Dimensional Dungeons in FTB StoneBlock 4

Dimensional Dungeons adds nearly limitless procedurally generated dungeons. The pack includes version 210 of the mod. All the dungeons sit in a single separate dimension, and you reach it through a portal that you can build anywhere in the Overworld. That makes the dungeons renewable and gives you challenging, replayable adventure-style maps.^[1][2]

The dungeon dimension limits building and block breaking, so you can't bridge obstacle courses or fence in mobs to trivialize a fight. Torches can't be placed either, so light and darkness matter. If you want to take blocks out with you, the block protection can be turned off in the server config. Each dungeon is randomly populated with enemies and loot, and many treasure rooms are locked behind puzzles that test your Minecraft mechanics knowledge.^[2]

How you get in

To enter you need two things: a portal frame and at least one activated portal key. A key starts out blank and is activated by using it on the hole of an end portal frame. Activation inscribes a randomly generated dungeon on the key, and each key can only be activated once. The portal's keyhole doesn't consume the key, so you can reopen a portal to the same dungeon later.^[2][3]

Who it is for

This mod is for you if you want exploration, combat and puzzles that don't depend on your base-building setup. Advanced portal keys are found only in portal keyhole blocks inside dungeons. They lead to dungeons twice as large with much higher quality loot, but with much stronger monsters. You need an upgraded portal to use them, so go in well geared.^[4][5]

Useful extras

• Personal Dimension Keys lead to your own 8x8 chunk space where you can build whatever you like, such as a farm, a portable base or map art.^[6]
• Teleporter Hub Keys give you a hub with 8 doors leading to 8 portals. Portals to the dungeon dimension can be built in any dimension, so you can build shortcuts between distant places.^[7]
• The Homeward Pearl teleports you back to the dungeon entrance and breaks after use.^[8]
• The Bell of Secrets plays a longer chime when a treasure chest or barrel is nearby, but only in the dungeon dimension.^[9]

Where it fits in the pack

Unverified The material for this guide doesn't place Dimensional Dungeons in the pack's quest progression. There are no quests involving the mod, and it isn't on the ATM Star path. Treat it as an optional side activity. The sources also don't show any pack-specific changes to its recipes or configs.

Dimensional Dungeons adds procedurally generated dungeons that all live in one separate dimension. You can reach that dimension from a portal built anywhere in the Overworld. To get in, you need two things: a portal frame and at least one activated portal key.^[2]

The portal comes first, because a key is useless without somewhere to put it. Here is the order I'd go in.^[3][10]

Your first steps, in order

1. Craft three gilded portal blocks. These are the base pieces of the portal frame.^[10]
2. Use one of those gilded portal blocks to craft a portal keyhole block. This is where your key goes later.^[10]
3. Build the portal frame. Decorate it as much as you like. Apart from the two air blocks in the middle where the portal forms, any air block in the frame can be filled with whatever you want. Sinking the portal one block into the ground, or building steps up to it, is a good idea.^[10]
4. Craft blank keys, as many as you can. You will almost certainly want several, and a blank key can't be used to enter a dungeon yet.^[3]
5. Activate a blank key by using it on the hole of an end portal frame. The frame doesn't need to be part of a valid end portal. If every frame already holds an eye of ender, use the key to break one of the eyes. That doesn't break the portal to The End.^[3]
6. Place the activated key in the keyhole block of your portal. Using the keyhole of an active portal removes the key and closes the portal.^[3]

Unverified The exact in-pack recipes and material amounts for the gilded portal blocks, the keyhole and the blank keys could not be confirmed from the sources for this pack. I can't show recipe blocks for them here. Check the Dimensional Dungeons guide book in-game for the recipes your version uses. This site does hold FTB StoneBlock 4's own recipes, read from the pack itself: look the item up in the item browser.

How keys behave

Activating a key inscribes the name and location of a randomly generated dungeon on it, and a key can only be activated once. So you need a fresh key for each new dungeon. The keyhole doesn't consume keys, though. An old key reopens a portal to the same dungeon it led to before.^[3]

What to expect inside

The dungeon dimension limits building and block breaking, so you can't bridge obstacle courses or fence in mobs. Light and darkness matter because you can't place torches. Many rooms with valuable treasure chests need a puzzle solved.^[2]

Later on you may find advanced portal keys in dungeon keyholes. They open dungeons twice as large with better loot and much stronger monsters. Your portal needs an upgrade before it can use them, so be well geared first.^[4][5]

Dimensional Dungeons has no machines, power or fluids to manage. Its systems are portals, keys and a protected dungeon dimension. Everything is built around one loop: build a portal, make a key, activate it, step through. Here is how each part works in this pack.^[2][3]

The portal frame

The basic portal frame is made from gilded portal blocks, and one of those becomes the portal keyhole block. The guide lets you swap in cracked or mossy stone bricks for plain ones. Apart from the two air blocks in the middle where the portal forms, you can fill the other air spaces with whatever blocks you like. Decorating is encouraged, and sinking the frame one block into the ground or adding steps is a good idea.^[10]

You can build these portals in any dimension, not just the Overworld. That makes them useful as shortcuts between far-apart places. Non-hostile entities can also use portals.^[7][12][13]

Unverified The exact in-pack crafting recipes for the portal blocks and keys could not be confirmed from the available sources, so check the in-game recipe viewer for them. This site does hold FTB StoneBlock 4's own recipes, read from the pack itself: look the item up in the item browser.

