Flimsy Torches for Minecraft

Review Flimsy Torches

Torches Shrink Over Time

Do you often use light sources in Minecraft? Many players carry torches or wood with coal to craft them later and light up areas underground, in dark corners, or inside dungeons. This also helps prevent mob spawns (they stop generating). However, the vanilla mechanic isn’t very realistic — once you place a torch, it burns forever. A new mod changes this mechanic and introduces “fragile” variations. Now, torches will gradually fade and eventually burn out completely, leaving the area in darkness again.

The Flimsy Torches mod changes the standard torch mechanics and adds new items that dim and extinguish over time. If the player doesn’t interact with the torch or hold it, it will simply go out. As a result, the surrounding area will once again be plunged into darkness, allowing mobs to spawn nearby. This system makes the world much more realistic, and many players include similar mods in their modpacks to enjoy a survival experience with a touch of realism. This add-on fits that style perfectly, and in this review, we’ll cover all of its key features.

Using torches in Minecraft now works differently. Previously, you could craft a bunch of them and place them everywhere. Now, you’ll have to monitor their condition and replace them as they fade. The longer a torch stands, the dimmer it becomes. Once it burns out completely, it goes dark. To reflect this, four new torch stages were added, each representing a different level of burn.

The screenshot above shows the different torch models available in the game. The largest torch is the first stage — it burns brightly, prevents mob spawns, and looks similar to the vanilla version. Over time, it transitions to the second, then third, and finally the fourth stage — completely extinguished. You can still craft standard torches using vanilla recipes, but the new “fragile” torch looks slightly darker in texture, making it easy to tell them apart.

When you create or reload a world, most regular torches will be replaced with “fragile versions” from the Flimsy Torches mod. There’s about a 5% chance that some will remain unchanged, but this is rare. The rest will burn and eventually go out, effectively enabling the new lighting system for most of the world. If you want to craft a permanent torch that never extinguishes, you’ll need to combine a fragile torch with magma — which is much more expensive, making it a luxury in early survival stages.

There’s also a new way to recover coal. If you place nine burnt-out torches on a crafting table, you’ll get one piece of coal back. It’s not much, but it allows you to recycle used items — a nice, realistic touch for vanilla gameplay. This encourages players to manage lighting actively and collect materials for future use.

The Flimsy Torches mod is great for servers, as it prevents worlds from becoming cluttered with ever-glowing torches. Even if players forget to pick them up, they’ll naturally extinguish over time. If you’re aiming for a more realistic survival experience, this mod is a must-have for your collection. It adds depth to the gameplay without breaking balance — and even slightly increases the challenge.

Important! You can also craft Soul Torches using Soul Sand and regular torches to create new variations. This new recipe becomes available after installing the mod. It’s a useful feature for players of all kinds — perfect for both classic and themed modded servers, since lighting is essential in every world to prevent mob spawns and explore dark areas like caves and dungeons.