Apothic Category Compat
If you run a modded Minecraft server with Apotheosis, you have probably noticed that some weapons and armor from other mods never roll affixes or gem sockets. The reason is simple: those items either lack a loot category or are assigned the wrong one. Apothic Category Compat is a small server-side mod for Forge and NeoForge that fills in those missing assignments, so your carefully crafted gear from mods like Twilight Forest or Alex's Caves can finally get the affixes they deserve.
Why Loot Categories Matter
Apotheosis uses loot categories to decide which affixes and gem sockets an item can roll. When a modded weapon has no category or gets the wrong one, affixes never appear on it. This add-on sends the correct categories at load time, fixing the problem at its root. The universal rule splits melee weapons into sword or heavy_weapon based on attack speed (1.0 or slower reads heavy, or 10.0+ damage bumps to heavy). Bows, crossbows, tridents, pickaxes, shields, and armor come from the vanilla class hierarchy.
Supported Versions and Loaders
Apothic Category Compat for Minecraft is available for three major version lines. On 1.20.1 and 1.19.2 (Forge), it uses a universal attack speed and damage rule plus per-mod modules, sent over Apotheosis's IMC override API. The 1.19.2 build has a shorter mod list. On 1.21.1 (NeoForge), it adds categories through an Apotheosis data map. Since Apotheosis 8.x sorts most gear itself and merged its categories into one melee weapon category and a breaker for mining tools, this build fills the gaps Apotheosis leaves behind.
Forge Versions: How It Works
Stats are read live, so if mods change them at runtime, the categorization still works. The read also falls back to stack-level attributes, so Epic Fight style weapons like Weapons of Miracles greataxes are caught too. A second pass runs after mod loading to catch weapons whose stats settle during deferred init. Apotheosis hardcodes a couple of defaults that take precedence over the categories set here, such as minecraft:iron_sword as sword and minecraft:shulker_shell as none.
Per-Mod Modules
The add-on routes items in these mods to the correct categories (sword, heavy weapon, bow, crossbow, trident, shield, none, and staffs or sword via Fallen Gems & Affixes when present): L'Ender's Cataclysm, Twilight Forest, Epic Fight (base, Nightfall, Resurrection), Weapons of Miracles, Tetra, Marium's Soulslike Weaponry, Meet Your Fight, Dungeons and Combat, Alex's Caves, Alex's Mobs, Aquamirae, Born in Chaos, Forbidden and Arcanus, Traveloptics, Celestisynth, and The Undergarden. The 1.19.2 build covers a shorter list, with Epic Samurai included instead of some 1.20.1-only mods.
Mods handled by the universal rule include Simply Swords, Spartan Weaponry, Spartan Shields, Epic Knights, Iron's Spellbooks, Mowzie's Mobs, Bosses of Mass Destruction, Deeper and Darker, Malum, and anything else with vanilla class weapons or an attack damage attribute, plus armor.
Categorization Settings
Two toggles in apothic_category_compat-common.toml let you fine-tune behavior. Edit and restart to apply. name_based_heavy_override (default on as of v2.1.0) sends IDs containing heavy weapon names like greatsword, claymore, zweihander, warhammer, halberd, glaive, battleaxe, lance, or scythe to heavy_weapon, and IDs ending in "sword" to sword. Existing configs keep their prior value, so set it to true or delete the config to pick up the new default. weapon_pickaxes_as_heavy (default on) routes Cataclysm Void Forge and Infernal Forge, Forbidden and Arcanus blacksmith gavels, and Twilight Forest Cube of Annihilation to heavy_weapon. Disable it to categorize them as pickaxe.
Config File and Overrides
The config file lives at config/apothic_category_compat-common.toml. It moves over from the older apothic_compat-common.toml on first launch of v2.1.0 or later, so your settings carry over. You can add per-item and per-tag overrides:
[item_overrides] "ruins:greatsword" = "heavy_weapon"[tag_overrides] "simplyswords:greathammers" = "heavy_weapon"
Valid categories are sword, heavy_weapon, trident, bow, crossbow, shield, helmet, chestplate, leggings, boots, pickaxe, shovel, and none. Set an item to none to keep it from rolling any affixes. Categories registered by other mods, such as staffs from Fallen Gems & Affixes, are also accepted.
NeoForge 1.21.1 with Apotheosis 8.x
On 1.21.1, Apothic Category Compat overrides through a NeoForge data map at data/apotheosis/data_maps/item/loot_category_overrides.json. It routes items in these mods to the correct categories (ranged weapons to bow, bidents to trident, and staffs and scythes to Apothic Compats' staff and scythe categories, the last two only when both Apothic Compats and Malum are loaded): L'Ender's Cataclysm, Alex's Caves, Alex's Mobs, Born in Chaos, The Undergarden, Twilight Forest, Lands of Icaria, Iron's Spellbooks, Ice and Fire, Ice and Fire Spellbooks, Forbidden and Arcanus, Mahoutsukai, Deeper Darker, the Aether, and Traveloptics. Dual-purpose pickaxes like Cataclysm forges and Forbidden Arcanus blacksmith gavels go to melee weapon through the #apothic_category_compat:weapon_pickaxes item tag. The weapon_pickaxes_as_melee config toggle (default on) gates this through a data map condition; set it false to leave them as breaker. You can extend the tag from your own datapack to cover more.
Affix Blacklist
The add-on also stops specific affixes from rolling on newly generated gear. List affix IDs in the affix_blacklist array:
affix_blacklist = ["apotheosis:sword/attribute/vampiric", "apotheosis:heavy_weapon/attribute/berserking"]Affix IDs match the JSON file path, for example data/apotheosis/affixes/sword/attribute/vampiric.json is apotheosis:sword/attribute/vampiric. On 1.21.1 the path order is attribute/<category>/<name> instead, so the same affix is apotheosis:attribute/sword/vampiric there. This blocks future rolls only; items already carrying a blacklisted affix keep it. It reapplies on server start, datapack reload, and /acc reload.
Reload Command and Requirements
Use /apothiccategorycompat reload or /acc reload (op level 2) to reread the config and reapply it on Forge. On 1.21.1 it rereads the affix blacklist; the data map follows a normal datapack /reload. Requirements are 1.20.1 with Forge 47.x and Apotheosis 7.4.x, 1.19.2 with Forge 43.x and Apotheosis 6.5.x, or 1.21.1 with NeoForge 21.1.x and Apotheosis 8.5 or newer.
If you are looking for a convenient way to manage your mods, the foxygame.net launcher offers a one-click install for Apothic Category Compat and keeps it updated automatically, so you always have the latest version compatible with your Minecraft setup.
How to Install
To download Apothic Category Compat, grab the jar file for your Minecraft version and loader, then drop it into your mods folder. On Forge, install it on both client and server for correct affix attribute display and gem socket bonuses. On 1.21.1, the data map and affix blacklist run server-side, and Apotheosis syncs categories to clients. For a smooth experience, use the foxygame.net launcher, which handles version compatibility for Apothic Category Compat for Minecraft automatically.
Conclusion
Apothic Category Compat is an essential companion for any modded Apotheosis setup. It quietly fixes a frustrating gap, ensuring that gear from popular mods rolls the affixes it should. With support for both Forge and NeoForge across three major Minecraft versions, per-mod modules, configurable overrides, and an affix blacklist, it is a polished tool that respects your existing setup. Knowing how to install it takes minutes, and the payoff is a much richer loot experience across your entire modpack.