History Stages
Guide your players through the ages. History Stages lets modpack creators lock items, recipes, dimensions, mobs, loot, and more behind custom research-based eras with full in-game tooling.
- 📖 Wiki — full documentation, config fields, JSON examples & developer API
- 💬 Discord — support, questions & sneak peeks
- 🐛 Issue Tracker — bug reports & feature requests
History Stages is a progression and gatekeeping mod for modpack creators. Lock items, recipes, dimensions, structures, mobs, enchantments, and loot behind custom eras — and let players unlock them however you want: research, in-game triggers, quests, or commands.
Stages can unlock server-wide (global), per player (individual), or as Dual-Phase — locked globally first, then per-player once the era is reached. You decide how progression works in your pack.
🔒 What You Can Lock
Almost everything — not just item usage:
- Items & Tags (incl. NBT criteria), entire Mods, Recipes
- Dimensions & Structures (with optional force-field zones)
- Mobs — spawnlock & attacklock
- Loot — chests & mob drops, removed or replaced
- Blocks — breaking, GUIs & container access
- Enchantments — anvil & enchanting table
- Armor Stands & Item Frames — displayed locked items are protected
On top of that, locked items can hide or replace their names and tooltips, and per-entry unlock_actions let you allow specific interactions (e.g. pickup) while everything else stays locked.
🔓 Unlock It Your Way
The Research Pedestal is just the default, not a requirement — every stage has a mode that defines how it unlocks:
- Default — classic research with Scrolls at the Pedestal
- Auto — unlocks via in-game triggers: item pickup, entering a biome/dimension/structure, entity kill/interact, block place/break, advancements, playtime (any/all combinable)
- External — unlock only via
/history, KubeJS/CraftTweaker, or as FTB Quests reward - Temporary — unlocks and re-locks on a timer, with cooldowns & trigger limits
Mix all of these freely in the same pack — research-driven eras, exploration-based unlocks, and quest rewards can live side by side.
🔬 Research System
Players physically bring Research Scrolls to the Research Pedestal and spend time researching the next era. Four pedestal tiers (I–IV), placeable Research Boosters, and per-stage research times let you tune the pacing. With the Dependency System, stages can additionally require XP levels, mob kills, statistics, advancements, scoreboard objectives, or items deposited directly into the pedestal.
🛠️ In-Game Editor
Build and tweak your entire stage setup without ever touching a config file — straight from the pause menu (OP required):
- Searchable multi-select lists & a dependency graph viewer
- Dedicated editors for Dependencies, NBT & Lock-Actions — Ctrl-click any inventory slot to import its NBT
- Overlap warnings between global & individual stages, plus a full in-game config editor
🎨 Feedback & Integrations
Players always know why something is locked: lock icons in inventories and JEI/EMI, "Locked" recipe overlays, toasts with custom per-stage icons, and configurable actionbar/chat messages.
- FTB Quests — native stage task & reward types (global + individual)
- KubeJS / CraftTweaker —
StageEvent.Unlocked/Lockedevents - Jade, Curios & Accessories support
📂 Creating Stages
Use the in-game editor, or write simple JSONs in config/historystages/global/ and individual/ — full field reference: Stage Configuration.
The mod intentionally ships without default recipes for the Pedestal, Boosters & Scrolls — you decide how players obtain them (KubeJS, datapack, quest rewards, …). Give a scroll via:
/give @s historystages:research_scroll{StageResearch:"YOUR_STAGE_NAME"}
📦 Dependencies
- Lootr — required
- Optional: JEI, EMI, FTB Quests, Jade, Curios, Accessories
❓ FAQ
Can stages be unlocked per player instead of server-wide?
Yes — global, individual, or both mixed in the same pack (overlaps become Dual-Phase locks).
Is Lootr really required?
Yes, loot filtering is built on Lootr's container system. Without loot locking it just sits there quietly.
Do I need FTB Quests?
No — the integration only activates when it's installed.
Which versions are supported?
- 1.20.1 — Forge (latest features)
- 1.21.1 — NeoForge (latest features)
- 1.21.1 — Fabric (currently a few versions behind)
- 1.19.2 — Forge (legacy, no longer updated)
Questions or found a bug? Join the Discord or open an issue — we read everything! 🙂
