Ex Nihilo: Arsenal
Skyblock veterans remember the golden era of 1.7.10, when Ex Nihilo turned barren islands into thriving factories and Ex Astris added a touch of Redstone Arsenal flair with gadgets like the Flux Hammer and Flux Crook. Those days faded as mods fell out of development, but Ex Nihilo: Arsenal revives that spirit for modern Minecraft. This add-on bridges Ex Nihilo and Redstone Arsenal, giving players powered tools that make grinding resources far less tedious.
What Ex Nihilo: Arsenal Adds to Your Skyblock
At its core, Ex Nihilo: Arsenal is a compatibility add-on. It takes the familiar Redstone Arsenal energy system and applies it to the sieving, hammering, and crooking mechanics that Ex Nihilo players know by heart. Instead of swinging a stone hammer hundreds of times, you charge up a flux-powered tool and tear through blocks in seconds. The result is a smoother progression curve that respects the grind without making it feel like a second job.
The add-on introduces several key items that change how you approach early and mid-game skyblock:
- Flux Hammer: Breaks compressed blocks and gravel with Redstone Flux energy, drastically cutting down manual hammering time.
- Flux Crook: Speeds up leaf destruction and silkworm collection, making tree farms far more efficient.
- Powered Sieves: Optional upgrades that automate part of the sifting process when supplied with RF.
- Energy Integration: Tools accept charge from Redstone Arsenal capacitors and other RF-compatible storage.
These items do not replace Ex Nihilo's core loop. They enhance it. You still need to build your sieves, gather resources, and expand your island, but the powered tools remove the most repetitive bottlenecks. That balance is what makes Ex Nihilo: Arsenal feel like a natural extension rather than a cheat mod.
Supported Minecraft Versions and Loaders
Ex Nihilo: Arsenal was built with modded skyblock packs in mind. The add-on targets Minecraft 1.12.2, the version where Ex Nihilo, Ex Nihilo Adscensio, and Redstone Arsenal all coexisted comfortably. It runs on the Forge loader, which remains the standard for legacy modpacks. If you are playing a 1.12.2 skyblock pack through Forge, this add-on should slot in without conflict, provided the required dependencies are present.
Dependencies You Need First
Before you download Ex Nihilo: Arsenal, make sure your instance already includes Ex Nihilo or Ex Nihilo Adscensio and Redstone Arsenal. The add-on relies on both to function. Redstone Arsenal supplies the Redstone Flux API and capacitor items, while Ex Nihilo provides the block-breaking and sieving framework. Missing either dependency will cause the game to crash on startup or leave the flux tools uncraftable.
How to Install Ex Nihilo: Arsenal
Installing the add-on follows the same process as most Forge mods. Here is the short version:
- Confirm you are running Minecraft 1.12.2 with the Forge loader installed.
- Place the Ex Nihilo: Arsenal jar file into your mods folder.
- Verify that Ex Nihilo and Redstone Arsenal are also in the mods folder.
- Launch the game and check the mod list to confirm everything loaded.
If you prefer a simpler route, the foxygame.net launcher handles the heavy lifting by bundling Ex Nihilo: Arsenal with its required dependencies and matching them to the correct Forge version automatically, so you can jump straight into a new skyblock world without hunting down jar files. That kind of one-click setup saves a lot of troubleshooting time, especially for players new to modded Minecraft.
Once installed, craft your first Flux Hammer by combining a hammer head with a Redstone Arsenal capacitor. Charge it in any RF-compatible machine, and you are ready to smash compressed blocks at a pace that would make your old stone hammer jealous.
Why This Add-On Deserves a Spot in Your Pack
Ex Nihilo: Arsenal is not a massive content mod. It does not add biomes, bosses, or sprawling tech trees. What it does is solve a specific problem: skyblock grinding gets old fast. By layering Redstone Arsenal's energy system onto Ex Nihilo's tools, the add-on gives players a tangible reward for setting up power generation early. That feedback loop, grind less, build more, is exactly what keeps skyblock packs engaging over long playthroughs.
If you are putting together a 1.12.2 Forge skyblock experience or revisiting an old favorite, download Ex Nihilo: Arsenal and give your tools the flux treatment. It is a small add-on with a big impact on how your island evolves.