Screenshot 1 of 3. Dark cave with stone walls, torches, and floating dust particles in an underground cavern, shown with Cave Dust.
What Cave Dust works with.
| Platform | Java Edition |
|---|---|
| Loaders | Fabric |
| Minecraft versions | 1.18.2, 1.19.4, 1.20.6, 1.21.8, 26.1.2 |
| Environment | Client |
Cave Dust is a cave dust mod for Fabric that borrows the white ash particle from the Basalt Deltas biome and scatters it through the underground. The idea is simple: air in a real mineshaft is never perfectly clear. It runs on the player's side only, so a multiplayer host does not need it and does not support it. A Forge line exists but has stopped.
Loaders and versions
- Fabric: Minecraft 1.18.2 to 26.1.2. The newest build needs no dependencies; some builds for 1.18.2 to 1.20.2 require Fabric API.
- Forge: Minecraft 1.20.1 to 1.20.4, builds stopped after May 2024. The newest build requires Architectury API; some builds for 1.20.1 to 1.20.4 need no dependencies.
What it changes underground
The mod checks two things: whether you have no open sky above you, and whether you are below sea level. When both are true, ash particles appear around you. The count scales with depth, so shallow tunnels get a light haze and deep caverns get a heavier drift.
The Lush Caves biome is skipped on purpose, because it already has its own particles. Everything else underground is fair game, which makes torch-lit tunnels and ravines feel noticeably less sterile.
Configuration
Most options can be changed in-game through the config screen, which needs Mod Menu. The mod runs without it, but you lose the screen. The one setting that needs a manual edit of the config file is the particle itself, so swapping ash for something else means opening the file in a text editor.
Installation
- 1.Install Fabric Loader for your game release, following the Fabric install guide.
- 2.Drop the mod file into the mods folder, along with any dependency listed above for your build.
- 3.Optionally add Mod Menu for the config screen.
- 4.Launch the Fabric profile and dig below sea level, away from open sky.
Cave Dust showcase by Riley Graham
Questions about Cave Dust.
4 questions
Does Cave Dust work on multiplayer hosts?
No. The mod is for the player's side only and a host does not support it. You install it on your own machine and the particles render locally, so you can still join multiplayer worlds that run on other setups.
Does Cave Dust work on Forge?
Forge builds exist for 1.20.1 to 1.20.4, but they stopped after May 2024. Fabric is the loader that is still updated, so it is the safer choice for anything newer than those releases.
Where does Cave Dust spawn particles?
Particles appear when you have no open sky above you and you are below sea level. The amount scales with depth. The Lush Caves biome is skipped because it already has its own particles.
How do I change the dust particle?
Most settings can be changed in-game through the config screen from Mod Menu. The particle type is the exception. You have to open the config file manually and edit it there.
