Top 10 Minecraft Mods

As if there weren't enough to do in vanilla Minecraft already, there are hundreds of mods available for you to explore as well. The game's been out since 2009, and that's been plenty of time for creative geniuses to roll out some of the most awesome mods we've ever seen for the game. USgamer has compiled a list of ten of the most noteworthy Minecraft mods out there. Just don't be surprised if by the end of the list you've wasted hours and hours at your PC checking them all out. Fair warning!

Mo'Creatures
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By itself, Minecraft offers some token animal life. You can find (and sometimes tame) pigs, horses, sheep, and chickens. There's also uglier, angrier wildlife, including spiders and silverfish. You're never truly alone in Minecraft, but at the same time, the game lacks a diverse menagerie.

The Mo'Creatures mod changes that by letting you create your own Garden of Eden. When active, you can spawn an impressive range of creatures: Elephants, ostriches, komodo dragons, crocodiles, goats, multiple horse breeds, and many more. Even better, the animals boast an impressive amount of detail and come in different shapes, sizes, and colors.

The beasts also act true to their natural selves. If a crocodile spots a small, fuzzy animal, it rushes it with jaws agape. Rabbit pairs will "be fruitful" and breed at an alarming rate. For the sake of your computer's processor, it's a good idea to start a cull from time to time. Think of it as re-enacting Watership Down's Blessing of El-ahrairah.

X-Ray Mod
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In order to build any kind of life in Minecraft, you need to mine. Says it right there in the game's title. While it's not hard to find the cobblestone necessary to make basic shelters, it's not long before most of us become dissatisfied with four solid walls and a flat roof. We want gold. We want jewels. We want diamonds, because keeping yourself safe during a long journey usually requires a set of diamond weapons and armor.

Unsurprisingly, mining for diamonds and other precious materials takes a lot of searching and a lot of digging. But while digging in Minecraft is cathartic, not all of us want to burrow a hole in a mountain and hope we get lucky. Try firing up the X-Ray Mod, which outlines valuable ores - including redstone blocks - when activated.

The X-Ray Mod does more than help you get rich quick, too. Being able to see through plain rock makes it a lot easier to spot hostile mobs sneaking up on you.

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