Install Alex's Caves on a Minecraft Forge Server

Vanilla Minecraft cave systems can feel a bit thin once you have logged enough hours underground. The Alex's Caves mod fixes that by adding five fully themed biomes packed with mobs, blocks, and craftable gear. Some sit under deep water, others trap you in radioactive goo, and one even hides a prehistoric overworld inside the rock. This guide covers how to grab the files, install them on your client, and get the mod running on a HolyHosting Minecraft server so you and your friends can explore something new.

What Alex's Caves adds

The mod introduces five distinct underground biomes: Abyssal Chasm, Forlorn Hollows, Magnetic Caves, Primordial Caves, and Toxic Caves. Each comes with its own atmosphere, hostile mob roster, custom blocks, and rare crafting materials. Expect submarines for deep water exploration, dinosaurs roaming prehistoric overworlds underground, glowing electric crystals, and the occasional toxic goo lake that will absolutely ruin your day. The pack is built for Minecraft Forge, so it slots in cleanly alongside other Forge mods if you want a bigger pack.

Downloading the files

You will need two mods: Alex's Caves itself and its Citadel dependency. Both live on CurseForge and both are required, so do not skip Citadel.

• Open the Alex's Caves page on CurseForge and click Files near the top.

• Find the version matching your Minecraft Forge install, click the three dots on the right, then choose Download. Save it somewhere easy to find.

• Repeat the steps for Citadel. The mod will not load without it.

Installing on your client

Before anything else, install Forge on your Minecraft launcher. If you skip that step, the mod simply will not appear in your launcher and the game will crash on startup. With Forge ready, follow these steps:

• Launch Minecraft and click Installations at the top.

• Hit the folder icon next to your Forge profile.

• Open the `mods` folder inside the new window.

• Drag your downloaded `.jar` files in, then go back to the launcher.

• Pick your Forge profile and press Play.

Installing on your server

The server side needs Forge too. Switch to the right Forge build using your panel's version selector and restart once to generate the required folders. If you do not have a Minecraft server yet, you can grab one from HolyHosting's pricing page.

• From the server panel, open your FTP client.

• Enter your password and click Login.

• Find and open the `mods` directory.

• Use Upload in the top left corner and drop both `.jar` files into the area.

• Wait for the uploads to hit 100%, generate a fresh world, and restart the server.

First steps in a modded world

Once you log in, treat your first hour like any survival start. Gather wood, food, and basic tools before chasing caves, because almost everything new in this mod wants you dead. If you would rather sightsee first, enable cheats or grant yourself operator status. From there the Cave Compendium book and the in-game commands let you preview every biome without dying repeatedly. Installing JEI alongside Alex's Caves is also handy for browsing the new item list and recipes without trial and error.

The five biomes

Abyssal Chasm

Deep underground, an enormous flooded cavern stretches down to bedrock. Marine life roams the dark water and most of it is aggressive, so come prepared with food, potions, and a strong sword. A submarine helps a lot here, and Alex's Caves lets you build one once you have collected the right parts. Try not to get rattled by the ambient sound design.

Forlorn Hollows

A bleak, desolate biome with mobs that hide some grim secrets. The materials and structures inside are worth the trip, but show up well-equipped. The gear you can craft afterwards has unusual abilities, which is the payoff for putting up with the place.

Magnetic Caves

This biome leans into the technological side of the mod. Some blocks zap or push you around, and the mobs are equally unfriendly. The trade-off is access to crafting components you cannot find elsewhere, plus a fresh palette of blocks for builders looking for a sci-fi vibe in their next base.

Primordial Caves

Picture a hidden overworld with trees, water, dinosaurs, and the kind of foliage you do not expect to see hundreds of blocks below sea level. Once you survive the wildlife, this is the most habitable of the five biomes and a strong candidate for a permanent base.

Toxic Caves

The hardest of the bunch to find, and easily the meanest. Radioactive blocks and pools of slow-moving goo are everywhere, and the goo itself will hold you still while damage stacks up. The reward is in the loot table, which includes rayguns, nuclear devices, and other gear you will not see anywhere else in the mod.

New mobs, tools, and armor

Each biome ships with its own creature lineup and resource set. Most mobs are hostile, but defeating them unlocks recipes for tools and armor tied to that environment. Hazard suits make toxic caves survivable, prehistoric gear pairs well with dinosaurs, and the magnetic biome rewards you with tech-flavored equipment. Some recipes need blocks pulled directly from the biome, so plan a few return trips with extra inventory space.

Editing the mod's config

Tweaks happen in the config files. Open your FTP client and head into the `config` folder. The `alexscaves_biome_generation` directory holds biome generation values, useful if you want some caves to be more common in your seed. For everything else, edit `alexscaves-general.toml` using the built-in editor. Save your changes and restart the server for them to take effect.

FAQ

The mod will not load. What did I miss?

The most common cause is a version mismatch or a broken Forge install. Confirm that your client, server, and Forge build all line up, and that both Alex's Caves and Citadel are in the `mods` folder. If everything matches, try generating a brand new world to rule out a corrupted save.

Can I add Alex's Caves to an existing world?

Yes, but already-generated chunks will not have the new biomes. Your spawn, your base, and any explored regions stay as they were. For the full experience, start a new world or travel far from spawn to load fresh terrain.

Where are these biomes hiding?

They generate underground and are deliberately rare. Bring patience and dig deep, or use cheats and operator commands to teleport around once you know roughly where to look.

Useful links

• Alex's Caves on CurseForge
• Official Alex's Caves Wiki
• How to Add Mods to a Minecraft Server
• Becoming a Minecraft Server Operator