Minecraft Distant Horizons guide: How to install, features, and best settings 

Minecraft Distant Horizons is one of the most popular render mods on the market that can greatly improve render distance as well as the FPS. It is a popular tool that is bundled with some of the top mod packs or used standalone by players who love staring as far as the eye goes. There are many such mods, but Distant Horizons and Nvidium take the crown when it comes to functionality and use.

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

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How to install Minecraft Distant Horizons

Install the Minecraft Distant Horizons using the Curseforge launcher or manually placing the ZIP file on a supported mod API (Image via Sportskeeda Gaming || Curseforge/Mojang Studios)

The Minecraft Distant Horizons mod can be installed using any mod loader that has Forge, Fabric, or Neoforge installed. For this guide, we have used Curseforge and its mod loader.

Here are the steps to download and install the Minecraft Distant Horizons mod:

1. Head over to the Curseforge website and download the official launcher if you have not already installed it. Once this is done, log in with your linked Microsoft account.
2. Go to the top bar and search for the Distant Horizons mod for Minecraft by James_Seibel. You can also click on this link to head to the mod page directly.
3. To install the Distant Horizons mod manually, just click on the black Download button located on the right side of the page. Once the ZIP file has been downloaded, place it in the mods folder of your instance's mod directory. If you do not have Minecraft with Forge/Neoforge/Fabric installed or you are new to installing mods and custom packs, it is recommended to use the Curseforge mod loader.
4. For installation using the mod loader, click the orange Install button with the anvil logo on the right side. Wait for the deep link to open on the installed Curseforge app.
5. Once the app is loaded, you will be prompted to create a new instance (installation) or choose an existing instance of Minecraft to install the Distant Horizons mod. While you can choose an existing instance of the game, it is recommended that you install it on a fresh installation. This is to prevent any conflicts with existing mods, shaders, or data packs and avoid unexpected world corruption.
6. Now, go ahead and name your instance and click on the Create button. Once this is done, you will be redirected to the installed modpack's page. Wait for all the files and assets to be downloaded and installed.
7. Next, hit the orange Play button on the right side to launch Minecraft with the Distant Horizons mod successfully installed.

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Features of Minecraft Distant Horizons

The Minecraft Distant Horizons adds stunning visual range and depth to your world (Image via Sportskeeda Gaming || Mojang Studios)

Distant Horizons is essentially a unique render mod that adds simplified terrain beyond Minecraft's default render distance. This significantly improves the game's performance, allowing longer draw distances without bottling the device's available resources. It essentially adds a powerful Level of Detail (LOD) system to the base game that offers better visual depth with the same hardware.

Minecraft Distant Horizons runs on an array of APIs such as Forge, Fabric, and NeoForge, allowing a wider freedom to choose the preferred mod loader and bundle it in modpacks to be used alongside other assets. The mod is also compatible with shader engines like Optifine and Iris Shaders, allowing players to use them to transform their vanilla world and experience stunning visual range.

However, it is worth mentioning that Distant Horizons is a client-side mod, so players will need to physically explore chunks before they are stored and saved. This results in a significantly higher file size since more chunks will need to be stored locally for use by the mod. This is an issue for low-end devices or ones with limited storage, such as handhelds.

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Best settings for Minecraft Distant Horizons

These are the best settings for the Minecraft Distant Horizons mod (Image via Sportskeeda Gaming || Mojang Studios)

Minecraft Distant Horizons has a robust engine with tons of customization options, allowing players to fine-tune settings such as LOD distance, graphics intensity, CPU usage, and more. This allows gamers to personalize the rendering experience, keeping their device specifications in mind.

If this is your first time using Minecraft Distant Horizons, you can try these standard settings. Simply hit escape and go to the Options menu and look for the colored tiles icon. Clicking on it will open up the configuration menu for the mod.

Here are the best settings for Minecraft Distant Horizons:

• Enable Rendering: True
• LOD range: 256-512
• Quality Preset: Medium
• CPU Load: Balanced
• Enable Distant Generation: True
• Show LOD Gen/Import Progress: True
• Enable Cloud Rendering: True

Additionally, if you are facing stuttering or you wish to undo any change, hit the reset button next to the parameters to bring back the default values. You will need to tweak the values and presets to see what your device can handle. If you want more customization options, you can click the Advanced options tab to unlock settings such as graphics, world generator, and more.

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