Minecraft OpenBlocks Mod Installation and Feature Guide

What OpenBlocks Adds

Minecraft has gained plenty of features over the years, but not every popular idea makes it into the base game. OpenBlocks fills that gap with a mixed bag of useful, odd, and surprisingly practical blocks. It adds items such as sleeping bags, XP storage, graves, elevators, utility blocks, and a few stranger tools that feel right at home in a modded world.

This guide covers how to download OpenBlocks, install it on a Minecraft server and client, and understand some of its most useful features.

Downloading OpenBlocks

OpenBlocks has different files for different Minecraft versions, so make sure you download the build that matches the version your server will run.

1. Go to the OpenBlocks page on CurseForge.
2. Open the Files tab near the top of the page.

1. Select View All if needed, then locate the file for your desired Minecraft version.

1. Click the download button for that file.

After the download finishes, you should have a file with a name similar to `OpenBlocks.jar`. Keep this file handy, because it must be installed on both the server and every player client that plans to join.

Installing OpenBlocks on a Server

OpenBlocks requires Forge, so the server needs to be running the matching Forge version before the mod can load correctly.

1. Open the HolyHosting control panel for your Minecraft server.
2. Set the version type in your panel to Forge.
3. Restart the server once so the Forge files can generate.
4. Return to the control panel and open the FTP file manager.

1. Sign in with your control panel password.
2. Open the `mods` folder.
3. Upload the OpenBlocks `.jar` file into that folder.
4. Go back to the main control panel page and restart the server again.

When the server starts, Forge should detect and load OpenBlocks automatically. If the server fails to boot, double-check that the mod file matches the installed Minecraft and Forge version. Version mismatches are the usual culprit, because Minecraft mods enjoy being picky.

Installing OpenBlocks on Your Minecraft Client

Every player joining the server also needs OpenBlocks installed locally.

1. Download the Forge installer for the same Minecraft version used by the server.
2. Install Forge on your computer.

1. Open the Minecraft Launcher and start the Forge profile once.
2. From the Minecraft main menu, click Options.
3. Select Resource Packs, then choose Open Resource Pack Folder.
4. In the file window that opens, move up to the main Minecraft directory.
5. Open or create the `mods` folder.
6. Place the OpenBlocks `.jar` file inside that folder.

Restart Minecraft after moving the file. Once the game loads again, click the Mods button on the main menu to confirm that OpenBlocks appears in the installed mod list.

Notable OpenBlocks Features

OpenBlocks is less focused on one theme and more focused on adding small quality-of-life tools. Some are practical, some are strange, and a few are both.

Guide Book

The in-game guide book is called World Domination with OpenBlocks. It is the best starting point for learning what each item does, since every entry includes a recipe and usage notes.

Craft it by combining a regular book with a ball of clay in a crafting table. Once created, keep it nearby while exploring the mod. It saves a lot of tabbing out to check recipes.

Graves

Graves make death much less frustrating. When a player dies, OpenBlocks places a grave at the death location and stores the player's items inside it. Instead of sprinting back before everything despawns, return to the grave and right-click it to recover the stored inventory.

This is especially useful on multiplayer servers, where lag, mobs, cliffs, lava, and questionable decision-making can all work together against you.

Elevators

Elevators are one of the most popular OpenBlocks features. Instead of building redstone lifts or bubble columns, you can place elevator blocks on different floors and move between them instantly.

An elevator block is crafted with eight wool blocks and one ender pearl. The wool can be dyed first, letting the elevator match the colors of your build. Place elevator blocks directly above or below each other on separate floors.

To use one, stand on the block and press jump to move upward. Crouch to move downward.

Mini-Me

Mini-Me is a small companion mob that follows the player and can pick them up. While riding it, you steer it similarly to a horse.

To obtain one, craft a golden egg using the shown recipe, then place the egg on the ground. It will spin faster as it gets closer to hatching and may lift nearby blocks into the air. When it finally hatches, it creates a small explosion, so avoid placing it next to anything you would prefer to keep intact.

Vacuum Hopper

The Vacuum Hopper is excellent for farms, item sorters, and XP collection systems. It pulls dropped items and experience orbs from within a 7-block radius, then can feed them into storage or other redstone setups.

Crafting one requires a standard hopper, one obsidian block, and an eye of ender. It is not the cheapest utility block, but it can clean up busy farm areas and reduce manual collection work.

Final Notes

OpenBlocks is a broad utility mod rather than a single-purpose expansion. It adds helpful tools like graves and elevators alongside stranger options such as Mini-Me, hang gliders, XP storage, and unusual pets. Once Forge and the mod file are installed on both the server and client, OpenBlocks is ready to use on your HolyHosting Minecraft server.

Useful Links

• How to change your server version
• Just Enough Items mod
• OpenBlocks on the FTB wiki
• OpenBlocks CurseForge page