There are many mods on CurseForge that will change the way you look at Minecraft. I've spent many years choosing which ones to keep so my world can look as beautiful as possible, and I think I've just found my next download.
Distant horizons is one of those mods that will change the way you look at Minecraft. It might not seem like much on paper, but by adding simple terrain beyond the default sight distance in Minecraft, Distant Horizons improves your performance and allows for longer sight distances.
The Demo video for Distant Horizons offers these stunning views, as well as biome blending and faster geometry rebuilding, so your world doesn't look as blocky as it used to. World generator threads can now even be reduced to a number less than one, slowing down world generation and making render distance easier to manage – I know so many people who play Minecraft on old gaming laptops or PCs, so I made a mod, making this accessible to those who don't have the latest hardware is fantastic.
However, it's important to note that the demo video is a bit out of date as it shows the alpha for 1.6.3, however this mod is now available for newer versions of Minecraft up to 1.20.2, so you don't have too much new content too sacrifice to enjoy what is on offer.
For a newer look at Distant Horizons, a Video from YouTuber AsianHalfSquat shows what this mod is capable of (thanks, The player). Optifine previously made it possible to run 64 chunk render distances with shaders, but Distant Horizons clearly goes to the next level with a 512 chunk render distance. However, if the stunning snow-capped mountain ranges in the distance aren't enough to convince you, then I would highly recommend checking out some terrain generation mods such as: Terralith or Tectonicwhich, thanks to Distant Horizons, make the most of the generous open spaces you can now enjoy.
I've had a decades-long habit of building sprawling black stone cities or castles on flat mountains, so with this mod I can finally enjoy the beautiful views from my perch in the clouds without having to worry about stuttering frame rates. It's also really cool to see the dramatic landscapes that run through Minecraft now after the Caves and Cliffs update. And if this mod makes finding Woodland Mansions less of a chore, then I'll be very grateful to Distant Horizons.
