Graves is a vanilla Minecraft data pack that stops death from scattering your items across the map. When you die, it captures your inventory and experience into a marked grave at the death location instead of dropping loose items on the ground. It runs entirely on data pack functions, so there is no mod loader to install, no client-side download, and no companion resource pack required.
What happens when you die
The pack replaces the vanilla item-scatter behavior with a single grave that holds everything you were carrying. That grave is protected from the situations that normally destroy dropped items.
- Your inventory, armor, and experience move into a grave marker at the exact spot you died.
- A grave that would spawn inside lava rises to the surface instead of burning up.
- A grave that would spawn in the End's void generates at Y=1 so it is still reachable.
- The grave glows so it stands out against terrain, and by default only you can loot your own grave.
- An unclaimed grave despawns after 100,000 ticks by default, a limit server admins can change.
Installing the data pack (no mod loader needed)
Graves publishes two builds per Minecraft version on Modrinth: a Fabric/Forge/NeoForge/Quilt mod build and a pure data pack build labeled DTPK. Grab the DTPK build if you do not want to touch a mod loader.
- 1.On the Graves Modrinth page, open the Versions tab and download the DTPK build that matches your Minecraft version, not the mod build with the same version number.
- 2.Singleplayer world: use the in-game Data Packs screen when creating or editing a world and drop in the downloaded .zip, or place it in that world's save folder under datapacks.
- 3.Dedicated server: copy the .zip into the world save's datapacks folder on the server.
- 4.Run /reload in an existing world, or restart the server, so the new functions load.
- 5.Confirm it is active with /datapack list enabled.
Data pack format and version support
Minecraft's data pack format number changes with nearly every release, and Graves ships a matching build for each format band from 1.21 through the 26.2 update. Loading a build built for the wrong format still works after confirming a warning, but the safest approach is to grab the version-matched download.
- 1.21 and 1.21.1: data pack format 48
- 1.21.4: data pack format 61
- 1.21.5: data pack format 71
- 1.21.6: data pack format 80
- 1.21.7 and 1.21.8: data pack format 81
- 1.21.9 and 1.21.10: data pack format 88
- 1.21.11: data pack format 94
- 26.1 through 26.1.2: data pack format 101
- 26.2: data pack format 107
Recovering items and grave commands
Graves adds player-facing trigger commands so you do not need to remember function names in the middle of a recovery run.
- /trigger graves.help lists the available player commands.
- /trigger graves.last_grave locates your most recent grave.
- /trigger graves.nearest_grave locates the closest grave to your current position.
- /trigger graves.all_graves lists every grave you still have out.
Server operators can reconfigure the pack with /function graves:config/options, which exposes toggles for despawn time, auto-equip on pickup, grave glow, experience storage, death messages, and separate protection flags for lava, water, the void, and the End.
Multiplayer and server behavior
Because Graves is pure data pack functions attached to the world save, it behaves the same in singleplayer, LAN worlds, and dedicated Java servers as long as you can add data packs to that world. It is Java Edition only: Bedrock Edition, including Bedrock Realms, does not run Java data packs, so this pack has no Bedrock equivalent.
Compatibility and known conflicts
- Documented as compatible with the same creator's Soulbound Enchantment data pack.
- Not compatible with Curios or Accessories-style equipment mods, since those add extra gear slots the pack does not track.
- Running a second death-inventory pack or plugin alongside Graves risks duplicated or lost items; test on a backup world first.
- Removing the pack is not just deleting the file: run /function graves:uninstall before disabling it so leftover grave entities get cleared out.
Questions about Graves Datapack.
5 questions
How do I install the Graves data pack?
Download the DTPK build that matches your Minecraft version from the Graves Modrinth page, then drop the .zip into your world's datapacks folder, or use the in-game Data Packs screen when creating a new world. Run /reload or restart the server afterward. No mod loader or resource pack is required.
Does Graves need a resource pack to work?
No. Graves runs entirely on vanilla data pack functions and uses in-game blocks and entities for the grave marker, so it works with default textures and needs no companion resource pack.
Is Graves safe to use on a multiplayer server or Realms?
It works on any Java Edition server, LAN world, or Java Realms world where you control the datapacks folder. It is not usable on Bedrock Realms, because Bedrock Edition does not support Java data packs at all.
Which Minecraft version does Graves support?
Graves publishes matching downloads for every data pack format band from 1.21 through the current 26.2 release. Because the data pack format number changes almost every version, grab the build tagged for your specific version rather than assuming one .zip covers the whole range.
Will Graves conflict with other death or inventory mods?
It can. Graves is documented as incompatible with Curios and Accessories-style equipment mods, and running it alongside another pack that also manages keepInventory risks duplicated or lost items. Test compatibility on a backup world before relying on it.
