Installing Ice And Fire Mod is quick once you know the three pieces that have to line up: the Minecraft version, the Forge loader and the Citadel library. This guide walks through each piece in order and explains how the source archive offered on this site differs from a playable mod file.
What you need before you start
Ice And Fire Mod is a content mod, which means it adds blocks, items, creatures and world generation. Content mods are strict about versions, so gather these before touching your mods folder:
- Minecraft: Java Edition launched at least once for the version you plan to use, so the game files exist.
- Forge for that exact Minecraft version. The branch linked on this site targets Minecraft 1.18.2.
- Citadel, the shared library the mod depends on, in a build made for the same Minecraft version.
- A compiled Ice And Fire .jar that matches the same Minecraft version.
- For Minecraft 1.18.2, a Java 17 runtime. The official launcher normally bundles the correct runtime.
If any one of these versions differs from the others, the most likely result is a startup crash or a missing-dependency screen. Checking versions first saves most troubleshooting later.
Step 1: Install Forge for your Minecraft version
Download the Forge installer for your Minecraft version from Forge's own website, run it and choose Install client. The installer adds a new Forge profile to the Minecraft Launcher.
Launch that Forge profile once without any mods. This creates the mods folder and confirms that Forge itself works before you add anything else.
Step 2: Add Citadel and Ice And Fire to the mods folder
Open your game directory. On Windows that is usually %appdata%\.minecraft; on macOS it is ~/Library/Application Support/minecraft; on Linux it is typically ~/.minecraft.
- Open the
modsfolder inside the game directory. - Copy the Citadel
.jarinto it. - Copy the Ice And Fire
.jarinto it. - Do not unzip either file. Forge reads the jars as they are.
If you use a third-party launcher that manages instances, each instance has its own mods folder. Put both files in the instance you intend to play.
Step 3: Launch and create a new world
Start the Forge profile. The first launch with new mods takes longer while Forge loads and registers content. When the title screen appears, open Mods to confirm both Citadel and Ice And Fire are listed.
Create a new world for your first session. The mod's structures and creatures generate in newly created chunks, so an older world will only show new content in areas you have not explored yet. Back up any existing world before loading it with a large content mod.
If you downloaded the source ZIP
The Download button in our homepage download section points to a ZIP archive of the project's 1.18.2 branch on GitHub. That archive contains source code, not a ready-to-play mod file, so placing it in mods will not work.
The source archive is useful if you want to read how the mod is built, study it as a modding reference or compile it yourself. Forge projects of this kind are normally built with the included Gradle wrapper and a matching JDK, and the built jar appears under build/libs. Building from a branch snapshot can require extra setup and may not match a published release, so most players are better served by a compiled release from the project's own listing pages.
Quick checklist
| Check | Why it matters |
|---|---|
| Forge, Citadel and Ice And Fire all target the same Minecraft version | Version mismatches are the most common crash cause |
Files are .jar, not .zip source archives | Forge only loads compiled mod jars |
| You launched the Forge profile, not vanilla | The vanilla profile ignores the mods folder |
| World is backed up | Content mods change world data |
If something still goes wrong, the crash and error troubleshooting guide walks through the usual error messages.
Ready to set up? Head to the Ice And Fire Mod download section or return to the full guide index.