Dark Utilities

Overview

Dark Utilities is an expansive quality-of-life mod that adds a wide range of blocks and items to make your Minecraft experience more convenient and more fun. Rather than focusing on a single theme, it touches on automation, redstone, mob management, inventory utilities, and decoration. The mod is organized into independent features that can each be toggled on or off in the configuration file, so you can customize exactly what content is active in your world.

The major systems include Vector Plates for moving entities, Mob Filters for sorting creatures, Trap Blocks for applying debuffs, a full suite of inventory Charms, Sneaky Blocks that mimic any other block's appearance, an Ender Hopper for long-range item collection, and eight decorative Chest variants. The mod requires the Bookshelf library to function. You can browse every item and recipe the mod adds using the tabs at the top of this page.

Crafting Materials

Dark Utilities introduces four key crafting materials that serve as ingredients throughout the mod's recipes. Understanding these materials and how to obtain them is essential before diving into the more advanced content.

Wither Dust

Wither Dust is the foundational material. Craft 3 Wither Dust from a single Wither Skeleton Skull, or farm Wither Skeletons directly since they have it in their loot table (configurable weight, default 1). Wither Dust can be compressed into Wither Dust Blocks, which come in six decorative variants: Default, Bricked, Carved, Chiseled, Magma, and Tiled. These blocks are Wither-proof and explosion-resistant, and they function as valid Beacon base blocks. The Magma variant even emits light.

Dwindle Cream

Combine Wither Dust with a Slimeball to create Dwindle Cream. This is the primary ingredient for Sneaky Blocks and the Anti-Slime Block. If you plan on building hidden rooms or preventing Slime spawns, you'll need a steady supply.

Unstable Ender Pearl

Combine Wither Dust with an Ender Pearl to get an Unstable Ender Pearl. This material is used in recipes for the Ender Hopper, Ender Tether, and Null Charm. It represents the mod's "ender-infused" crafting tier.

Dark Sugar

Surround a single Wither Dust with eight Sugar to produce 8 Dark Sugar. This enhanced sweetener is the key ingredient for upgrading normal Vector Plates to Fast Vector Plates. It is also used in crafting Soul Sand (surround 5 Sand with 4 Wither Dust to make 5 Soul Sand), giving you a renewable source of this normally finite Nether block.

Vector Plates

Vector Plates are flat, rotatable blocks that push any entity standing on them in the direction they face. They are one of the most widely used features of the mod, especially in mob farms. Mobs can spawn on top of Vector Plates, making them perfect for mob grinder floors. Items being pushed by Vector Plates won't despawn and have a short pickup delay, so they'll slide all the way to a collection point without being accidentally grabbed.

There are three tiers of Vector Plate. The normal Vector Plate has a speed of 0.06 and gently nudges entities along. The Fast Vector Plate at 0.3 speed is five times faster and great for longer conveyor runs. The Hyper Vector Plate at 1.5 speed launches entities at extreme velocity, useful for quick transport or flinging mobs into kill chambers. Sneaking while on a Vector Plate prevents you from being pushed, which is handy when building or maintaining your setup.

To upgrade plates, surround 8 normal Vector Plates around Dark Sugar to get 8 Fast Vector Plates. Then surround 8 Fast Vector Plates around a Wither Dust Block to get 8 Hyper Vector Plates.

Trap Blocks

Trap Blocks are flat plates that inflict debuffs or damage on any entity that steps on them. They must be placed on a solid surface and will break if the block beneath them is removed, similar to Torches. There are six types, each with a different effect. All traps are crafted with Stone on the sides and a type-specific ingredient in the center.

The Poison Trap applies Poison for 100 ticks (5 seconds) using a Spider Eye. The Weakness Trap applies Weakness for 60 ticks (3 seconds) using a Fermented Spider Eye. The Harming Trap deals 2.5 hearts of magic damage instantly, crafted with a Diamond Sword. The Slowness Trap applies Slowness II for 60 ticks using Soul Sand. The Fire Trap sets entities on fire for 1 second using Flint and Steel. The Wither Trap applies Wither for 60 ticks using Wither Dust. All trap effects cannot be cured with Milk, as the mod removes curative items from the effects.

