Install When Dungeons Arise on your server

When Dungeons Arise adds more than 30 large structures to world generation, including palaces and hostile airships, and fills them with foes and loot. It runs on NeoForge, Forge and Fabric. Modrinth lists it as needed on the server only, and the project's FAQ says it can be used server-side without installing it on clients.

Checked against When Dungeons Arise 2.1.68 on NeoForge 1.21.1, October 2026. This is the newest build on Modrinth. The project's CurseForge page lists a newer NeoForge build, 2.1.71 for Minecraft 26.1.2, uploaded 13 October 2026, which this guide has not been checked against.

What you need

• NeoForge on Minecraft 1.21.1. Modrinth lists the 2.1.68 file for 1.21 and 1.21.1, and the jar asks for NeoForge 21.0.0-beta or newer. Its own Minecraft range is written as 1.21 up to but not including 1.21.1, but it boots on NeoForge 1.21.1 anyway. Pick 1.21.1 in JAR Manager and the panel runs the server on Java 21 for you.
• Nothing else on NeoForge. The jar lists no other required mod. The project page still mentions Cloth Config API, but the 2.1.68 jars list no config library.
• Fabric 1.21.1 instead? The same 2.1.68 version has a Fabric file, and its metadata requires Fabric API. Modrinth's dependency list for the file is empty, so the install window will not offer it. Install Fabric API first.
• Forge? Modrinth's newest Forge file is 2.1.58 for Minecraft 1.20 to 1.20.6.
• Newer Minecraft? CurseForge lists 2.1.71 for NeoForge on Minecraft 26.1.2. It is not covered here, so check its page for what it needs.
• Players. Modrinth lists the mod as required on the server and unsupported on the client, and the project's CurseForge FAQ answers "Yes" to using it server-side only without installing it on clients. Players do not need it.

Switch the server to NeoForge 1.21.1

1. Open JAR Manager, under More in the left rail.
2. Set Server software to NeoForge and Minecraft version to 1.21.1, then press Apply change.
3. Leave Take a backup first ticked, press and hold Confirm & reinstall, and wait for the console to finish.

Change your Minecraft version or mod loader covers the switch in full.

Install it

1. Open the Mods tab under Content and leave the Modrinth source chip selected.
2. Search for When Dungeons Arise and press Install.
3. Go to Console, press Start and accept the EULA prompt the first time. The server is ready when the console shows Done.

Find the dungeons

The mod registers its structures under the dungeons_arise name, such as dungeons_arise:keep_kayra, dungeons_arise:shiraz_palace and dungeons_arise:foundry. Join as an operator and run /locate structure dungeons_arise:keep_kayra to get coordinates. That command needs operator level 2. The jar also ships advancements for finding its structures, with names like find_keep_kayra, so players can see which ones they have reached in their advancement screen. The project's FAQ says dungeons do generate in a world you have already explored, but you have to explore further and load new chunks, so explore past your existing map or start a new world.

Reset your Minecraft world and start fresh covers a new world, and Create and restore backups is worth doing first.

Settings

The 2.1.68 jar has no config file of its own, so there is nothing to edit in the config folder. Structures are defined as data files inside the jar, and the project page lists no settings.

Common problems

• A Fabric server stops at start and names Fabric API. Open the Mods tab, switch to Store, search for Fabric API and press Install.
• A player cannot join. The mod does not need installing on their side, so ask what message they see rather than adding it to their game.
• Something else breaks at start. Fix Minecraft mod and plugin load errors walks through reading the log.