How to Make a Good Modpack

A guide on how to make a fun, competent, and good modpack for Terraria.

Basics of Modpack Making

Before you create a modpack, you will want a general idea of what kind of content you want, and how you want to play. For example, if you are going to do a melee playthrough, look for a mod that adds some melee class variety. If you are looking for a challenge, try Calamity, and so on. It is important you try to think of what kind of modpack you want to make, before you make it. The first thing you will likely want to do, is choose your major content mod that the modpack will be centered around. Choosing your content mod first will allow you to figure out what smaller mods will balance with your modpack, and which ones wont. If you are having trouble choosing mods, try to join a Terraria Modding community, or ask a friend. Tell them what you are looking for, and someone will most likely have a great mod for you.

Modpack Structuring

When making a modpack, there are a couple important things to keep in mind. Firstly, (this might be an unpopular opinion to many) only choose one major content mod. There are a couple of reasons for this. Firstly, if you have multiple large content mods it can become difficult to try to structure your modpack around all of them at the same time. Secondly, major content mods do not mix well. The reason for this is that (almost all of them) have post-Moon Lord content. The issue with this is that throughout the game's vanilla progression, there is already a set bar of balancing that all mods can follow, but after Moon Lord, mods must come up with their own balancing progression, leading to each mod having wildly different power levels of items, which when mixing mods can lead to extremely unbalanced experiences. The next thing you will want to remember is not to use too many mods. If you are using the 32-bit version of tModLoader or have a limited amount of RAM, the reason for this is quite obvious. But another reason is, is that if you are using too many mods that add in some content, you can end up with so much content that the game becomes an unfun inventory management and crafting-tree following simulator, instead of a fun and enjoyable game. Below I have made a step-by-step tutorial on how to construct a modpack.

• 1: Brainstorm what kind of playthrough you plan to do, and what kind of content you enjoy.
  
• 2: Based on your decision, research large content mods and what they add, or ask around communities to figure out which content mod you want to play with.
  
• 3: Add your essentials mods. (These are the mods that you cannot play without. This might include Recipe Browser, AlchemistNPC Lite, etc.)
  
• 4: Look for some small content mods that suit your playstyle and fit with your major content mod.
  
• (Optional 4.5 if RAM is an issue): Check if you are able to run your current modpack without crashing or lagging.
  
• 5: Choose your quality of life mods and small additions.
  
• 6: Playtest your modpack and (if you can) ask your friends or community what they think of your mod list. Add or remove any mods you need to.
  
• 7: Go through the config menus of your mods and change everything to suit your tastes.
  
• 8: Sit back and enjoy the wonderful modpack YOU created!

Mods for any Modpack

Below I list some quality of life mods or small content mods that can go with any modpack, and truly add to the experience, and how important they are to include in a modpack.

• Recipe Browser - I am sure you have heard of this mod, like the name suggests, it adds in a recipe browser. Using it you can look at any item, enemy, and recipe in the game, and see exactly where to get it. This mod should always be included in every modpack.
  
• Boss Checklist - Similar to the previous mod, you have likely heard of this one. It adds a toggleable checklist on the side of your screen which lists all bosses and events (modded and vanilla), whether you have defeated them or not, as well as how to summon them. It also adds the Boss Log, which allows you to view your records with each boss and event including your quickest kill, lowest hits taken, etc., along with showing you the loot from each boss or event, and which ones you are missing. This mod should always be included in every modpack.
  
• Boss Cursor - This mod adds a small cursor around the player which points to where the boss currently is. This makes aiming or knowing where a boss is so you can dodge much easier when it is off-screen. This mod is recommended to be included in every modpack.
  
• Yet Another Boss Health Bar - This mod adds in a great looking health bar at the bottom of the screen whenever you are fighting a boss, that can make fighting a boss or trying to figure out it's health a little more fun and easier. This mod is recommended to be included in every modpack.
  