Mob Filters

Mob Filters are blocks that allow specific types of entities to pass through while being solid to everything else. They are essential for any serious mob farm design. Each filter type is crafted with Wooden Fence Gates, Stone, and a type-specific ingredient that hints at what the filter targets. There are 11 filter types, each targeting a specific creature classification.

The Player Filter uses a Skull as its ingredient and only lets players through. The Undead Filter (Bone) allows Zombies, Skeletons, and other undead mobs. The Arthropod Filter (Spider Eye) targets Spiders and Cave Spiders. The Monster Filter (Gunpowder) covers all hostile mobs. The Animal Filter (Wheat) permits passive animals. The Water Filter (Fish) works for Guardians and aquatic mobs. The Baby Filter (Egg) only allows baby versions of mobs, which is perfect for separating adults from babies in breeding farms. The Pet Filter (Lead) allows tamed animals like Wolves and Cats. The Slime Filter targets only Slimes, the Fire Resistant Filter (Blaze Powder) allows fire-immune mobs like Blazes, and the Boss Filter (Obsidian) allows non-boss entities through.

Every filter type also has an Inverted variant that does the opposite: it blocks the targeted type and lets everything else pass. You can convert between normal and inverted versions in the crafting grid.

Inventory Charms

Dark Utilities adds six different charms that provide passive benefits while held in your inventory or offhand. If you have the Baubles mod installed, all charms can also be placed in Bauble charm slots. Each charm stacks to 1 and provides a unique quality-of-life improvement.

Portal Charm

The Portal Charm eliminates the waiting time when stepping into Nether Portals. Normally you must stand in the portal for several seconds before being teleported; with this charm in your inventory, the transfer is nearly instant. It is crafted from String, Obsidian, and a Chorus Fruit.

Sleep Charm

The Sleep Charm skips the sleep animation entirely, letting you fall asleep instantly when right-clicking a Bed. It also prevents Phantoms from spawning by resetting the insomnia timer. Crafted from Leather, Sticks, and a Bed.

Gluttony Charm

The Gluttony Charm removes all food consumption delay. Instead of the eating animation taking several seconds, food is consumed instantly the moment you right-click. This is a huge advantage in combat situations where you need to heal quickly. Crafted from String, Wheat, and a Golden Apple.

Null Charm

The Null Charm acts as an item blacklist. Right-click it to open a GUI where you can place items you want to ignore. While the charm is in your inventory, any items matching your blacklist will be destroyed on pickup instead of entering your inventory. This is perfect for cleaning up junk drops like Rotten Flesh or Poisonous Potatoes during farming sessions. Crafted from an Unstable Ender Pearl, Obsidian, and a Lava Bucket.

Focus Sash

A reference to the Pokemon item of the same name, the Focus Sash prevents one-hit kills. If you are at full health and take a hit that would kill you, the damage is reduced so you survive with at least half a heart. This only works when you are at full health, so it won't save you from sustained combat, but it provides a safety net against Creeper explosions and other surprise attacks. Crafted from Blaze Powder, a Nether Star, Yellow Wool, Red Wool, and Orange Wool.

Aggression Charm

The Aggression Charm causes all nearby mobs of the same type to become aggressive toward you when you attack one of them. When you hit a mob while carrying this charm, all mobs of that species within a 32-block radius will target you. This is designed for farming, as it draws in scattered mobs for easier killing. Crafted from Arrows, Gold Nuggets, and Gunpowder.

Enchanted Rings

Enchanted Rings are special items that grant one level of a specific enchantment passively while held in your offhand. If Baubles is installed, they can also be placed in ring slots, and multiple rings of different types can stack their effects. Rings cannot be crafted; they are found exclusively as loot in Nether Fortress Chests, making them a rare and valuable find during Nether exploration.

