Lucent
Lucent is a client-side dynamic lighting mod and API, where held light sources and light-emitting blocks illuminate the area around the player.
What it does
Lucent adds dynamic lighting to the game and exposes an API that other mods can call to register their own light sources. Lighting changes as the player moves, picks up items or places torches, so the scene lights up in real time without any texture packs. The mod is configurable: a config file holds many settings for how light spreads and refreshes.
Only the client needs Lucent, so players install it and servers can run without it. The mod is published for Forge and NeoForge across seven game versions, 1.16.5 – 26.1.2, and the NeoForge build for 26.1.2 is the latest file. The license is a custom one, so the code is not open source, but the source code and issue tracker are public. The Midnight requires Lucent, and it is the one catalog mod that names it as a dependency.
Key features
Light from held items
Held items and light-emitting blocks cast light that moves with the player and updates as entities and items change.
Light API for mod authors
Other mods can register their own light sources through the API, so their lights follow the same lighting rules.
Configurable lighting
Options control refresh rate and smooth blending, letting each player trade lighting detail for frame rate.
Performance tuning
Several settings reduce the cost of the lighting pass, including the light refresh rate and whether smooth blending is active.
Gallery
Compatibility
Latest build for each game version and loader.
Only full game releases are shown. This mod publishes no snapshot builds.
Required by 1 mod
Use cases
Dark caves and underground exploration
Light from a held torch or lantern reaches the surrounding walls and floor, making caves easier to navigate.
Modded light sources
Mods that add glowing blocks or items can use the Lucent API so their light matches the rest of the scene.
Who it’s for: Players who want dynamic lighting on a Forge or NeoForge client, and mod authors who need a shared lighting API for their light sources. Servers do not need the mod.
How it compares
Radiant Gear is a client-side mod for Fabric, Forge, NeoForge and Quilt across 1.18.2 – 1.20.6, and it is open source under the GNU Lesser General Public License v3.0 or later. BlockFire is a server-side mod for Forge 1.12.2 only, released under the GNU Lesser General Public License v3.0 only, so players join without installing it. Lucent runs only on the client, is limited to Forge and NeoForge, and is not open source.
| Mod | Loaders | Game versions | Environment | Updated |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lucent | Forge and NeoForge | 1.16.5 – 26.1.2 | Client-side only | 2026-10-10 |
| Radiant Gear | Fabric, Forge, NeoForge and Quilt | 1.18.2 – 1.20.6 | Client-side only | 2024-12-28 |
| BlockFire | Forge | 1.12.2 | Server-side only | 2021-08-12 |
Questions
Does Lucent need to be installed on the server?
Which loaders does Lucent support?
Why does Lucent lower the frame rate?
Does Lucent conflict with Optifine?
In the catalog
Lucent is one of 36,990 Utility mods on ModsFinder, and one of 14,575 Utility mods for Forge. 15,189 mods support Minecraft 26.1.2.
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What the author says
Lucent is a dynamic lighting mod and API designed with configurability in mind. This mod will impact your FPS, but many steps have been taken to reduce the performance cost without overhauling Minecraft's rendering engine. If the mod reduces your FPS too heavily, check the config file for its many settings. The most…
Official listing
- Modrinth page
- modrinth.com/mod/lucent
- Owner
- Modding Legacy
- Published
- 2023-05-22
- Updated on Modrinth
- 2026-10-10
- Facts verified
- 2026-10-15