Keys: crafting, activating and reusing

A blank key does nothing until it is activated. Activating inscribes the name and location of a randomly generated dungeon onto it. To do this, use the blank key on the hole of an end portal frame. The frame does not need to be part of a working End portal. If every frame already holds an eye, using the key breaks one eye, and this does not break the End portal itself.^[3]

Once a key is active, place it in the keyhole block of your portal. Using the keyhole of an active portal removes the key and closes the portal. A key can only be activated once, so you need a fresh key for every new dungeon. The keyhole does not consume the key, though, so an old key reopens the portal to the same dungeon. You can also rename keys on an anvil without changing how they work.^[3][11]

Key Enscribing Station

The portable Key Enscribing Station activates blank keys the same way an end portal frame does. Its guide page says it has 3 damage states like an anvil, and that by default each use damages it with 100% odds, so it breaks after 3 uses.^[14]

This pack changes that. The pack sets all three enscriber downgrade chances to 0: general.keyEnscriberDowngradeChanceFull, general.keyEnscriberDowngradeChanceUsed and general.keyEnscriberDowngradeChanceDamaged. Going by the config descriptions, the station should not take damage or break from use here.^[14][15]

Advanced and themed dungeons

Advanced portal keys can only be found in portal keyhole blocks inside dungeons. They open dungeons that are twice as large, with much higher quality loot, stronger monsters and some difficult rooms. Your portal needs an upgrade first. The upgrade uses two portal crown blocks, which only appear in dungeon chests, plus two banners that are either purple or white.^[4][5]

Theme keys lead to themed dungeons, and they appear in advanced tier dungeons. The chance for an enemy in a basic dungeon to carry one is general.chanceForThemeKeys, and the pack sets it to 0.^[12][15][16]

Teleporter hubs

A Teleporter Hub is technically a dungeon with no mobs or treasure. It is one big room with 8 doors leading to 8 portals, and each door has its own key. The key you find opens the first door. Inside you can take the other 7 keys and use them to build portals that connect logically. Each blank teleporter hub key you find leads to a new hub, and these keys are unreplaceable.^[7]

Removing the key closes portals 2 to 8 on both sides. The first (Oak) portal is permanent, so nobody can get trapped.^[17]

Personal dimension

A Personal Dimension Key leads to an 8x8 chunk space where you can build freely. Keys bind to the player who activates them, so every key you activate leads to your own dimension, and the same is true for each other player on a server.^[6][18]

You control who may enter from inside, by using items on the gold portal near the entrance. None of these items are consumed.^[19]

• Book: reads out your current guest list and whether that list is currently in whitelist or blacklist mode.^[19]
• White Dye: switches the current list into whitelist mode, so the configured names are treated as friends and no one else is allowed in.^[19]
• Black Dye: switches to blacklist mode, so everyone except the listed names gets in.^[19]
• Paper named on an anvil with a player's name: adds that player to the list, and using it again removes them.^[19]
• Grindstone: clears every name on the list.^[19]

This only controls entry, not building. The dimension's owner and players in creative mode always get in. The server admin can also turn the checks off with general.disablePersonalDimSecurity, which is false in this pack, so the checks are active. Teleporting in by other means skips them.^[15][19]

Block protection in the dungeon dimension

The dungeon dimension limits building and block breaking, so you can't bridge obstacles or fence in mobs. general.globalBlockProtection is true in this pack. Creative mode players bypass the protection.^[2][15][20]

The pack tweaks the exceptions. blocks.breakingWhitelist is empty by default, but here it lets anyone break gravestones and suspicious sand. blocks.noDropsBlacklist stops cracked stone bricks from dropping items. blocks.interactionBlacklist blocks interaction with things like hoppers, anvils, furnaces, crafting tables and beds. The config itself recommends keeping its defaults.^[15]

Generation, cooldowns and hardcore mode

• Dungeons build in small steps over several ticks to avoid lag. general.dungeonBuildSpeed is the number of ticks skipped between chunks, and the pack sets it to 5. That is also the default the guide gives for the speed.^[15][21][22]
• Portals open faster if the dungeon is already built, and they refuse to open if they lead to a void.^[22]
• general.portalCooldownTicks is 40 in this pack.^[15]
• general.hardcoreMode is false here. If enabled, keys are consumed when a player enters a dungeon portal, and players within general.hardcoreMultiplayerRadius (5 here) enter along with them.^[15]
• general.disableAllDungeons and general.disablePersonalBuildDimension are both false, so both kinds of portal open normally.^[15]

Handy dungeon details

The Bell of Secrets plays a 2 note chime normally, or an extended 8 note chime when a treasure chest or barrel is nearby. It only works in the dungeon dimension. Mobs don't spawn in dungeons except near spawners.^[9][11]

