Install and Use the Better Villages Mod on a Minecraft Server

Vanilla Minecraft is fun until you have raided your hundredth identical hay-roof hut and realized villagers might be the most predictable neighbors in gaming. Mods fix that. If you want every town in your world to feel like a real settlement instead of a clipart village, Better Villages is one of the easiest swaps to make. It overhauls the buildings, layouts, and loot across multiple biomes, so plains, deserts, savannas, and snowy areas each get their own treatment.

This guide walks through downloading the mod, getting it running on the client, installing it on a Minecraft server, and what to expect once you log in.

Downloading Better Villages

The instructions below cover the Forge build, which is by far the most popular target. Fabric users can follow the same flow with the corresponding files.

• Open the Better Villages page on CurseForge and click Files at the top.

• Scroll the list and find the entry that matches your Minecraft version.
• Click the three vertical dots on the right of that row and choose Download File.

• Save the file somewhere you will remember, then repeat the same steps for Library Ferret, the required dependency.

Skipping Library Ferret is the most common mistake people make with this mod. Grab both files before moving on.

Installing on the Client

Vanilla Minecraft does not load mods on its own, so Forge needs to be on your launcher first. Once Forge is set up and your profile loads cleanly, continue here.

• Launch Minecraft and click Installations at the top.

• Find the Forge profile you set up earlier and click its Folder icon.

• A file explorer window opens. Enter the mods folder.
• Drag both downloaded `.jar` files into that folder.

• Go back to the launcher, run the Forge profile, and let the game load.

That covers singleplayer. To use Better Villages with friends, repeat the install on the server side.

Installing on a Minecraft Server

Servers also need Forge for mods to work. On the HolyHosting panel you can pick Forge with your preferred version from the version selector in your panel, then restart so the new server type loads. Once that is done, upload the mod files.

• Open your server panel and access the FTP file manager from your panel menu.

• Enter your account password and press Login.

• Navigate into the mods directory and choose Upload in the top left.
• Drag both files into the upload area.

• Wait for each upload to finish, return to the main panel, and Restart the server.

Every player connecting to the server must run the same Minecraft version with the same mod and dependency versions installed. Mismatches are the number one cause of disconnects and missing structures.

What to Expect In-Game

Once you connect and start exploring, villages will appear on the horizon. The mod replaces vanilla generation in the supported biomes, so the layouts look almost nothing like the originals. A few biomes are not covered yet and keep their default appearance until the mod author adds them, but the most traveled ones are already overhauled. Inside any settlement you find, the chests and job buildings are fair game.

Plains Villages

The plains biome is the natural home for big settlements thanks to all that flat ground. Expect taller buildings, more decoration inside and out, and plenty of loot. The familiar profession houses for farming, smelting, and crafting are still there, just with a much bigger footprint.

Desert Villages

Deserts get the most dramatic redesign. What was a handful of sandy huts becomes a small city with shopping districts and stone towers around the perimeter. Loot tends to be more generous here than in other biomes, and nearby desert temples make these spots even more worth scouting.

Savanna Villages

Savanna settlements lean into aesthetics. Windmills sit next to neatly laid out farmland, and the surrounding buildings carry consistent detailing. Food and crops are abundant, which makes savanna villages a solid stop when supplies run low. If looting is more your style, the houses are full of useful items too.

Snowy Villages

Snowy biomes drop the campfire-and-hut look entirely. Instead you get multi-story houses with distinctive architecture and varied interiors. Most exteriors share the same shell, but step inside and the rooms change from house to house. A small outdoor farming area rounds out the settlement.

Stacking Compatible Mods

If you want even more variety, Better Villages plays well with Repurposed Structures, More Villagers, and Waystones, among others. The mod's CurseForge page lists more compatible options. Adding a few of them can introduce new villager jobs, fresh building styles, and useful travel mechanics without breaking anything.

Troubleshooting

If the game refuses to load after installing the mod, the dependency is almost always missing. Confirm that Library Ferret is in the same `mods` folder as Better Villages, and that Forge itself is installed. The same rule applies on the server side. Also check that every mod and the Forge version match the Minecraft version exactly. Mixing 1.20.1 builds with other versions does not work.

If the mod loads but you cannot find any of the new villages, you are probably exploring chunks that were generated before the mod was installed. New villages only appear in fresh terrain. Either keep walking until you hit unloaded territory, or create a new world from your panel by using the world change option and entering a different world name.

Crashes that appear after adding a second or third mod usually point to incompatibility. Remove the most recent additions one at a time to find the culprit. If you are still stuck, the HolyHosting support team is available 24/7 to help track it down.

Useful Links

• Better Villages on CurseForge
• How to install Forge on Minecraft
• Setting up a Forge server
• Generating a new world