Recommendations: More Interesting Mines
A list of mods that change or add new things to discover in the mines and Skull Cavern so that every delve is even more of a unique experience!
Frameworks
Custom Ore Nodes
Author: aedenthorn
Custom Ore Nodes allows mod content packs to add custom ore nodes to the mines and Skull Cavern that drop vanilla or mod-added items when broken. It also comes with an example content pack that adds a coal stone, a pizza stone, and a prismatic shard stone.
Custom Resource Clumps
Author: aedenthorn
Custom Resource Clumps allows mod content packs to add boulder-sized clumps that drop large amounts of resources when broken. It also comes with an example content pack that adds 5 copper, iron, gold, diamond, and iridium clumps.
New Clumps & Gems
Vanilla Gem Clumps
Author: KAYA
Vanilla Gem Clumps adds 11 new clumps that drop vanilla gems at the same level as their equivalent gem node.
Lumisteria Clumps and Nodes
Author: Lumisteria
Lumisteria Clumps and Nodes adds new clumps and nodes that drop vanilla minerals, gems, and ores.
The Geology Mod
Author: IgneousInsanity
The Geology Mod adds 15 new nodes that drop vanilla minerals as well as new machines purchasable from Clint for processing them.
More Gem
Author: KAYA
More Gem adds 84 new gems, minerals, and corals, along with new nodes where they can be found and 2 new machines related to them.
More Gem Geode
Author: KAYA
More Gem Geode adds 18 new clumps that drop custom geodes which give the gems from More Gem by Kaya when broken at Clint's forge.
More Custom Gems and Minerals
Author: Isari112
More Custom Gems and Minerals adds 38 new ore clumps and 37 new minerals and other item clumps, designed as an add-on to More Gem.
Various Coal Ores
Author: Dojando
Various Coal Ores adds different variations of coal ores, including visual variations depending on the mines floor type.
More Gem Clumps
Author: Neonix / NeonixWyd
More Gem Clumps adds 11 new clumps that drop the gems from More Gem by Kaya.
Ice from Mines
Author: KAYA
Ice from Mines adds a new clump to the frozen mines levels that drops ice when broken.
Cinder Shard Clump
Author: KAYA
Cinder Shard Clump adds a rare chance to find a new clump of cinder shards in the Skull Cavern and the deepest levels of the mines.
Qi Gem Clump
Author: KAYA
Qi Gem Clump adds a very rare chance to find a new clump that drops Qi gems.
Discoveries In The Depths
Author: mikeInside
Discoveries In The Depths adds rare new objects such as giant mushrooms, crystal formations, statues, ore and mineral deposits, monster nests, stalagmites, and strange altars that can be mined to find resources and treasures.
Dragon Hibernation Clumps
Author: KAYA
Dragon Hibernation Clumps adds 9 different-coloured sleeping dragon clumps in the Skull Cavern and the deepest levels of the mines that drop dragon teeth, bones, and eggs when 'slain'.
Monster Clumps
Author: Narianka
Monster Clumps adds 7 new monster-themed (and junimo) clumps in the mines that drop various resources.
Heart Clumps
Author: KAYA
Heart Clumps adds 13 new heart-shaped gem clumps that drop gems or minerals that match the clump's colour.
IYAHO Clumps
Author: IYAHO
IYAHO Clumps adds 11 new fantasy-esque clumps that drop various essences, gems, and mushrooms.
Hmm Cheese Yum
Author: tomasitobambito
Hmm Cheese Yum adds a new cheese stone that drops either cheese or goat cheese.
Food Clumps
Author: KAYA
Food Clumps adds 21 new clumps that drop various types of food when broken.
Ice Cream Cat Clumps
Author: KAYA
Ice Cream Cat Clumps adds a cat-shaped clump of ice-cream in 10 different colours to the frozen levels of the mines that drops ice-cream when broken.
ManekiNeko Clumps
Author: KAYA
ManekiNeko Clumps adds a new clump shaped like a maneki neko / beckoning cat that drops doubloons when broken.
Monsters
Snow Crab
Author: emurphy42
Snow Crab adds snow crabs to the ice levels of the mines.
