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Minecraft is a game that continues to innovate, which explains why it has managed to withstand the test of time since its official release back in 2011. It hasn't just been the creators who have kept the game fresh and exciting for players, though. The modding community incorporates multiple game-changing features for all to enjoy. Many mods have been compiled together into modpacks, such as the industry-focused Tekkit or the Pokemon-themed Pixelmon Generations.

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With so many amazing modpacks released over the years, it's easy to let some pass by. One that might have slipped under the radar is the Life In The Woods Renaissance pack. This modpack was initially designed to focus on the struggle for survival out in the wilderness. Over time, the focus shifted onto self-expression, creation, and, most importantly, nature. This modpack is jam-packed with fun, nature-loving features just ready to be explored.

You Need To Play On An Older Version Of Minecraft

Minecraft - Life in the woods logo and Phedran character in scenic location

With the way Minecraft continuously updates and develops, modpacks also have to adapt to each new version. Phedran, the modpack's creator, released Life In The Woods Renaissance back in February 2016, and a lot has changed with Minecraft since then. Although most of its mods will not function in the current Minecraft release, all hope is not lost. A simple fix is to play the modpack on an older version of Minecraft, specifically version 1.7.10. Playing in this version ensures that all of the mods included will function correctly.

Being sent back in time like this might throw off players who are now used to today's Minecraft's modern features. But do not fear, as the many mods incorporated into Life In The Woods more than make up for taking a step back. Doing so even fits with the modpack's theme of going off into the wilderness, far away from modern society.

The Modpack Runs On A Separate Launcher

Minecraft Life In The Woods Launcher page and Trees on Cliff edge

Life In The Woods takes care of the technical side, ensuring that all its mods work together in harmony. It even has its very own launcher to run the modpack with ease. Players can download this on the official Life In The Woods website. The site has region-specific downloads to avoid complications. In addition to downloading the launcher, players also need to install Java 64-bit, which is available on the same site.

With all that technical jargon out of the way, players can easily install the modpack and jump into the world right away. If a computer struggles to run some of the more advanced features, players can disable specific mods if necessary. No nature-lover is left behind with this modpack.

Many Quality-Of-Life Features Are Included In The Modpack

Minecraft mods: Easy Crafting table, Gravestone, Item list

Although Minecraft is a joy to play, some aspects of the game can often be tedious, from storage management to the crafting system. Modders have fixed many of these issues over the years, and Life In The Woods makes sure to put these improvements to good use.

Examples include an easy-crafting workbench that allows players to know what can be created with their current inventory. An inventory-tweaking mod ensures that broken tools are replaced with new ones instantaneously. The game even includes gravestones to store a player's lost items as they track down the last place they met their grizzly fate. These seemingly-simple changes enhance the game and allow players to focus on the rest of the modpack without getting bogged down in the details.

There Are Many Exploration Opportunities

Minecraft Mods - Ancient Trees, Flowing Streams, Swamp Biome

Life In The Woods uses both the Biomes O' Plenty and Extra Biomes mods. These incredible mods add additional locations to explore, such as the freezing Alps, wet marshes, and many varieties of forests (Perfect for a modpack with "Woods" in its title).

RELATED: Minecraft: The 5 Best Biomes In Survival Mode (& The 5 Worst)

Alongside these new scenic biomes, more minor details are sprinkled into the game for players to discover along their journey. The Streams mod creates flowing rivers to sail down. The Ancient Trees mod adds extinct mysterious saplings. If players manage to find them, it is possible to restore these ancient tree species to the world. Everything about this modpack enhances that feeling of being an explorer, with many mysteries to investigate.

There Are More Animals To Encounter

Minecraft: Animals Plus Mod - Penguin, whale and snake

The modpack makes sure to include a wide array of animals to observe. On the smaller side, there are crickets, mice, and butterflies fluttering past. The waters in Minecraft are now home to manta rays, sharks, and whales. There are adorable penguins, slithering snakes, magical pixies (Do pixies count as animals?), and much more.

Unfortunately, Players can't tame these beautiful creatures like the original animals of Minecraft. Despite this, being able to spot new animals in the wild makes the world come to life and feel more vibrant. Each animal appears in specific biomes, so it will take a lot of exploration to find them all.

The Decorative Options Are Vast

Minecraft Mods: Lantern, Tool shelf, Potion shelf and sloped surfaces.

Creation and self-expression have always been at the heart of Minecraft — just look at all the amazing builds people have made over the years. Life In The Woods fully embraces this, allowing players to have customizable blocks for their houses. There are also ornaments and even shelving units available.

Players can use carpenter tools to make sloped edges instead of repetitive cubes. With lamps, typewriters, desks, chairs, and more, the possibilities seem endless. Fortunately, the Not Enough Items mod will show players a complete list of what's available to craft, including the recipes needed to do so.

Players Can Now Make Incredible Gardens

Minecraft Garden Mods: Flowers on lake, Potted plants, fences and lanterns

Phedran put a lot of consideration into the plant life of this modpack. Often, the focus of Minecraft has been on creating buildings, but no longer. Life In The Woods includes additional flowers, such as geraniums, roses, and many more. There are lanterns, decorative pots, and a wide range of styles of fences to test out as well. Players can grab their gardening tools and create their very own perfect garden.

Alongside these features, a mod is explicitly included to make the foliage more luscious and realistic, such as falling leaves from trees. There are even suggestions for shading and dynamic lighting mods that players can download on the launcher screen if desired. These additional mods enhance the beauty of the gardens players are creating but are not necessary.

Farming Plays A Huge Role In Your Survival

Minecraft: Pam's Harvestcraft - All food on display

While other modpacks focus on factories or magic, Life In The Woods takes a different route, incorporating the Harvestcraft mod to allow for more advanced farming to take place. Players can create a seemingly-neverending selection of food from new crops to artisan delicacies.

RELATED: Minecraft: 10 Tips For Building Farms, Ranches, And Livestock Areas

The modpack also includes an optional feature that changes how hunger can affect gameplay. Players can accept this extra challenge and keep track of their hunger bar with more urgency or risk becoming weaker, slower, and eventually face deadly starvation. Fortunately, after eating a hefty meal, players receive a well-fed bonus, which regenerates health more quickly. The hungry setting also makes crops more realistic, as they require perfect conditions to grow. Eating just got serious.

You Can Play As A Vegan

Minecraft Vegan mod: Straw bed, composter and character in burlap outfit next to a cow

One of the main reasons Phedran created this modpack in the first place was to allow more inclusivity into Minecraft "without having to sacrifice gameplay." Gone are the days of having to slaughter cute cubic pigs, chickens, and cows. Finally, players can survive off the land with a bit more variety.

The vegan mod allows players to create straw beds and composters. Players can also wear burlap armor instead of leather. Many vegan alternatives to food and construction materials are available to let players be as humane as possible.

The Antique Atlas Is Amazing

Minecraft Antique atlas mod - Waypoint selection and map screen

The Antique Atlas might seem like a minor feature, but it is incredibly innovative and fits the back-to-basics narrative of the modpack. The atlas acts as a more advanced version of the normal map in the base game. It also changes the style to seem as if it was hand-drawn by a cartographer.

Not only that, but the player can create custom markers to keep track of exciting locations discovered. It certainly helps capture that feeling of being an explorer. With this atlas, players can return to nature and investigate all the different features this wonderful modpack has to offer.

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