Vaneck's Upgradable
by Vaneck512
Vaneck's Upgradable lets players upgrade tools, weapons and armor from one material tier to a higher one while keeping their enchantments and other item data.
What it does
Upgrade recipes take an existing item of a lower tier and turn it into the next one: a wooden tool becomes stone, stone becomes iron, iron becomes diamond, and diamond can be combined with gold. Leather armor can be upgraded with diamonds into chain mail. Because the stored characteristics carry over, an enchanted or otherwise customized item keeps its name, enchantments and NBT tags after the upgrade.
The mod is aimed at modpacks and multiplayer worlds where items from several mods are in circulation, and it is described by its author as still in a development and testing stage. Future plans mention improved visual effects, new blocks and custom items, but none of these are in the current release. Vaneck's Upgradable is a Forge mod for 1.20.1 and runs on client and server, so the server and every player need it. Optional support exists for Just Enough Items (JEI) and Patchouli.
Key features
Tier-based item upgrades
Tools, weapons and armor move from one material tier to the next through dedicated upgrade recipes.
Preserved item data
Enchantments, custom names and NBT tags stay on the item when it is upgraded to a higher tier.
Cross-mod items
Upgrades work on items added by other mods, including tools from other tech mods and vanilla swords.
Armor upgrades
Leather armor takes diamonds to become chain mail, extending the armor progression path.
Compatibility
Latest build for each game version and loader.
Only full game releases are shown. This mod publishes no snapshot builds.
Requirements
Dependencies declared by the latest file for each loader.
Optional 2
Use cases
Modpack progression
Pack makers can give players a path from early-game gear to later materials without discarding enchanted or customized items.
Recovering rare items
A custom iron pickaxe found in a pack can be carried up a tier rather than replaced.
Who it’s for: Players and server owners running Forge 1.20.1 modpacks that combine many tool and armor mods, and who want existing equipment to keep its properties as materials advance.
How it compares
Upgradable Tools is a Forge mod for 1.20.1 that is also client and server, but it is released under the CC0 1.0 Universal license and is not open source. Upgradable Armor is a Forge mod for 1.12.2 – 1.20.6 under the MIT License, covering armor rather than tools. TFCGearRepair is open source under the MIT License and handles repair for 1.20.1 – 1.20.6 rather than tier upgrades.
| Mod | Loaders | Game versions | Environment | Updated |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Vaneck's Upgradable | Forge | 1.20.1 | Client and server | 2025-05-05 |
| Upgradable Tools | Forge | 1.20.1 | Client and server | 2026-01-12 |
| Upgradable Armor | Forge | 1.12.2 – 1.20.6 | Client and server | 2026-05-22 |
| TFCGearRepair | Forge | 1.20.1 – 1.20.6 | Client and server | 2026-03-22 |
Questions
Does Vaneck's Upgradable need Forge?
Must the server have Vaneck's Upgradable installed?
Are JEI and Patchouli required?
Is the mod still being developed?
In the catalog
Vaneck's Upgradable is one of 8,499 Technology mods on ModsFinder, and one of 4,122 Technology mods for Forge. 34,764 mods support Minecraft 1.20.1.
More from Vaneck512
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What the author says
Vaneck's Upgradable makes it possible to upgrade tools, weapons and armor, while maintaining all the characteristics and features of the item, including enchantments, name and characteristics from other mods. So, for example, while playing on a mod pack, I found a legendary iron pickaxe with custom characteristics…
Official listing
- Modrinth page
- modrinth.com/mod/vnk-upgradable
- Owner
- Vaneck512
- Published
- 2025-04-28
- Updated on Modrinth
- 2025-05-05
- Facts verified
- 2026-10-15