Hardcore Lite - You Die You Lose a Heart (LifeDrain)
by PeteMC
Hardcore Lite changes the death rule so that each death costs one heart and a player can gain hearts back by eating enchanted golden apples.
What it does
Each time a player dies, that player loses one heart. When no hearts are left, the player is switched to spectator mode. Enchanted golden apples restore a heart, and a game rule turns that restoration on or off. The starting maximum is 20 hearts and is set through a game rule, so the limit can be changed for a world.
The mod works in normal Minecraft worlds and is described as compatible with actual Hardcore worlds. A player's current heart count can be set with a command, and the mod is meant as a lighter take on hardcore difficulty. It is published for Fabric, Forge and NeoForge. Client and server both need the mod, so every player on a server runs it alongside the server.
Key features
Heart loss on death
Each death removes one heart, so repeated deaths gradually reduce how much health a player has.
Spectator mode at zero hearts
A player with no hearts left is moved into spectator mode rather than losing the world.
Heart restoration
Eating an enchanted golden apple restores one heart. A game rule can turn this restoration off.
Adjustable limits
The maximum heart count and the heart restoration setting are game rules, and each player's heart count can be set by command.
Compatibility
Latest build for each game version and loader.
26.x5 of 5 versions with builds
1.21.x8 of 8 versions with builds
1.20.x2 of 2 versions with builds
1.19.x1 of 1 version with builds
Only full game releases are shown. This mod publishes no snapshot builds.
How it compares
You Die You Lose a Heart is the closest older option, released under the BSD 2-Clause License and covering 1.18.1 – 1.21, but it was discontinued. Half a Heart Hardcore is not open source, uses the MIT License and covers 1.21.2 – 26.3, with the server needed and the client optional. Heartcore is open source under the MIT License, runs on Fabric only and covers 1.21 – 1.21.5.
| Mod | Loaders | Game versions | Environment | Updated |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hardcore Lite - You Die You Lose a Heart (LifeDrain) | Fabric, Forge and NeoForge | 1.19.2 – 26.3 | Client and server | 2026-06-22 |
| You Die You Lose a Heart (Discontinued) | Fabric, Forge, NeoForge and Quilt | 1.18.1 – 1.21 | Client and server | 2024-06-22 |
| Half a Heart Hardcore | Fabric, Forge, NeoForge and Quilt | 1.21.2 – 26.3 | Server required, client optional | 2026-09-29 |
| Heartcore | Fabric | 1.21 – 1.21.5 | Server-side only | 2025-05-21 |
Questions
Does Hardcore Lite have to be installed on the server?
Which loaders does Hardcore Lite support?
Can a player get hearts back after losing them?
In the catalog
Hardcore Lite - You Die You Lose a Heart (LifeDrain) is one of 7,555 Cursed mods on ModsFinder, and one of 4,235 Cursed mods for Fabric. 8,071 mods support Minecraft 26.3.
More from PeteMC
Day Count - a day counter HUD (Forge/NeoForge/Fabric)1.19 – 26.3
Undead Nights - Zombie Horde Nights / Hordes1.18.2 – 26.3
Contagion - A Zombie Infection / Infectious Mod1.19.2 – 26.3
Zombie Apocalypse Drops1.20 – 1.21.8
Mutants and Zombies1.12.2 – 26.3
Zombified Player - Kill Your Inner Zombie1.19.2 – 26.3Similar mods
What the author says
This is an official reforge of the mod "You die you lose a Heart" by the user Mars. Note: This mod is to be used with normal Minecraft worlds. It's not compatible with acctual Hardcore worlds.
Official listing
- Modrinth page
- modrinth.com/mod/hardcore-lite
- Owner
- PeteMC
- Published
- 2025-08-29
- Updated on Modrinth
- 2026-06-22
- Facts verified
- 2026-10-15