Reclaiming Classic Mining with the No Raw Ores Datapack
Minecraft's 1.17 update, widely known as the Caves & Cliffs expansion, brought a wave of excitement with new mobs, biomes, and building blocks. However, one particular change divided the community: the introduction of raw ore drops. Instead of breaking a block of iron or gold and receiving the ore block itself, players suddenly found themselves collecting raw iron, raw gold, and raw copper fragments that required a trip to the furnace before yielding any usable ingots. For many veterans, this felt like an unnecessary detour in the mining loop. The Reclaiming Classic Mining with the No Raw Ores Datapack addresses this exact frustration, offering a clean, configurable solution that restores the pre-1.17 mining behavior while keeping all other modern content intact.
What This Datapack Does
The core function of this datapack is elegantly straightforward: it rewrites the loot tables for iron, gold, and copper ores so that mining them again yields the full ore block, just as it did in versions prior to 1.17. This applies universally to both the standard stone variants and the deepslate variants introduced in the same update. Whether you are digging through a mountainside or exploring the deep dark, every ore block you break will drop itself, ready to be collected, stored, or smelted at your leisure.
This change does not remove the raw ore items from the game. They still exist and remain fully functional. The datapack simply makes them non-obtainable through normal mining, which effectively streamlines the early and mid-game resource gathering process. The result is a mining experience that feels familiar to long-time players while still allowing them to enjoy all the new blocks, mobs, and mechanics that came with the update.
Technical Details and Compatibility
From a technical standpoint, the datapack operates by modifying the standard loot tables for each ore type. For every ore block—be it stone iron ore, deepslate gold ore, or copper ore—the drop table is replaced with a rule that returns the block itself. The modifications are isolated to these specific tables, which minimizes the risk of conflicts with other datapacks or mods that might alter similar mechanics. If you are using other add-ons that change ore generation or drops, you may need to check load order, but in most standard setups, this datapack works without a hitch.
The datapack is designed for Minecraft 1.17 and newer versions, including all subsequent updates that have retained the raw ore mechanic. It is a vanilla-friendly tool that requires no external mod loader like Forge or Fabric; it runs on the native datapack system built into the game. This means you can use it on both single-player worlds and multiplayer servers, provided the server operator places it in the correct directory.
Installation Guide
Learning how to install this datapack is a quick process. First, download the datapack file from a trusted source. Once you have the archive, navigate to your Minecraft world folder and locate the datapacks directory. If it does not exist, create it. Place the downloaded file into this folder, then launch the game and load your world. Once inside, execute the /reload command to apply the changes. For server administrators, the process is identical: place the file in the world's datapacks folder and reload. The datapack will then apply globally to all players on the server.
The Crafting and Conversion System
One of the more ingenious features of this datapack is the inclusion of a crafting recipe that turns ore blocks into raw ore blocks. Specifically, you can combine any four ore blocks—whether they are stone or deepslate variants—in a 2x2 crafting grid to create a single raw ore block. This might sound counterintuitive at first, but it serves a highly practical purpose.
Consider this scenario: you have been mining in the deepslate layer and have accumulated a stack of deepslate iron ore blocks. You also have some regular stone iron ore from a surface cave. By combining these four blocks, you create a raw iron block. Then, when you place that raw iron block back into the crafting grid by itself, it breaks down into four regular stone iron ore blocks. This conversion mechanic allows you to unify your inventory, transforming all your deepslate ore into standard stone ore, which some players find easier to manage and smelt.
This system effectively turns the raw ore block into a universal storage container. It allows you to compress your ore into a single block type for more efficient storage, and it gives you a straightforward method for standardizing your resources before you are ready to smelt them in bulk.
Practical Benefits for Survival Play
The return to classic ore block drops has a profound impact on the pacing of survival gameplay. The most immediate benefit is inventory management. When you are deep underground on a long mining expedition, every slot matters. Raw ore drops, while stackable, still take up space. Ore blocks, on the other hand, can be mined, collected, and then stored in a chest without the immediate need to process them. This allows you to stay in the mines for longer periods, gathering more resources before making the trek back to your base.
Another advantage is the simplification of automated sorting systems. Many players build complex item sorters using hoppers and redstone. When you have both raw ores and ore blocks dropping from the same type of ore, the sorting system needs to account for multiple item types. With this datapack, you only have to deal with the ore block itself, making your sorting machinery simpler and more reliable.
For builders, this datapack is a godsend. Ore blocks are frequently used as decorative building materials in modern Minecraft builds. Before this datapack, obtaining large quantities of ore blocks for construction meant either using silk touch or crafting them from ingots, which is resource-intensive. Now, you can simply mine them directly, giving you a steady supply of golden, iron, and copper blocks for your architectural projects.
Who Will Benefit Most
This datapack is tailored for a specific audience, but its appeal is broad. Nostalgic players who grew up with the older versions of Minecraft will immediately feel at home. The familiar clunk of an ore block dropping into your inventory is a satisfying sound that many missed. Newer players who started after 1.17 might also appreciate the simplicity, as it removes an extra step from the smelting process and makes the progression from ore to ingot more intuitive.
Hardcore survival enthusiasts will find that this datapack does not trivialize the game. You still need to find coal, build furnaces, and manage your fuel supply. The challenge of survival remains intact; the datapack merely removes what many consider to be a redundant middleman. The game still demands careful planning and resource management, but it does so with a more streamlined and satisfying mining loop.
Conclusion
If you are looking to download Reclaiming Classic Mining with the No Raw Ores Datapack for Minecraft, you are taking a step towards a more traditional and, for many, more enjoyable mining experience. This datapack is a small but meticulously crafted tool that elegantly addresses one of the most debated changes in recent Minecraft history. It restores the classic ore block drops, provides a clever conversion system for deepslate ores, and does so without compromising the integrity of the new content. Whether you are a builder in need of decorative blocks, a veteran seeking nostalgia, or a newcomer who prefers a simpler path to smelting, this datapack delivers. Its installation is quick, its compatibility is high, and its effect on your gameplay is immediate. Step into your mine, break a block of iron ore, and enjoy the satisfying return of a classic mechanic.