Surviving in Minecraft is a bit too easy, and repetitive. That’s why in this list, we’re going to cover 10 awesome mods that completely transform the mode. Whether it be through some new structures, mechanics or items.
All the buttons in this list link back to CurseForge. There, you can find more information about these mods, and download them for Minecraft. Make sure to read our other Minecraft 1.16.5 Mod Lists too, for more great mods.
10Comforts

Comforts adds 2 new items into Minecraft. These are the Sleeping Bag and Hammock, each of which comes in a multitude of colors. You can switch between the colors by using a different Dye in the recipe.
Each of these items are different. The Hammock will allow you to set day to night, so it’s like taking a nap. Whereas the Sleeping Bag works like a Bed, setting night to day instead.
What’s great about this mod is that no spawn points are set either, so you won’t lose your home base, making them great for taking out on adventures. Hammocks will need to be hung between blocks, like a Tree.
9Inventory HUD+

Inventory HUD+ will change the HUD (heads up display) of your game. More information will be shown on the screen.
Elements shown include the Armor you’re wearing, how many free slots are in your inventory, and the number of arrows remaining. This information will also display the durability of your items, so that you can ensure your equipment is in full working order.
By pressing the O key, you can configure the mod to show more HUD elements, or reposition them to a location of your choosing. It’s also possible to show your entire inventory on the screen at once.
8Antique Atlas

Antique Atlas is one of the best mapping mods available for Minecraft. Firstly, you’ll need to actually create the Atlas, from a Book and a Compass.
When you open it, you’ll see a map of the surrounding areas, in a beautiful hand-drawn style. It’s in black and white, but there are Resource Packs available too which will add a bit of color. As you explore, more of the Atlas will be filled in, and you can add your own custom waypoints.
Once an Atlas is full, it can be combined with other Atlas’ to increase the size. This mod definitely makes exploring and mapping your Minecraft world more immersive and realistic, and doesn’t feel like you’re cheating at all.
7Goblin Traders

Goblins are a new species, who you’ll most likely come across when exploring underground. Although they can also be found in the Nether occasionally.
And expansions exist to also cause them to spawn in the End Dimension too. They’re a bit like Villagers, and can be traded with for more unique items.
An Overworld Goblin Trader will mostly sell mining-related items, like Ingots and Enchanted Pickaxes. Whereas the Nether Goblin Trader will see items like Netherite Ingots, the Totem of Undying and Enchanted Diamond Armor.
6Enhanced Celestials

Enhanced Celestials will add some new events, which have a small chance of taking place each night in Minecraft. Currently, it adds the Blood Moon, Harvest Moon and Blue Moon.
During the Blood Moon, the number of monsters that spawn are greatly increased, making surviving more difficult, as players also won’t be able to sleep. Whereas during a Harvest Moon, you can expect to find the crop growth rate and crop drop rate has been massively increased.
The final event is the Blue Moon, which will give the Luck effect, and you can expect to find better drops and items from the loot tables. You’re able to determine the chances for each event to happen.
5First Aid

First Aid overhauls Minecrafts health system. You’ll notice it immediately, as Hearts no longer appear above the hotbar.
Instead, a player-shaped outline can be seen in the top left corner of your screen, showing individual limbs. Each limb can now take damage, like breaking your legs from fall damage, or taking an arrow to the head.
When that happens, you can receive some relative debuffs. Head injuries might give Nausea, and leg injuries might give you Slowness. Items are added by the mod, like Bandages which can be used to heal yourself. It’s a system seen in games like the Fallout franchise.
4Tough As Nails

Tough as Nails is a very well-known survival mod. Although it’s missing a few features in its 1.16.5 version, and only has a thirst system.
It works a lot like Hunger, over time your thirst will decrease, and it can be seen above the hotbar. To control it, you’ll need to use items like Rain Collectors which are provided by the mod, as well as Water Purifiers.
Water can then be carried around inside of Water Bottles or Canteens. The mod basically just adds one more survival element you need to watch out for.
3Bed Benefits

It’s also worth trying out Bed Benefits, which should hopefully make surviving just a little easier. Firstly, sleeping in a bed will heal the player, by a configurable amount.
It will also remove any Potion Effects, whether they’re positive or negative. The mod is highly configurable, and also feels like the ‘Well Rested’ mechanic in Fallout.
2End Remastered

End Remastered is seriously going to extend how long it takes to reach the End in Minecraft. Instead of there just being 1 Ender Eye, there’s now 12 unique ones, and each one needs to be collected and placed inside a Portal Frame.
These Eyes can be obtained through different methods, like killing the Wither, searching Desert Pyramids and killing Elder Guardians. So a mod like this is going to force you to search most structures, and not skip any progression.
To top it all off, the mod adds some new structures. These are the End Castle and the End Gate, which are beautifully crafted and make a great replacement for regular Strongholds. The End Dimension itself isn’t impacted by this mod.
1Backpacked

Backpacked starts by adding just a regular Backpack, which provides 9 slots. Unlike other Backpack mods, it can be worn on the players back, as a new slot is added to the inventory, so you don’t have to lose your Chestplate slot either.
There’s some challenges provided by the mod, which can be completed. Doing so will provide you with new customization options, which can change the style of the Backpack between about a dozen options.
A pickpocketing system is even included, so that other players can get close to the Backpack and steal items. It’s highly configurable, so that you can change the storage size, whether to keep it on death and more.