food source. Never worry about hunger again! I found mine in a village chest, and as you use it, you can gain experience to upgrade its effectiveness. Once it reaches level 5, you can unlock its Alchemy ability, which will grant you whatever potion effect you apply to it. In previous worlds, I've given it Regeneration, but you can combine it with whatever you think is best.
Rats: small creatures that can be tamed and used as a source of automation. You might want to skip this part for now and come back to it, but they'll greatly help automating tasks such as quarrying, mining and farming. They can also act as a companion during combat, making fighting large amounts of enemies much easier.
It's also worth looking into a method of invisiblity. I luckily obtained a Scarf of Invisiblity from a mob drop, and it allows me to easily evade areas without worrying too much about mobs. I can also choose whenever I want to engage in combat with it.

You'll also want to look out for a waystone in the village to complete the Waystone quest. If the village doesn't have one, you can always find the resources to craft one or look for another village. You'll need to find a stone one, since the quest won't accept sandstone or any other waystone materials. Oops.

While you're in the village, don't forget to use your found loot to upgrade your backpacks for more storage. I personally also went for a crafting table + smelting upgrade, so I wouldn't need to carry those around with me.

Once you've completed the Getting Started questline, you'll be able to complete quests for exploring dimensions.

Quests

The main metric of progress

Quests are the primary way to track your progress in the game. They provide you with objectives to complete and rewards for doing so.

Most quests are straightforward. Just go exploring for new monuments and structures, and being near one will grant you the reward. But there is ONE dimension quest you'll need to strategise for.

Limbo. You can get into Limbo by falling in a door dimension, but if you try to leave Limbo, you'll be teleported into the overworld void. This is TOTALLY an intentional feature. If you want to complete this quest and survive, you'll need to come up with a way to teleport out safely. My own method was to use the House Pet from InventoryPets, which allows you to teleport to your spawnpoint from anywhere in the game. The world was a bit buggy after I teleported out, but after rejoining everything was fine and I got the quest reward.

Quest rewards have a randomized loot pool, and each item in the pool has the exact same chance of being obtained. This means that you could get something really good, or something really lame like a decorative block. It's all up to luck. Gaining these rewards is a great way to get tools that'll help you move along, so keep working on the questline.

Once you've completed EVERY quest, you'll be able to trade materials for random rewards.

Setting up shop

Where should you build a house?

The best place, in my opinion, to set up a house is underground with zero entrances. You should set up a waystone teleport between your house and the outside world, and use that as a safe way to get in and out.

If you'd like to build above ground, make sure you're in a low-down area with no high cliffs around you. This reduces the chance of being swarmed by mobs with no quick escape route. You also don't want to build high up, since mobs can climb walls in this modpack and being high up is honestly a pain in the ass. Below ground with no physical entrance.

If you'd like to build above ground, make sure you're in a low-down area with no high cliffs around you. This reduces the chance of being swarmed by mobs with no quick escape route. You also don't want to build high up, since mobs can climb walls in this modpack and being high up is honestly a pain in the neck. Below ground with no physical entrance is the best strategy for me.

You could also secure your house with piston doors, which are much better than wooden doors that some mobs can break though. If you're worried about mob farms, remember you can pick up mobs by shift + right clicking with an empty main hand and offhand.

The strategy isn't too different from typical hardcore when it comes to bases, but just remember that fences are not effective against hostile mobs.

Additional notes

What I've learnt from my mistakes

Here are some other things you'll probably want to know, based on my experiences:

Shields are always better than totems. Being able to deflect AND do damage (with higher tier shields) using the Parry system is more powerful than you'd think.
Never underestimate ANY mob. Seriously. They have been significantly altered to be quite unpredictable and difficult. There's a chance for mobs to spawn with high-tier gear, and sometimes you won't even be able to tell what they're equipped with. For instance, a spider might be holding a sword and armor, and you won't be able to see either of them. The amount of times I've been one-shot is substantial. Never be willing to take a shot from any mob.
Always have a backup plan for escaping dangerous situations. Whether it's a quick waystone teleport or an invisibility cloak, being prepared can save your life. The difference between an easy picking and a speedrun to death can be indistinguishable.
Always put spirit orbs towards health. Stamina is nowhere near as important until you've maxed out your hearts.

With my guidance, you'll be well-equipped to handle the challenges that come your way. If you want to play fridgePack yourself, check out the modpack page and grab a download.

Have fun playing and good luck surviving!