Icarus Mod Guide: Every Wing Type, Crafting & Flight Mechanics
Icarus adds over 80 unique wings to Minecraft that let you soar through the skies in style. Worn in the Curios or Trinkets slot, these wings come in five distinct styles and all 16 dye colors, each requiring an Elytra as a base ingredient. Flight costs hunger and armor slows you down, creating meaningful tradeoffs for aerial exploration.
Overview
Icarus is a cosmetic flight mod that adds 83 craftable wings across five styles: Feathered, Dragon, Mechanical Feathered, Mechanical Leather, and Light. On top of those, three special Unique wings offer rare cosmetic variants for players who want something truly distinct. Every standard wing style comes in all 16 Minecraft dye colors, so there is no shortage of visual customization.
Wings are worn in the Back slot (Curios) or Cape slot (Trinkets), meaning they do not take up your Chestplate slot. Flying works just like Elytra flight, but with a key difference: it costs hunger. If your food bar drops to 3 drumsticks or below, you will be grounded. Wearing armor also reduces your maximum flight speed, so there is a real tradeoff between protection and agility. You can browse all 83 wings and their recipes using the Items and Recipes tabs on this page.
Getting Started
- 1
Obtain an Elytra
Every wing recipe requires an Elytra as the centerpiece. You will need to reach the End, defeat the Ender Dragon, and find an End Ship in an End City. The Elytra is non-negotiable, so plan your End expedition before anything else.
- 2
Gather Honeycomb
All wing recipes use 3 Honeycomb in the top row. Find a Bee Nest in a Birch or Oak forest, use Shears on it (place a Campfire underneath to avoid angering the Bees), and stockpile Honeycomb. You will need 3 per pair of wings.
- 3
Choose Your Wing Style
Pick a wing type based on the materials you have available. Feathered Wings need Feathers, Dragon Wings need Dragon's Breath, Mechanical variants use Iron Ingots with Feathers or Leather, and Light Wings require Glowstone Dust. Unique wings require Nether Stars and other rare materials.
- 4
Craft and Equip
Craft your chosen wings at a Crafting Table and equip them into your Curios Back slot or Trinkets Cape slot. The wings will appear visually on your character. To fly, jump from a height and begin gliding exactly like you would with an Elytra.
- 5
Recolor Your Wings
Once you have crafted a base pair of wings, you can change their color at any time. Combine any wing with a Dye in a shapeless crafting recipe to swap to a different color. This works with all 16 dye colors and all standard wing types.
Wing Types
Icarus offers five standard wing styles and three Unique wings. All standard wings share the same flight stats and mechanics; the differences are purely cosmetic and in their crafting ingredients. Unique wings have Epic rarity (purple name text) while all standard wings have Rare rarity (blue name text).
Feathered Wings
The most accessible wings in the mod. Feathered Wings require only Honeycomb, an Elytra, and Feathers, making them the easiest to craft early on. Their appearance resembles natural bird wings with a soft, layered feather texture. The base recipe produces 
White Feathered Wings, and you can dye them any of the 16 colors afterward.
Dragon Wings
Dragon Wings are more expensive, requiring Dragon's Breath instead of Feathers. You will need 5 Dragon's Breath per pair, which means revisiting the Ender Dragon fight or farming the dragon's breath attack with Glass Bottles. The result is a dramatic, bat-like wing with a leathery membrane appearance. Dragon Wings also feature dual-tone coloring, with each dye color producing a distinct primary and secondary color combination.
Mechanical Feathered Wings
Mechanical Feathered Wings combine Iron Ingots with Feathers around the Elytra core. They have a steampunk-inspired aesthetic with metal framework supporting feathered surfaces. The recipe requires 2 Iron Ingots and 2 Feathers alongside the standard Honeycomb and Elytra components.
Mechanical Leather Wings
The leather counterpart to Mechanical Feathered Wings. These use 2 Iron Ingots and 2 Leather with the Honeycomb and Elytra core. They have a similar mechanical frame but with stretched leather panels instead of feathers, giving them a more industrial look.
Light Wings
Light Wings are crafted with Glowstone Dust, requiring 6 Glowstone Dust per pair. These ethereal wings have a glowing, translucent appearance that makes them stand out in darker environments. They provide the same flight capabilities as all other wing types.