Boss Creatures
Author: aedenthorn
Boss Creatures adds difficult new giant monsters with special custom attacks to monster-infested floors of the mines and Skull Caverns.
Hardcore Mines 2
Author: ItsLittany
Hardcore Mines 2 adds monsters with boss-level stats to the safe floors of the mines and Skull Cavern with new loot after defeating them.
Stronger and More Random Monsters
Author: mikemonroe
Stronger and More Random Monsters changes monsters stats so that they randomly draw from a stat range instead of being fixed, so that monsters may be harder or easier each day.
SFG's Crab Monster Recolors (Content Patcher)
Author: mikemonroe
SFG's Crab Monster Recolors changes the rock crab monsters to be slightly, somewhat, or very different in colour to their equivalent rock camouflage so that they're easier to spot.
Cuter Mines
Author: sqbr
Cuter Mines retextures the monsters and maps to be cuter.
Retextures
Note: There are other nice gem & mineral retextures available, but this list only includes those that retexture the nodes found in the mines.
Vanilla Tweaks
Author: mrtaiyou
Vanilla Tweaks changes the ore and gem nodes (amongst many, many other things) to have a bright vanilla-friendly style.
Animated Gemstones
Author: undare
Animated Gemstones changes the ore and gem nodes and ice crystals to have a more translucent, glimmering appearance. This is an animated version of Sharp Gemstones.
Sharp Gemstones
Author: undare and Taiyokun
Sharp Gemstones changes the ore and gem nodes and ice crystals to have a more translucent, glimmering appearance. This is a non-animated version of Animated Gemstones.
Flowing Mine Rocks
Author: aedenthorn
Flowing Mine Rocks changes horizontally or vertically connected mine nodes into a single vein of ore and gems that shrinks as it is mined.
Animated Mining Pack
Author: Gervig91
Animated Mining Pack adds a sparkle or shine animation to the vanilla ore and gem nodes and ice crystals.
Other
Colored Crystalariums
Author: undare
Colored Crystalariums changes the front window panel of the crystalarium so it matches the colour of the gem it's currently processing. Includes compatibility for Medieval Craftables and Primitive Artisan Equipment.
Mineral Mage
Author: undare
Mineral Mage adds the Mineral Guild, a group of NPCs in a custom location who provide shops and 9 new mining-related machines to expand on mining.
Sediment Sorter
Author: MrTea / brightonmorris1
Sediment Sorter adds a new craftable machine that converts rocks, clay, or earth crystals into coal, ores, and lesser minerals.
Mining-2-Seed Processor
Author: HaulinOats / socialcoder
Mining-2-Seed Processor adds a new craftable machine that processes minerals, ore, and monster loot into farmable seeds.
Placeable Mine Shaft
Author: aedenthorn
Placeable Mine Shaft adds mine shafts as a craftable and placeable object like staircases.
Strange Machines
Author: mrtaiyou
Strange Machines adds 9 new machines that can be obtained in various ways including letters, quests, and events. It also adds 8 new nodes to the mines and Skull Caverns and 19 new items related to the new machines.
Underground Secrets
Author: aedenthorn
Underground Secrets adds a variety of new features to the mines and Skull Caverns such as mysterious shrines, altars, riddles, traps, and puzzles that can either grant treasure if successful or damage the player if not.
Custom Dungeon Floors
Author: aedenthorn
Custom Dungeon Floors allows the player to customise many different things about the mines and Skull Caverns, including how many monsters, gem nodes, and ores spawn, how often treasure appears, and how many ladders can be found.
Treasure Chests Expanded
Author: aedenthorn
Treasure Chests Expanded allows for an expanded range of items to be found in treasure chests as well as adding coins and a larger number of items to chests.
Additional Mine Maps
Author: aedenthorn
Additional Mine Maps is a framework that allows adding extra maps to the list of maps used by the mines and skull cave, assigning a map to a specific floor, or replacing the game's list entirely with custom maps.
Chest Room for Additional Mine Maps
Author: aedenthorn
Chest Room for Additional Mine Maps adds a floor to the mines and skull cave with tiles that trigger an exploding wall, slime and burn traps, and a chest spawn. Requires Additional Mine Maps.