Most mods are a single .pck file, a Godot resource pack. A few also bring a native library. Each time the game starts, before anything else runs, it loads every .pck it finds in a folder named mods next to its program. The game has no mod menu of its own; the QualiaMods framework adds one.

Find the game folder

  1. In your Steam library, right-click Lucid Blocks.
  2. Choose Manage, then Browse local files.
  3. The folder that opens holds lucid-blocks.exe. Make a folder named mods there if there isn't one yet.

Steam's default location is C:\Program Files (x86)\Steam\steamapps\common\lucid-blocks\.

A pack placed next to lucid-blocks.exe is ignored. It has to be inside mods.

Add the file

Download the mod from its page, move the .pck into mods, then start the game. Packs only load at startup, so a running game needs a restart.

The game reads files directly inside mods whose names end in .pck, in lowercase. It skips subfolders, archives and names like Mod.PCK.

Some mods also need the QualiaMods framework, _000_qualiamods.pck, in mods (see What players install). Keep the names of both files as they were downloaded: QualiaMods finds each mod by its file name.

With the QualiaMods framework installed, packs in subfolders of mods load too, but later than the rest: a QualiaMods mod works from a subfolder, while a plain mod's mod_init.gd never runs there and most game files it replaces are already loaded. The framework's own _000_qualiamods.pck has to sit directly in mods.

Check that it loaded

The game writes a log to %APPDATA%\lucid blocks\logs\godot.log and keeps the logs of the last ten starts. Near the top of each one, the loader lists what it did:

Game version: 5.1.0
Loading mods...
Mod: better-hotbar.pck
Loaded mod node: better_hotbar
Done loading mods.
  • Mod: <file> appears for every pack the loader tried. It is printed before the pack loads, so a broken pack still gets this line.
  • Loaded mod node: <folder> means the pack's startup script ran. See Run code at startup.
  • No mods found. means no pack has a res://mods/ folder, so none has a startup script. Packs that only replace files print it too, and they still work.
  • [QualiaMods] Initialized: <name> v<version> appears for each QualiaMods mod the framework started.

Mods with a native library

A few mods change the game's C++ library as well (see Native code). Their page carries a Native code badge, and each version offers the library as its own download, always named libgdblocks.windows.template_release.double.x86_64.dll. It replaces the game's own library next to lucid-blocks.exe, not in mods. Most also have a .pck, which goes in mods as usual.

  1. Close the game. In Steam, right-click Lucid Blocks, then Manage, then Browse local files.
  2. Copy libgdblocks.windows.template_release.double.x86_64.dll from that folder somewhere safe: it is the game's original.
  3. Put the downloaded library in its place, next to lucid-blocks.exe, and choose Replace. If your browser saved it as … (1).dll, rename it to the name above.
  4. If the mod also ships a .pck, put it in the mods folder as usual.
  • Only one such mod can work at a time: each one replaces the whole library.
  • Verify integrity of game files in Steam puts the original back, and so does a game update that changes the library. To remove the mod, verify the files or copy your saved original back.
  • Mod pages and collections list the native mods that can't be installed together.
  • Use the library made for the game version you play. A library built for another version usually crashes the game.
  • Your browser or antivirus may warn about a downloaded .dll. Any library that few people have downloaded gets that warning.

A library is compiled code that none of this site's checks can read. Lucidpedia checks that it is a 64-bit Windows library the game can start, sends it to VirusTotal, and a moderator approves every new build before it goes public. None of that tells you what it does. Only install one from a developer you trust.

Load order and conflicts

Packs load in the order Windows lists the files in mods. When two packs contain the same file, the one loaded later wins, and the game gives no warning.

To see overlaps, open a mod page's Changes tab, or a collection for a whole list of mods.

Update or remove a mod

To update a mod, delete the old .pck and put the new one in its place. If both versions sit in mods, both load: shared files come from whichever loads last, and files that only the old version has stay in the game.

To remove a mod, delete its .pck or move it out of mods, then restart. Turning a mod off in the QualiaMods menu doesn't remove it: the pack's files stay in the game. Anything the mod changed in a saved world stays in that save.

Your worlds and progress are stored in %APPDATA%\lucid blocks\. Copy that folder somewhere safe before you try a mod that changes items, the world or saving.

After a game update

A game update can break a mod, most often one that replaces files outside the mod folder: the mod keeps its copy from the older game. Each mod page lists the game versions its current file was tested on. If the version you play isn't there, try the mod on a copy of your saves first, or move it out of mods until the author updates it.