Recoloring wings is a simple shapeless recipe: just combine the wings with any Dye. You do not lose the wings or need additional materials beyond the Dye itself. Experiment freely with colors to match your armor or build aesthetic.
Base Wing Recipes
Unique Wings
Three special wings exist that cannot be dyed and have their own exclusive textures. These Unique wings have Epic rarity and require endgame materials including Nether Stars, making them a significant investment.
Flandre's Wings
Crafted with 2 Nether Stars, a Diamond, an Emerald, Honeycomb, and an Elytra. These are among the most expensive wings to craft, requiring two Wither boss kills. They feature a distinctive multi-colored crystalline design.
Discord's Wings
An asymmetric design requiring 2 Nether Stars, 1 Leather, and 1 Feather alongside the Honeycomb and Elytra. The mismatched materials reflect the asymmetric wing appearance, with one Feathered side and one Leather side.
Zanza's Wings
The most affordable Unique wings, requiring 2 Nether Stars and 2 Glowstone Dust with the standard Honeycomb and Elytra. Still requires at least two Wither boss kills, but the supporting materials are much easier to obtain.
Unique Wing Recipes
Wing Crafting Requirements
| Feathered | Dragon | Mech. Feathered | Mech. Leather | Light | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Elytra | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| Honeycomb | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 |
| Key Material | Feathers x5 | Dragon's Breath x5 | Iron x2 + Feathers x2 | Iron x2 + Leather x2 | Glowstone Dust x6 |
| Rarity | Rare | Rare | Rare | Rare | Rare |
| Dyeable | Yes (16 colors) | Yes (16 colors) | Yes (16 colors) | Yes (16 colors) | Yes (16 colors) |
Flight Mechanics
Icarus wings use the same flight model as the Elytra: jump from a height and you will begin gliding. While airborne, you actively consume hunger at a rate of 0.03 exhaustion per tick. If your food level drops to 3 drumsticks (6 food points) or below, your wings will stop working and you will begin falling. A message will appear on your action bar: "You cannot fly with an empty stomach!" Keeping a good food supply is essential for extended flights.
When you hold the sprint key while flying, the wings provide powered acceleration. The base flight speed is controlled by the wingsSpeed config value (default 0.0125). If you pitch into a steep dive between -75 and -105 degrees, you receive a 2.75x speed multiplier, allowing for dramatic dive-and-swoop maneuvers.
Armor Slowdown
Wearing armor reduces your flight speed. The slowdown formula is: your armor value divided by 30, multiplied by the maxSlowedMultiplier (default 3.0). A full Diamond armor set (20 armor points) would give you a speed modifier of 20/30 * 3.0 = 2.0, cutting your flight speed in half. Full Netherite armor (20 points, same calculation) has the same penalty. Lighter armor like a full Leather set (7 armor points) only produces a 0.7 modifier, which rounds up to 1.0 (no penalty). The tradeoff means serious flyers should consider going unarmored or wearing minimal protection.
Height Limit
By default, flight is capped at 64 blocks above the world's build limit. If you try to fly higher, you will be unable to gain additional altitude. This limit is configurable and can be disabled entirely.
Loop-de-Loops
Icarus allows you to perform loop-de-loops while flying by scrolling your mouse wheel to rotate past the normal pitch limits. This is enabled by default and is a fun way to show off during flight. When you stop flying, the mod automatically corrects your camera orientation so you land facing the right way.
Slow Falling
When flight ends (either from running out of hunger or hitting a surface), the mod can apply a slow-falling effect. This is disabled by default but can be enabled in the config. With it on, you can sneak while flying to slow your descent, making landings much safer.
Wings stop working at 3 drumsticks or below. If you are flying over a ravine, ocean, or lava lake when your hunger runs out, you will drop straight down. Always carry high-saturation foods like Golden Carrots or Cooked Beef for long flights. Landing near 4 drumsticks gives you an emergency buffer.
Special Mechanics
The Flightless Status Effect
Icarus adds a custom status effect called Flightless. When active, it completely prevents wing usage regardless of hunger or equipment. The action bar displays "You cannot fly right now!" This effect can be applied by other mods, commands, or map makers to create no-fly zones or flight-restricting challenges.
