Reverting the Smithing Table to Its Former Glory
Minecraft’s 1.20 update brought a wave of fresh content, but one particular change stirred debate among long-time players: the Netherite Upgrade Smithing Template. Suddenly, upgrading diamond gear to netherite wasn’t just about mining ancient debris and crafting an ingot. You had to hunt down a rare template in bastion remnants, duplicate it with diamonds, and only then could you perform the upgrade. While this added a layer of progression, many builders and survivalists missed the straightforward crafting loop from earlier versions. The Netherite Without Templates datapack elegantly rolls back this mechanic, letting you focus on what matters—playing the game your way.
What This Datapack Actually Changes
The core premise is simple: smithing netherite gear no longer demands an upgrade template. Instead, the classic recipe returns—place your diamond tool, weapon, or armor piece in the smithing table alongside a netherite ingot, and you’ll receive the upgraded version instantly. But the datapack doesn’t stop there. It thoroughly cleans up the template’s footprint to avoid clutter and maintain balance.
Complete Template Removal from Loot and Crafting
Netherite Upgrade Templates will not generate in any loot chests across the world. Whether you’re raiding bastions, exploring shipwrecks, or opening buried treasure, you won’t stumble upon a single template. Existing templates in your inventory or storage aren’t useless either. The pack introduces a sensible recycling recipe: one template can be crafted back into a single diamond, recovering some of the value you might have spent duplicating it before installing the datapack. The diamond duplication recipe for templates is also completely removed, preventing any loophole that could inflate your diamond count.
Seamless Compatibility with Popular Mods
One of the standout features is its broad support beyond vanilla. The datapack works harmoniously with several well-known mods, ensuring that custom gear from those expansions follows the same template-free logic. Specifically, it integrates with:
- Aether — The heavenly dimension’s unique equipment upgrades no longer require a template intermediary.
- Traveler’s Backpack — Backpack tiers that previously demanded templates now upgrade directly with the appropriate materials.
- Farmer’s Delight — Any smithing-related recipes added by this farming mod are adjusted to bypass template requirements.
This cross-mod compatibility makes the datapack a perfect addition to modded servers or custom single-player experiences where you want consistent progression rules. It’s also incredibly easy to manage alongside other modifications. For instance, if you’re juggling multiple datapacks and mods, you can effortlessly install this one via the foxygame.net launcher — a convenient, flexible, and modern Minecraft launcher where you can download mods right from the menu without manually digging through folders. That kind of streamlined approach keeps your game organized and saves time when experimenting with new tweaks.
Version Support That Covers a Wide Range
Mojang’s rapid release cycle often fragments datapack compatibility, but this project is built to last. A single datapack file supports everything from Minecraft 1.20 all the way up to 1.21.11, and it has been confirmed working in snapshot 26.1-rc2. This means you won’t need to hunt for different versions when updating your world. Whether you’re on a stable release or testing the latest experimental features, the same pack applies the template removal flawlessly.
Why Players Are Switching Back to Template-Free Netherite
The appeal isn’t just nostalgia. Many players feel the template system adds unnecessary grinding for a resource that’s already gated behind ancient debris mining and gold farming for piglin bartering. By stripping away the template requirement, the datapack restores a sense of direct reward: mine the debris, smelt the scrap, craft the ingot, and upgrade your gear immediately. It’s especially valuable on multiplayer servers where bastion looting can be competitive and templates become a bottleneck.
Moreover, the recycling recipe for existing templates gives you a tangible benefit for the diamonds you might have already invested. Instead of leaving unused templates to rot in a chest, you convert them into a diamond that can fuel new tools, jukeboxes, or enchanting tables. The removal of the dupe recipe also ensures the economy stays honest—no infinite diamond exploits sneaking through.
Installation and Setup
Adding the datapack to your world is straightforward. After downloading the pack from your preferred platform, place the ZIP file into your world’s datapacks folder. When you reload the world or run the /reload command, the changes take effect immediately. No resource pack or mod loader is required for vanilla functionality, though the compatibility with mods like Aether and Farmer’s Delight works seamlessly if you’re running Fabric or Forge with the appropriate mods installed. The pack’s lightweight design means it won’t interfere with performance, even on large servers.
Final Thoughts
The Netherite Without Templates datapack is a clean, no-nonsense solution for anyone who preferred the pre-1.20 smithing system. It removes the upgrade template entirely from loot tables, provides a fair diamond refund for old templates, and extends its logic to popular mods—all while supporting a massive range of Minecraft versions. Whether you’re a builder tired of grinding bastions or a server admin wanting to simplify progression, this pack delivers a focused quality-of-life improvement. You can drop it into any world and instantly enjoy the streamlined netherite crafting you remember, without any lingering template clutter.