Better Harvest Levels

Better Harvest Levels

Take full control of your modpack's mining progression. Better Harvest Levels lets you define custom tool tiers, override harvest levels for any block or tool, and unify cross-mod progression — all through simple JSON config files.

Features

Custom Tier Definitions

Define your own mining tiers beyond vanilla's wood/stone/iron/diamond/netherite hierarchy. Each tier supports:

• Custom name, display name, and color
• Numeric level for ordering
• Configurable icon item (shown in Jade tooltips)
• Insertion point (after/before) for precise tier ordering

Block & Tool Overrides

Override which tier is required to mine any block, or what tier any tool belongs to. Target overrides by:

• Individual ID — minecraft:obsidian, create:brass_block
• Tag — #minecraft:needs_iron_tool
• Mod namespace — create:* (all blocks/items from a mod)
• Regex — pattern-match across the entire registry

Tier Equivalence Groups

Group tiers that should be treated as equivalent for mining purposes. Useful for mods that add parallel progression paths (e.g., making a modded alloy tier equivalent to iron).

Config Layering

Split your overrides across multiple files for organization. Use blocks.json, blocks_create.json, blocks_thermal.json, etc. — Better Harvest Levels merges them all automatically in alphabetical order. Keep per-mod configs clean and separate.

Jade/WAILA Integration

Blocks with BHL overrides display their required tier in the Jade tooltip, complete with:

• Tier name in its configured color
• A harvestability indicator (green checkmark or red X) based on your held tool
• The tier's icon item

In-Game Commands

• /bhl check held — Show the BHL tier of your held tool
• /bhl check looking — Show the required tier of the block you're looking at
• /bhl info — List all registered tiers and override counts
• /bhl reload — Hot-reload all config files without restarting

Mod Ignore List

Exclude entire mods from override resolution so their blocks and tools are left untouched.

Supported Versions

Getting Started

1. Install the mod and launch the game once. Config files are generated in .minecraft/config/betterharvestlevels/.
2. Edit tiers.json to define your tier hierarchy.
3. Add block overrides in blocks.json (or create per-mod files like blocks_create.json).
4. Add tool overrides in tools.json (or per-mod files like tools_thermal.json).
5. Optionally define equivalence groups in equivalences.json.
6. Use /bhl reload in-game to apply changes instantly.

Example: Adding a custom tier and overriding a block

tiers.json — Add a "copper" tier between stone and iron:

{
  "tiers": [
    { "name": "wood", "level": 0, "displayName": "Wood", "color": "#A0522D", "builtIn": true },
    { "name": "stone", "level": 1, "displayName": "Stone", "color": "#AAAAAA", "builtIn": true },
    { "name": "copper", "level": 2, "displayName": "Copper", "color": "#E8851C", "builtIn": false, "iconItem": "minecraft:copper_ingot" },
    { "name": "iron", "level": 3, "displayName": "Iron", "color": "#FFFFFF", "builtIn": true },
    { "name": "diamond", "level": 4, "displayName": "Diamond", "color": "#55FFFF", "builtIn": true },
    { "name": "netherite", "level": 5, "displayName": "Netherite", "color": "#555555", "builtIn": true }
  ]
}

blocks.json — Require the copper tier to mine lapis ore:

{
  "overrides": [
    { "target": "minecraft:lapis_ore", "type": "block", "requiredTier": "copper" },
    { "target": "minecraft:deepslate_lapis_ore", "type": "block", "requiredTier": "copper" }
  ]
}

For Modpack Developers

Better Harvest Levels is built specifically for modpack developers who need granular control over mining progression. Ship your tier and override configs with your modpack — no end-user configuration needed. The layered config system means you can organize overrides per-mod and easily add or remove mod-specific files as your modpack evolves.