Screenshot 1 of 1. MinecraftHub-generated cover art for VerdantLight: a floating lakeside block island, under a night sky
What VerdantLight works with.
| Platform | Java Edition |
|---|---|
| Loaders | Iris, OptiFine |
| Minecraft versions | 1.18, 1.18.2, 1.19.4, 1.20.6, 1.21.11, 26.1.2, 26.2 |
The VerdantLight shader pack by IonHex975 keeps Java's look close to vanilla while adding path-traced lighting, soft shadows and a natural day-night sky. It runs on Iris and OptiFine and is tagged low impact. Install it only on the machine you play on, since multiplayer hosts do not load shader packs.
Shader loaders and versions
- Iris and OptiFine: Minecraft 1.18 to 26.2.
What it changes
Shadows stay stable without jitter. Small plants cast no shadow while trees do.
- Sunrise and sunset transitions, a glowing square sun and subtle moon halos.
- Ambient occlusion layered on top of the native lightmaps for richer scene depth.
- Sky colour that adjusts during rain.
- Smart plant shadow detection that separates small plants from tree foliage.
Performance
Reported figures on an Intel Iris Plus 640, with render distance 6 and simulation distance 8, are about 75 FPS standing still and about 45 FPS walking across open plains. Treat that as one data point, not a promise for your hardware.
Installation
- 1.Install Iris on Fabric or NeoForge, or install OptiFine.
- 2.Place the shader pack's .zip file in the shaderpacks folder.
- 3.Select VerdantLight in Video Settings > Shader Packs (the Iris menu path).
New to shader loaders? The shader installation guide covers both pipelines step by step.
Questions about VerdantLight.
4 questions
Does VerdantLight work with Iris and OptiFine?
Yes. Both loaders have builds for it, and the newest release lists no required dependencies on either. On Iris, install it on Fabric or NeoForge, put the pack in the shaderpacks folder and pick it under Video Settings > Shader Packs.
Is VerdantLight good for low-end PCs?
It is built for low-end hardware and is tagged low impact. Reported figures on an Intel Iris Plus 640 are about 75 FPS standing still and about 45 FPS walking across plains at render distance 6. Results vary with your hardware and settings.
Does VerdantLight work on Bedrock?
No. It is a Java shader pack that needs Iris or OptiFine, and both are Java mods that Bedrock cannot run. Bedrock uses a different shader format, so this pack will not load there.
Do I need to install VerdantLight on a multiplayer host?
No. The pack is listed as required on the machine you play on and unsupported on a dedicated host, so install it only where you play. That machine also needs Iris or OptiFine, as the pack's builds list, and nothing is installed on the multiplayer host for it.
