During deep testing, we uncovered several critical issues that make the current Defendia build unfit for a public release. These aren’t minor bugs; they affect stability and core progression. The cleanest, most reliable path forward is to upgrade the entire modpack to Minecraft 1.21.1, even though that means replacing a number of mods that are no longer maintained or compatible.
What we found in testing
- Compatibility conflicts between key dependencies that cause crashes and unpredictable behavior over longer play sessions.
- Progression blockers where systems tied to quests and gating do not consistently trigger as intended.
- World and content inconsistencies that lead to mismatched generation or broken interactions in specific biomes and structures.
- Performance bottlenecks that produce noticeable server tick spikes under typical Defendia gameplay (exploration, encounters, and base activity).
These issues compound under a live environment. Rather than shipping a fragile build, we’re taking the time to fix the foundation.
Why 1.21.1?
Upgrading to 1.21.1 gives us:
- Better long-term support from libraries and frameworks that Defendia depends on.
- Broader mod compatibility across the ecosystem, reducing brittle workarounds.
- Improved performance and stability opportunities as core mods modernize.
- Room to grow for future features without constant backport pain.
What will change (and what won’t)
- Some mods will be replaced. Where projects haven’t updated to 1.21.1 or have been abandoned, we’ll swap in modern, actively maintained alternatives that meet Defendia’s design goals.
- Design pillars stay the same. Defendia remains a zombie-driven survival experience with quested progression and gated access to major milestones.
- Quests and chapters are being ported. The introductory Welcome questline and the Chapter 3 goals (visiting biomes, gathering high-value resources, and unlocking the Nether via a custom item) will carry forward with refinements for 1.21.1 behavior.
- Worlds may need a fresh start. Because worldgen and content hooks change between versions, existing test worlds may not behave reliably after the upgrade.
What this means for players and server hosts
- Short-term: Expect a development cycle focused on upgrading, replacing incompatible mods, and re-validating progression from the ground up.
- Release readiness: We’ll move when core stability, quests, and worldgen meet our standards—not before.
- Server packs: Once the 1.21.1 build is stable, we’ll prepare a server pack. Until then, hosting the current test build isn’t recommended.
How you can help
If you’re part of our testing group, your feedback remains invaluable—especially around progression triggers, worldgen edges, and performance notes after the 1.21.1 migration. Clear reproduction steps and logs help us move faster and safer.
