Simply's Better Cave Exploration
by Simply_Bored
Simply's Better Cave Exploration adds a small set of features that make caves easier to work through, including throwable torches, a held Lava Lantern, a storage pack and a new structure.
What it does
Throwable torches let a player place light at a distance inside a cave, which helps when moving through dark passages. A Lava Lantern kept in the hand lights the block at the player's location at a radius of 12. The Bat-Pack, opened by a click, stores 6 stacks of items, so a player carries extra gear without filling the inventory.
The Ancient Spike Vines and Ancient Thorns add a thrown projectile that poisons the target it hits. The mod also makes Raw Ore Blocks smeltable, adds 2 new achievements and one new structure, and changes how caves generate and where Ancient Spike Vines spawn. Because the feature set is small, the mod changes only parts of cave play and leaves the rest of the game as it is.
Installation needs NeoForge. The mod runs on client and server and is published for NeoForge only, across 5 release versions, 1.21.1 – 1.21.5, under All rights reserved, so it is not open source. The latest file is 1.0.0 for 1.21.5, released on 2025-07-21.
Key features
Throwable torches
Torches can be thrown to place light at a distance, useful for lighting dark cave passages ahead of the player.
Lava Lantern
A lantern held in the hand places a light block at the player's location, with a light radius of 12.
Bat-Pack storage
Opened with a click, the Bat-Pack holds 6 stacks of items for extra carrying space during exploration.
Ancient Spike Vines and Thorns
Ancient Thorns are thrown as projectiles that poison the target they hit, and the vines spawn in caves.
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: Players who explore caves in survival worlds and want a few extra cave tools, and server owners who want a small set of additions without a large content mod.
How it compares
Simple Flares is a NeoForge mod for 1.21.1 under the MIT License, and it runs on client and server, so both sides need it. Exploration Dimension is a NeoForge mod for 1.21.1 under the MIT License, and it also runs on client and server. Wojos Vanilla+: Arrows is a NeoForge mod for 1.21.1 under the MIT License, with the same client and server environment, so it changes arrows rather than caves.
| Mod | Loaders | Game versions | Environment | Updated |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Simply's Better Cave Exploration | NeoForge | 1.21.1 – 1.21.5 | Client and server | 2025-07-21 |
| Simple Flares | NeoForge | 1.21.1 | Client and server | 2026-05-17 |
| Exploration Dimension | NeoForge | 1.21.1 | Client and server | 2026-07-12 |
| Wojos Vanilla+: Arrows | NeoForge | 1.21.1 | Client and server | 2025-11-26 |
Questions
Does Simply's Better Cave Exploration need NeoForge?
Does the server need the mod?
Which game versions have files?
In the catalog
Simply's Better Cave Exploration is one of 19,031 Adventure mods on ModsFinder, and one of 8,588 Adventure mods for NeoForge. 15,307 mods support Minecraft 1.21.5.
Similar mods
What the author says
This mod adds a few features to help with cave exploration! features will be listed below - Throwable torches - Lava Lantern (when held places a light block of 12 at your player's location) - Bat-Pack (when clicked on lets you store 6 stacks of items in it) - Ancient Spike vines & Ancient Thorns (Ancient thorns are a…
Official listing
- Modrinth page
- modrinth.com/mod/simplys-better-cave-exploration
- Owner
- Simply_Bored
- Published
- 2025-07-21
- Updated on Modrinth
- 2025-07-21
- Facts verified
- 2026-10-15