Epic Fight

Epic Fight is a Minecraft Java mod that replaces vanilla melee combat with a stamina-based, souls-like system built by Antikythera Studios. It adds new weapon types, guard and dodge mechanics, and mob AI that fights back with real combos, on Forge or NeoForge only. Both the client and the server need the mod installed, since attack animations run through the same combat logic on each side.

What Epic Fight changes about combat

Every attack now drains a stamina bar, so holding down the vanilla attack key stops working once the bar runs out. A weapon's weight shortens how long you flinch when hit but raises its stamina cost and slows its swing, and landing hits fills a special attack gauge for a stronger finishing move. Skill Books teach techniques like dodging and weapon-specific combos, and the same animation system runs on vanilla mobs, so zombies, skeletons, and other enemies gain real attack patterns instead of just walking into your sword.

• Stamina bar limits how often you can attack, dodge, or block
• Weapon weight trades stun resistance and stamina cost for raw damage
• Special attack gauge fills by dealing damage, then unlocks a stronger move
• Skill Books teach dodges and weapon-specific combos
• Vanilla mobs use the same combat system, so they gain new attacks too

Weapon types and tiers

Epic Fight adds six weapon types, each craftable across the standard wood-to-netherite material tiers with its own moveset and special attack.

• Dagger
• Greatsword
• Longsword
• Spear
• Tachi
• Uchigatana

Installing Epic Fight on Forge or NeoForge

Epic Fight has no Fabric or Quilt build, so pick the matching Forge or NeoForge version for the Minecraft release you are targeting.

1. 1.Install Forge or NeoForge for your target Minecraft version, following our guide on how to install Forge and NeoForge if you have not set one up before.
2. 2.Download the Epic Fight build that matches your loader and Minecraft version from Modrinth.
3. 3.Place the jar in the mods folder on both the client and the server.
4. 4.Launch the game or server once to generate the config, then adjust settings from Mods to Epic Fight to Config in-game.

See our guide on installing Forge and NeoForge for Minecraft Java for loader setup, and installing mods on Minecraft Java for general modding steps.

Supported Minecraft versions and loader coverage

Coverage is not equal across the two loaders. Forge's last version bump landed on Minecraft 1.20.6 in November 2024, and every Forge build published since has stayed on 1.20.1. NeoForge is the loader still receiving updates, with dozens of releases since mid-2025, but every one of them targets Minecraft 1.21.1. The project has not moved past that version on either loader.

• Forge: up to Minecraft 1.20.6, last version bump November 2024
• NeoForge: Minecraft 1.21.1 only, actively updated but no newer Minecraft support yet
• No Fabric or Quilt build exists
• No required dependencies on either loader

Compatibility with other mods

Epic Fight ships with no required dependencies, and its documentation exposes an API and datapack hooks that other mods use to add custom weapons, armor, and mob behavior. Simply Swords is one example: its base download uses vanilla attack animations unless paired with Better Combat, and players who prefer Epic Fight instead can add a separate third-party CurseForge addon built specifically to bridge the two mods. If you want a lighter combat overhaul instead of a full stamina-and-skills system, Better Combat focuses on weapon animations and dual wielding without changing the underlying combat math.

Epic Fight 1.20.1 combat and weapon showcase

Watch on YouTube