A sophisticated vanilla Minecraft datapack that revolutionizes gameplay difficulty through intelligent dynamic scaling. Mob Scaling transforms your Minecraft experience by creating a living, breathing world that adapts to your progression—making every encounter meaningful, challenging, and perfectly balanced for your skill level.
Author: WormWoodMC
Target Version: Java Edition 1.20+
Website: quefep.uk
Last Updated: December 2025
- Biome-Adaptive Scaling: Tier modifiers now respect biome difficulty data so mobs spawned in brutal regions (dark forests, badlands, deep ocean) gain amplified health, damage, and effects, while safe zones remain approachable.
- Custom Mob Pack Hooks: The new
ms:scale/extendentry point (managed via thems:scale_extend_hookstag) lets modded mob pools inject equipment and behaviors without touching the core functions. - Event-Driven Difficulty: Hostile events (raids, patrols, boss spawns) temporarily bump nearby tiers, keeping threats relevant even for well-geared teams.
- Debug-Friendly UX:
/function ms:debug/statusshows base tier, biome/event bonuses, distance, and raid progress; scoreboard cleanup happens alongside regular tick work to prevent stale modifiers.
Mob Scaling is a server-side datapack that provides intelligent difficulty adjustment without requiring client modifications. The system monitors player progression through XP levels and armor ratings, then scales nearby hostile mobs to match the player's power level. This ensures engaging gameplay for both new players and seasoned veterans while maintaining balance in multiplayer environments.
- Dynamic Scaling System: Mobs receive appropriate equipment, enchantments, and effects based on the highest-tier player nearby
- Boss Scaling: Dynamic difficulty for Wither and Ender Dragon with configurable multipliers
- World Difficulty Integration: Scaling responds to world difficulty setting (Peaceful to Hard)
- Dimension-Based Scaling: Different difficulty modifiers for Overworld, Nether, and End dimensions
- Per-Player Tracking: Individual scoreboard systems ensure fair scaling in multiplayer with mixed player progression
- Configurable Loot Tables: Customize mob equipment drops without modifying core functions
- Effect System: High-tier mobs gain beneficial effects (Strength, Speed, Regeneration) for increased challenge
- Performance Optimized: Mobs are tagged after scaling to prevent redundant calculations
- Distance-Based Difficulty: Optional scaling based on spawn distance from world spawn
- Modded Content Support: Toggle support for modded equipment in configuration
- Health/Damage Multipliers: Configurable attribute scaling for higher tiers
Mob Scaling utilizes a 9-tier system (0-8) calculated from player XP and armor rating:
Formula: Tier = clamp((XP / 15) + (Armor / 10), 0, 8)
| Tier | XP Range | Armor Rating | Equipment | Effects |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 0 | 0-4 | 0-5 | Vanilla equipment | None |
| 1 | 5-14 | 6-9 | Leather/Gold armor, Stone/Iron weapons | None |
| 2 | 15-29 | 10-15 | Iron armor with Protection I, Sharpness I/Power I | None |
| 3 | 30-44 | 16-20 | Diamond armor with Protection II, Flame/Power II bows | None |
| 4 | 45+ | 20+ | Netherite mix, maxed enchantments | Strength II, Speed II, Fire Resistance II |
| Tier | XP Range* | Armor Rating* | Equipment | Effects |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 5 | Configurable | Configurable | Diamond/Netherite | Speed II, Strength II, Regeneration I |
| 6 | Configurable | Configurable | Diamond/Netherite | Speed III, Strength III, Regeneration II |
| 7 | Configurable | Configurable | Netherite | Speed IV, Strength IV, Absorption I |
| 8 | Configurable | Configurable | Netherite | Speed V, Strength V, Night Vision |
*Advanced tier thresholds are configurable in config.json
- Download the latest Mob Scaling datapack release (
.zipfile) - Navigate to your world save folder:
[world_name]/datapacks/ - Extract the datapack zip file into the datapacks directory
- Load your world or execute
/reloadif already in-game - Verify installation with
/datapack list- Mob Scaling should appear in the list
- Base Health: 300 HP
- Health Multiplier: Configurable (default 2.0x)
- Damage Multiplier: Configurable (default 1.5x)
