Ruined Portals Only

Ruined Portals Only

Restrict lighting of portals to within a ruined portal structure's bounding box. Makes exploration a must and controls Nether travel. Configurable for Overworld and Nether. Now supports modded structures and biomes!

by
7.7K Downloads
fabricadventurecursedgame-mechanics
Rent Server with this Mod

Screenshots

Tip
Totally not lit
Config with Mod Menu

About this Mod

Ruined Portals Only

Description

Ruined Portals Only, by default, prevents the lighting of a portal unless the portal is within a ruined portal structure's bounding box. The goal is to promote exploration, give ruined portals more of a purpose, and make setting up Nether fast travel networks more challenging. This mod does not affect any already lit portals upon being installed.

Return portals generated upon travelling through a portal may generate in a restricted area, but will remain lit until being destroyed, at which point they cannot be re-lit.

Features:

  • 3 In-Overworld portal creation options: Allow creation everywhere, allow creation only at ruined portals, and allow creation only at custom locations defined in ruinedportalsonly.json (preset to ruined portals, desert pyramid, jungle pyramid, ocean monument, ancient city, stronghold)
  • 3 In-Nether portal creation options: Allow creation everywhere, allow creation only at ruined portals, and allow creation only at custom locations defined in ruinedportalsonly.json (preset to ruined portals, nether wastes, crimson forest, bastion remnant)
  • Helpful message to player if attempting to light a portal in a restricted area
  • In-game documentation is available via Treatise if installed
  • In-game configuration is available via Mod Menu if installed

Config:

Overworld portals options: "EVERYWHERE", "RUINED_PORTALS_ONLY", "CUSTOM"

When "CUSTOM" is selected, values will be read from customOverworldBiomesOption and customOverworldStructuresOption. This allows adding modded structures or biomes.

Nether portals options: "EVERYWHERE", "RUINED_PORTALS_ONLY", "CUSTOM"

When "CUSTOM" is selected, values will be read from customNetherBiomesOption and customNetherStructuresOption. This allows adding modded structures or biomes.

Default .minecraft/config/ruinedportalsonly.json:

{
  "overworldPortalsOption": "RUINED_PORTALS_ONLY",
  "netherPortalsOption": "RUINED_PORTALS_ONLY",
  "customOverworldBiomesOption": [],
  "customOverworldStructuresOption": [
    "minecraft:ruined_portal",
    "minecraft:ruined_portal_desert",
    "minecraft:ruined_portal_jungle",
    "minecraft:ruined_portal_mountain",
    "minecraft:ruined_portal_ocean",
    "minecraft:ruined_portal_swamp",
    "minecraft:desert_pyramid",
    "minecraft:jungle_pyramid",
    "minecraft:ancient_city",
    "minecraft:ocean_monument",
    "minecraft:stronghold"
  ],
  "customNetherBiomesOption": [
    "minecraft:nether_wastes",
    "minecraft:crimson_forest"
  ],
  "customNetherStructuresOption": [
    "minecraft:ruined_portal_nether",
    "minecraft:bastion_remnant"
  ]
}

Lore:

Portals can only be lit in certain locations due to the presence of powerful energy there.

Return portals can be generated anywhere, but are unstable and cannot be rebuilt.

Regarding the preset "CUSTOM" settings:

Why allow creating portals in areas where piglins spawn? In Minecraft: Legends, the piglins invade the Overworld. We imagine that the nether wastes, crimson forests, and bastion remnants contain high amounts of energy (the nether wastes being barren due to being irradiated by this energy), and that the piglins could still create portals and invade, but are too scattered and directionless to stage an invasion. Also, piglins know that they will now zombify if entering the Overworld and never convert back.

Why allow creating portals in certain Overworld structures? We imagine that these structures were built at locations infused with energy, and still have enough of that energy present to support portal creation.

Support

If you have a bug report, feature request, or any other type of issue, please post on our GitHub issues page. This is an issues page for all of our mods, so be sure to include the mod's name and version in your post. We appreciate all feedback!

If you'd like to support development, you can leave a tip at our BuyMeACoffee. Only if it's within your means- otherwise, using, sharing, and enjoying the mod is support enough. Thank you!

Available Versions

Ruined Portals Only 1.21.11-1.0.1release
MC 1.21.11fabric
January 28, 2026
Ruined Portals Only 1.21.10-1.0.1release
MC 1.21.10fabric
November 3, 2025
Ruined Portals Only 1.21.8-1.0.1release
MC 1.21.8fabric
August 5, 2025
Ruined Portals Only 1.21.7-1.0.1release
MC 1.21.7fabric
June 30, 2025
Ruined Portals Only 1.20.1-1.0.1arelease
MC 1.20.1fabric
June 23, 2025

How to Install Ruined Portals Only on Your Server

1

Order Server

Order a Minecraft Java server with at least 3 GB RAM (4 GB recommended).

2

Set fabric Loader

In the panel under "Egg", select the fabric loader and matching Minecraft version (1.21.11).

3

Install Mod

Open the mod browser in the dashboard and search for "Ruined Portals Only". Click "Install" – done! Alternatively, upload the .jar via SFTP to the /mods folder.

Compatibility

Mod Loaders

fabric

Minecraft Versions

1.21.11, 1.21.10, 1.21.8 (+7 more)

Server-side

Required

Recommended RAM

4 GB(min. 3 GB)

Frequently Asked Questions

Ruined Portals Only server crashes on startup – what to do?

Most common cause: wrong fabric version or insufficient RAM. Check the server log (latest.log) for "OutOfMemoryError" or "Mixin" errors. With Mado Hosting: ensure at least 3 GB RAM is allocated and the loader matches the mod version (1.21.11). You can switch loaders with one click in the panel.

Is Ruined Portals Only compatible with fabric?

Ruined Portals Only officially supports fabric for Minecraft 1.21.11, 1.21.10, 1.21.8. The Mado dashboard automatically detects incompatible loader combinations.

Server lagging with Ruined Portals Only – how to optimize performance?

Recommended RAM: 4 GB (per 8 players). Use /spark profiler to check if Ruined Portals Only consumes the most tick time. Common fixes: reduce server view-distance to 8-10, install "performant" or "starlight" as supplementary mods on Forge. With Mado Hosting, your server runs on NVMe SSDs with dedicated CPU cores for minimal latency.

Rent Modded Server

Install Ruined Portals Only with just one click on your server.

Recommended RAM
4 GBab €8/mo
Min. 3 GB | +1 GB pro 8 Spieler
Create Server Now
1-Click Mod Install
NVMe SSD Storage
DDoS Protection included

Details

License
MIT License
Server-side
Required

Supported Versions

1.21.111.21.101.21.81.21.71.21.61.21.51.21.41.21.11.211.20.1