• Health and Mana from Bosses - As the name suggests, this mod adds Life Crystals and Mana Crystals, to the drop pools of bosses. This mod removes the absolute slog of trying to grind up Health and Mana, and instead integrates it directly into the progression of the game. This mod is recommended to be included in every modpack.
  
• Wing Slot - This mod simply adds an extra accessory slot where a wing accessory can be placed. While this mod does make the game a little easier by adding a separate slot for the wing accessory, this mod doesn't make the game extremely unbalanced. This mod is recommended to be included in every modpack.
  
• imkSushi's Mod - This mod adds in a ton of great quality of life things. Firstly, it adds in exchange recipes for world exclusive items, so you do not need to create multiple worlds for the things you would like. It also adds in the ability to break down items such as tools and armour at a lava source back into their base ore. Finally, it also adds in many different token types which can drop from any enemy and you will get different ones depending on your progression or current biome, and these can be used to craft items such as chest loot and accessories, if you are having a hard time finding a certain one. I have found you naturally get enough tokens during each progression stage to craft 1 to 2 different items. This mod is recommended to be included in every modpack.
  
• Magic Storage - You probably saw this one coming. Likely one of the most popular quality of life mods out there, this adds in upgradeable storage components which can be used to create a huge storage matrix, which later on can be accessed anywhere in the world with remote storage access, and allows you to craft with any items in your storage unit. In modded, this becomes especially helpful considering the amount of items you will be dealing with. This mod should always be included in every modpack.
  
• WeaponOut Lite - This mod simply adds the visual effect of your player character holding whatever item you have selecting in his or her hand. I find this mod makes the game a bit more immersive and sometimes fun, especially when holding a large weapon such as the Ark of the Cosmos on my character's back, and seeing how large it is. Up to you if you want to include in a modpack.
  
• AutoReforge - Simply adds a function where you can choose what reforge you would like at the Goblin Tinkerer and it will automatically continue to reforge your item until you get the prefix you have chosen. This mod should always be included in every modpack.
  
• WMITF - Short for "What Mod is This From", this simply adds a little piece of text to the bottom of ever y item showing what mod it is from. This mod is only necessary if you are using multiple modpacks and would like to know what item is from which. Up to you if you want to include in a modpack.
  
• Plentiful Ores - This mod makes it so that ores and gems generate in larger amounts, which in my opinion makes the game much more fun, by lessening the endless grind that is mining. This mod should always be included in every modpack.
  
• Vanilla Tweaks - This mod adds in some very cool set bonuses for some weaker armours, adds in some new crafting recipes, and a bunch of other nice quality of life features such as a faster Extractinator. This mod should always be included in every modpack.
  
• Better Buffs - Adds in a couple quality of life features for buffs, such as a shadow indicator of how much time a buff has left. This mod should always be included in every modpack.
  
• OmniSwing - This mod simply adds the autoswing ability to every weapon in the game, although this can break some weapon balancing, so it is up to you if you want to include it. Up to you if you want to include in a modpack.
  
• Angler ++ - This mod adds in a couple of great features for the Angler. It removes the quest timer for the Angler, and adds a shop to the Angler where you can buy fishing related items. Up to you if you want to include in a modpack.
  
• Prefixes for Fishing Poles - Like the previous mod, this mod is also good for those who like fishing. It adds in a variety of different prefixes for fishing poles, that make your fishing poles better at certain things. Up to you if you want to include in a modpack.
  
• Summoner's Association - This mod adds in a couple of quality of life items and features for summoners, such as an item that allows you to save your minion loadout, and an item that automatically resummons minions on death. This mod is recommended to be included in every modpack.
  
• VeinMiner - This mod simply adds a hotkey that, when held down, allows the player to instantly mine all adjacent ores, which can make mining a lot less of a hassle. This mod should always be included in every modpack.
  
• Storm Diver's Additions and Changes - This mod adds in a handful of new weapons, accessories, buffs, ammos, shop items, set bonuses, etc., as well as balancing a few vanilla things. This mod is recommended to be included in every modpack.
  
