Guide 00 · 2 min read
Installing The Astral Sea
Learning goal
What you need and how to install the mod, with the Windows installer or by hand.
Step 01
What you need
The Astral Sea runs on Minecraft 1.21.1 with the Fabric Loader 0.19.5 or newer and Fabric API. Iris and Sodium are optional; with Iris you can use shader packs such as Complementary Reimagined or Rethinking Voxels. The first pre-alpha, 0.1.0, is available on the Downloads page as a Windows installer, a modpack (.mrpack) and the mod file on its own.
Step 02
With the Windows installer
Download AstralSea-Setup from the Downloads page and run it. It brings everything with it: the mod with Fabric and Fabric API is always installed, Sodium for performance and shaders (Iris with Complementary Reimagined) are optional. Pick your Minecraft folder and install; then open the official Minecraft Launcher and play the profile "The Astral Sea". The mod gets its own game folder, so your other worlds stay untouched. Windows may warn about an unknown publisher because the installer is not signed; choose "More info" and "Run anyway". A redesigned installer that also offers Rethinking Voxels is in preparation; as a rough guide, Complementary wants a GTX 1060 / RX 580 and 8 GB RAM, Rethinking Voxels an RTX 3060 / RX 6700 XT and 16 GB RAM.
Step 03
With the Modrinth App or Prism Launcher
Download the modpack (.mrpack) and open it in the Modrinth App or Prism Launcher. It sets up Minecraft 1.21.1 with Fabric, Fabric API, Sodium, Iris, The Astral Sea and the Complementary Reimagined shader in its own instance.
Step 04
By hand
Install the Fabric Loader for Minecraft 1.21.1, then put Fabric API and the Astral Sea mod file into the mods folder of that Fabric profile. Add Sodium and Iris the same way if you want them, and put shader packs into the shaderpacks folder. Start Minecraft with the Fabric profile.
Step 05
Into the dimension
There is no portal yet. In a world with cheats enabled, the command /astralsea tp takes you into the Astral Sea. Falling into the sea below the islands sends you back to the Overworld, the Nether or the End. This is a pre-alpha: unfinished and unbalanced, so back up your worlds before you try it.
Good to know
- Using a different Minecraft version than 1.21.1.
- Forgetting Fabric API, without which the mod does not start.
- Testing the pre-alpha in a survival world you care about without a backup.
Questions about this guide
- Which Minecraft version does The Astral Sea need?
- Minecraft Java Edition 1.21.1 with the Fabric Loader 0.19.5 or newer and Fabric API.
- Do I need Sodium, Iris or a shader pack?
- No, they are optional. The Windows installer offers Sodium and shaders (Iris with Complementary Reimagined) as extras, and the modpack includes them.
- Why does Windows warn about the installer?
- The installer is not signed, so Windows shows an unknown publisher. Choose “More info” and “Run anyway”.