Deeper And Darker Mod

A mod that has quickly grown in popularity is Deeper and Darker, which is a large expansion to the Minecraft 1.19 update. The main feature provided by the mod is a new Dimension, which is called ‘The Otherside’.

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Getting Started

The Otherside is too dark, and you’ll only be able to see a few blocks in front of you at any time. To counter this, you’ll want to create the Warden Helmet. And the only way you can create one of those is by killing the Warden. It will now drop two new items, which are the Warden Carapace and the Heart of the Deep.

A single Warden Carapace can be combined with 4 Phantom Membranes and 4 Echo Shards to create the Reinforced Echo Shard, which is required to upgrade Netherite equipment. If you didn’t already know, Phantom Membrane can be dropped by Phantoms, and Echo Shards can be found in Chests within Ancient Cities. 

If you don’t feel ready to kill the Warden, you can try destroying the new Vases within Ancient Cities, as these have a small chance of dropping the Warden Carapace, as well as some other resources, just don’t be too loud as the Warden may spawn.

But this method can prove risky, as each time you break an Ancient Vase, there’s a chance for the Stalker to spawn, and these are bosses.

With a Reinforced Echo Shard acquired, apply it to a Netherite Helmet in a Smithing Table, which will turn it into the Warden Helmet. You can also upgrade your Boots, Leggings, and Chestplate, which will give a movement speed boost when equipped.

With the Warden Helmet equipped, you are ready to enter the Otherside. Just make sure you have other items, such as food, armor, and building blocks.

Entering the Otherside

To reach the Otherside, head to an Ancient City and look for the Portal Frame. Climb up, and clear off any Sculk, as it will prevent it from activating.

Using the Heart of the Deep, which is obtained from killing a Warden, right-click the frame to activate it. Going through the Portal takes you to the Otherside, and you can come straight back to the Overworld if you want, as it’s similar to a Nether Portal. Still, make sure to write down the coordinates, as if you lose the Portal, the only way home is to die.

Biomes

Inside the Otherside, you can find Biomes such as the Echoing Forest, Otherside Deeplands, and Overcast Columns. In the Echoing Forest, you can find Echo Trees, which Sculk Gleam illuminates.

You can chop down these Trees for Planks, but be careful, as the Warden can still spawn in the Otherside. In the Deeplands, the terrain generation is a lot like the Nether Wastes, and there isn’t much here to light up the area. And just like in the Nether, you can find different structures made from Bones spawning here.

Large deposits of Sculk Gleam rest on the ceiling and lots of Phantoms will reside in this biome. Sculk Stone spawns all along both these Biomes, and can be mined. Like with Overworld stone, it can be turned into lots of building blocks, with it having Brick, Tiled and Chiseled designs.

It’s also worth mentioning that there’s no cave generation, but it’s still possible to find Overworld ores inside of Sculk Stone. Finally, there’s the Overcast Columns which is mostly made from Gloom Sculk, Gloom Slate and Crystallized Amber. Along the floor are Geysers, which will launch you into the air. And again, Gloom Slate can be mined, collected and turned into some different building blocks. 

Ancient Temple

Inside the Deeplands, you can find the Ancient Temple, a new structure included with the mod. As you go inside, you’ll find quite a few Chests and Vases containing loot like food, Echo Shards, Enchanted items and Music Discs.

By destroying the blocks in the middle, you can descend further into the Ancient Temple, entering a flooded room. Inside, you’ll find even more Chests and Vases.

And it’s in these Chests specifically that you can find the Sculk Transmitter. You can use this item to bind it to a Chest or Barrell, then you can access it from a distance. Sculk Stone Diamond Ores also spawn in Temples, so make sure to mine them for some free Diamonds.

Mobs

Inside the Echoing Forest, you can find the Shattered which casually roams around. When killing these, they have a chance of dropping Soul Dust.

If you come across Sculk Centipedes, then these can be slain for Sculk Bones, and these tend to be found in the Deeplands. They can be tamed with Enchanted Netherite Chestplates to give Enchanted Books occasionally, but they seem to be bugged right now, and have crashed my world a few times. So I’d recommend leaving them alone until a future update.

You might step on Infested Sculk, and when you do, a Shriek Worm will rise from the ground and attack, and these don’t have any drops. Like I previously said, the Stalker has a chance of spawning each time you break a Vase. And defeating these is how you obtain the Soul Crystal. 

Soul Elytra

An obtainable reward for all your exploration is the Soul Elytra, which is an upgrade. To craft it, you require a standard Elytra, 4 Sculk Bones, 3 Soul Dust, and a Soul Crystal, and other than the Elytra, they can all be obtained from creatures within the Otherside.

When it’s equipped, the Soul Elytra has a random chance of getting a boost, and the effect happens so often that you practically never need to carry Firework Rockets. Obtain Sculk Bones from Centipedes, Soul Dust from the Shattered and a Soul Crystal from the Stalker.

Equipment

You really need a Warden Helmet before entering the Otherside; the other equipment isn’t necessary. But if you’d like, you can still upgrade all your Netherite Armor and Tools to give them a Warden theme. And using the new Sculk Smite Enchantment will help you deal additional damage to any Sculk creatures.

Deeper And Darker Mod Download

The links above will take you to the CurseForge page for the Deeper And Darker Mod. It’s recommended to only download mods from CurseForge, as they are vetted to ensure that they’re safe, and you’re also supporting mod developers.

How to Install

If you haven't already, make sure to install Forge for Minecraft. It's a simple process and takes just a few minutes. Once Forge is installed:

1. Download the mod for your Minecraft Version. It will be a .JAR file.
2. Take this file, and place it in the 'mods' folder of your Minecraft directory. If this folder doesn't exist, create it. The easiest way to access your Minecraft directory is opening the game, going to Resource Packs and pressing the 'Open Resource Pack Folder' button.
3. Once it's inside the mods folder, run Minecraft with the Forge preset selected. The mod will be installed and can be played with in-game.