Configuration

Configuration for pack makers

First setup · Tuning examples · Applying changes

Files, scope and timing

Let the mod finish generating balance in a fresh test world before tuning it. The Skill and Bonus files will contain entries based on your pack, with comments describing units and limits. Paths below are relative to the server installation; in single-player, use that instance's config folder.

File	Edit it for…
config/essence_ascendance.toml	Overall power, generated costs, Ascension pace, ore generation and diagnostics
config/essence_ascendance/skill_settings.toml	Each Skill's first unlock tier, rank count and first/final effects
config/essence_ascendance/bonus_settings.toml	Each Bonus's first/completion tier and minimum/maximum effect
config/essence_ascendance/balance_overrides.toml	Advanced corrections for specific items, equipment, enemies or recipes
config/essence_ascendance/generated_balance.json.gz	Saved result used by the server; do not edit
config/essence_ascendance/reports/ and diagnostics/	Inspection and troubleshooting; editing them does not change gameplay

After editing any balance input, run /essence admin balance rebuild as an operator. Restarting, reloading datapacks, /essence admin mappings reload and exporting reports do not recalculate an existing saved balance. /essence admin config displays information; beta.9 has no config reload subcommand.

Back up the complete configuration and world first, and try substantial changes in a copy. Check for a successful rebuild, then inspect the Archive/Nexus and relevant reports. An invalid setting produces an error; an existing valid balance stays active if the replacement fails before installation.

The main config and advanced overrides receive defaults during setup. Skill and Bonus defaults are written after valid balance is installed; a missing file can also be recreated from existing saved balance during startup. Existing files are preserved. To request new automatic values, remove the relevant controls or entries and explicitly rebuild; see automatic settings versus saved choices.

Common adjustments

You want to…	Change
Make one Skill stronger/weaker	Its [[skill.stat]] values in skill_settings.toml
Move a Skill earlier/later	Its tier, while respecting prerequisites
Change a Skill's number of ranks	Its ranks, with enough improvement between ranks
Buff/nerf one Bonus	Its bonus_at_max and, if needed, minimum_bonus_at_lowest
Make a Bonus start or finish earlier	Its min_tier / max_tier
Request stronger automatic effects overall	[power]; existing explicit Skill/Bonus values remain set
Make generated investments cheaper	[progression] cost_pressure
Complete Ascension seals faster	[attunement] pace
Change Latent Ore placement	[latent_ore] and its dimension settings

Edit the existing entry or table instead of adding a duplicate. Use the IDs and stat paths already written in your generated files. Keep quotes around IDs, and keep schema_version = 1 at the top of each file.

Skill settings

Find the Skill's [[skill]] entry in config/essence_ascendance/skill_settings.toml. All following [[skill.stat]] blocks belong to it, until the next [[skill]] entry.

Setting	Meaning
id	The Skill's identifier; keep the generated value
tier	First unlock tier; use a full ID such as "essence_ascendance:awakened"
ranks	Number of purchasable ranks, from 1 to 64, subject to the Skill's limits
path inside [[skill.stat]]	The listed effect to adjust; keep the generated path
at_first_rank	Effect value at rank one
at_max_rank	Effect value at the last rank

Unlock choices are Dormant, Awakened, Resonant, Ascendant and Transcendent, written as full lowercase IDs. Moving the first unlock does not remove prerequisite Skills, later-rank tier requirements, milestones or exclusive choices.

The mod generates the ranks between the first and final values. Every extra rank must improve something meaningfully. An on/off Skill must stay at one rank; for any configured one-rank stat, first and maximum values must be equal. Setting only ranks = 1, without stat overrides, uses the automatic final effects in that single rank.

Units matter. The generated comments describe them. Percent uses percentage points; Chance/Fraction uses fractions (0.1 means 10%); Ticks uses twenty per second; Blocks uses blocks. Multipliers use factors. A cooldown can improve by getting smaller.

