Discovering the Forgotten Power of Better Pickaxes
Every miner in Minecraft dreams of clearing entire ore veins with a single swing or tunneling through stone like a force of nature. The Better Pickaxes datapack once delivered exactly that, introducing two game-changing enchantments called Divine Abilities. Though the creator moved on to a refined version, this original project still holds a special charm for players who love custom crafting and explosive mining mechanics. Let's dig into how it works, how to obtain the powers, and why it remains a fascinating piece of Minecraft history.
What Is the Better Pickaxes Datapack?
Better Pickaxes is a multiplayer-compatible datapack that adds two custom enchantments—Vein Miner and Better Mining—to the game. These aren't ordinary enchantments found on an enchanting table. Instead, you must craft special Divine Books by tossing specific items onto an enchantment table, then apply them to any pickaxe using an anvil. The result is a tool that can shatter entire ore veins or break a 3x3 area of stone instantly, all while respecting your Fortune and Silk Touch enchantments.
How to Obtain the Divine Abilities
The crafting process feels almost ritualistic, blending vanilla items in a way that rewards exploration and trading. To get the Vein Miner book, stand near an enchantment table and throw these items onto it:
- A regular book
- A lapis lazuli block
- A bottle o' enchanting (obtainable from cleric villagers)
- A diamond pickaxe
The table will consume the items and produce a Divine Book. For Better Mining, the recipe swaps the diamond pickaxe for a block of TNT—everything else stays the same. Once you have the book, place it on an anvil together with any pickaxe and spend 15 experience levels. The pickaxe will then glow with the new ability, ready to reshape your mining sessions.
Vein Miner: Mining Entire Veins in One Swing
Vein Miner transforms the way you collect ores. When you break any vanilla ore block—coal, iron, gold, diamond, emerald, redstone, lapis, copper, or nether quartz—the entire connected vein shatters instantly. No more chasing scattered blocks through walls. Even better, if your pickaxe also carries Fortune or Silk Touch, the whole vein will be harvested with that enchantment applied. A Fortune III pickaxe will multiply all drops across the vein, while Silk Touch preserves ore blocks exactly as they are. This synergy makes Vein Miner incredibly efficient for resource gathering, especially in deep caves where ore clusters are rich but tedious to mine block by block.
Better Mining: Breaking 8 Blocks at Once
Better Mining is the ultimate companion for clearing large volumes of stone. When you mine any stone-type block—stone, andesite, granite, diorite, netherrack, or end stone—the datapack breaks the eight blocks immediately adjacent and in front of you, creating a 3x3 tunnel face. This works beautifully with Silk Touch, allowing you to collect smooth stone directly instead of cobblestone, which is a huge time-saver for builders. The ability does not affect ores or other special blocks, so you won't accidentally destroy valuable resources while carving out corridors.
For those who enjoy experimenting with custom content, the process of installing such datapacks can sometimes feel cumbersome. That's where modern launchers come in handy. You can easily install this datapack via the foxygame.net launcher — a convenient, flexible, and modern Minecraft launcher where you can download mods and datapacks right from the menu, streamlining the whole setup without digging through game folders.
Compatibility and Stacking Enchantments
One of the best features of Better Pickaxes is that the two Divine Abilities can coexist on the same pickaxe. Apply both Vein Miner and Better Mining, and your tool will automatically choose the correct effect based on the block you break—ore veins trigger Vein Miner, while stone triggers the 3x3 mining. Fortune and Silk Touch remain fully functional alongside these custom enchantments, so you never have to sacrifice vanilla benefits. This stacking makes a single pickaxe a universal mining powerhouse, perfect for long expeditions where inventory space matters.
Disenchanting Your Pickaxe
If you ever want to remove the Divine Abilities, the datapack includes a simple disenchantment method. Just throw the enchanted pickaxe onto a grindstone along with a piece of gravel. The custom enchantments will vanish, leaving your pickaxe clean and ready for a new setup. This is especially useful if you find a better base tool later and want to transfer the books without wasting levels.
Why This Datapack Still Matters
While the creator has since released Better Pickaxe V2 on CurseForge with improvements and bug fixes, this original version remains a clever demonstration of what datapacks can achieve without mods. The crafting recipes are intuitive, the abilities feel powerful but not broken, and the multiplayer compatibility means you can share the experience with friends on a vanilla server. It's a snapshot of early datapack creativity that inspired many similar projects. If you're curious about how Minecraft's command-based customization evolved, giving this outdated gem a try is a delightful trip down memory lane. Just remember that the V2 version offers a more polished experience, so if you enjoy the concept, you'll find an even smoother implementation waiting.