Screenshot 1 of 3. Survival view of a forest with the Explorer's Compass HUD showing a located stronghold, its coordinates and distance.
What Explorer's Compass works with.
| Platform | Java Edition |
|---|---|
| Loaders | Fabric, NeoForge, Forge |
| Minecraft versions | 1.16.5, 1.17.1, 1.18.2, 1.19.4, 1.20.6, 1.21.11, 26.1.2, 26.2, 26.3 |
| Environment | Client, Server |
The Explorer's Compass mod adds a craftable compass that locates structures anywhere in the world. It runs on Fabric, NeoForge and Forge for Minecraft Java, and its files are tagged for both client and server. It works with every structure, vanilla and modded.
Loaders and versions
- Fabric: Minecraft 1.16.5 to 26.3. The newest build needs no dependencies.
- NeoForge: Minecraft 1.20.2 to 26.3. The newest build needs no dependencies.
- Forge: Minecraft 1.16.5 to 1.21.5. The newest build needs no dependencies.
How the compass works
- Right-click to open a menu, then pick a structure or a group of structures to search for.
- Shift-right-click to reset the compass.
- Information about the current structure search appears on the HUD.
- With no structure located, the needle points at world spawn.
Installation
Pick the file for your loader and your game version, then drop the .jar into the mods folder. The newest builds need no other mods. If you have not set up a loader yet, follow the guide to installing Fabric or the one for Forge and NeoForge. For multiplayer, put the mod on both sides, since the files are tagged for client and server.
Configuration and limits
The config file sets the search radius, the maximum number of samples and a blacklist of structures. Those limits bound every search, so tune them for large modpacks with many structures. The compass only finds structures. For biomes, Chaosyr's sister mod Nature's Compass locates biomes instead.
The mod has been on CurseForge since June 2021 and has passed 100 million downloads there. Its page states you can use it in a modpack.
Explorer's Compass mod review
Questions about Explorer's Compass.
3 questions
Can Explorer's Compass find biomes?
No. It searches for structures only, vanilla and modded. Biome searching belongs to Nature's Compass, a separate mod by the same creator, Chaosyr. Nature's Compass is the sister mod that locates biomes, so use it when you want a biome rather than a structure; Explorer's Compass leaves biomes to it.
How do I use the Explorer's Compass?
Right-click it to open a menu and select a structure or a group of structures to search for. Information about the search appears on the HUD. Shift-right-click resets the compass, and when no structure is located it points at world spawn. The crafting recipe is shown on the mod's CurseForge page.
Can I use Explorer's Compass in a modpack?
Yes. The mod's page states you can use it in your modpack. The licence is Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0, so keep the attribution and non-commercial terms in mind.