You can set effects above the automatic soft power budget, but supported effect limits and prerequisites still apply. Changing effects alone preserves prices when rank count stays the same. Changing the number of ranks generates a new cost progression. Review the installed rows in reports/skill_rank_parameters.csv as well as the in-game Skill.

For a partial edit, omit controls you want generated automatically. Removing a whole Skill entry restores its default unlock tier and automatic ranks/effects. Skill example.

Bonus settings

Find the Bonus's [[bonus]] entry in config/essence_ascendance/bonus_settings.toml.

Setting	Meaning
id	The Bonus's identifier; keep the generated value
min_tier	First active player tier
max_tier	Completion player tier, at or after the starting tier
bonus_at_max	Exact effect at completion
minimum_bonus_at_lowest	Minimum effect at the first active completed tier; the result can be higher

Keep all four controls in a configured Bonus entry. Tiers use full IDs, from "essence_ascendance:dormant" through "essence_ascendance:transcendent". A Bonus can finish before Transcendent; the earned completed benefit is retained at higher tiers.

Read the entry's unit comment. Melee, ranged and magic damage Bonuses use added damage points. Other Bonuses may use percent, seconds, blocks or another stated unit. The first minimum must be positive and no larger than the maximum. The file accepts a maximum up to 1,000,000, but each effect can have a much stricter gameplay limit.

The mod fills in intermediate progression and requires useful completed-tier improvements. A long tier interval with a tiny maximum may be impossible. If your request fails validation, adjust the interval or effect values described in the error rather than expecting the mod to move your chosen tiers silently.

To return one Bonus to automatic generation, remove its entire entry and rebuild. Compare the installed result in the tooltip and reports/bonus_tracks.csv. Bonus example.

Main configuration reference

The remaining sections describe config/essence_ascendance.toml. Most packs can start with its defaults and tune a few controls. Values below are input defaults, not guaranteed in-game outputs. Omitted keys use defaults; misspelled/unknown keys are errors.

Use ordinary numbers, quoted strings and the existing table layout. Whole-number settings must use integers. Avoid duplicate tables, inline tables and unfamiliar TOML syntax; the mod accepts only its documented subset. The separate membership JVM option below follows its own startup procedure.

Membership authority: server JVM property

Most packs can leave team-provider selection on its default, auto. To select it explicitly, add one JVM argument in your server launch settings. This is separate from the balance TOML files and requires a server restart.

Property / location	Type / default	Valid values / units	Effect and timing
essence.membershipAuthority, server JVM arguments	String / auto	auto, native, ftb_teams	On a fresh world, auto prefers supported FTB Teams, otherwise native teams. Existing worlds retain their saved provider; changing the launch option alone does not migrate them.

Use one of these choices, not both. Place it with the JVM options before the server's jar/main-class argument:

-Dessence.membershipAuthority=auto
-Dessence.membershipAuthority=ftb_teams

If you intentionally change an existing world's provider, follow Teams and shared infrastructure first. Missing or unsupported providers can pause access rather than treating every player as solo. A balance rebuild does not switch the team provider.

Root

Key	Type / default	Allowed	Meaning
schema_version	Integer / 1	Exactly 1	File format version; leave it at 1.

Power

Section [power]. Guides automatic added power relative to measured pack equipment. It is not a direct multiplier on every stat.

Key	Type / default	Range / units	Meaning and interactions
overall	Number / 1.0	0.1..4, ratio	Overall automatic added-power target
early	Number / 0.8	0.1..4, ratio	Early progression emphasis
mid	Number / 0.9	0.1..4, ratio	Mid progression emphasis
late	Number / 1.0	0.1..4, ratio	Late progression emphasis
apex	Number / 1.1	0.1..4, ratio	Endgame emphasis; lower values request less added power

Early emphasis can be higher than late emphasis. Equipment keeps its pack-relative foundation; these settings do not reduce its stats to make room for every possible Skill or Bonus. Power budgets.

