Essential Features is a vanilla+ mod adding loads of unique blocks and items, with more redstone components such as stained lamps, building blocks such as snow brick, and special items such as the portable jukebox! There's also new music discs, redstone torches, and even some lightning-based weaponry!

There's no theme - I'm just adding random things that I think are neat. Food, redstone, weapons, anything!

MODPACK MAKERS: Essential Features 3.1.0 and up include a lightning-smelting feature - if an item is dropped next to a redstone rod and lightning hits it, the items will be smelted in the same way as in a blast furnace. You can add lightning-only recipes by adding a recipe with the type "essentialfeatures:lightning_smelting".

Pictures

All of the blocks and items added by the mod

The portable jukebox, portable noteblock, and the two records

The block breaker

Features

More Music:

More background music

Two new records: 'Scarlet' and 'Lo-Fi'

A portable jukebox, so you can take your music with you. Find it in dungeons, abandoned mineshafts, nether fortresses, and temples.

More Redstone:

The Viewed Block - when you look at it, it emits redstone.

Stained redstone lamps and torches: give your circuits some colour.

The Block Breaker: give it redstone power and it breaks the block in front. Perfect for automating cobblestone factories.

The Block Placer: like a dispenser, but it places blocks in front of it, rather than shooting out items.

The Redstone Rod: an End Rod which attracts lightning.

More Items:

Cereal: gives you 6 food and 1 saturation.

Iron-fortified cereal: like regular cereal, but gives you resistance and regeneration. Made with cereal and a lot of iron.

Redstone rod sword and arrows: strike your enemies with lightning!

Misc:

Spike blocks: When you walk through them, you get damaged and slowed down. Perfect for traps.

Slate: A new type of stone found near the surface. You can layer it like snow.

Blaze Block: This block, made with 4 blaze powder, is like a very energetic magma block. It continuously emits smoke, and occasionally erupts into bursts of flame. It burns anyone who goes near it. It's also a good furnace fuel!

Purpur and Nether Brick doors: let your other-dimensional bases have some fitting doors.

Loads of new decorative blocks!

Videos

Niche Duck's showcase of the mod (note that this was an early 1.15.2 port, and was very buggy. Almost all of the issues are fixed.)