Nice Mob Variants

Name: Nice Mob Variants
Author: Explorer's Eden

Nice Mob Variants adds new variant textures and behaviors to existing mobs, with spawn rules tied to biomes, plus livestock and frog-related blocks and items.

FabricForgeNeoForgeQuiltServer required, client optionalGNU General Public License v3.0 or laterOpen source1.21.5 – 26.3

What it does

Nice Mob Variants gives vanilla mobs a set of new variants. Each variant has its own look and can appear under spawn conditions set by biome, so a player finds them by exploring the right places. The mod also covers where to find these mobs in the world.

The additions include blocks and items tied to the variants. Livestock Breeder, Frog Feeder and Gooey Treat each serve a part in keeping the new mobs, and the mod explains how each one works. The server must run the mod, while players may add it to their clients for the extra content.

Files are published for Fabric, Forge, NeoForge and Quilt, with a Data pack option for server platforms. Builds cover 1.21.5 – 26.3, including snapshot builds, and the mod is released under the GNU General Public License v3.0 or later and is open source. Auto-converted mod versions are needed for single-player use.

Key features

New mob variants
Existing mobs gain a range of new variants, each with a distinct appearance across the game.
Biome spawn conditions
Variants spawn only under set conditions tied to biomes, so each one has a clear place to be found.
Livestock Breeder
A block that breeds the variant livestock, letting players keep and grow these mobs on their own farms.
Frog Feeder and Gooey Treat
A Frog Feeder and a Gooey Treat item support the frog variants, supplying what they need to stay around.

Gallery

7 more screenshots on Modrinth

Compatibility

Latest build for each game version and loader.

Version

26.x5 of 5 versions with builds

26.32.6-mod2.6-mod2.6-mod2.6-mod

26.21.8-mod1.8-mod1.8-mod1.8-mod

26.1.21.7-mod1.7-mod1.7-mod1.7-mod

26.1.11.7-mod1.7-mod1.7-mod1.7-mod

26.11.7-mod1.7-mod1.7-mod1.7-mod

1.21.x7 of 7 versions with builds

1.21.111.3+mod1.3+mod1.3+mod1.3+mod

1.21.101.0+mod1.0+mod1.0+mod1.0+mod

1.21.91.0+mod1.0+mod1.0+mod1.0+mod

1.21.81.0+mod1.0+mod1.0+mod1.0+mod

1.21.71.0+mod1.0+mod1.0+mod1.0+mod

1.21.61.0+mod1.0+mod1.0+mod1.0+mod

1.21.51.0+mod1.0+mod1.0+mod1.0+mod

ReleaseBetaAlphaNot available

This mod also publishes snapshot builds. Snapshots are not shown in the matrix.

Use cases

Exploring new biomes

Players searching the world for rare variants can use the biome spawn rules to plan where to look.

Building a mob farm

Livestock Breeder and the variant mobs let a player set up a farm stocked with the new types.

Who it’s for: Players who want more variety among vanilla mobs, and server owners who want new mob types to explore on a multiplayer server.

How it compares

Full comparison

Mob Heads Collection is also run on the server, under the MIT License, and is published for 1.21.6 – 26.1.2 on the same four loaders, but it adds heads rather than variants. J6's Mob Variants is also a server mod with All rights reserved and files for 1.21.5 – 26.2, so it covers a nearby range of versions. Nice Mobs is open source under the GNU Lesser General Public License v3.0 or later and runs on 1.21.4 – 1.21.11, which stops before 26.3.

Mod	Loaders	Game versions	Environment	Updated
Nice Mob Variants	Fabric, Forge, NeoForge and Quilt	1.21.5 – 26.3	Server required, client optional	2026-10-09
Mob Heads Collection	Fabric, Forge, NeoForge and Quilt	1.21.6 – 26.1.2	Server required, client optional	2026-04-25
J6's Mob Variants	Fabric, Forge, NeoForge and Quilt	1.21.5 – 26.2	Server required, client optional	2026-07-02
Nice Mobs	Fabric, Forge, NeoForge and Quilt	1.21.4 – 1.21.11	Server required, client optional	2025-12-09