What is SkyFactory 4?
SkyFactory 4 is a skyblock modpack for Minecraft 1.12.2 on Forge: you start on a single dirt tree floating in the void and turn it into a full tech-and-magic factory. It's made by Darkosto (with Blargerist and Firstnecron), came out in 2019 and has passed 14 million downloads on CurseForge – one of the most downloaded modpacks ever.
Nothing in SkyFactory 4 is mined the normal way. Dirt comes from trees, iron from amber and saplings, cobblestone from pigs, and later you automate it all with Mekanism, Applied Energistics 2, Industrial Foregoing and Mystical Agriculture.
| Spec | Value |
|---|---|
| Minecraft version | 1.12.2 (Java Edition) |
| Mod loader | Forge 14.23.5.2860 |
| Mods | 202 (version 4.2.4) |
| Java | 8 |
| Latest version | 4.2.4 (December 2021) – the pack is finished, no more updates |
| Authors | Darkosto, Blargerist, Firstnecron |
| World types | 39 presets |
SkyFactory 4 has been launched on almost 300 servers on Spot.gg. Because the pack no longer changes, a server set up today will stay compatible with your friends' clients for years.
How do you start in SkyFactory 4?
Punch the dirt tree, grow more trees by crouching next to saplings, and use a crook on leaves to get more saplings – that's the whole first hour. The pack's own advancements (the "Age 1" page) walk you through it:
- Wood and saplings. Break logs and leaves. Crouch repeatedly (or sprint) next to a sapling to grow it faster – green particles mean it works. The first advancement asks for 8 dirt saplings and 8 oak logs.
- Crook. Craft a Wooden Crook and use it on leaves for more sapling drops.
- Dirt and food. Dirt trees drop Dirt Acorns – they craft into dirt and are also food (cooked ones fill more). You start with a torch, coffee, toast and a Builder's Wand.
- Cobblestone. Craft a cobblestone mud bucket and feed it to a pig – it becomes a Resource Hog that digs up cobblestone. Hogs of the same type breed together.
- Water and lava. The Rustic Crushing Tub gives you liquids; then build a cobblestone generator.
- First metals. Craft Iron, Gold, Tin, Lead and Silver Amber, melt it in the Tinkers' Complement Melter and pour the molten metal over a sapling: iron over acacia, gold over oak, tin over birch, lead over dark oak, silver over menril. You now have trees that grow ore.
From there, Bonsai Trees automate your saplings in pots, slime saplings need Slimy Dirt, and the tech mods take over.
What if you fall into the void? In the standard world types Forgiving Void is on: below Y −32 you drop back into the world from high up and take 19 damage (9.5 hearts). At full health you survive – otherwise you don't. In Hardcore it's off.
How does Prestige work in SkyFactory 4?
Prestige is an optional mode where you earn points for completing advancements and spend them in a tech tree (key "P") to unlock mods, buffs and new world types. It's off by default (Prestige Enabled Default=false in config/prestige.cfg), and points are global – they carry over to every new world with Prestige on.
- How to earn points: complete a whole advancement page. Each of the seven pages – Age 1, Exploration, Farming, Power, Storage, Enhancement and "All the Things" (late game) – gives 1 point. A Parabox machine generates points too; the upgraded Parabox² gives up to 3.
- What it unlocks: 38 rewards. Examples with their cost from the pack's
rewards.json:
| Reward | Unlocks | Cost |
|---|---|---|
| Can You Dig it | Ore Excavation (vein mining) | 1 |
| Now You're Thinking With Portals | Portal Gun | 1 |
| It Just Smelts My Heart | Tinkers' Smeltery | 2 |
| Fast Forward | a bag of early-game items in every new world | 3 |
| Rocket Man | Iron Jetpacks (flight) | 4 |
| Skylight Forest | The Twilight Forest in a void world | 4 |
| Weird Flux, but OK | Flux Networks (wireless power) | 4 |
| Insanium in the Membranium | Mystical Agradditions | 20 |
| Myst Connections | Mystcraft (custom dimensions) | 25 |
| Seed No Evil | Mystical Agriculture | 50 |
| Yes, ProjectE is in the Modpack | ProjectE | 100 |
| Project E Adventure | the "Project trEe" world type | 250 |
There are also permanent potion effects (Strength II, Haste II, Night Vision, Health Boost…) and Mulch upgrades that speed up Bonsai trees up to 1000%.
Should you turn it on? For a first playthrough, no – without Prestige the pack's classic mode gives you mods like Mystical Agriculture, Twilight Forest, Iron Jetpacks and Ore Excavation from the start. Prestige is for players who want a longer, grindier run across several worlds. ProjectE stays a Prestige unlock either way.
What world types are in SkyFactory 4?
SkyFactory 4 has 39 world presets (Topography); the default "Sky Factory 4" is a dirt tree in the void, and the rest change the start or the difficulty. A selection:
| Preset | What it is |
|---|---|
| Sky Factory 4 | the classic: one dirt tree in the void |
| SkyFactory Tutorial | the classic world with tutorial advancements; difficulty locked to Easy |
| Skygrid | blocks and resources in an infinite grid |
| Compactsky | start inside a 3×3×3 Compact Machine and expand |
| Cave Dimension | a huge underground cave |
| Sky Crash Factory Landing | crash-landed on a deserted dust planet |
| Peace Out | pacifist run: mobs drop no loot, killing one loses the run |
| Project trEe | start with a ProjectE Transmutation Table (Prestige unlock) |
| Hardcore, Are You Afraid of the Dark, The Floor is Lava, Chunk Norris… | challenge variants |
There are also vanilla-like options (Default, Amplified, Large Biomes, Lost Cities, Flat) with ore generation turned off, so you still progress the SkyFactory way.
