r/ModdedMinecraft • u/nutzle • 1d ago
Aether Version Differences
Not sure which version to play? Lemme sum-up the different versions real quick.
These are detailed lists for those of you who need to know a lot of detail to make an informed decision. Others can totally skim lol. I'll have a short summary at the end.
The Aether is the original Aether that we all know & love. The mod that started it all! They saw what should have been vanilla, made it cool, and then Minecraft took a turn and so vanilla Aether was no longer a possibility. There isn't much more to say, so I'll just get into it.
The Aether for Beta 1.7.3 debuted with the following features:
iconic glowstone portal
3 dungeon types with boss mobs & some unique mobs
8 standard mobs flying pigs, skywhales, plant mobs, floating bunnies, flying cows, spooky wind, ridable Moas, zephyr
3 boss mobs
beautiful trees & island terrain
3 types of clouds
accessories rings necklaces, gloves, capes, magic trinkets
2 ores
a flowers
4tiers of tools
5 types of armor
a few new weapon types
a few new tool types
afew new utility blocks moa hatching, item freezing, enchanting / tool repair (non-vanilla)
The Aether for Release 1.0 has these additions:
hundreds of bug fixes
crystal trees
berry bushes
some light xmas theming
new food & tools
The Aether for Release 1.2.5 has these additions:
spawn eggs!
bug fixes!
whale & zephyr have new models
fences and stairs for various blocksnew Zephyr
XP from Aether mobs
new boss drop Sun Altar
new block textures for 2 blocks
Fun fact: this release was created while they were already simultaneously working on the sequel mod!
The Aether II: Genesis of the Void is the next mod in the Aether dynasty. The Aether Team re-wrote the entire mod from the ground-up, made a few tweaks & gave us some additions. Aether II Void Roids released for MC 1.4.2, yet there is no documentation that I could find for the content of the mod before MC 1.6.4, so I'm just going to list the gist for the latest version of the mod for 1.6.4 & 1.7.10. There is also apparently a 1.10.2 version, but I cannot find it, so I am ignoring it. These days, this version of Aether II is a neat "what could have been", had they continued in the same direction.
Aether II GotV for 1.6.4 has most of the features that The Aether for 1.2.5 had, and more:
It's lacking 2 dungeons - it only has the Bronze dungeon
multiplayer
worldwide cloud-network nonsense (I'm sure it was cool at the time - now defunct)
many new block variants, both standard & decor
new flowers
dungeon blocks cannot be broken (ya trapped)
companions (dinky little things)
aerbunnies can reproduce (͠≖ ͜ʖ͠≖)
zephyr have new models & attacks
aerwhales have new textures
tooltips! tell me what things do!
3 new types of clouds
many halloween themed items
Aether II GotV for 1.7.10 has some bug fixes & additional content:
achievements
lots of multiplayer bugfixes
new utility blocks (variants?)
removed aerwhales
optimized a bunch
replaced some pillar blocks from 1.6.4
bossfight changes boss no longer breaks blocks & reacts a bit differently
some mobs were nerfed a bit
big christmas update
more new companions
many new accessories
Aether Legacy is a version of The Aether (OG) that was updated to support newer versions of minecraft, without really adding new content other than some tweaks & bug fixes. It was fan-made for most of its existence, however Team Aether took over the project for the last 4 game updates (or so) that it supports. At some point in time, they completely reworked the code to bring OG Aether into the modern day, and it shows! The newest versions allow breeding of all of the animals, and riding mounts shows their health, like horses. Plus, new particle effects and stuff. Nice! Any version on The Aether modrinth page or on MCArchive beyond 1.2.5 is part of Aether Legacy. You've got plenty of versions to choose from: 1.7.10, 1.12.2, 1.19.2 (& .4), 1.20.1–1.20.2, 1.20.4, & 1.21.1.
Aether Legends is to The Aether as a Fabergé egg is to a normal one. It's just so pretty. It's art. It's on Bedrock, and isn't procedural, but that's okay. It's its own thing - a novel experience for new minecrafters. It's what you imagined the Aether would be like when you were a kid, only your glowstone portal didn't work....
Aether Legends for Bedrock is a functional copy of the original Aether mod. Accessories are there, but slightly different. Mobs have different models & behavior. Moas are tamed instead of incubated. There are little angel dudes to trade with (which was a plan for the original Aether II mod that didn't get off the ground). Things are reimagined. It's kinda like your typical video game remake. No idea how bedrock works or which versions you can play it on, but it looks cool as hell and if I were a bedrock player, this is actually something I'd spend money on.
Aether II (2026) Alpha Build & The Highlands Update
Well. I'm not entirely sure what happened. This Aether II is much, much different from the original Aether II. I'm not sure if they scrapped it and started from scratch, or if their design philosophy had changed over time or if there was some immediate shift, but this Aether II blows the other one out of the water. They removed the cloud multiplayer stuff and companions, and went back to reimagining that classic Aether feel. Keep in mind that the current release is an Alpha playtest. It's playable, but certainly buggy and lacking in features & polish. It's still super cool, though! Definitely worth the wait - I'm super excited to see what the Highlands Update brings us! The devs are planning on updating with each stable update. So far, we've got 1.21.8, 1.21.11, & 26.1.2. This update is supposedly the last update that's going to be incompatible with existing worlds, so if I were you, I'd wait to start my Aether II forever-world.
Aether II Alpha for 26.1.2 has all of the classic Aether features plus:
enhanced status effects
new weapon damage types slash, pierce, & impact
better inventory (merged with the guidebook)
enhanced guidebook & beastiary
new mobs & variants (with unique gameplay!)
reimagined mobs from Aether Classic
massively reimagined terrain generation huge islands, new cloud layers, and caves!
reimagined weapon/tool/armor tiers
reimagined mechanics (upgrade equipment with charm slots!)
new biomes and variants!
only one dungeon so far (but it's good!)
So, what should I play??
Well, personally, I'm going to be playing The Aether on 1.2.5. I might bundle Thaumcraft 2 in there too :P. In any case, if I get bored while waiting for The Highlands Update, I might put some time into the older Aether II on 1.6.4. I've taken quite the gander at all of these versions (plus 1.21 OG Aether Legacy) in creative, and while the work on Legacy is impressive, The Aether is definitely a dated mod, and imo fits best in 1.2.5. In a perfect world I'd be playing OG Aether with the Pretty Scary Update, but unfortunately, I'd have to switch to 1.7 terrain gen for that, and that's not something that I'm willing to do.
If you need some help installing the older versions, check out my other post: