Unofficial alternative to the Essential mod with world hosting features, free cosmetics, and much more!
Explore the wiki · Report Bugs · Request Features

Vital is a modpack designed as an alternative to Essential and OptiFine. It includes the majority of Essential and OptiFine's features, including but not limited to: world hosting, cosmetics, many resource pack features, shaders, and a major improvement in rendering and logic performance. It also includes some extra features, like input fixes for Linux and MacOS. This modpack is built and kept in sync with Devin's project, Additive, which includes the performance and OptiFine features.

Want your own mods that aren't included in Vital? Don't worry! You can easily add your favorite mods after installation.

⭐ Features

🔷 Essential alternatives

Vital contains quite a few mods to replace Essential's features. These are not as consistent as Essential however they are still very simple to use, and some even have upsides over Essential's offering:

• Free world hosting that's secure and private, and does not require the other players to use it.
  • Simply click "Open to Friends" in the menu to get an IP address you can send to your friends to play!
• Completely free cosmetics from a marketplace full of community creations. Any other Vital, Cosmetica, or Fabulously Optimized user can see these cosmetics.
  • You can access these in the mod menu or settings menu. You could also visit the Cosmetica website.
• A bunch of neat skin management features.
  • Accessible through the main menu.
• Screenshot improvements, such as previews and a screenshot viewer, along with screenshot uploading and copying.
  • When you take a screenshot, it will let you view it easily. You can also manage your screenshots in-game.
• Log into different accounts from ingame.
  • Simply go into the main menu and select the account switcher.

🚀 Major performance improvement

Vital is based on and kept in sync with the Additive modpack, which is based on the Adrenaline modpack. Adrenaline's aim is to significantly improve rendering and game logic performance, along with memory and hardware usage, without compromising on the game's looks or features in any way. This is done with various optimization mods that are actively tested for stability and improvement. Some mods are also pre-configured. Adrenaline wouldn't exist without projects like Sodium, so I advise you to donate to mod authors and contributors if you can.

🔍 OptiFine alternatives

Vital utilizes various mods that offers the same features that OptiFine did while also being modular so that you can remove features you don't want or features that are incompatible with other mods. This includes, but is not limited to:

• Major performance boost from Adrenaline
• OptiFine resource pack features
• Built-in shaders support
• Dynamic lighting from held objects
• Better grass and snow
• OptiFine donator capes (and free capes)
• All OptiFine features and more information on the wiki

💡 Other things

Vital also includes some extra features unrelated to OptiFine, although I aim to keep this list of mods minimal. Mods are suitable for the "other features" section if they are lightweight and unobtrusive. This includes things like:

• Small input fixes for MacOS and Linux players
• Borderless fullscreen window setting in the video settings
• All other features and more information on the Additive wiki

⚙️ Source-available

All mods in Vital are either open-source or source-available, which means you can view the code of mods and see exactly what they are doing. Vital is also available as packwiz projects on ForgeJo so that you can easily view what's being changed, contribute if you would like to, or fork the modpack to create your own project. If you would like to view the mods shipped with Vital, simply look at the dependencies in the Modrinth page or look in the Git repository.

✅ Hardware Compatibility

For Hardware Compatibility information, see the corresponding section in Sodium's Modrinth description.

🐛 How to Report Issues

Experiencing bugs, crashes, or other issues? Feel free to open an issue on the issue tracker. Be sure to include necessary information like your hardware/software (e.g. GPU and CPU, modpack version and OS) so that it's easier for us to find issues and resolve them.

❓ Frequently Asked Questions

For a few frequently asked questions, along with tons of other information, consider visiting the wiki. It has a few other helpful resources that I suggest you read, such as troubleshooting info and more. This wiki is often updated with new information.

Need a server?

QoL and Performance modpack with the features of Essential and OptiFine!
Explore the wiki · Report Bugs · Request Features

Vital is a modpack designed as a QoL and performance modpack that dually serves as an alternative to Essential and OptiFine.

It includes the majority of Essential and OptiFine's features, including world hosting, cosmetics, many resource pack features, shaders, and so much more.

⭐ Features

🚀 Major performance improvement

Vital is built on top of the bleeding edge Simply Optimized Forked modpack, which improves the performance of every aspect of the game.

🔷 Essential features

Vital contains quite a few mods to replace Essential's features!

• Free world hosting that's secure and private, and does not require the other players to use it
  • Simply click "Open to Friends" in the menu to get an IP address you can send to your friends to play!
  • Completely free cosmetics!
    • You can access these in the mod menu or settings menu. You could also visit the Cosmetica website!
  • A bunch of neat skin management features
    • Accessible through the main menu!
  • Screenshot improvements
    • When you take a screenshot, it will let you view it easily. You can also manage your screenshots in-game!
  • Log into different accounts from ingame.
    • Simply go into the main menu and select the account switcher!
  • In-game recording
    • Via the brilliant Flashback mod!
  • Better organized main menu
    • Inspired by Essentials layout; intended to be in the style of vanilla!

🔍 OptiFine features

Vital utilizes the core mods needed to bring over all of OptiFine's benefits;

• OptiFine resource pack features
• Built-in shaders support
• Dynamic lighting from held objects
• Better grass and snow
• OptiFine donator capes (and free capes)
• All OptiFine features and more information on the wiki

💡 Quality of Life

Vital also includes some extra features unrelated to OptiFine, although I aim to keep this list of mods minimal. Mods are suitable for the "other features" section if they are lightweight and unobtrusive. This includes things like:

• Small input fixes for MacOS and Linux players
• Borderless fullscreen window setting in the video settings
• All other features and more information on the Additive wiki

✅ Hardware Compatibility

For Hardware Compatibility information, see the corresponding section in Sodium's Modrinth description.

🐛 How to Report Issues

Experiencing bugs, crashes, or other issues? Feel free to open an issue on the issue tracker. Be sure to include necessary information like your hardware/software (e.g. GPU and CPU, modpack version and OS) so that it's easier for us to find issues and resolve them.

Need a server?