How much RAM does SkyFactory 4 need?
A SkyFactory 4 server for a few friends runs well on 6–8 GB of RAM; give it more for big late-game bases. The authors' server README recommends at least 4 GB, but that's for an empty world – reactors, Mekanism setups, mob farms and hundreds of bonsai pots add up.
| Where | Minimum | Recommended |
|---|---|---|
| PC (allocated in launcher) | 4 GB | 6 GB |
| Server, 1–4 players | 6 GB | 8 GB |
| Server, larger group or heavy automation | 8 GB | 10 GB |
On Spot.gg a 6 GB server costs $7.55 / month, 8 GB – $9.63 and 10 GB – $10.68; you can change RAM in the panel at any time. SkyFactory 4 runs on Java 8, which the server picks automatically.
How do you make a SkyFactory 4 server?
Pick SkyFactory 4 on a hosted server, share the address, and have everyone install version 4.2.4 in the CurseForge App. Skyblock is better with friends – one player farms trees, another automates, a third chases advancements.
- Create a Spot.gg account and click "Activate a free server".
- Pick Minecraft and SkyFactory 4 – search the catalog or start straight from the SkyFactory 4 modpack page. The server installs itself with the official server files, no uploads.
- Set the RAM – modpack servers start at 6 GB (from $7.55 / month after the free trial).
- In the panel, click "How to connect?" – you get the pack name, exact version and the server address to copy.
- Everyone installs SkyFactory 4 4.2.4 in the CurseForge App and joins via "Multiplayer" → "Add Server".
Choosing the world type on a server: the official server files set the preset in server.properties: generator-settings={"Topography-Preset":"Sky Factory 4"}. You can change it in the "Configuration" tab (advanced options) to any preset name, e.g. Skygrid – but only before the world is generated. For an existing world, delete the world folder in the "Files" tab first (it erases the world, so make a backup).
The first 24 hours are free, no card required.
SkyFactory 4 vs SkyFactory 5, One and 3: which one to play?
SkyFactory 4 is the most complete and most played; SkyFactory 5 is the modern 1.20.1 successor, SkyFactory One is a remake of the original and SkyFactory 3 is the 1.10.2 classic. All of them are in our catalog:
| Pack | Minecraft | Mods | Downloads (CurseForge) | For whom |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| SkyFactory 4 | 1.12.2 Forge | 202 | 14.2 M | the full SkyFactory with Prestige |
| SkyFactory 5 | 1.20.1 Forge | ~290 | 1.6 M | modern Minecraft, a fresh take on the void |
| SkyFactory One | 1.16.5 Forge | ~110 | 0.7 M | a lighter remake of the original SkyFactory |
| FTB Presents SkyFactory 3 | 1.10.2 Forge | ~185 | 6.8 M | nostalgia, the version from the YouTube era |
Want skyblock with ~320 modern mods and an ATM Star at the end? Look at All the Mods 10: To the Sky – more in our All the Mods 10 guide.
What are the most common SkyFactory 4 problems?
The number one issue is joining with a different pack version than the server; on a server, the second is a world generated with the wrong preset.
| Symptom | Cause | Fix |
|---|---|---|
| Missing-mods error on join | different pack version | install 4.2.4 in the CurseForge App |
| Server world is normal land, not a void | generator-settings empty or wrong |
set the Topography preset and generate a new world |
| Server stops during start | too little RAM | raise RAM to 8 GB |
| Ore Excavation or Mystical Agriculture missing | world has Prestige on | unlock them in the Prestige menu (P); without Prestige they're available from the start |
| No ProjectE | it's a Prestige-only unlock (100 points) | enable Prestige and earn the points |
| Lag on a big base | too many bonsai pots, mob farms, item entities | split farms, use storage instead of chests full of drops |
Not sure what's going on? Check the "Errors" tab in the server panel or click "Ask the assistant" – the AI assistant reads the server logs and tells you what to fix. For more on modded servers, see how to make a modded Minecraft server, and for other packs, our list of the best Minecraft modpacks.
FAQ
What Minecraft version is SkyFactory 4?
SkyFactory 4 runs on Minecraft Java Edition 1.12.2 with Forge and Java 8. The latest version is 4.2.4 from December 2021. It isn't available on Bedrock.
How do you grow trees faster in SkyFactory 4?
Crouch repeatedly or sprint next to a sapling – green particles show it's working. Later, Bonsai Trees in pots grow saplings automatically.
How do you get cobblestone in SkyFactory 4?
Feed a cobblestone mud bucket to a pig to turn it into a Resource Hog, which digs up cobblestone. Later build a cobblestone generator.
What is Prestige in SkyFactory 4?
An optional mode: you earn a point for every completed advancement page and spend points (key P) on mods, buffs and world types. Points carry over to new Prestige worlds. It's off by default.
How much RAM does a SkyFactory 4 server need?
6–8 GB for a few players, 10 GB for big late-game bases. On Spot.gg modpack servers start at 6 GB and you can add RAM at any time.
Can I play SkyFactory 4 with friends?
Yes – run a server with the pack and everyone installs the same version (4.2.4) in the CurseForge App. On Spot.gg the first 24 hours are free with no card.
Is SkyFactory 5 better than SkyFactory 4?
SkyFactory 5 is newer (1.20.1) but SkyFactory 4 has more content, Prestige and 39 world types. Most players still start with SkyFactory 4.
