Minecraft Dynamic Surroundings mod: Features, installation guide, and more

The first type of mod that comes to mind involving Minecraft tends to be large ones that add a plethora of different features, mobs, and items. However, another type that can be just as important to improving the survival experience is atmospheric mods that overhaul the look and feel of the vanilla game. They can make otherwise eerily quiet biomes feel much livelier and more immersive.

This article explores everything you need to know about one of the most interesting atmospheric mods, Dynamic Surroundings.

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Main features of Minecraft's Dynamic Surroundings mod

Fog has also been enhanced by Dynamic Surroundings (Image via Mojang Studios)

• Latest game version: 1.16.5
• Creator: OreCruncher

Dynamic Surroundings, as mentioned, is an atmospheric mod that makes natural environments feel more immersive and realistic by enhancing the game's audio and visuals.

It does this by adding a few impressive features, such as 3D reverb effects based on surrounding materials, biome-specific atmospheric background sounds, heat effects over warm blocks, and better storm sounds, among other things.

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How to install Dynamic Surroundings

1) Open CurseForge

The CurseForge home page (Image via CurseForge)

Mod link: https://www.curseforge.com/minecraft/mc-mods/dynamic-surroundings

OreCruncher, the creator of Dynamic Surroundings, has stated on the mod's CurseForge page that the only place they plan on uploading the jar files is this website. That means you'll need to utilize this alternate Minecraft launcher to use the extension.

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2) Search for Dynamic Surroundings

The search results for "Dynamic Surroundings" (Image via CurseForge)

Once you've successfully launched CurseForge, use the search bar near the top of the screen to search for "Dynamic Surroundings." The mod by OreCruncher might not be the first result. In this example, it was the second one. So make sure to scan the list of mods thoroughly.

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3) Install the mod

The installation prompt for Dynamic Surroundings (Image via CurseForge)

Once you locate the Dynamic Surroundings Minecraft mod, click the orange "Install" option to the right of its name to install it. You will then be prompted to either make a new installation or add the mod to an existing 1.16.5 modpack.

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4) Get a dependency

The in-game config menu is also accessible with the Cloth Config API installed (Image via Mojang)

Technically Dynamic Surroundings doesn't have any required dependencies. But it does have what's referred to as a "soft dependency." This is the Cloth Config API, which, when installed with Dynamic Surroundings, will allow you to configure mods using an in-game Minecraft settings menu.

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5) Grab extra content

Some of the shaders available for 1.16.5 (Image via Mojang Stduis)

Once you've installed the mod, you may want to download other mods, shaders, or Minecraft resource packs. Click the same orange "Install" button on CurseForge to install each of these mods to your custom modpack.

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6) Load the game

The Nether's lava oceans have also been enhanced with jets of magma (Image via Mojang Studios)

After successfully installing Dynamic Surroundings, its dependency, and any other mods you want, launch the game. Return to the profile's home page and hit the orange "Play" button. Once you reach the main menu, create a new Minecraft survival world.

It should be easy to tell if the mod is working, as the game will look and sound different.

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Forge vs Fabric

Make sure to get the right version of the mod for the modloader you want to use (Images via Forge and modmuss50)

Thankfully, Dynamic Surroundings is a mod that has both a Forge and Fabric version. The two don't share a page on CurseForge, though. If you're planning on using Fabric, you'll need to add the word "Fabric" in the search bar to find that version of the mod. There's also a link to it on the Forge version's page on CurseForge.