Soul Shards: The Old Ways Mod — Guide
Getting Started
To begin your journey into soul manipulation, you must first obtain an Unbound Soul Shard. This is achieved through a specific ritual structure rather than a standard crafting table recipe.
The Ritual Structure
To create a Soul Shard, construct the following 3x3 flat structure on the ground: 1. Center: Place one block of Glowstone. 2. Sides (Cross): Place four blocks of Netherrack adjacent to the Glowstone. 3. Corners: Place four blocks of End Stone in the remaining corner spots. 4. Activation: Right-click the central Glowstone block with a Diamond in hand. The structure will be consumed (often turning into End Stone), and you will receive one Unbound Soul Shard.
Note: Some configurations may use Obsidian and Quartz instead of Netherrack and End Stone. Check your local JEI or config if the standard ritual fails.
Soul Shard Tiers
Soul Shards level up as you kill the mob type they are bound to. The first kill with an Unbound Shard in your hotbar binds it to that entity. Higher tiers provide significant bonuses to spawn speed and environmental requirements.
| Tier | Kills Required | Mobs Spawned | Cooldown | Player Nearby? | Light Check | Dimension Check | Redstone Control |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 0 | 0 - 63 | 0 | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | No |
| 1 | 64 | 2 | 20 Seconds | Yes | Yes | Yes | No |
| 2 | 128 | 4 | 10 Seconds | Yes | Yes | Yes | No |
| 3 | 256 | 4 | 5 Seconds | No | Yes | Yes | No |
| 4 | 512 | 4 | 5 Seconds | No | Yes | No | No |
| 5 | 1024 | 6 | 2 Seconds | No | No | No | Yes |
- Player Nearby: If 'Yes', a player must be within 16 blocks for the cage to function.
- Light Check: If 'Yes', mobs will only spawn if the light level is appropriate for their natural spawning (e.g., dark for Zombies).
- Dimension Check: If 'Yes', mobs will only spawn in their native dimension (e.g., Blazes only in the Nether).
- Redstone Control: Tier 5 cages can be deactivated by applying a Redstone signal.
Mechanics
Soul Stealer Enchantment
This enchantment can be applied to any sword or axe. It significantly increases the number of souls gained per kill: * Level I: +1 Soul * Level II: +2 Souls * Level III: +3 Souls * Level IV: +4 Souls * Level V: +5 Souls
When using a Vile Sword with Soul Stealer V, a player can gain up to 7 souls per kill (1 base + 1 Vile Sword bonus + 5 enchantment bonus).
Consuming Vanilla Spawners
If you find a vanilla mob spawner (e.g., a Skeleton spawner in a dungeon), you can right-click it with a Soul Shard already bound to that same mob type. This will destroy the vanilla spawner and instantly add 200 souls to your shard, allowing you to bypass the early-tier grind.