ModsFinder

Balanced Weapons

by badooga

Balanced Weapons changes how the Smite and Bane of Arthropods enchantments work, giving them a real role next to Sharpness on swords and axes.

FabricForgeNeoForgeQuiltServer required, client optionalCreative Commons Attribution Non Commercial Share Alike 4.01.17 – 1.20.4

What it does

Sharpness is the enchantment most players pick for weapons, and Smite and Bane of Arthropods were rarely chosen in practice. The mod adds a secondary effect to each of them, so striking a targeted mob triggers a short timed bonus. An undead target struck by a Smite weapon gives Haste 1 for 2 to 6 seconds, with the duration rising as the enchantment level goes up, and Haste also raises attack speed by 10%. A Bane of Arthropods weapon that strikes an arthropod gives Speed 1 for 1 to 3 seconds, scaling with level.

The mod is meant to give a server or a single world more weapon choices, including the use of Smite axes against high-damage, low-speed builds. The author describes uses such as chasing down fleeing players or kiting, where a short speed boost matters. It is released under the Creative Commons Attribution Non Commercial Share Alike 4.0 license, so it is not open source.

The server needs the mod to apply the effects, while players may leave it out. It is published for Fabric, Forge, NeoForge and Quilt, and there is also a data pack version for server platforms. Builds cover 1.17 – 1.20.4 with 1.0.0+mod for 1.20.4 as the latest file.

Key features

  1. Smite grants Haste

    Striking an undead target with a Smite weapon gives Haste 1 for 2 to 6 seconds, scaling with enchantment level.

  2. Bane grants Speed

    A Bane of Arthropods weapon that strikes an arthropod gives Speed 1 for a short window, scaling with level.

  3. Attack speed bonus

    The Haste effect from Smite raises attack speed by 10% while it lasts, which affects how quickly a weapon can strike.

  4. Enchantments on swords and axes

    The three primary enchantments apply to swords and axes, so Sharpness, Smite and Bane of Arthropods can be compared on both weapon types.

Compatibility

Latest build for each game version and loader.

1.20.x5 of 5 versions with builds
1.20.41.0.0+mod1.0.0+mod1.0.0+mod1.0.0+mod
1.20.31.0.0+mod1.0.0+mod1.0.0+mod1.0.0+mod
1.20.21.0.0+mod1.0.0+mod1.0.0+mod1.0.0+mod
1.20.11.0.0+mod1.0.0+mod1.0.0+mod1.0.0+mod
1.201.0.0+mod1.0.0+mod1.0.0+mod1.0.0+mod
1.19.x5 of 5 versions with builds
1.19.41.0.0+mod1.0.0+mod1.0.0+mod1.0.0+mod
1.19.31.0.0+mod1.0.0+mod1.0.0+mod1.0.0+mod
1.19.21.0.0+mod1.0.0+mod1.0.0+mod1.0.0+mod
1.19.11.0.0+mod1.0.0+mod1.0.0+mod1.0.0+mod
1.191.0.0+mod1.0.0+mod1.0.0+mod1.0.0+mod
1.18.x3 of 3 versions with builds
1.18.21.0.0+mod1.0.0+mod1.0.0+mod1.0.0+mod
1.18.11.0.0+mod1.0.0+mod1.0.0+mod1.0.0+mod
1.181.0.0+mod1.0.0+mod1.0.0+mod1.0.0+mod
1.17.x2 of 2 versions with builds
ReleaseBetaAlphaNot available

Only full game releases are shown. This mod publishes no snapshot builds.

How it compares

Full comparison

Compatible Sword Enchantments is available for 1.21 – 26.3 under All rights reserved, so it is not open source, and it is needed on the server, with the client optional. Sharpness Enchantment Overhaul is a Fabric-only server-side mod for 1.20.1, released under the GNU Lesser General Public License v3.0 only and open source. Axes Are Weapons is server-side only, covers 1.16 – 26.3 and is open source under the MIT License.

ModLoadersGame versionsEnvironmentUpdated
Balanced WeaponsFabric, Forge, NeoForge and Quilt1.17 – 1.20.4Server required, client optional2023-08-04
Compatible Sword EnchantmentsFabric, Forge, NeoForge and Quilt1.21 – 26.3Server required, client optional2024-11-27
Sharpness Enchantment OverhaulFabric1.20.1Server-side only2025-11-06
Axes Are WeaponsFabric, Forge and NeoForge1.16 – 26.3Server-side only2026-09-15

Questions

Does Balanced Weapons need to be installed on the client?

Not necessarily. The server must run the mod to apply the effects, while players may leave it out.

Which loaders is Balanced Weapons available for?

Fabric, Forge, NeoForge and Quilt, with a data pack version also available for server platforms.

Can the enchantment effects be changed?

The author text describes the effects as a data pack and mod addition to existing enchantments, so the Modrinth page does not list configuration options.

In the catalog

Balanced Weapons is one of 17,631 Equipment mods on ModsFinder, and one of 8,894 Equipment mods for Fabric. 13,907 mods support Minecraft 1.20.4.

Equipment mods17,631Fabric modsMods for 1.20.413,907

More from badooga

All projects
Sculk Expansion1.19 – 1.21.11More Fossils1.19 – 26.1.2Upgraded Mobs1.17 – 1.21.11Mob Variants1.17 – 1.20.4Wither Skeleton Archers in Fortresses1.15 – 1.20.4End Gateway Warps1.18 – 1.21.11

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What the author says

There are three primary enchantments you can put on swords and axes: Sharpness, Smite, and Bane of Arthropods. In practice, however, only Sharpness is ever used, with the occasional Smite for use in wither skeleton or wither farming. To rectify this, this datapack/mod adds the following features: - Hitting an entity…
badooga, on the Modrinth page

Official listing

Owner
badooga
Published
2023-08-04
Updated on Modrinth
2023-08-04
Facts verified
2026-10-15

Tags

AdventureEquipmentGame mechanics
Open on ModrinthCompare