CraftingPLUS: Craft Chainmail, Saddles, and Notch Apples

What Is CraftingPLUS and Why Your Survival World Needs It

Minecraft survival mode is all about gathering resources, building, and conquering the world block by block. But after countless hours, you may notice that certain items remain tantalizingly out of reach. Chainmail armor, horse armor, saddles, nametags, and even the legendary Notch apple are either locked behind rare loot tables or completely unavailable through crafting. That is where CraftingPLUS steps in — a lightweight datapack that rewrites the crafting rulebook and lets you forge those elusive treasures right at your workbench.

CraftingPLUS is not a massive overhaul mod. It is a focused, vanilla-friendly datapack designed for Minecraft 1.13.x that expands the crafting system without altering core game mechanics. Every recipe feels balanced and intentional, so you still earn your gear through resource collection, just without the frustrating randomness of dungeon chests or villager trades. Whether you are a builder craving more decorative spawn eggs or a fighter wanting a full set of chainmail, this datapack turns “I wish I could craft that” into “I just crafted that.”

Everything You Can Craft with CraftingPLUS

The heart of CraftingPLUS lies in its recipe list. Each new crafting option fills a gap that vanilla survival leaves wide open. Here is a breakdown of the most impactful additions:

Armor and Horse Gear

• Chainmail Armor (Full Set): Finally craftable using iron nuggets or chains, giving you a stylish mid-tier armor option without relying on mob drops.
• Horse Armor (Diamond, Gold, and Iron): Protect your trusty steed with crafted armor. No more scouring desert temples — just smelt, shape, and equip.

Rare Utility Items

• Notch / Enchanted Golden Apple: The ultimate survival food is now within your grasp. Craft it with gold blocks and an apple, and face any boss with confidence.
• Lead: Tired of searching for wandering traders? Combine string and slimeballs to leash your animals instantly.
• Saddle: Ride pigs, striders, and horses without hunting dungeons. Leather and iron are all you need.
• Nametag: Keep your pets and mobs named forever. Paper, string, and an ink sac do the trick.

Mobs and Spawning

• Most Spawn Eggs (No Mansion Mobs): Populate your creative builds with passive and hostile mobs. The recipe uses a regular egg and specific materials tied to the mob’s nature — think rotten flesh for zombies or bones for skeletons.
• Mob Spawner: The holy grail of farming. Craft a blank spawner using iron bars and a nether star, then customize it with a spawn egg. XP and loot farms become fully player-controlled.
• Turtle Eggs: Breed turtles and harvest scutes without searching beaches for hours. Seagrass and a regular egg are all it takes.

These recipes integrate seamlessly with the vanilla recipe book, so you will see them pop up as you gather ingredients. The datapack respects the game’s progression — you still need to reach the Nether for a spawner, for example — but it removes the blind luck factor that can stall a survival world for weeks.

How to Install CraftingPLUS in a Few Simple Steps

Since CraftingPLUS is a datapack, installation is straightforward and does not require any mod loaders like Forge or Fabric. Follow these steps to get crafting:

1. Download the datapack .zip file from the official source.
2. Extract the folder inside the .zip — you should see a folder named something like "CraftingPLUS".
3. Locate your Minecraft installation folder, then open the "saves" directory.
4. Choose the world you want to enhance, and open its folder.
5. Inside, find the "datapacks" folder. If it does not exist, create it.
6. Paste the extracted CraftingPLUS folder directly into "datapacks".
7. Launch Minecraft 1.13.x, load your world, and type /reload in chat if needed. The new recipes will appear automatically.

If you prefer a more streamlined approach to managing datapacks and mods, consider using a dedicated launcher. For instance, this mod can be easily installed via the foxygame.net launcher — a convenient, flexible, and modern Minecraft launcher where you can download mods right from the menu. It keeps your game versions organized and handles datapack placement with a few clicks, saving you from digging through file directories. No matter which method you pick, you will be crafting those rare items in minutes.

Why CraftingPLUS Stands Out Among Datapacks

There are plenty of mods and datapacks that add recipes, but CraftingPLUS nails the balance between ambition and vanilla integrity. It does not flood your game with overpowered gear or break the survival loop. Instead, it answers the community’s long-standing requests: chainmail, horse armor, and spawners have been on wishlists for over a decade. The inclusion of turtle eggs and most spawn eggs also gives builders and redstoners new creative freedom without switching to Creative mode.

Another strength is its lightweight footprint. As a datapack, it runs natively on the vanilla server and client, so you can use it on Realms, multiplayer servers, or singleplayer worlds without forcing your friends to install anything extra. The recipes are logical and use existing items, so they feel like natural extensions of Minecraft’s crafting system rather than cheats. You still need to mine, smelt, and explore — but now your effort is rewarded with the items you actually want.

Expanding Your Survival Toolbox

CraftingPLUS reshapes the way you approach survival goals. Instead of building a villager breeder solely for nametags or spending hours fishing for a saddle, you can redirect that time toward ambitious builds, automated farms, or epic adventures. The mob spawner recipe alone opens up endless possibilities: create a creeper farm for gunpowder, a skeleton grinder for bones and arrows, or a spider spawner for string — all on your terms.

For map makers and mini-game designers, the spawn egg and spawner recipes are game-changers. You can design custom arenas, populate villages with specific mobs, or set up challenges that rely on precise mob control, all within a survival-friendly framework. CraftingPLUS blurs the line between survival and creative in the best possible way, giving you tools that feel earned rather than cheated.

Final Thoughts on CraftingPLUS

CraftingPLUS is a must-have datapack for any Minecraft player who has ever looked at a chainmail helmet or a diamond horse armor and thought, “Why can’t I just make this?” It respects the vanilla experience while filling in the gaps that have frustrated players for years. The installation is painless, the recipe list is comprehensive, and the impact on your survival world is immediate. Whether you are a solo adventurer, a server owner, or a map creator, this datapack adds depth and convenience without compromising the game’s core challenge. Download it, fire up your crafting table, and finally craft the items you have always wanted.