Incremental Hardcore
by RPD_1b
Incremental Hardcore is a gamemode for a single datapack, where a player loses one maximum heart each time they die and is sent to spectator mode once the maximum reaches zero.
What it does
Each death costs one maximum heart, starting from ten as in vanilla. When the maximum drops to zero, the player is placed in spectator mode until they are revived, rather than dying permanently as in the standard hardcore setting. A revive item can restore hearts, and the mod can also let friends revive each other by using the same item in the same way as totems of undying.
The pack is installed by placing it in a world's datapacks folder. Vanilla hardcore must stay off, because the game's own hardcore mode conflicts with the pack. Its functions open a settings menu and uninstall the pack. Version 3 changed namespaces, so data from earlier versions has to be migrated with a command, and the author notes that the migration can be run for one player at a time.
The datapack is open source under the GNU General Public License v3.0 or later. The source code and issue tracker are public. Files are published for Fabric, Forge, NeoForge and Quilt, and the server runs the pack whether or not the client has anything installed.
Key features
Gamemode with lives
Each death removes one maximum heart, so a player has a fixed number of deaths before reaching spectator mode.
Settings menu function
A function opens the settings menu, where the options of the gamemode can be adjusted by the server.
Revive items
Hearts can be recovered with a revive item that is made by renaming netherite scrap, and players can revive friends in the same way.
Data migration command
A command moves data from earlier versions into the current namespaces, and it can transfer a single player's data.
Compatibility
Latest build for each game version and loader.
Only full game releases are shown. This mod publishes no snapshot builds.
Use cases
Who it’s for: Server owners who want a hardcore variant with a recovery path, and players who prefer losing hearts over losing the world on each death.
How it compares
Easy Hardcore is a Fabric mod for 1.21.6 – 1.21.11 that runs on the client alone, with All rights reserved. Ragdoll Revive is a server-side NeoForge mod for 1.21.1, open source under the GNU Affero General Public License v3.0 only.
| Mod | Loaders | Game versions | Environment | Updated |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Incremental Hardcore | Fabric, Forge, NeoForge and Quilt | 1.21 – 1.21.5 | Server required, client optional | 2025-04-03 |
| Ragdoll Revive | NeoForge | 1.21.1 | Server-side only | 2026-08-24 |
| Easy Hardcore | Fabric | 1.21.6 – 1.21.11 | Client-side only | 2026-02-14 |
Questions
Does Incremental Hardcore need to be installed on the client?
Which loaders does Incremental Hardcore support?
Does vanilla hardcore mode need to be turned off?
In the catalog
Incremental Hardcore is one of 29,952 Game mechanics mods on ModsFinder, and one of 19,630 Game mechanics mods for Fabric. 15,307 mods support Minecraft 1.21.5.
Similar mods
What the author says
This is a new gamemode, in which, every time you die, you lose a heart. Once you run out of max hearts you truly die just like in vanilla hardcore. ## Disclaimer DO NOT use Minecraft's hardcore game mode, as it interferes with the pack. respectivley. (This only applies to the datapack version)
Official listing
- Modrinth page
- modrinth.com/mod/incrementalhardcore
- Owner
- RPD_1b
- Published
- 2025-01-15
- Updated on Modrinth
- 2025-04-03
- Facts verified
- 2026-10-15