How to get and use Minecraft Distant Horizons 1.21.4

Minecraft Distant Horizons 1.21.4 is one of the most popular render mods that can greatly improve render distance as well as the FPS. It is a popular tool that is bundled with most major mod packs or used as a standalone mod by players who love staring as far as the eye goes. There are many such mods but Distant Horizons and Nvidium are some of the most popular choices among the community.

That said, here's how you can get and use Minecraft Distant Horizons 1.21.4.

How to install Minecraft Distant Horizons 1.21.4

Since Minecraft Distant Horizons 1.21.4 is currently not listed on mod loaders like Curseforge or Modrinth, you will have to download it manually. This mod requires Fabric/Forge/Neoforge to function properly. For this guide, we will be using Fabric. However, the installation format is the same for each mod.

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We shall begin the guide with steps to install Fabric and then proceed to install Minecraft Distant Horizons 1.21.4 in the same instance.

Installing Fabric

Download Fabric to use Minecraft Distant Horizons 1.21.4 (Image via Fabric)

Download Fabric from the official website or click this link to the download page.
Once downloaded, run the executable file.
Make sure to select 1.21.4 as the Minecraft Version. Keep the loader version as default.
Choose your desired Installation directory and make sure the Create profile box is checked.
Hit the Install Button and wait for Fabric to get installed.
Once done, open the Minecraft launcher and locate the instance with Fabric.

Installing Distant Horizons 1.21.4

Download and install Minecraft Distant Horizons 1.21.4 using the following steps (Image via Mojang Studios || Distant Horizons/James_Seibel)

Download Distant Horizons 1.21.4 from the official Discord server and extract the ZIP file in a folder of your choice.
Once Fabric is installed, open the Minecraft launcher and locate the instance with Fabric 1.21.4 installed.
Head to the Installations tab on your launcher and click the file icon next to the instance that says Fabric 1.21.4. Once the file directory is open, head to the mods folder of the instance.
Next, place the downloaded Distant Horizons ZIP file in the mods folder.
Additionally, if you wish to use shaders, you can place the ZIP file in the same directory. For Iris Shaders, you will also need the Sodium mod. Make sure all mod versions are set to 1.21.4 to avoid conflicts.
Now, run Minecraft with Distant Horizons 1.21.4 installed. Once launched, head to the video settings to access the control panel for the mod.

Additionally, if you plan on using shader mods like Iris and Optifine, make sure you download shader packs that support the Distant Horizons mod for better utilization of the LOD features.

The community has many packs, such as Bliss, Aurora's Shaders, and more, which you can use in conjunction to get the best results. Make sure your shader mods are on the latest version 1.21.4 to avoid errors.

Also read: Should you play Minecraft Dungeons in 2025?

Features of Minecraft Distant Horizons 1.21.4

Minecraft Distant Horizons 1.21.4 can significantly transform and improve your gameplay experience (Image via Mojang Studios || Distant Horizons/James_Seibel)

Distant Horizons is essentially a unique render mod that adds simplified terrain beyond Minecraft's default render distance. This improves the game's performance marginally and allows longer draw distances without bottling your device's resources. It adds a powerful Level of Detail (LOD) system to Minecraft that allows you to experience better visual depth with the same hardware.

Minecraft Distant Horizons 1.21.4 runs on mod platforms, such as Forge, Fabric, and NeoForge, allowing you wider freedom to choose your favorite mod loader and bundle it in modpacks to be used alongside other assets. It also supports popular shader engines like Optifine and Iris Shaders, allowing you to use them to radically transform your vanilla world and introduce stunning visuals.

Minecraft Distant Horizons 1.21.4 has a powerful engine with tons of customization options that allow you to fine-tune many settings such as LOD distance, graphics intensity, CPU usage, and more. The host of customization lets you personalize the render experience keeping your device specifications in mind.

That said, it is important to note that Distant Horizons is a client-side mod, so you will need to physically explore chunks before they are stored and saved. The only downside to this is the significantly higher file size since more chunks will need to be stored locally for use. This becomes an issue for users playing the game on low-end devices or on ones with limited storage, such as handhelds.

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