YUNG's Better Mineshafts

Overview

YUNG's Better Mineshafts is a world generation mod that completely replaces every vanilla Mineshaft with a dramatically improved version. Instead of the same Oak Plank corridors in every biome, the mod generates 13 distinct Mineshaft variants that use building materials native to the biome they spawn in. Desert Mineshafts are built from Sandstone, Ice Spike Mineshafts are carved from Packed Ice and Blue Ice, and Mushroom Island Mineshafts use Red and Brown Mushroom Blocks. Each variant also gets biome-appropriate decorations like Cacti, Snow, Vines, or Mushrooms scattered throughout.

Beyond visual improvements, the mod adds entirely new structural elements that vanilla Mineshafts lack. You will find surface entrances that let you discover Mineshafts from above ground, Ore Deposits at the ends of tunnels, Workstation Side Rooms with Furnaces and loot, and rare Abandoned Miners' Outposts with Zombie Villager Spawners. The overall layout is also reworked with a large main corridor (the Big Tunnel) and smaller branching shafts that include turns, stairs, and multi-level intersections.

Mineshafts generate between Y -55 and Y 30 by default, and the mod completely disables vanilla Mineshaft generation. You can browse all items and configuration details using the tabs on this page.

Structure Layout

Every Better Mineshaft follows the same general structure, regardless of biome variant. Understanding the layout helps you navigate efficiently and ensures you do not miss valuable loot or hidden rooms.

Vertical Entrance

The Vertical Entrance is a shaft that extends from the Mineshaft's depth all the way up to the surface. It creates a visible opening at ground level, often built into a hillside or cliff face using biome-appropriate blocks. Ladders line the walls for safe descent. Not every Mineshaft will have a visible surface entrance, but when one generates, it is the easiest way to access the structure without digging.

Big Tunnel (Main Corridor)

The Big Tunnel is the central spine of every Mineshaft. It is wider than vanilla corridors and features support beams, bridge structures over open gaps, and Rails along the floor. Chest Minecarts spawn along the main tunnel at a 1% rate, and TNT Minecarts appear at a 0.25% rate. Lanterns provide dim lighting at a 0.67% spawn rate per block position. The main tunnel can chain up to 3 segments, each generating smaller tunnels branching off to the sides.

Small Tunnels

Branching off the Big Tunnel are smaller shafts that form the bulk of the exploration. Each small tunnel chain is made up of 9 segments (configurable) that can be straight corridors, turns, stairs going up or down, 4-way intersections, or 5-way layered intersections. Torches appear at a 2% rate in small tunnels, and Cobwebs spawn at 15%. Small tunnels also have their own Chest Minecarts (0.125% rate) and TNT Minecarts (0.25% rate).

Hidden Rooms & Special Areas

Workstation Side Rooms

Along the Big Tunnel, Workstation Side Rooms spawn at a 2.5% rate. These are small alcoves that contain a Furnace (sometimes with items inside), a loot Barrel using the Abandoned Mineshaft loot table, and Ladders. The room itself measures 10 blocks wide by 5 blocks deep. Some Workstation rooms have a cellar underneath, accessible via a Trapdoor and Ladder. The cellar generates 25% of the time when a Workstation room appears, and it functions as a Dungeon room with a Mob Spawner.

Abandoned Miners' Outpost

At the very end of small tunnel chains, there is a 2% chance for an Abandoned Miners' Outpost to spawn instead of an Ore Deposit. These are 7x7 rooms enclosed in Stone, Cobblestone, and Stone Bricks with an Iron Door at the entrance. Inside you will find a Zombie Villager Spawner in the floor, two Black Beds, Iron Bars along one wall, a Redstone Torch, an Anvil, and a loot Barrel. One of three workstations spawns randomly: a Smithing Table, Crafting Table, or Blast Furnace. Cobwebs fill the upper portion of the room.

Ore Deposits

One of the most valuable additions in Better Mineshafts is the Ore Deposit system. When a small tunnel reaches its final segment, it terminates in a 5x5x4 pocket of ore-bearing rock (unless an Abandoned Miners' Outpost spawns instead). The deposit is a cluster of Cobblestone with ore blocks mixed in. The core of the deposit (a 3x3x2 area) has a 65% fill rate of the selected ore, while the outer shell has a 15% chance of additional ore blocks.

The type of ore is determined by configurable weighted chances. Half of all deposits are empty Cobblestone, but the other half contain real ores. Coal is the most common find at 20%, followed by Iron at 9%, and then Redstone and Gold tied at 7% each. Lapis Lazuli and Emerald are rare at 3% each, and Diamond deposits are the rarest at just 1%. These chances can be adjusted in the configuration file.

Biome Variants

The mod generates 13 distinct Mineshaft variants, each tailored to the biome it spawns in. The building materials, floor blocks, support structures, and decorations all change to match the surrounding environment. Some variants have high replacement rates (95%) meaning almost all blocks are swapped to the biome theme, while others have lower rates (60%) that blend the theme with standard Stone and Cobblestone.

Oak (Forest Biomes)

The standard variant found beneath most forest biomes. Built from Oak Planks, Oak Fences for supports, and Stone Brick walls. The floor mixes Oak Planks with Cobblestone, Stone Bricks, Mossy Stone Bricks, and Cracked Stone Bricks. Vines appear at a 10% rate. This is the closest variant to the vanilla feel but with vastly improved layout and detail.

