Explosive Barrels 💣

Bring proper explosives to Minecraft with two new barrels, fully integrated into vanilla progression and crafting, but far more satisfying to use than plain TNT.

Overview

Explosive Barrels adds:

• A configurable Wooden Explosive Barrel for precision blasting
• A late-game Netherite Explosive Barrel that acts as a vanilla-friendly “nuke”
• New explosive powders with escalating power
• Explosion modifiers that let you tune fire, power and drops
• Custom crafting/smithing recipes for every new item

All explosions are custom coded to feel more realistic and impactful than vanilla TNT, making base clearing, mining and chaotic experiments far more fun.

Wooden Explosive Barrel, the ol' reliable

The wooden barrel is your new go-to explosive block.

Power levels

Load it with different explosive fillings to control its raw strength:

• Gunpowder – familiar TNT-like power
• Flash Powder – stronger, brighter, more intense explosions
• Blitz Powder – the top-tier payload for serious craters

Each tier raises the explosion power, letting you choose exactly how destructive you want to be.

Explosion modifiers (“catalysts”)

You can further tune the explosion by adding familiar items as catalysts inside the barrel:

• Coal – slightly increases power and adds a bit of fire
• Blaze Powder – dramatically increases fire, great for burning areas down
• Feathers – boosts item drops, perfect for blast-mining resources

Mix and match fillings and catalysts to get exactly the kind of blast you want.

Netherite Explosive Barrel, the late-game “nuke”

When you are ready for true end-game destruction, upgrade to the Netherite Explosive Barrel.

• Crafted via smithing with netherite components
• Fueled by a single Nether Star
• Produces a massive explosion while still feeling fair and “vanilla-friendly”

It is the perfect tool for large-scale terraforming, base wiping in late-game worlds, or just seeing how far you can push your machine.

Better explosions, instant detonation

Explosions in Explosive Barrels are not reusing vanilla TNT logic. They are custom coded to feel:

• More physical and satisfying
• More fun to play with than standard TNT blasts

And crucially:

• Barrels explode instantly when triggered – there is no fuse.

This makes them ideal for traps, redstone contraptions, and precise timing setups where TNT’s delay would get in the way.

TNT still matters

Explosive Barrels are not a replacement for TNT, they are a specialist alternative:

• Barrels: instant, powerful, configurable explosions that stay put
• TNT: has a fuse, can be pushed, moved by pistons, and chained in flying machines

If you want a movable explosive entity or large TNT machines, you still want TNT. If you want controlled, instant blasts with lots of customization, you want Explosive Barrels.

Crafting & progression

All new items come with custom recipes:

• Burst charges and explosive barrels have their own crafting recipes
• The Netherite barrel is obtained via smithing, fitting neatly into vanilla progression
• The mod is fully playable in survival, no commands or cheats required

Install Explosive Barrels, grab some powder and catalysts, and start experimenting. You will not want to go back to plain TNT.