Minecraft Better Combat mod: Features, installation guide, and more

For as wonderful and fun of a game as Minecraft is, its combat is lacking in almost every aspect. Bedrock combat often comes down to who is faster at clicking, while Java combat is sluggish and slow thanks to attack cooldowns. What makes this even more confusing is that spinoff titles, such as Dungeons, have fleshed-out and enjoyable combat systems.

The Better Combat mod aims to fix the base game's boring fighting by adding these more entertaining combat systems from Dungeons. Everything you need to know about the Better Combat mob, from how to install it to its major features, can be found below.

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The major features of Minecraft's Better Combat mob

These new attack animations make combat feel much more interesting (Image via Mojang)

• Latest game version: 1.20.4
• Creator: daedelus_dev

As previously mentioned, Better Combat aims to bring Dungeons combat directly into the base game. It features several different attack animations, which are chained together in combos that differ depending on the weapon. Weapons are also given a slight wind-up time for attacks like they would have in real life. You can also dual-wield single-handed weapons and alternate attacks. There are also two-handed weapons, which, when used, won't allow access to the offhand.

This makes fights feel more realistic to execute, as your character behaves more like how you'd expect them to. Fights are also more convenient, as there's an option in this mod to allow you to hit Minecraft mobs through grass. Nothing is more frustrating than getting killed by a creeper due to hitting a piece of tall grass rather than the mob.

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How to install Better Combat

1) Open CurseForge or Modrinth

The home page for Modrinth (Image via Modrinth)

Better Combat is hosted on both Modrinth and CurseForge. This means either of these alternative Minecraft launchers, or any other launchers able to pull from them, can be used to install it.

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2) Search for "Better Combat"

The search results for "Better Combat" (Image via Modrinth)

Modrinth users will want to use the magnifying glass icon on the left-hand side of the screen to switch to the content browser. There are tabs for different types of content, such as Minecraft texture packs, datapacks, and other mods. Switch to the "Mods" tab and use the search bar to find the mod.

If you're on CurseForge, you'll want to use the search bar located near the top of the application to search for the Better Combat Minecraft mod.

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3) Install the mod

The installation prompt for Better Combat (Image via Modrinth)

After finding the mod, you'll need to install it. This process is almost identical on both launchers. There will be an "Install" button to the right of the mod's name. On CurseForge, this button will be orange, and on Modrinth, it will be green. Hitting this button will prompt you to either add it to an existing profile or create a new Minecraft modpack for it.

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4) Create a game and start some fights

The new sword animations in Better Combat (Image via Mojang)

Once you've installed Better Combat and any other mods and content you want to use, you'll need to return to the profile's homepage. Both versions have a "Play" button that will launch the modded game. Once it's open, create a new Minecraft survival world and craft a sword. Swinging it around will show off the mod's new animations.

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Mods that support better combat

These mods look even cooler with Better Combat animations (Image via Mojang)

One of the most exciting parts of the Better Combat mod is that tons of other mods support it. This means when the two are used together, all of the fun custom weapons added will have custom animations and unique combos.

Some mods that support better combat are Alex's Armoury, Rune Craft, Spellblade, MedievalWeapons, and Marium's Soulslike Weaponry, among many more. These mods will help combat feel even more like Dungeons, which has a plethora of cool and unique weapons that the vanilla game lacks.