
Shades
A mod that adds the 'shade' mechanic from Hollow Knight.
Screenshots


About this Mod
About
A mod for Minecraft that adds the 'shade' mechanic from Hollow Knight.
Instead of dropping all of your items when you die, a 'Shade' spawns at your death location, holding all of your items & experience levels. However, it won't just hand your loot over, you have to successfully kill it without dying.
A Shades' health matches the value of your max health when you died, and will attack you with the same item/weapon as the one you are currently holding. If you die before killing your Shade, a new Shade appears at the new death location and the old one disappears, along with your old Shade dropping its loot at your old death location (configurable to be more similar to Hollow Knight, where you lose your old loot forever).
Credits
Developer
quackandcheese
"Idea Man"
El_Firefox
Concept & Sound Effects
Hollow Knight - Team Cherry
Config Options
Server
Allow Multiple Shades (default false)
If enabled, instead of a new shade replacing the old, Shades will not disappear until slain.
Drop Items from Replaced Shade (default true)
If enabled, when a shade is replaced with a new shade (the player dies before killing their shade), the items are dropped at the location of the old shade instead of getting permanently destroyed.
Only Owner Can Damage Shade (default true)
If enabled, the 'owner', a.k.a. whoever died, are the only thing that can damage their shade. If disabled, anything and anyone can damage a shade.
Spawn Shades in Peaceful Difficulty (default false)
If enabled, shades will be enabled in peaceful mode.
Show Shade Owner Names (default false)
If enabled, Shades will display who it belongs to above its head.
Client
Play Shade Music (default true)
If enabled, Shades will ambiently play an off-key music box melody.
End Notes
Feel free to leave any suggestions or report any bugs on the GitHub page!
Available Versions
How to Install Shades on Your Server
Order Server
Order a Minecraft Java server with at least 3 GB RAM (4 GB recommended).
Set neoforge Loader
In the panel under "Egg", select the neoforge loader and matching Minecraft version (1.21.1).
Install Mod
Open the mod browser in the dashboard and search for "Shades". Click "Install" – done! Alternatively, upload the .jar via SFTP to the /mods folder.
Compatibility
Mod Loaders
Minecraft Versions
1.21.1
Server-side
✓ RequiredRecommended RAM
4 GB(min. 3 GB)Frequently Asked Questions
Shades server crashes on startup – what to do?
Most common cause: wrong neoforge 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 (1.21.1). You can switch loaders with one click in the panel.
Is Shades compatible with neoforge?
Shades officially supports neoforge for Minecraft 1.21.1. The Mado dashboard automatically detects incompatible loader combinations.
Server lagging with Shades – how to optimize performance?
Recommended RAM: 4 GB (per 8 players). Use /spark profiler to check if Shades 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.
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Rent Modded Server
Install Shades with just one click on your server.