How to Install Born in Chaos
1.21.1 NeoForge 1.7.6, or 1.20.1 Forge 1.7.5. No official 26.x.
Read the file name. born_in_chaos_[Neoforge]_1.21.1_1.7.6.jar is the current NeoForge line. born_in_chaos_[Forge]1.20.1_1.7.5.jar is the 1.20 line. The 1.21 jar will not run in a Forge 1.20 mods folder, so keep the two lines apart. CurseForge still lists 1.16.5 through 1.19 files. Recipes on this page are the 1.7.6 JSON, not those older packs.
GeckoLib is listed optional. Install it only if the author notes or the pack asks. JEI is optional. Download from the author CurseForge or Modrinth page. This site does not host the jar.
How to Make Dark Metal Ingots
Nine pieces, one pile, blast 20 seconds. A furnace will not do it.
Pieces of Dark Metal drop from a long list of night mobs. Reliable early sources in the 1.7.6 loot tables include Barrel Zombie, Skeleton Thrasher, Fallen Chaos Knight, Missionary, Zombie Bruiser, and Spirit Guide. The pile recipe is nine pieces in a full 3x3. Reverse shapeless: one pile back into nine pieces.
A furnace will not make the ingot. Blast the pile for 20 seconds (400 ticks) and 7 experience. One ingot shapeless-crafts into nine nuggets. Nine nuggets craft back into an ingot.
How to Craft a Bone Handle and Dark Metal Sword
Diagonal rod, nugget, bone. Then two ingots.
Bone Handle is a diagonal: Dark Rod top-right, Dark Metal Nugget center, Bone bottom-left. Almost every later weapon uses this handle instead of a stick. The first sword is two Dark Metal Ingots over that handle.
Dark Warblade is two Dark Metal Blocks over a handle. Lang: excessively heavy, hard to use without Strength. Craft it after the sword, not as the first afternoon toy. Nightmare Scythe needs claws from the stalker. Soul Saber applies soul stratification.
What Does the Evilometer Do?
Four nuggets around Spiritual Dust. It reads naughtiness.
Evilometer is a plus of Dark Metal Nuggets around Spiritual Dust. Use it to read your naughtiness points. At a critically high value it grants Strength. You do not need the meter to start the metal chain. Craft it when spirits start dropping dust.
What Does the Nightmare Stalker Warning Mean?
That chat line is the spawn gate. Then hunt claws.
Entity string: You feel like something is chasing you... Pack comments treat it as flavor. It is the official spawn gate. A gamerule toggles stalker spawn. After the line, the stalker can appear. Kill it for Nightmare Claws and a chance at the Nightmare Stalker Skull. Those two items are the Nightmare set, not optional cosmetics.
Other named threats worth a trip: Fallen Chaos Knight (dark metal), Missionary (weather + summons, hat advancement), Dire Hound Leader (Monster Skin), Bonescaller / Supreme Bonescaller (staff loop), Lifestealer, Skeleton Demoman (back away when wounded). Advancement miniboss line: "Something powerful is invading this world..."
How to Fight Lord Pumpkinhead and Sir Pumpkinhead
Pumpkin staff, hat, Last Night advancement
Sir Pumpkinhead is a summonable pumpkin rider: jack-o-lantern head, lime-glow body. Lord Pumpkinhead is the Last Night kill. Hat and staff sit on that loot table. Farming every pumpkin mob for the warblade is a dead end — the warblade is made from metal blocks.
How to Craft Dark Metal Armor
Template + Netherite piece + plate. There is no helmet 3x3.
There is no helmet 3x3 of Dark Metal Ingots. Armor is a smithing upgrade: Dark Upgrade template, a Netherite piece, and one Dark Metal Armor Plate. Plate is Monster Skin and Dark Metal Ingots. Full set ramps at low health and resists Wither.
Smithing table · official transform
Dark Metal Helmet
That is why the upgrade item lists Netherite equipment and the plate as ingredients. You finish vanilla Netherite first. Dark Metal is the next smithing step, not a parallel iron set.
Nightmare Set and Death Totem
Skin plus stalker skull. Totem saves a death.
Nightmare Mask uses Monster Skin, the stalker skull, and two nuggets. Robe, pants, and boots are skin plus a little metal. Lang: you move faster in the dark; the mask boosts dark-magic weapons. Death Totem in hand saves a lethal hit and spends hunger for Strength. Full Nightmare set changes that cost (no longer the entire hunger bar). Dark Atrium is a separate 60-minute Dark Ward craft from Lifestealer bone plus Bone Heart.
Spiny Shell is the water kit. Helmet and chest are vanilla shell shapes. Shell Mace bonus is in water or rain. Hunt Thornshell Crab, not the stalker, for those pieces.
What You Can Leave for Later
Mobs you can leave and still finish Dark Metal
- No need to farm these. Maggots, gadflies, pumpkin dunces, holiday candy side-crafts. Transmuting Elixir is a nine-item shapeless including sculk catalyst and chorus. It is not day-one.
- Walk around. Skeleton Demoman detonates. Hound traps exist. Phantom Creeper splits if you hit it.
- Worth a trip. Piece carriers, stalker, Missionary, Fallen Chaos Knight, Dire Hound Leader, Lord Pumpkinhead once you have a real weapon.
Frequently Asked Questions
1.21.1 NeoForge, blasting, stalker, smithing
Related mods
Official Downloads
Mongoose_artist · GeckoLib optional1.7.6 is the 1.21.1 NeoForge file. 1.7.5 is 1.20.1 Forge. Author on the jar is Mongoose_artist.
Born in Chaos