Linear Equipment
Linear Equipment changes how armor is obtained, so each tier of the armor line must be crafted from the tier before it instead of being reachable out of order.
What it does
Linear Equipment reworks the armor progression. Chainmail is made obtainable through crafting, and every armor tier from leather through iron, gold and diamond needs the piece of the previous tier as an ingredient. Classic iron armor keeps a central role, since a player cannot jump over it to reach gold or diamond. Netherite is still upgraded from diamond gear in the usual way.
The mod is meant for multiplayer worlds and servers, where it limits how far one player can get ahead of others in the first hour. Linear Tools is a companion set that applies the same progression to tools, and Linear Armor Progression can be combined with it. The mod works with the datapacks that most other datapacks support, and a server must run it while players may add it on their own side.
It is published for Fabric, Forge, NeoForge and Quilt across seven game versions, 1.21.9 – 26.2, and is also offered as a data pack. The code is released under the MIT License and is not open source.
Key features
Crafted chainmail
Chainmail becomes craftable, filling the gap that vanilla leaves between leather and iron armor.
Ordered armor tiers
Each armor piece uses the previous tier as an ingredient, so diamond armor requires gold, iron and chainmail first.
Tiered tools
Linear Tools applies the same ordering to tools, so the progression covers more than armor.
Pacing for servers
The restriction slows the early game and keeps players on a similar tier, which suits shared worlds.
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 slower armor progression for multiplayer worlds, and single-player players who prefer armor to be gained one tier at a time.
How it compares
Chainmail Armor Craftings is a server-required mod for Fabric, Forge, NeoForge and Quilt covering 1.21 – 26.2, but it is all rights reserved. Linear Progression is server-required for the same four loaders across 1.21 – 1.21.11 and is under the GNU General Public License v3.0 only, not open source. Linear Levels is a Fabric and Quilt mod for 1.20.1 – 1.20.2 that runs on the client and server and is open source under the MIT License.
| Mod | Loaders | Game versions | Environment | Updated |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Linear Equipment | Fabric, Forge, NeoForge and Quilt | 1.21.9 – 26.2 | Server required, client optional | 2026-06-13 |
| Chainmail Armor Craftings | Fabric, Forge, NeoForge and Quilt | 1.21 – 26.2 | Server required, client optional | 2025-12-26 |
| Linear Progression | Fabric, Forge, NeoForge and Quilt | 1.21 – 1.21.11 | Server required, client optional | 2026-08-11 |
| Linear Levels | Fabric and Quilt | 1.20.1 – 1.20.2 | Client and server | 2024-11-18 |
Questions
Does Linear Equipment need to be installed on the client?
Which loaders does Linear Equipment support?
Can Linear Equipment be used with datapacks?
More from Abyssal Vanguard
What the author says
# Linear Armor Progression Do you ever feel like armor in Minecraft is easily skipped? In vanilla, you can jump straight from leather to iron, or even rush diamonds without ever touching chainmail. Whole tiers of armor are often ignored. Chainmail Next: Instead of being unobtainable, chainmail now has a proper place…
Official listing
- Modrinth page
- modrinth.com/mod/linear-equipment
- Owner
- Abyssal Vanguard
- Published
- 2025-10-09
- Updated on Modrinth
- 2026-06-13
- Facts verified
- 2026-10-15