Minecrafthas its fair share of mods and modpacks. Anything the player wants to try is most likely out there in some way, shape, or form. RLCraft has emerged as one of the most popular modpacks out there, in part thanks to Shivaxi’s brilliant videos introducing his ultra-difficultMinecraftmodpack.
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RLCraft was also somewhat recently updated, which significantly nerfs to otherwise game-breaking features. The new version is much more challenging and makes certain features more endgame. Those who have never played the modpack before and have no idea what they’re getting themselves into will need these beginner tips for RLCraft before jumping right in.
Updated on June 20, 2025, by Anastasia Maillot:RLCraft continues to be one of the most popular modpacks for Minecraft thanks to the immense challenge it brings. However, the modpack has gone through a major update within the last year or so, which means returning players might be confused by certain mechanics and features. Those who are only starting their journey in the modpack’s unforgiving world, however, will further benefit from this guide with some additional helpfulbeginner tips for RLCraft.
15Ignore Lockpicking (For Now)
One of the newer features of RLCraftis lockpicking, which spawns certain chests in the world with locks of various tiers. Diamond, enchanted locks are the toughest to open, and require a diamond lockpick and a bit of ingenuity.
Lockpicking at the beginning of the game can be insanely tempting, especially for new players looking to get their hands on some powerful loot. That being said, crafting lockpicks can be a slight waste of resources early on, so it’s best to just focus on other craftable items, such as a basic shield.
14Work Towards Taming A Mount ASAP
Mounts and taming have been made significantly harder in RLCraft’s newest version. That being said, players should still work towards taming something easy such as a Roc that spawns frequently at night time, as having a flying mount greatly trivializes most dungeons in the game.
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The main priority for players will be to craft a Soulgazer, which will be used to increase the player’s knowledge of various tamable mobs, as well as Avian Treats. Players will need a level of 100 knowledge on a mob before it can be tamed, so make sure to get a Soulgazer as soon as possible. For taming a Roc,SomeNutzGuy has a guidethat makes the process extremely easy.
13Work Towards Getting A Summoning Staff
Another priority grind that players should undertake is to have a bunch of mobs they can summon. This requires a Summoning Staff, which players will need to craft, as well as a high enough knowledge level of a specific mob type before it can be summoned.
One of the easiest and best mobs for this purpose is the Aegis. Players only need to find a village and regularly increase their knowledge of the Aegis by using a Soulgazer. Aegis make for powerful friends in combat, hence why the grind is worth the effort.
All crafting recipes can be searched for in-game in RLCraft, and don’t need to be unlocked. Pressing E to open up inventory will bring up the item screen, and clicking on different items after searching for them shows their respectivecrafting recipes.
12Craft An Antique Atlas
RLCraft is all about adventure and exploration, so being able to mark down any points of interest and find one’s way back home is key. The Antique Atlas is perfect for that, and will even tag some locations in the world if the player is in their vicinity (though this isn’t always 100% reliable).
The best way to use the Atlas is to mark down any Waypoint Stones in villages, making traveling much easier in RLCraft, at least until the player gets their first flying mount. Just keep in mind that Waypoint teleportationrequires XP to use.
11Complete Bounties To Get Rare Items
Villages now have a new mechanicwhere there’s a bounty box that players can interact with. Bounties are timed mini-quests where players need to complete an objective, such as gathering certain items and depositing them into the bounty box, within a time limit. The rewards are often nothing to scoff at either, with access to some rare items that would otherwise be difficult for the player to get early on in the game.
Some bounties can be tough to finish initially, but since they are randomized regularly, players should check back as often as possible for some easy and profitable bounties to complete.
10Don’t Use Shaders Or Texture Packs
Although RLCraft looks absolutely stunning when played with shaders andrealistic texture packs, having these graphics features enabled can significantly hinderMinecraft’sperformance while playing with the modpack.
The best addition to RLCraft is to actually download OptiFine, whichwill improve performance. Given how hectic the game can get with elaborate dungeons and tons of mobs, it’s vital that players have a good performance.
9Everything Is Useful, So Keep It
Unlike in vanillaMinecraftwhere some items have questionable utility, RLCraft makes everything useful to some degree in true survival fashion. That includes the worst offenders like Rotten Meat, which can be turned into Undead Treats used for taming.
Whatever players come across while looting and exploring, it’s always best to save it, even when it looks useless. Plus, having backup tools, armor, and weapons that might not necessarily be good is still useful towards mid-game, since it saves players from having to craft new gear every time they die.
8Find A House, Don’t Build One
The cool thing about RLCraft is the sheer abundance of structures scattered around the world. There’s no shortage of dungeons, villages,massive houses, and ruins that players can explore, though caution is always advised.
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Villages in RLCraft are a great find since many of them have waystones that let players teleport in-between them. Moreover, Aegis tend to spawn in villages, and these mobs will attack any hostile creatures that wander in and pose a threat to the villagers. This makes villages the best place for players to set up camp.
7How To Craft Basic Tools In RLCraft
When first jumping into the game, players might be confused to find out that tools are actually hard to come by. Moreover, most tools require a specific skill level before they can be used. If players don’t find stone or wooden tools right off the bat, they can craft flint tools. Flint tools are crafted with flint shards, string or plant string, and sticks. The exact recipe can be found by typing “flint” in the item catalog.
Once players have all three items, they can craft a Flint Hatchet and Pickaxe. The Flint Knife is also a great emergency weapon.
6Change The Limb Health Display
Locational damage is the primary way RLCraft’s damage functions. That means mobs are able to headshot players or slow them down by breaking their feet. The default display is a green body on the right side of the screen. When limbs are hit with damage, they slowly turn from green to yellow to red, depending on how many hearts they still have left.
This display is a bit inconvenient and can be hard to visualize. Players can tweak it by going into their Menu > Mod Options > Search for First Aid > Overlay > and then switch the display to Hearts. Then click on “displaymode” and change the tick rate number from 200 to -1. Credit for this tip goes toSumNutzGuy.
