Overloaded Armor Bar Mod Guide: Color-Coded Armor Display for High Protection
Overloaded Armor Bar fixes the vanilla HUD's biggest blind spot: once your armor bar fills up at 20 points, you have no idea how much protection you actually have. This mod cycles the armor icons through configurable colors each time you fill the bar, letting you see at a glance whether you're sitting at 30 or 60 armor points.
Overview
Vanilla Minecraft displays armor as a row of 10 icons above the hotbar, with each icon representing 2 armor points for a maximum display of 20. The problem is that many mods add armor sets that push your total well beyond 20 points, and the vanilla bar simply caps out at full with no way to tell the difference between 20 and 60 armor.
Overloaded Armor Bar solves this by recoloring the armor icons every time you fill the bar. Your first 20 armor points display as standard white icons. Points 21 through 40 display as orange icons, 41 through 60 as gold, and so on through cyan, green, and purple. The colors are fully configurable, and you can add as many tiers as you need.
This is a purely client-side visual mod. It adds no items, blocks, or gameplay mechanics. It simply replaces the vanilla armor bar renderer so you always know exactly how protected you are.
Getting Started
- 1
Install and Launch
Drop the mod JAR into your mods folder and launch the game. Overloaded Armor Bar is a client-side mod that works immediately with no setup required. The next time you equip armor, you'll see the new color system in action.
- 2
Equip Armor That Exceeds 20 Points
To see the mod working, equip armor that pushes your total above 20. A full set of Diamond Armor provides exactly 20, so you'll need modded armor or enchantments that add bonus armor points. Once you exceed 20, the bar will reset and begin filling again in a new color.
- 3
Read the Color Tiers
Each color represents a completed bar of 20 armor points. White icons mean 1 to 20 armor. Orange icons mean 21 to 40. If you see half the bar as orange full icons and the rest as white full icons, you're partway through the second tier. The system handles half-icons correctly, so odd armor values still display accurately.
- 4
Customize Colors (Optional)
Open the mod's config screen through Mod Menu to change the tier colors. You can set any hex color values you like and add additional tiers beyond the default six. The config also lets you toggle whether the armor bar appears when you have zero armor and whether empty armor icon slots are shown.
How the Color Tier System Works
The mod divides your total armor value by 20 to determine which color tier to display. Each full cycle of the bar (20 armor points) advances to the next color in the list. The bar always shows 10 icons, each worth 2 points, resetting its fill level at every multiple of 20.
When your armor value is between tiers (for example, 25 armor points), the filled icons show the current tier's color while the empty icon slots show the previous tier's color as filled icons. This makes it visually clear that you've completed the previous tier and are partway through the next one. Half-armor icons are handled correctly too: the left half uses the current tier color and the right half uses the previous tier color.
If your armor value exceeds the number of defined color tiers, the mod caps at the last color in the list. So with the default six colors, anything above 120 armor points still displays as purple. You can extend this by adding more hex color values in the config.
To calculate your exact armor value from the display: count the number of full icons, add 1 if there's a half icon, multiply by 2, then add 20 for each completed color tier. For example, 3 full orange icons and 1 half orange icon means (3 × 2) + 1 + 20 = 27 armor points.
Default Color Tiers
| Tier 1 (1–20 armor) | White (#FFFFFF) |
| Tier 2 (21–40 armor) | Orange (#FF5500) |
| Tier 3 (41–60 armor) | Gold (#FFC747) |
| Tier 4 (61–80 armor) | Cyan (#27FFE3) |
| Tier 5 (81–100 armor) | Green (#00FF00) |
| Tier 6 (101–120 armor) | Purple (#7F00FF) |
Configuration
Overloaded Armor Bar has four configuration options, all accessible through Mod Menu's config screen. The config file is also editable directly in the config folder.
Color List
The color list is a space-separated string of hex color values. Each color corresponds to one tier (one full bar of 20 armor points). The default value is "#FFFFFF #FF5500 #FFC747 #27FFE3 #00FF00 #7F00FF", giving you six tiers covering up to 120 armor points. You can add as many colors as you want by appending more hex values. Colors must use the format #RRGGBB.
Always Show Armor Bar
When set to true, the armor bar is always visible on the HUD even when you have zero armor. This defaults to false, matching vanilla behavior where the bar only appears when you have armor equipped.
Show Empty Armor Icons
Controls whether unfilled armor icon slots are rendered. When enabled, empty slots appear as outlined armor icons, making it easy to see how much of the bar you've filled. This defaults to false.
Offset
When enabled (the default), the armor bar's vertical position adjusts based on your maximum health and absorption. This keeps the armor bar from overlapping extra health rows added by mods like those that increase max HP beyond 20. If you're experiencing display overlap issues, toggling this option may help.
Try matching colors to vanilla Minecraft material tiers: #FFFFFF (Iron), #55FFFF (Diamond), #AA00AA (Netherite), #FFAA00 (Gold), #FF5555 (Redstone), #55FF55 (Emerald). This gives an intuitive sense of how far beyond Diamond-level your armor has gone.
This mod only needs to be installed on the client. It does not need to be on the server, and installing it on a dedicated server will have no effect. Other players on a server won't see your color-coded armor bar unless they also have the mod installed.
FAQ
Does this mod change how armor actually works?
No. Overloaded Armor Bar is purely visual. It does not modify armor values, damage reduction, or any game mechanics. It only changes how the armor bar is rendered on your HUD.
What happens if my armor value is higher than the number of color tiers?
The mod caps at the last color in your list. With the default six colors, any armor value above 120 will continue displaying as purple. To fix this, simply add more hex colors to the color list in the config.
Does this work with modded armor from other mods?
Yes. The mod reads your player's total armor attribute value directly, so it works with any mod that adds armor through the standard Minecraft armor attribute system. It doesn't matter which mod provides the armor.
Why does my armor bar overlap with my health bar?
If you have mods that increase your maximum health above 20, the extra health rows can push into the armor bar's space. Make sure the "offset" config option is set to true (the default). This adjusts the armor bar's position to account for extra health rows and Absorption hearts.
Is this mod compatible with other HUD mods?
Overloaded Armor Bar uses Mixin to intercept the vanilla armor rendering. It works alongside most HUD mods, but if another mod completely replaces the vanilla HUD renderer, the two may conflict. If you notice the armor bar disappearing or doubling, check for conflicts with other HUD-replacement mods.