Progression

Section [progression].

Key	Type / default	Range / units	Meaning and interactions
length	Number / 1.0	0.1..10, ratio	Journey/effort scale; affects generated investment budgets and activity journey. Not an Ascension wallet requirement.
cost_pressure	Number / 1.0	0.1..10, ratio	Affordability pressure on generated investments; lower requests cheaper costs. Does not correct item-value estimates.

Use attunement.pace for contribution-speed changes without requesting different Essence costs.

Generation assumptions

Section [generation]. These are explicit model assumptions, not measured encounter times.

Key	Type / default	Range / units	Meaning and interactions
routine_seconds	Number / 4.0	0.1..300 seconds	Routine enemy health/encounter window informs DPS pressure
boss_seconds	Number / 40.0	0.1..3600 seconds	Boss encounter window
survival_seconds	Number / 10.0	0.1..300 seconds	Sustained survival/recovery window
entry_resource_effort	Number / 80.0	1..100000, effort ratio	Entry resource-relative cost baseline, using the stable common material value unit
effort_growth	Number / 3.5	1..20, growth factor	Progression-band cost growth; combines with length and cost pressure

These are advanced assumptions. Start with the default values unless you have a specific reason to change them.

Attunement

Section [attunement].

Key	Type / default	Range / units	Meaning and interactions
pace	Number / 1.0	0.1..10, speed ratio	Higher completes seals faster; no direct Essence-price change
maximum_acceleration	Number / 1.0	0..4, added multiplier	Extra activity speed from category development; default allows up to 2× base credit. No investment still earns base credit.
repetition_floor	Number / 0.15	0.01..1, fraction	Minimum efficiency of legitimate repeated sources; interacts with recent source exposure
variety_strength	Number / 0.25	0..1, extra fraction	Bounded variety benefit; changing activity is rewarded, not mandatory
history_window	Integer / 64	8..256 reference outcomes	How much recent activity affects repetition and variety; measures work rather than individual clicks
early_effort_fraction	Number / 0.75	0.1..1, effort fraction	First powered chapter effort, easing toward 1 by final chapter
onboarding_effort_fraction	Number / 1.0	0.1..1, effort fraction	Automatic Latent onboarding; full entry effort by default
breadth_exponent	Number / 1.0	0.25..4, exponent	Shape of required category breadth; smaller asks broader early participation. Default final progression leaves one category optional.

These settings work together. Investment affects future credit rather than removing already earned seal progress.

Build policy

Section [builds].

Key	Type / default	Range / units	Meaning and interactions
partial_viability	Number / 0.65	0.1..1, weight	Helps automatic generation support builds using only part of the mod; not a direct damage multiplier
composition_safeguard	Number / 0.75	0..1, strength	Higher requests more caution when combining multipliers. Zero relaxes that planning rule but retains validity checks.

Section [budget]. All three shares must sum to 1, within 0.000001. Changing one may require changing the others.

Key	Type / default	Range / units	Meaning and interactions
equipment	Number / 0.40	0.01..0.98, share	Equipment share of automatic planning; equipment keeps its generated foundation
nexus	Number / 0.35	0.01..0.98, share	Bonus/Nexus share of automatic planning
skills	Number / 0.25	0.01..0.98, share	Skill share of automatic planning

These shares are planning weights, not percentages multiplied onto attack or defense. For precise Skill/Bonus changes, use their own settings files.

Economy

Section [economy].

Key	Type / default	Range / units	Meaning and interactions
conversion_loss_pressure	Number / 0.10	0..0.95, strength	Guides conversion losses between Essences; not a fixed loss percentage for every transaction

Recognized complete recipes can limit payouts. The generator does not estimate acquisition difficulty, farm rates or automation costs.

Policies

Section [policies]. Types are quoted enum strings; accepted choices are shown in full.

