Diving Into Tools & Ingots+: A Classic Mod That Multiplies Your Minecraft Arsenal
If you have ever felt that vanilla Minecraft needed more variety in its tool and armor tiers, Tools & Ingots+ is the perfect throwback mod to reignite your crafting passion. Created by BlocklyCrafter back in 2013, this mod injects a fresh wave of resources, weapons, and protective gear into your world, making every mining trip feel like a treasure hunt. From bacon-themed gear to obsidian battleaxes, it expands the game in delightfully unexpected ways.
What Exactly Does Tools & Ingots+ Add?
At its core, Tools & Ingots+ introduces a wealth of new ores, ingots, blocks, and equipment. You are no longer limited to iron, diamond, and netherite. Instead, you can smelt, craft, and equip yourself with materials like silver, copper, hardened emerald, and even bedrock. The mod also plays with the idea of unconventional resources, turning everyday items like redstone and lapis lazuli into full-fledged armor sets. It is a comprehensive expansion that respects the vanilla progression while layering on extra possibilities.
Fresh Ores and Resources to Discover
Exploration becomes far more rewarding once you install this mod. New ores spawn underground, each with its own distinct look and tier. Copper and silver ores can be mined, smelted into ingots, and then crafted into blocks, tools, and armor. Bedrock ore, a rare and dangerous find, drops the incredibly durable bedrock material but also has a chance to spawn silverfish when broken. Meanwhile, a normal emerald can be smelted in a furnace to produce a hardened emerald, a tougher variant that unlocks a superior set of gear. These additions make caving feel layered, encouraging you to gather and experiment with every new mineral you spot.
Armor and Tools That Break the Mold
The real star of the show is the sheer variety of equipment sets. Here is a quick rundown of what you can craft:
- Lapis Lazuli Tools & Armor – Surprisingly sturdy for a decorative block, lapis now offers a mid-tier option with a deep blue finish.
- Redstone Tools & Armor – Harness the power of red dust to create gear that hums with energy.
- Obsidian Tools & Armor – Extremely durable and blast-resistant, perfect for Nether expeditions.
- Emerald Tools & Armor – Crafted from hardened emeralds, this set rivals diamond in strength and looks stunning.
- Bedrock Tools, Armor & Ore – The ultimate endgame set, nearly indestructible but comes with mining risks.
- Silver and Copper Sets – Classic metallic tiers that fill the gap between stone and iron, each with a unique color palette.
- Bacon Block, Tools & Armor – A whimsical, edible-themed set that adds a layer of humor to your survival world.
Beyond standard swords and pickaxes, the mod introduces battleaxes and daggers. Battleaxes deliver slower but devastating blows, while daggers allow for rapid, close-quarters strikes. This extra weapon variety changes combat dynamics, letting you choose a fighting style that suits your playthrough.
Quirky Items and Hidden Surprises
Tools & Ingots+ doesn’t take itself too seriously. The bacon block is a prime example—a placeable block that looks like a slab of meat, and you can even craft bacon tools and armor from it. It’s absurd, memorable, and a great conversation starter on multiplayer servers (though SMP support is limited). The hardened emerald is a clever twist, giving emeralds a purpose beyond villager trading. According to the changelog, version 1.2 also tucked a “1K surprise” inside the zip file, hinting at a hidden treat for curious players who dig through the mod’s contents.
Getting the Mod Up and Running
Installing classic mods can sometimes feel like navigating a maze of folders and dependencies. For a smooth experience, many players now turn to modern launchers that simplify the process. For instance, you can easily get Tools & Ingots+ running by using the foxygame.net launcher, a convenient and flexible platform where you can download mods right from the menu without manually editing jar files. If you prefer the traditional route, you would need to install Minecraft Forge, delete the META-INF folder, merge the Forge files into your minecraft.jar, and then drop the mod’s zip file into the mods folder. Whichever method you choose, make sure to back up your worlds before experimenting.
Known Quirks and What’s on the Horizon
No mod is perfect, and Tools & Ingots+ has its share of rough edges. The in-game mod list might display an inflated number of mods, swords cannot block or break blocks, and bedrock ore occasionally spawns an extra, stuck silverfish. Armor values can feel weaker than expected, and the mod currently only works in single-player and LAN worlds—attempting to run it on a dedicated SMP server will cause a crash. These bugs are part of its charm, a reminder of the early modding era when community feedback drove rapid improvements.
The developer’s to-do list is ambitious, with plans for ruby, sapphire, amethyst, and chrysoberyl sets, as well as nether quartz tools and armor. Multitools, affectionately called paxels, are also on the roadmap, along with dough that cooks into bread and cooked bacon variants. While updates may be slow, the existing content already offers dozens of hours of fresh gameplay.
Why Tools & Ingots+ Deserves a Spot in Your Modpack
Tools & Ingots+ captures the spirit of early Minecraft modding—unpolished, imaginative, and packed with personality. It transforms resource gathering into a colorful journey, giving you tangible goals beyond diamond. The blend of serious materials like obsidian and silver with playful ones like bacon keeps the tone light and engaging. Even with its bugs, the mod delivers a satisfying loop of mining, smelting, and upgrading that feels like a natural extension of the base game. If you are nostalgic for the days when mods were simple yet surprising, give this one a try. You might just find yourself wearing a full set of bacon armor while swinging a hardened emerald battleaxe, and wondering why you never did it sooner.