How to get and use Iris 1.21 for Minecraft

In the world of Minecraft mods, Iris Shaders is slowly gaining popularity for its performance-boosting features when paired with the Sodium mod, as well as its support for shaders. Due to recent stability issues and slow releases of the Minecraft Optifine mod, many players are transitioning from this popular shader mod to the lesser-known Iris shaders mod.

Active Minecrafters have started appreciating the responsiveness of the developers of Iris Shaders, as they release updates for the mod much quicker than Optifine. In this article, we delve into the installation process of the Iris shaders mod for Minecraft 1.21.

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Minecraft Iris Shaders installation guide for Tricky Trials update

A player with a mace in the trial chambers (Image via Mojang)

Many players turn to Iris Shaders because its frequent updates allow them to try the newest features with shaders and other optimization enhancements. However, players should note that Iris Shaders is a Fabric mod. Since the majority of mods support only Forge mod loader, Iris Shaders cannot be paired with many popular mods.

That being said, the official Iris Shaders installer came paired with Sodium, a highly acclaimed optimization mod that rivals Optifine and eliminates the need for any additional performance-enhancing mods.

Here's a quick guide to installing the Iris Shaders mod for Java Edition:

• Step 1: Open a web browser and search for Iris Shaders.
• Step 2: Download the universal installer from the official website.
• Step 3: Launch the downloaded file using Java and ensure that the game directory shown in the installer is correct.
• Step 4: Select the 1.21 version if it is not selected by default. If you wish to pair the Iris Shader mod with other mods, select the Iris+Fabric option.
• Step 5: Click the install button.

The installer will take a couple of minutes to create a new Iris Shaders installation for Minecraft 1.21. Once completed, you can launch it from the official game launcher.

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How to enable shaders with Iris Shaders mod

A copper bulb's light reflecting off the copper blocks below (Image via Mojang)

Using shaders in the trial chambers is a unique experience. The copper structure transforms when reflections are introduced with high-end shaders. To try the 1.21 Tricky Trials features with shaders, players can follow these steps:

• Step 1: Download a shader of your choice. Popular recommendations include Complementary Shaders Reimagined and BSL.
• Step 2: Launch the Iris installation of the game.
• Step 3: Navigate to the shader packs section in the video settings.
• Step 4: Open the shaderpacks folder by clicking on the option at the bottom left.
• Step 5: Copy and paste the downloaded shader files into the game directory that just opened up.
• Step 6: Switch back to the game, then select and apply your chosen shader.

Shader selection screen (Image via Mojang)

The game may freeze at the selection screen for a few seconds while it loads the updated visuals. Once it resumes, players can load their worlds and enjoy the beauty of Minecraft in a new light.