Key	Default	Allowed values	Meaning and interactions
flight	"preserve_progression"	preserve_progression, restrict	Retain milestone progression or reduce flight-oriented budget. Prerequisites remain.
mining	"preserve_progression"	preserve_progression, restrict	Vein/area-mining capability emphasis; native tool properties supply reference measurements.
outliers	"exclude_unsupported"	exclude_unsupported, winsorize, include_attainable	Exclude statistical extremes, cap their influence, or include measured catalog extremes. These choices do not prove survival access. Disabled/creative exclusions still apply.

Diagnostics

Section [diagnostics].

Key	Type / default	Allowed / units	Meaning and interactions
warning_confidence	Number / 0.60	0..1, confidence threshold	Highlights low-confidence evidence for review; not a power multiplier or compatibility guarantee
expanded	Boolean / true	true or false	Expanded generation evidence. False does not remove stable CSV/compact report facilities.

Latent Ore

Section [latent_ore]:

Key	Type / default	Allowed	Meaning
automatic_dimensions	Boolean / true	true or false	Discover supported ordinary custom dimensions. Explicit dimension rules and vanilla distribution settings are separate.

Each of [latent_ore.overworld], [latent_ore.nether] and [latent_ore.end] accepts the following keys:

Key	Type / default	Range / units	Meaning and interactions
enabled	Boolean / true	Boolean	Enables the distribution; explicit disabled dimension wins
vein_size	Integer / 9	1..64 blocks/vein attempt	Baseline size; ordinary automatic generation maintains a size-9 minimum for enabled nonzero supply
veins_per_chunk	Integer / 16	0..128 attempts/chunk	Baseline attempts; 0 stays off. Automatic nonzero supply tuning maintains at least 12 attempts.
min_y	Integer / -48, 16, 0 respectively	-2048..2048 Y coordinate	Must be at most max_y; target dimension height/support still matters
max_y	Integer / 64, 112, 80 respectively	-2048..2048 Y coordinate	Must be at least min_y
discard_chance_on_air_exposure	Number / 0.0	0..1 probability	Chance to discard exposed placement

These are configured placement baselines with explicit minimums for enabled nonzero automatic distributions. Acquisition and category scarcity are not evaluated. Attempts are not a guarantee of ores found in a chunk.

Exact dimensions

Use repeated [[latent_ore.dimension]] tables in the same policy file.

Key	Type / default	Allowed	Meaning and interactions
dimension	String / required	Exact namespaced dimension ID	One rule per dimension; duplicate IDs fail
hosts	String array / []	At most 32 distinct exact namespaced block IDs; no tags	Empty/omitted uses automatic supported host discovery; explicit hosts replace selection
enabled	Boolean / true	Boolean	Explicit exclusion/inclusion; false always disables this rule
Distribution keys above	Same types/bounds; omitted inherit selected distribution	Same bounds	Setting any distribution key other than enabled makes an exact distribution owner. Vanilla dimensions inherit their base table; ordinary custom dimensions use Overworld abundance over usable heights.

Exact dimension distributions and exact runtime worldgen overrides bypass automatic distribution floors. Adding hosts does not prove an unsupported generator produces those blocks. Host discovery reads supported terrain data and does not scan/generate chunks. Rebuilding does not populate existing chunks retroactively.

Valid policy example

This standalone input requests modestly stronger added contributions, cheaper investment and faster seals. It is an illustrative policy, not a tested pack outcome. In an existing file edit the existing tables instead of appending duplicate tables.

schema_version = 1

[power]
overall = 1.1 # Supported range 0.1..4; final values remain validated.

[progression]
cost_pressure = 0.9 # Cheaper generated investments; does not change item yields.

[attunement]
pace = 1.25 # Faster activity credit; does not directly change prices.

[budget]
equipment = 0.40
nexus = 0.35
skills = 0.25 # The three shares sum to 1.

[[latent_ore.dimension]]
dimension = "minecraft:the_end"
enabled = false # Explicitly omit Latent Ore from this dimension.

Review worked scenarios and back up before rebuilding.