- Effects: Speed and Strength at higher tiers
- Base Health: 200 HP
- Health Scaling: 200-500 HP based on player tier
- Knockback Resistance: 0.8-1.0 at higher tiers
- Effects: Speed and Strength at higher tiers
| Difficulty | Multiplier | Effect |
|---|---|---|
| Peaceful | 0.5x | Reduced challenge for casual play |
| Easy | 0.75x | Slightly easier than normal |
| Normal | 1.0x | Standard scaling experience |
| Hard | 1.5x | Increased challenge for veterans |
| Dimension | Multiplier | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Overworld | 1.0x | Baseline difficulty |
| Nether | 1.3x | 30% increased danger |
| End | 1.5x | 50% increased challenge |
Edit configuration values in data/ms/storage/config.json:
difficulty_enabled: Enable/disable scaling (0/1)boss_scaling_enabled: Enable boss scaling (0/1)world_difficulty_integration: Enable difficulty modifiers (0/1)dimension_scaling_enabled: Enable dimension modifiers (0/1)
wither_health_multiplier: Wither health multiplier (default: 2.0)wither_damage_multiplier: Wither damage multiplier (default: 1.5)dragon_health_multiplier: Dragon health multiplier (default: 2.5)dragon_damage_multiplier: Dragon damage multiplier (default: 1.8)
peaceful_modifier: Scaling on peaceful (default: 0.5)easy_modifier: Scaling on easy (default: 0.75)normal_modifier: Scaling on normal (default: 1.0)hard_modifier: Scaling on hard (default: 1.5)
overworld_modifier: Overworld scaling (default: 1.0)nether_modifier: Nether scaling (default: 1.3)end_modifier: End scaling (default: 1.5)
{
"difficulty_enabled": 1,
"boss_scaling_enabled": 1,
"world_difficulty_integration": 1,
"dimension_scaling_enabled": 1,
"modded_content_enabled": 1,
"max_tier": 8,
"wither_health_multiplier": 2.0,
"dragon_health_multiplier": 2.5,
"hard_modifier": 1.5,
"nether_modifier": 1.3,
"end_modifier": 1.5
}- Equipment: Modify loot tables in
data/ms/loot_tables/equipment/ - Scaling Logic: Adjust tier calculations in
data/ms/functions/player/ - Spawn Ranges: Edit distance values in
data/ms/functions/scale/apply.mcfunction - Effects: Configure potion effects in tier-specific function files
| Minecraft Version | Supported | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 1.20+ | ✅ | Fully compatible |
| 1.19.x | ❌ | Pack format 17 requires 1.20+ |
| Bedrock Edition | ❌ | Java Edition only |
| Multiplayer | ✅ | Per-player scaling supported |
Test the datapack with these commands:
# Set player XP for specific tiers
/xp set @s 50 levels # Tier 4
/xp set @s 100 levels # Tier 8 (if configured)
# Spawn test mobs
/summon zombie ~ ~ ~
/summon skeleton ~ ~ ~
/summon creeper ~ ~ ~
# Check current tier
/scoreboard objectives add ms_dummy dummy
/scoreboard players set @s ms_tier 4/function ms:debug/status(or/trigger ms_debug set 1) prints a live breakdown: base tier, biome bonus, event bonus, distance bonus, and raid progress. Run this after altering XP or armor to confirm bonuses apply.- Start a raid (
/execute in minecraft:overworld run summon minecraft:vindicator ~ ~ ~) or wait for natural pillager events. Observe/function ms:debug/statusto verifyms_event_bonusincreases tiers and resets after the raid is cleared. - Travel between distinct biomes (plains → dark forest → badlands) while monitoring
ms_biome_bonusvia the debug output to ensure biome multipliers align with expectations. - Run
/reloadand monitor/datapack listplus/function ms:debug/statusto ensure configuration changes (biome/event maps) persist.
Datapack not loading:
- Verify the folder structure is intact
- Check for syntax errors in JSON files
- Ensure pack.mcmeta is valid JSON
Mobs not scaling:
- Confirm difficulty is enabled in config.json
- Check player has sufficient XP/armor for higher tiers
- Verify scoreboard objectives are created
Performance issues:
- Reduce spawn multiplier in config.json
- Increase spawn cooldown timer
- Disable distance-based scaling if not needed
For additional support, see TROUBLESHOOTING.md or visit the project website.
- Boss scaling (Wither, Ender Dragon)
- Configurable effect toggles per tier
- World difficulty integration
- Biome-based scaling modifiers
- Custom mob support
Developed by WormWoodMC for the Quefep creative collective.
License: CC0 1.0 Universal - Public Domain
Website: quefep.uk
Last updated: v3.0.0