💎 Diamonds are Rare – A Scarcity Overhaul

Diamonds are Rare is a minimalist progression-altering mod that overhauls how players acquire and use diamonds, making the process of obtaining them more layered and complex, yet streamlined.

The vanilla diamond ore is now much rarer, and mostly replaced by its new 'Sparse' counterparts, which no longer drop full diamonds. Instead, it yields diamond fragments that must be refined into the usable gem.

With diamond ore made significantly rarer in world generation, you must either search far and deep for the old diamond ores (which are now no longer guaranteed to drop a whole diamond), or you're going to have to embark on a journey to find someone who has the knowledge and skill to reconstitute fragments to their former glory, through sanctifying rites for a glistening green fee of course (wink wink). However, you may have to earn their trust first...

This mod is designed to pair naturally with mods that bridge the gap between iron and diamond (such as my upcoming mod Simply Steel), making each advancement feel meaningful, not just a B-line to y-16 the moment you spawn into a new world. The result is a more strategic, exploration-focused experience, where every diamond feels like a genuine achievement.

I've always felt that once you've played minecraft once, you can 'beat' the game in a couple hours with a little determination, so this mod is a very important addition for me, in expanding the progression of the game, not just extending it.

Diamonds are Rare keeps Minecraft’s core gameplay intact, adding very little new content, while adding just enough friction to make progression feel fresh, unique, and more rewarding.

Compatibility

Honestly, i'm not sure as im not a coder, but all this mod really does is overwrite Diamond Ore generation and loot tables, adds one item, two blocks, and adds a six new trades, so all i can say is employ common sense and/or test for yourself.

Any feedback, criticisms or suggestions are welcome as I am new to modding :)

Features and Changes

Vanilla Diamond ores are now much less common, and aren't guaranteed to drop whole Diamonds, but will always drop 2-4 fragments.
New 'Sparse' stone and deepslate diamond ore counterparts, which replace most vanilla diamonds, and drop 1-2 fragments.
Diamond Fragments which must be turned into usable Diamonds
Expert level Villager Cleric trade which requires 4 Diamond Fragments and 4 Emeralds, giving 1 Diamond in return.
New rare and limited trades for the Wandering Trader, giving Diamond rewards for certain exotic goods, providing them more gameplay functionality.
- 3 Dragon's Breath - 1 Diamond
- Heart of the Sea - 1 Diamond
- Sniffer Egg - 3 Diamonds
- Nether Star - 15 Diamonds
- Ender Dragon Head - 15 Diamonds