Overview#
Vanilla Hammers Mod is a utility-focused modification that expands the player's mining capabilities by introducing a new class of tools: Hammers. These tools are designed for heavy-duty excavation, allowing players to mine a 3x3 area of blocks in a single swing.
Each hammer is based on a standard Minecraft material, scaling in durability, mining speed, and mining level according to its tier. While they are slower to swing than traditional pickaxes, their ability to clear large areas makes them indispensable for tunnel boring, basement clearing, and massive resource extraction. The mod is fully compatible with vanilla enchantments and follows standard progression logic.
Core Mechanics#
The primary mechanic of the Vanilla Hammers Mod is the 3x3 Area Mining. When a player breaks a block with a hammer, the tool automatically attempts to break the eight surrounding blocks in a square pattern centered on the target.
Mining Behavior
- Directional Mining: The 3x3 area is determined by the face of the block the player is looking at. Mining a floor or ceiling creates a horizontal 3x3 hole, while mining a wall creates a vertical 3x3 hole.
- Precision Mode (Sneaking): If a player holds the sneak key (default
Shift) while mining, the hammer will function like a standard pickaxe, breaking only the single targeted block. This is useful for delicate work or preserving durability. - Mining Level Requirements: Hammers follow the same mining level rules as pickaxes. For example, a Wooden Hammer cannot mine Iron Ore, and a Stone Hammer cannot mine Diamond Ore.
- Durability Consumption: Every block broken within the 3x3 area consumes one point of durability. A full 3x3 swing can consume up to 9 durability points at once.
Hammer Types & Stats#
The mod adds hammers for all standard vanilla tiers, plus several specialized materials found in the overworld, nether, and end.
Standard Hammers
| Hammer Type | Durability | Mining Level | Mining Speed | Material |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wooden Hammer | 59 | 0 (Wood) | 0.5 | Any Planks |
| Stone Hammer | 131 | 1 (Stone) | 1.0 | Cobblestone |
| Iron Hammer | 250 | 2 (Iron) | 1.5 | Iron Ingots |
| Golden Hammer | 32 | 0 (Wood) | 3.0 | Gold Ingots |
| Diamond Hammer | 1561 | 3 (Diamond) | 2.0 | Diamonds |
| Netherite Hammer | 2031 | 4 (Netherite) | 2.5 | Netherite Ingot |
Special Hammers
| Hammer Type | Durability | Mining Level | Special Properties |
|---|---|---|---|
| Emerald Hammer | 1000 | 3 | High durability and speed for mid-game. |
| Obsidian Hammer | 4000 | 3 | Extremely high durability but very slow mining speed. |
| Lapis Hammer | 220 | 1 | High enchantability, similar to gold. |
| Quartz Hammer | 400 | 2 | Faster than iron but lower durability. |
| Fiery Hammer | 750 | 3 | Crafted from Magma; high efficiency in the Nether. |
| Prismarine Hammer | 500 | 2 | Improved efficiency when mining underwater. |
| Slime Hammer | 150 | 1 | High knockback when used as a weapon. |
| Ender Hammer | 1500 | 3 | Increased reach and high durability. |
Crafting Recipes#
Hammers are crafted using a "T-shape" pattern that requires five pieces of the primary material and two sticks.
Standard Crafting Pattern
To craft any hammer (except Netherite), place the materials in a Crafting Table as follows:
- Top Row: Material, Material, Material
- Middle Row: Material, Stick, Material
- Bottom Row: Empty, Stick, Empty
Netherite Hammer Upgrade
The Netherite Hammer is obtained via the Smithing Table. Combine a Diamond Hammer with a Netherite Ingot to upgrade it. This process preserves all existing enchantments on the tool.
Material Requirements
- Wooden: 5x Oak/Spruce/Birch/Jungle/Acacia/Dark Oak Planks
- Stone: 5x Cobblestone or Stone
- Iron: 5x Iron Ingots
- Golden: 5x Gold Ingots
- Diamond: 5x Diamonds
- Emerald: 5x Emeralds
- Lapis: 5x Lapis Lazuli Blocks
- Quartz: 5x Quartz Blocks
- Obsidian: 5x Obsidian Blocks
- Fiery: 5x Magma Blocks
- Prismarine: 5x Prismarine Blocks
- Slime: 5x Slime Blocks
- Ender: 5x End Stone or Eye of Ender (depending on version)
Enchantments & Repair#
Hammers are fully compatible with the standard Minecraft enchantment system and can be modified at an Enchanting Table or with an Anvil.
Compatible Enchantments
- Efficiency (I-V): Increases mining speed. Highly recommended due to the hammer's naturally slower base speed.
- Fortune (I-III): Increases the drop rate of ores. This applies to all blocks broken in the 3x3 area.
- Silk Touch: Allows the hammer to collect blocks themselves (e.g., Stone, Glass, Ore blocks) instead of their drops.
- Unbreaking (I-III): Provides a chance to not consume durability, essential for hammers given their high durability usage.
- Mending: Repairs the hammer using Experience Orbs.
Repairing
Hammers can be repaired in an Anvil by combining the damaged hammer with its base crafting material (e.g., use Iron Ingots to repair an Iron Hammer). Alternatively, two damaged hammers of the same type can be combined to create one with higher durability.
Advancements#
The mod includes a dedicated advancement tab to track your progress with the new tools.
- It's Hammer Time!: The root advancement, triggered by crafting your first Wooden Hammer.
- Upgrade Path: Advancements for crafting higher-tier hammers like Diamond and Netherite.
- Specialist: Awarded for crafting unique hammers such as the Obsidian or Ender variants.
- Secret Advancements: There are hidden advancements related to using specific hammers in unique ways or mining specific quantities of blocks.
Configuration#
Players and server administrators can customize the mod's behavior through the configuration file (vanilla-hammers.json or via a config menu if a library mod is installed).
- Hitbox Rendering: Toggle whether the 3x3 mining area is highlighted with a visual box when looking at blocks.
- Material Toggles: Enable or disable specific hammer types to maintain a strictly vanilla feel.
- Durability Multipliers: Adjust how much durability hammers have relative to their pickaxe counterparts.
- Mining Speed Adjustments: Fine-tune the speed of individual hammers to balance gameplay.
