Better Lanterns Resource Pack: Download and Install (26.3)
Better Lanterns: 3D lanterns and chains for Minecraft 26.3
Lanterns and chains get detailed 3D models, and copper lanterns are covered too. A plain resource pack for Minecraft 26.3: no mods, no OptiFine.
1:25 Better Lanterns is #5 in this video
5 Resource Packs for Minecraft 26.3
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Better Lanterns gives lanterns and chains a detailed 3D model. It is a plain resource pack, so it works in vanilla Minecraft 26.3 without mods or OptiFine. In my video on the best resource packs for 26.3 it is number 5.
What Better Lanterns changes
- Lanterns: hanging and standing lanterns get a more detailed 3D model instead of the flat vanilla look. Soul lanterns change too.
- Chains: the chains a lantern hangs from become 3D links.
- Copper: the current version is compatible with the new copper lanterns and copper chains.
- In your hand: it also changes the way lanterns are held in third person, to look a bit more realistic.
The difference is easiest to see up close, as in the screenshots below. From far away the lanterns still read like vanilla, which is the point: it is an upgrade, not a different style.
Better Lanterns for Minecraft 26.3
The current release is 1.4.0-mc26.2+26.3 from September 18, 2026, for Minecraft 26.2 and 26.3. The pack has over 3.7 million downloads on Modrinth. It is made by Nico4play and published under All Rights Reserved, so get it from the official page only.
How to install a resource pack
- Download the zip from the official Modrinth page. Don’t unpack it.
- In Minecraft, open Options, then Resource Packs, and click Open Pack Folder.
- Drop the zip into that folder.
- Back in the game, move the pack to the right (Selected). Packs higher up in that list win when two packs change the same thing.
Works well with
Better Lanterns only changes lanterns and chains, so it sits well next to the rest of my top 5: Fast Better Grass, Faithful 32x, OS’ Colorful Grasses and Round Trees. If you also use a full texture pack like Faithful 32x, keep Better Lanterns above it in the list, so its lanterns win. The whole list is in 5 Resource Packs for Minecraft 26.3.
Real in-game screenshots (Minecraft 26.3, vanilla and with Better Lanterns 1.4.0, recorded at The Mod Hunter's outpost at dusk). Left vanilla, right with the pack.
FAQ
Is Better Lanterns available for Minecraft 26.3?
Yes. Version 1.4.0-mc26.2+26.3 is a release for Minecraft 26.2 and 26.3, published on Modrinth on September 18, 2026.
Do I need OptiFine or a mod for Better Lanterns?
No. It is a plain resource pack that works in vanilla Minecraft. You can stack it with other resource packs; the pack higher up in the list wins where two packs change the same thing.
Does it change copper lanterns too?
Yes. The current version is compatible with the new copper lanterns and copper chains.
What else is in my top 5?
Better Lanterns is number 5. The full list with Round Trees, OS’ Colorful Grasses, Faithful 32x and Fast Better Grass is in my article on the best resource packs for Minecraft 26.3.