There are seven ring types: the Ring of Pyro (Fire Protection), Ring of the Engineer (Mending), Ring of the Deep (Respiration), Ring of the Titan (Thorns), Ring of Protection (Protection), Ring of the Angler (Luck of the Sea), and Ring of Frost (Frost Walker). Each ring adds exactly one level of its enchantment to your effective enchantment total. By default, stacking is enabled in the config, meaning having multiple rings of the same type will add multiple levels.

Sneaky Blocks

Sneaky Blocks are disguise blocks that can copy the appearance of almost any full-cube block in the game. Place a Sneaky Block, then right-click it while holding any valid block to make it take on that block's texture, color, and even connected-texture behavior. The disguised appearance persists through chunk reloads and server restarts. This system is perfect for hidden rooms, secret entrances, adventure maps, and traps.

The base Sneaky Block is crafted by surrounding Dwindle Cream with 8 Stone, producing 8 blocks. From there, you can combine a Sneaky Block with specific vanilla blocks to create specialized variants. Combine it with a Lever to make a Sneaky Lever that looks like a solid block but toggles a Redstone signal when right-clicked with an empty hand. Combine it with Wool to make a Sneaky Ghost Block that entities can walk right through. Add a Torch or Redstone Torch to create a Sneaky Torch that emits light level 15 while looking like any other block. Add a Stone Pressure Plate for a Sneaky Pressure Plate that emits a Redstone signal when stepped on.

The Sneaky Obsidian variant has the blast resistance of Obsidian (2000.0) while maintaining the disguise. For map makers, the Sneaky Bedrock variant is unbreakable in survival mode (only Creative mode players can change its disguise) and has 6,000,000 blast resistance, making it truly indestructible. The Opacity config option controls whether Sneaky Blocks block light; when enabled (default), they act as opaque blocks.

Redstone Components

Redstone Timer

The Redstone Timer is a flat block that emits a Redstone pulse at configurable intervals. Right-click it to open a GUI where you can set the delay between 10 and 12,000 ticks (0.5 seconds to 10 minutes). Once placed, it will continuously output Redstone pulses at the set interval without requiring any Redstone dust or repeater chains. It is crafted from Stone, Redstone Torches, and a Clock.

Update Detector

The Update Detector emits a brief Redstone pulse whenever a neighboring block receives an update. This is similar to a BUD switch but in a single block. It ignores pistons and redstone-related updates to prevent feedback loops, only triggering on "real" block changes like blocks being placed or broken nearby. Crafted from Stone, Pistons, and a Redstone Block.

Ender Tether

The Ender Tether is placed like a Torch and prevents Endermen from teleporting away within a configurable range (default 32 blocks). When any entity attempts an ender teleport (including players throwing Ender Pearls) within range, they are redirected to the Tether's location instead of their intended destination. This is extremely useful for Enderman farms, as it forces Endermen to teleport to a central collection point. The Tether emits purple particles and is crafted from an Unstable Ender Pearl, Obsidian, and a Redstone Torch.

Utility Blocks

Ender Hopper

The Ender Hopper is a placeable block that collects dropped items within a 9x9x9 area (4 blocks in each direction, configurable up to 32) and feeds them into an adjacent inventory. Unlike a regular Hopper that only collects items directly above it, the Ender Hopper teleports items from anywhere within its range. It can be placed on any face of a block and will output items in the opposite direction of where it's placed. Sneak-right-click to toggle a visible outline showing its collection area. It has a cooldown of 100 ticks (5 seconds) between collection cycles.

Item Grate

The Item Grate is a nearly full-height block that allows dropped items to pass through it while blocking player and mob movement. When an item entity lands on a Grate, it is teleported slightly below the block, effectively letting items fall through while everything else walks on top. This is useful for item sorting systems and collection setups. Crafted from an Iron Bars, Stone, and a Hopper.