• AlchemistNPC Lite - Of course this mod was going to be on the list. This mod adds in a few new NPCs which sell potions so you don't have to craft them, as well as one that even sells building blocks and furnitures. This mod also has Calamity and Thorium potion support. This mod should always be included in every modpack.
  
• Census - Boss Checklist for NPCs. This mod should always be included in every modpack.
  
• Luiafk - This mod adds a bunch of quality of life items and infinite variants of items, although some things added by this mod are a bit overpowered (such as infinite mana). Up to you if you want to include in a modpack.
  
• Mr. Plague's Authentic Races - While originally meant to be played with Calamity, this mod goes great with any content mod, allowing you to make your character on of many races, each with cool mechanics, bonuses, and cons, and unique looks. Up to you if you want to include in a modpack.

Final Thoughts

Balancing a modpack can be a difficult task, so don't be afraid to try different things, and add or remove mods! Before starting a serious playthrough with your new modpack, I recommend that you playtest it a bit, to see if it is balanced and fun. If you have friends who play modded Terraria, show them your mod list and ask them what they think of it. My final piece of advice is to use your common sense, and once you complete your modpack, applaud yourself, and most important, have fun!

[titaniumterminator]

i take the 600 calamity expansion and thas enough 4 mi

[tykorenek]

i've been thinking of a mod i called "portable npcs" the way it would work is that of the fairy merchant, a merchant on the go,i would make portable zooligist for example and also nurse

[Lueyin]

I thought it would be a joke guide with only a dumb image and "Calamity" written over it but glad you did an actual guide -w-

[Carbon the Wanderer]

Recommend: Plentiful Ores should NOT be listed as "include in every modpack," but instead as an "up to you."
I find that it's typically easy enough to find everything I need outside of some small modded exceptions (like Smooth Coal from Thorium, though even that drops from enemies to cover the drought) and it's better to play through the modpack I'd say up to pre-boss to check if it's really needed.

[Sentry Gun (Lolichop3)]

░░░░░█▐▓▓░████▄▄▄█▀▄▓▓▓▌█ Help
░░░░░▄█▌▀▄▓▓▄▄▄▄▀▀▀▄▓▓▓▓▓▌█ Doge
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▌▓▄▌▀░▀░▐▀█▄▓▓██████████▓▓▓▌█▌EVERYWERE
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[Pea_shot]

░░░███████ ]▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄ - - - DEFEND AGAINST DOGE, BOB, TOBY, AND ANY
▂▄▅████████▅▄▃▂ OTHER INVADING CREATURES AND SAVE STEAM!!!
I███████████████████] COPY AND PASTE TO JOIN THE WAR
◥⊙▲⊙▲⊙▲⊙▲⊙▲⊙▲⊙◤
LONG LIVE THE REBELLION :)

[Pea_shot]

░░░███████ ]▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄ - - - DEFEND AGAINST DOGE, BOB, TOBY, AND ANY
▂▄▅████████▅▄▃▂ OTHER INVADING CREATURES AND SAVE STEAM!!!
I███████████████████] COPY AND PASTE TO JOIN THE WAR
◥⊙▲⊙▲⊙▲⊙▲⊙▲⊙▲⊙◤
LONG LIVE THE REBELLION :)

[Pea_shot]

░░░███████ ]▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄ - - - DEFEND AGAINST DOGE, BOB, TOBY, AND ANY
▂▄▅████████▅▄▃▂ OTHER INVADING CREATURES AND SAVE STEAM!!!
I███████████████████] COPY AND PASTE TO JOIN THE WAR
◥⊙▲⊙▲⊙▲⊙▲⊙▲⊙▲⊙◤
LONG LIVE THE REBELLION :)

[<i><u>]

Another good mod to include in every pack is Concise Mod List. It makes it way easier to browse through tons of mods.

[cybersteve547]

can you turn the mod names into links?