Dimension Restrictions
Server operators and mod pack creators can restrict flight in specific dimensions using the Icarus dimension tag system. When a player attempts to fly in a restricted dimension, the message "Flying is not allowed in this dimension!" appears in red. By default no dimensions are restricted, but this feature is useful for custom modpacks that want to gate flight behind progression.
Wing Durability and Melting
By default, wings have infinite durability (wingsDurability is set to 0). Server operators can enable durability through the config, setting it to any positive integer. When durability is active, wings tagged with the "melts" tag will take extra durability damage when flying near the world height limit (every 2 ticks instead of every 20 ticks). Wings can be repaired with items in the "wing_repair_items" tag.
Free Flight Tag
Wings added to the "icarus:free_flight" item tag will not consume hunger while flying. This can be configured via datapacks, allowing modpack creators to designate certain wings as hunger-free, perhaps as endgame rewards or special quest items.
Default Configuration Values
| Wings Speed | 0.0125 |
| Exhaustion Per Tick | 0.03 |
| Armor Slows Flight | Yes |
| Max Armor Slow Multiplier | 3.0x |
| Wings Durability | 0 (infinite) |
| Loop-de-Loops | Enabled |
| Slow Fall on Sneak | Disabled |
| Max Height Above Build Limit | 64 blocks |
| Height Limit Enforced | Yes |
| Flying Target Radius Increase | 0.25 |
| Roll Amount (requires CameraOverhaul) | 1.0 |
Configuration
Icarus uses the Resourceful Config system and can be configured through the in-game config screen or by editing the icarus config file directly. The config is synced from server to client, so on multiplayer servers the server's settings take priority.
The most impactful settings for gameplay are armor_slows (toggle the armor speed penalty entirely), max_slowed_multiplier (control how severe the armor penalty is), exhaustion_amount (increase or decrease hunger drain while flying), and wings_durability (set to any positive number to make wings breakable). Setting wings_durability to 0 keeps them unbreakable, which is the default.
The can_slow_fall option is disabled by default but worth enabling if you want safer landings. With it turned on, you can sneak while flying to transition into a gentle descent instead of a hard drop. The can_loop_de_loop option lets you disable the loop-de-loop feature if you find it disorienting.
Icarus requires either Curios (Forge/NeoForge) or Trinkets (Fabric) to provide the accessory slot where wings are equipped. Wings go into the Back slot (Curios) or Cape slot (Trinkets). This means you can wear wings and a full set of armor simultaneously, as they do not occupy the Chestplate slot.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do different wing types have different flight stats?
No. All wing types fly at the same speed, consume the same amount of hunger, and have the same mechanics. The only differences are visual appearance and crafting ingredients. Even the Unique wings (Flandre's, Discord's, Zanza's) perform identically to standard wings. Choose based on aesthetics alone.
Can I use wings and an Elytra at the same time?
Wings occupy the Curios/Trinkets accessory slot, not the Chestplate slot. However, you only need one flight source. The Elytra is consumed in the wing crafting recipe, so think of wings as an upgraded, more stylish replacement for the Elytra.
Why do my wings stop working randomly?
Check your hunger bar. Wings stop working when your food level drops to 3 drumsticks or below. You might also have the Flightless status effect, or you could be in a dimension where flight has been restricted by the server. Look at your action bar for a message explaining why you cannot fly.
Can I repair wings if durability is enabled?
Yes. If a server enables wing durability through the config, wings can be repaired using items in the "wing_repair_items" tag. The specific repair items depend on what the server or modpack has configured in the item tag. By default, durability is set to 0 (infinite), so most players will never need to worry about this.
How does the armor slowdown work exactly?
Your armor value is divided by 30, then multiplied by the max slowdown multiplier (default 3.0). The result must exceed 1.0 to apply a penalty. With a full Diamond set (20 armor), the modifier is 2.0x, halving your speed. A Chainmail set (12 armor) gives 1.2x. A single Iron Helmet (2 armor) is only 0.2, which rounds up to the minimum of 1.0 (no penalty). Wearing 10 or fewer total armor points produces no slowdown at all.
Does Icarus work with Firework Rockets for boosting?
Icarus wings use Elytra-style flight, so Firework Rocket boosting works as it normally does with an Elytra. You can use them for takeoff assistance and speed bursts during flight. Keep in mind that the hunger drain still applies during boosted flight.