Anti-Slime Block

Tired of Slimes spawning in your base? The Anti-Slime Block completely prevents Slime spawns within the same chunk where it is placed. It only needs to be powered by Redstone (not blocked) and must be in a loaded chunk. One block per chunk is sufficient. Crafted from Stone, Cobwebs, and Dwindle Cream.

Fake TNT

Fake TNT looks and behaves exactly like regular TNT, complete with the fuse animation, smoke particles, and explosion sound. The difference? It deals zero explosion damage and destroys no blocks. It is purely cosmetic, making it perfect for pranks, adventure maps, and traps that scare without destroying. Crafted from Gunpowder and Wool (any color) in a pattern similar to vanilla TNT but with Gunpowder and Wool swapped.

Shulker Pearls

Dark Utilities makes Shulkers a renewable resource by allowing you to harvest Shulker Pearls from living Shulkers. Simply right-click a Shulker and it will drop a Shulker Pearl. Each Shulker has a cooldown of 6,000 ticks (5 minutes) between harvests. This means you can set up a Shulker farm in the End and periodically collect pearls without having to kill them.

Shulker Pearls can be combined with a Blaze Rod to craft End Rods, providing an alternative recipe. They also compress into Shulker Pearl Blocks (8 Shulker Pearls around an End Stone), which come in four decorative variants: Default, Brick, Carved, and Chiseled. Like Wither Dust Blocks, Shulker Pearl Blocks can serve as valid Beacon base blocks. You can also decompress 4 Pearl Blocks back into a single Shulker Pearl.

Decorative Content

Decorative Chests

The mod adds eight themed chest variants that function identically to vanilla Chests but with unique textures. Each one is crafted by surrounding a regular Chest with themed materials. The Glacial Chest uses Packed Ice and regular Ice. The Glass Chest uses Glass Blocks and Glass Panes. The Jungle Chest uses Leaves and Saplings. The Magic Chest uses Gold Ingots and Blue Wool. The Nether Chest uses Netherrack, Nether Quartz, and Nether Bricks. The Royal Chest uses Gold Ingots and Red Wool. The Sandstone Chest uses Sandstone. The Prismarine Chest uses Prismarine Shards and Prismarine Crystals.

Dyed Slime Blocks

All 16 dye colors can be applied to Slime Blocks, creating colorful bouncy blocks for decoration or Redstone contraptions. Surround 8 Slime Blocks around a Dye of any color to produce 8 Dyed Slime Blocks. They behave identically to vanilla Slime Blocks in terms of bouncing and sticky piston mechanics.

Miscellaneous Features

Sheep Armor

A subtle but charming feature: all Sheep in the world gain 1.0 armor point while they still have their Wool. Once sheared, they lose the armor bonus until their Wool regrows. This makes unsheared Sheep slightly more durable against attacks and environmental damage. The armor value is configurable.

Ore Dictionary Additions

Dark Utilities registers several vanilla items and blocks in the Forge Ore Dictionary that Mojang did not include by default. This improves cross-mod compatibility, as other mods can now reference these items through standardized Ore Dictionary tags in their recipes.

Configuration

Nearly every feature in Dark Utilities can be individually toggled on or off through the configuration file. The config is organized with a "_features" category at the top that controls which major systems are active. Beyond the master toggles, each feature has its own section with granular settings.

Vector Plate speeds can be adjusted individually (normal defaults to 0.06, fast to 0.3, hyper to 1.5) with a maximum of 5.0. You can also toggle whether plates prevent item despawning and pickup. The Ender Hopper's collection range defaults to 4 blocks but can go up to 32. The Ender Tether's range defaults to 32 blocks (max 512) and you can disable its effect on players. The Shulker Pearl harvest cooldown defaults to 6,000 ticks but is fully adjustable. Sheep Armor points default to 1.0 (max 512). Each individual trap, filter, charm, sneaky block, and chest can have its crafting recipe disabled independently, and ring stacking and dungeon loot generation can be toggled as well.