SwordsPlus: Coal, Lapis, and Dirt Swords for Minecraft
Vanilla Minecraft gives you a solid set of blades, but after a few hundred nights of fighting creepers and the Ender Dragon, the standard iron and diamond swords can start to feel a bit predictable. SwordsPlus: Coal, Lapis, and Dirt Swords for Minecraft steps in with a focused solution. Instead of dumping dozens of exotic weapons into your inventory, this add-on introduces a small, balanced set of tools crafted from materials you usually ignore. It is a lean expansion that respects the vanilla progression and keeps crafting recipes intuitive.
What the Mod Adds to Your Arsenal
The core idea behind SwordsPlus: Coal, Lapis, and Dirt Swords for Minecraft is simple: turn surplus resources into viable combat gear. Coal, lapis lazuli, emeralds, and even plain dirt blocks become the foundation for new blades. Each weapon has its own damage rating and durability curve, so you can adapt your loadout to the stage of the game you are in.
The Full Roster of New Blades
- Coal Sword – Low damage and modest durability, but incredibly cheap to craft. It is a lifesaver for the first nights when iron is scarce and coal is abundant.
- Lapis Lazuli Sword – Mid-tier damage with a higher chance of receiving beneficial enchantments. A smart pick if you have stockpiled lapis while hunting for diamonds.
- Emerald Sword – Performance close to diamond, with slightly lower durability. It turns emeralds from a trading currency into a real combat asset.
- Dirt Sword – The wildcard. Minimal damage and laughably low durability, but crafted from just four dirt blocks. It is a fun challenge item for hardcore players or a gag weapon for server antics.
The mod also hides a few extra recipes. The author encourages curious players to experiment at the crafting table to discover them. All recipes follow the classic pattern: a stick plus two resource items, just like the original game.
Crafting and Balance in Practice
Recipes stay close to vanilla conventions. A coal sword requires two coal pieces and a stick; an emerald sword needs two emeralds and a stick. Durability and damage scale with the rarity of the material. The dirt sword breaks after a few hits, but you can craft dozens of them on the fly while mining, without stopping to smelt anything. This opens up tactical choices: carrying a stack of cheap dirt blades can be smarter than risking your only diamond sword in a cave.
The lapis lazuli sword deserves special attention. In vanilla Minecraft, lapis is used for enchanting and decoration. Here, it becomes a legitimate weapon with an innate affinity for good enchantments. On versions without netherite tools, it can comfortably replace iron in the mid-game.
How to Install and Which Versions Work
SwordsPlus: Coal, Lapis, and Dirt Swords for Minecraft requires Minecraft Forge. The project is no longer actively updated, but the last stable releases target Minecraft 1.7.10 and 1.12.2. These are the versions recommended for nostalgic or lightweight playthroughs. Manual installation is straightforward: copy the jar file into the mods folder. However, many players prefer a more convenient route. Using a launcher that supports mod management, you can download SwordsPlus: Coal, Lapis, and Dirt Swords for Minecraft in a couple of clicks. The launcher automatically selects a compatible Forge version and loads the mod from its menu, saving you the hassle of file management. This is especially useful when you want to quickly test an older mod without diving into technical details.
Who Should Use This Mod
This add-on suits players tired of massive modpacks with hundreds of weapon types, but who still want more options than vanilla provides. It fits into survival gameplay without breaking balance or forcing you to relearn crafting. Server admins often include it in light packs to add a touch of novelty without destabilizing the in-game economy. It also has an educational side: newcomers learn crafting mechanics and resource value faster by making coal or dirt swords, while veterans can set up a "dirt swords only" challenge against bosses to test their dodging skills.
Final Verdict
SwordsPlus: Coal, Lapis, and Dirt Swords for Minecraft is a compact, well-designed expansion that gives ordinary materials a second life. Coal, lapis, emeralds, and dirt stop being mere inventory filler and become the basis for tactical decisions. Even without ongoing updates, it remains a model of how to improve the game without overloading it. If you value minimalism and want to broaden your weapon options, give this mod a chance. You might find that a dirt sword saves you in a tight spot.