The Nether Reactor
by DVdo
The Nether Reactor, a recreation of an early Minecraft mechanic, lets players summon a Nether spire by building a structure and right-clicking its core.
What it does
Two blocks come with the mod: a reactor core and Glowing Obsidian, plus a crafting recipe for the core. A player assembles the reactor from layers of blocks around the core, then right-clicks the core to start the reaction. Once it begins, the structure's blocks turn into Glowing Obsidian and a large netherrack spire rises. Zombified Piglins spawn now and then, mostly near the start of the reaction, and they are hostile to players. A Diamond Pickaxe is needed to obtain the blocks once the reaction has run.
The content is a datapack that revives the reactor from early Minecraft Pocket Edition for Java Edition. The author aims for an experience as close to the original as possible, with only a few minor quality-of-life changes. The mod is open source under the GNU General Public License v3.0 only, and its source code and issue tracker are public.
The server must run the mod, while players may add it to their clients and can leave it out. Files are published for Fabric, Forge, NeoForge and Quilt, covering 1.21.5 – 26.3. The latest file, 1.3.1+mod, targets 26.3 and was released on 2026-09-23.
Key features
Reactor Core block
A core block and its crafting recipe are added, and the core starts the reaction when right-clicked.
Player-built structure
The reactor is assembled from layers of blocks that the player places around the core.
Netherrack spire
Finishing the reaction raises a large netherrack spire in place of the structure.
Hostile Zombified Piglins
Zombified Piglins appear occasionally, mostly toward the beginning of the reaction, and attack players.
Gallery
Compatibility
Latest build for each game version and loader.
26.x5 of 5 versions with builds
1.21.x7 of 7 versions with builds
Only full game releases are shown. This mod publishes no snapshot builds.
How it compares
Nether Spawn is a Fabric and Forge mod for 1.21, released under the MIT License, and it is server required with the client optional. Legacy Nether covers 1.16.5 – 26.1.2 on Fabric, Forge, NeoForge and Quilt, under the Creative Commons Attribution Share Alike 4.0 license, and is not open source.
| Mod | Loaders | Game versions | Environment | Updated |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| The Nether Reactor | Fabric, Forge, NeoForge and Quilt | 1.21.5 – 26.3 | Server required, client optional | 2026-09-23 |
| Nether Spawn | Fabric and Forge | 1.21 | Server required, client optional | 2024-07-20 |
| Legacy Nether | Fabric, Forge, NeoForge and Quilt | 1.16.5 – 26.1.2 | Server required, client optional | 2026-05-14 |
Questions
Does the server need The Nether Reactor?
Which loaders does The Nether Reactor support?
What is needed to obtain the Nether Reactor Core blocks?
In the catalog
The Nether Reactor is one of 19,031 Adventure mods on ModsFinder, and one of 10,052 Adventure mods for Fabric. 8,071 mods support Minecraft 26.3.
Similar mods
What the author says
This is a recreation of the Nether Reactor from early Minecraft: Pocket Edition, now as a Minecraft: Java Edition datapack! It aims to be as accurate as possible to the original experience, except for a few minor quality-of-life changes.
Official listing
- Modrinth page
- modrinth.com/mod/nether-reactor
- Owner
- DVdo
- Published
- 2025-05-17
- Updated on Modrinth
- 2026-09-23
- Facts verified
- 2026-10-15