Project Equivalence New Horizons: A Fresh Expert Skyblock Challenge
Minecraft modpacks have evolved into entire ecosystems of custom progression, and the Project Equivalence series has long been a favorite among players who love the synergy between Equivalent Exchange-style mechanics and skyblock survival. Project Equivalence New Horizons takes that formula and rebuilds it for Minecraft version 1.15, offering an expert-level skyblock experience packed with new mods, a refined quest system, and a satisfying endgame that pushes your resource management to the limit. Whether you are a veteran of the original pack or discovering this series for the first time, this modpack delivers a tightly woven adventure that demands creativity and patience.
What Makes This Modpack Stand Out?
Unlike many skyblock packs that rely on Ex Nihilo or Sky Resources for early-game resource generation, Project Equivalence New Horizons leans on Botania’s Garden of Glass world type. This decision shapes the entire early game, forcing you to engage with floral magic right from the start. The pack also introduces a host of new mods that were not present in earlier Project Equivalence iterations, breathing fresh life into the familiar EMC-driven progression. However, it is worth noting that a few beloved mods—namely Topography and Project EX—are absent. This means there is no Final Star and no custom world generation beyond the Garden of Glass. The absence of those shortcuts raises the difficulty and keeps the focus squarely on methodical automation and clever EMC loops.
Botania Garden of Glass World Generation
When you create a new world, you must select the Botania Garden of Glass world type. Instead of a typical void platform, you are placed on a small floating island with a single piece of living rock and a pure daisy. The skyblock environment is barren, but the Garden of Glass mechanics allow you to generate pebbles by shift-clicking the ground. These pebbles can be crafted into cobblestone, which becomes the cornerstone of your early infrastructure. This subtle change makes the initial resource grind feel more organic and deeply integrated with Botania’s progression, a refreshing departure from standard skyblock templates.
FTB Quests and Structured Progression
The quest system uses FTB Quests, a modern and intuitive questing framework that guides you through the pack’s many stages. The questbook is accessible from the upper-left corner of your inventory screen or via a customizable keybind. It serves as both a tutorial and a roadmap, rewarding you for completing milestones and helping you navigate the complex web of mod interactions. The endgame goal is clearly stated from the beginning: reach creative mode items. Without a Final Star to craft, the pack redefines what “winning” means, placing the ultimate reward behind a gauntlet of automation and EMC mastery.
Your First Steps in the Void
Starting out in Project Equivalence New Horizons is deceptively simple but quickly ramps up in complexity. After generating your Garden of Glass world, you will need to gather pebbles by shift-clicking the ground. Once you have enough, craft them into cobblestone and open your questbook. The very first quest asks you to trade in 64 cobblestone, and the reward is a set of iconic starting tools that will define your entire playthrough.
If you are eager to jump into this challenge without wrestling with manual mod installations, many players find that a dedicated launcher streamlines the entire process. For instance, the foxygame.net launcher offers a convenient, flexible, and modern Minecraft launcher where you can download mods right from the menu, allowing you to focus on survival instead of file management. This kind of tool can be especially handy when dealing with large modpacks that have specific version requirements.
The Legendary Starting Tools
Once you hand over that stack of cobblestone, you receive four essential items:
- Watch of Flowing Time – accelerates tick rates on nearby blocks, a staple for speeding up passive generation.
- Philosopher’s Stone – enables transmutation and crafting of high-value materials.
- Tome of Knowledge – unlocks all EMC values for items and grants a starting pool of 500 EMC.
- EMC Table – the core interface for converting matter into energy and back again.
These tools mirror the original Project Equivalence pack, but the new mod environment forces you to use them in inventive ways. The Tome of Knowledge is particularly crucial because it instantly reveals which resources have EMC values, and just like in the first pack, only raw resources carry EMC. Finished products, machines, and decorative blocks generally do not, so your entire economy revolves around generating and converting base materials.
Mastering the EMC Economy
The Energy-Matter Currency system is the beating heart of this modpack. With only resources having EMC, you must build elaborate farms and automation chains to generate high-EMC items like diamonds, emeralds, or nether stars. The Watch of Flowing Time becomes your best friend, speeding up mob farms, crop growth, and Botania mana generation. Because there is no Project EX, you cannot simply craft a power flower and wait for infinite EMC; instead, you must design interconnected systems that feed the EMC Table with a constant stream of valuable materials. This limitation encourages deep dives into mods like Botania, Mystical Agriculture, and Industrial Foregoing, all of which are present in the pack and offer unique ways to produce resources.
The Road to Creative Mode
Without a Final Star to craft, the endgame shifts entirely toward unlocking creative items through the quest system and sheer EMC accumulation. The pack gates creative-tier rewards behind increasingly difficult automation challenges, requiring you to generate staggering amounts of EMC and complete complex crafting chains. This design choice keeps the late game engaging, as you are constantly optimizing your setups rather than simply waiting for a single goal to be met. The satisfaction of finally claiming a creative energy cell or a creative vending upgrade feels earned, and the journey there is filled with “aha” moments as you discover new mod interactions.
Tips for Conquering the Pack
Surviving and thriving in Project Equivalence New Horizons demands a strategic mindset. Here are a few pointers to keep you on track:
- Rush the Tome of Knowledge as soon as possible to see every EMC value and plan your progression.
- Automate pebble generation early using Botania’s pure daisy and a simple redstone clock—manual shift-clicking will only get you so far.
- Invest in passive mana generation with endoflames or thermalilies to fuel your Watch of Flowing Time continuously.
- Use the questbook as a checklist, but do not be afraid to deviate when you spot a more efficient EMC loop.
- Build compact, modular farms that can be easily expanded as your EMC demands grow.
Final Thoughts
Project Equivalence New Horizons is a love letter to fans of expert skyblock modpacks. It strips away some of the conveniences of its predecessor and replaces them with a more demanding, Botania-centric early game and a creative-mode endgame that feels truly rewarding. The absence of Project EX and Topography might disappoint players who enjoyed the Final Star grind, but the pack compensates with a tightly integrated questline and a fresh selection of mods that breathe new life into the 1.15 modding scene. If you crave a skyblock experience that tests your automation skills and rewards deep knowledge of Minecraft’s modded mechanics, this pack belongs in your launcher. Prepare to shift-click, transmute, and innovate your way to creative supremacy.