Spruce (Taiga Biomes)

Found under Taiga biomes, this variant swaps to Spruce Planks and Spruce Fences with Stripped Spruce Log legs. It shares the same structural feel as the Oak variant but with a darker, earthier color palette appropriate for cold forests.

Spruce Snowy (Snowy Biomes)

The snowy version adds a 30% Snow coverage rate on top of the Spruce construction. Snow Blocks cover floors and walls, making navigation trickier and hiding ores beneath layers of Snow. Bring a Shovel or place heat sources like Torches to clear paths. Surface entrances for this variant are easy to spot thanks to their Cobblestone and Planks standing out against snowy terrain.

Desert

Entirely built from Sandstone variants including Chiseled Sandstone, Cut Sandstone, and Smooth Sandstone. The floor uses Sand mixed with Sandstone. Dead Bushes and Cacti appear as decorations (10% each), and Gravel Piles of Sand are scattered at 20%. The surface entrance in Desert biomes is particularly distinctive, with Sandstone archways visible from a distance.

Red Desert (Badlands/Mesa)

Similar to the Desert variant but uses Red Sandstone, Chiseled Red Sandstone, Cut Red Sandstone, and Smooth Red Sandstone. The warmer tones match the Terracotta layers of the Badlands biome, and Dead Bushes and Cacti also appear as decorations.

Mesa (Badlands)

The Mesa variant uses Dark Oak Planks and Dark Oak Fences for supports, with Cobblestone and Stone Bricks for structural walls. It has a warm, dark appearance that complements the Terracotta layers above. The 60% replacement rate keeps some natural Stone mixed in.

Acacia (Savanna)

Found beneath Savanna biomes, this variant features Acacia Planks and Acacia Fences with a 10% Vine decoration rate. The warm orange-toned Acacia wood gives these Mineshafts a distinctly different feel from the cooler forest variants.

Jungle

Jungle Mineshafts use Jungle Planks and Jungle Fences. Vines are heavily present at a 30% spawn rate, giving the tunnels an overgrown, ancient appearance. The high vine coverage can obscure pathways and hide branching tunnels.

Ice (Frozen Peaks & Ice Spikes)

One of the most visually dramatic variants. The entire structure is built from Packed Ice, Blue Ice, and Snow Blocks with a 95% replacement rate. There are no wooden supports at all; everything is solid ice. Floors mix Packed Ice with Snow Blocks and Blue Ice. These Mineshafts are challenging to navigate because the ice blends with the walls, making it hard to distinguish corridors from dead ends. Mining ice for resources is an easy way to stockpile Packed Ice and Blue Ice.

Overgrown (Dense Forests)

Found under dense forest biomes, Overgrown Mineshafts have heavy vine coverage (30%) and use Oak Planks with Mossy Cobblestone walls. The 60% replacement rate means significant portions of the original Stone remain, giving a partially reclaimed feel. Surface entrances are disguised by Wooden Planks, Vines, and randomly placed Leaves.

Lush (Lush Caves)

The Lush variant has the highest replacement rate at 95% and uses Moss Blocks extensively. The floor is 75% Moss Block and the walls are 70% Moss with some Mossy Stone Bricks mixed in. Lush decorations like Glow Berries, Azalea, and Dripleaf are enabled. The result is a Mineshaft that looks almost entirely consumed by the Lush Cave ecosystem.

Dripstone (Dripstone Caves)

Standard Oak construction with Dripstone decorations enabled. Pointed Dripstone and Dripstone Blocks generate throughout the tunnels, adding stalactites and stalagmites to the corridors. The 60% replacement rate keeps a traditional Mineshaft look while the Dripstone adds atmospheric detail.

Mushroom (Mushroom Fields)

The rarest and most visually striking variant. Built entirely from Red Mushroom Blocks, Brown Mushroom Blocks, and Mushroom Stems with a 95% replacement rate. The floor is solid Mycelium. Mushrooms spawn at a 40% rate as decoration, and Vines appear at 10%. These Mineshafts are colorful, chaotic, and relatively safe since the Mushroom Fields biome prevents hostile mob spawning on the surface.

Configuration

All configuration options are found in the bettermineshafts-forge-1_21.toml file in your config folder. Changes to most settings require a world restart to take effect.

General Settings

The "Disable Vanilla Mineshafts" option (default: true) controls whether the mod completely replaces vanilla Mineshaft generation. Leave this enabled unless you want both types to coexist. The Minimum Y-coordinate (default: -55) and Maximum Y-coordinate (default: 30) control the vertical range where Mineshafts can spawn. Lowering the minimum or raising the maximum expands the range of depths you will find structures at.

Ore Deposit Settings

You can enable or disable Ore Deposits entirely, or adjust the spawn chance for each ore type individually. The chances must add up to 100. If you want more Diamond deposits, increase the Diamond percentage and decrease another ore's percentage by the same amount. Setting the Cobblestone chance to 0 means every single deposit will contain a real ore.

Spawn Rate Settings

Nearly every decoration and structural element has an adjustable spawn rate. The Small Shaft Piece Chain Length (default: 9) controls how many segments each branching tunnel has, directly affecting how long and complex the side tunnels are. Increasing this creates longer, more winding small tunnels with more Ore Deposits at their ends. The Abandoned Miners' Outpost Spawn Chance (default: 2%) can be raised if you want more of these special rooms to appear.

Dependencies

YUNG's Better Mineshafts requires YUNG's API as a dependency on both Forge and Fabric. On Fabric specifically, you also need Fabric API and Cloth Config API. Without these libraries installed, the game will crash on startup. Make sure all dependencies match the same Minecraft version as the mod itself.