Endermen and Shulkers can't teleport inside dungeons, and players can't use Chorus Fruit to teleport there either.^[24]

Dimensional Dungeons has no quest line in this pack, and it isn't on the ATM Star path. Your progression comes from the mod itself: build a portal, make and activate keys, run basic dungeons, then upgrade to advanced ones. Here's how the tiers fit together.^[2]

Tier 1: the basic portal and your first keys

To enter the dungeon dimension you need a portal frame and at least one activated portal key. The portal can be built in any dimension, so you aren't limited to the Overworld.^[2][12]

The in-game guide builds the basic frame from gilded portal blocks, one of which becomes a portal keyhole block. Decorating it is encouraged, and any air block except the two middle ones where the portal forms can be filled with whatever you like.^[10]

Next you need a key. A freshly crafted key is blank and can't be used until it's activated. Activating inscribes the name and location of a randomly generated dungeon on the key. You do that by using the blank key on the hole of an end portal frame, which doesn't need to be part of a working end portal.^[3]

Once a key is active, place it in the keyhole block of your portal. Using the keyhole of an active portal removes the key and closes the portal.^[3]

Handy helpers in the basic tier

• Key Enscribing Station: a portable block that activates blank keys the same way an end portal frame does. It has 3 damage states like an anvil. By default every use causes one level of damage, so it works 3 times before it breaks. The odds are configurable.^[14]
• Homeward Pearl: teleports you back to the dungeon entrance and breaks after one use. The guide suggests crafting them as a good use for unwanted keys.^[8]
• Bell of Secrets: a rare find that plays a 2-note chime when rung, or an extended 8-note chime if a treasure chest or barrel is nearby. It only works in the dungeon dimension.^[9]
• Personal Dimension Key: the guide says it's craftable as soon as you've crafted your first key and keyhole. It leads to your own 8x8 chunk space to build in, and any blank personal dimension key you activate leads back to your dimension.^[6][18]

Tier 2: advanced dungeons

Advanced keys can't be crafted from scratch. They come from portal keyhole blocks that you may rarely find while exploring dungeons, and that's the only way to get them. They open dungeons that are twice as large, with much higher quality loot.^[4]

The catch is that your portal needs an upgrade first. The upgraded build needs two portal crown blocks, which only drop from dungeon chests, plus two banners that are either purple or white.^[5]

Witches and Vindicators can also spawn in advanced dungeons, though that is configurable. The mod also has a damage scaling config that multiplies damage dealt to players in basic or advanced dungeons, with defaults of 1.0x and 1.5x. Pack changes to those values aren't confirmed in these sources.^[25][26]

What advanced dungeons unlock

• Teleporter Hub Keys: found in advanced dungeons. A hub is one big open room with 8 doors leading to 8 portals, with no mobs or treasure. The first key lets you take the other 7, and you can build portals in any dimension to make shortcuts. These keys are unreplaceable, so don't lose them.^[7][18]
• Theme keys: they appear in advanced tier dungeons, and enemies can also randomly carry keys to themed dungeons.^[12][16]

Unverified No recipes in this pack are confirmed to produce this mod's items. The crafting steps above come from the mod's in-game guide, so check the recipe viewer in your world before you plan around them. This site does hold FTB StoneBlock 4's own recipes, read from the pack itself: look the item up in the item browser.

Dimensional Dungeons has a server config and a client config. The server file holds almost everything that matters, and the client file only covers the portal keyhole's sounds and particles. Here is how the pack sets the options you're most likely to touch.^[15][23]

Block protection

general.globalBlockProtection is true in this pack. If you set it to false, block protection in the dungeon dimension is disabled and the block lists below stop doing anything.^[15]

• blocks.breakingWhitelist is the one value the sources show the pack changing. The mod's default list is empty, but the pack lets any player break gravestones and Suspicious Sand despite the protection.^[15]
• blocks.interactionBlacklist is a long list of blocks players can't use inside dungeons. It covers dispensers, droppers, hoppers, anvils, furnaces, crafting tables, enchanting tables, beds, flower pots and more. The config comment strongly recommends keeping the defaults.^[15]
• blocks.noDropsBlacklist contains only Cracked Stone Bricks, which never drop items when broken in the dungeon dimension.^[15]

Portals and dungeon building

• general.disableAllDungeons is false, so portals to the dungeon dimension open normally.^[15]
• general.disablePersonalBuildDimension is false, so portals to the personal build dimension work too. general.disablePersonalDimSecurity is also false, so permissions on that dimension are not ignored.^[15]
• general.portalCooldownTicks is 40, the number of ticks the portal blocks cool down for.^[15]
• general.dungeonBuildSpeed is 5. It's the number of ticks skipped between chunks while a dungeon builds, which avoids lag spikes.^[15]
• general.worldborderToRespect is set to dimdungeons:dungeon_dimension. The config comment warns that this value may not work for everyone.^[15]

Hardcore mode and keys

general.hardcoreMode is false, so dungeon keys are not consumed when you enter a portal. If you turn it on, general.hardcoreMultiplayerRadius (5 in this pack) decides which nearby players are pulled into the dungeon with you when the key is consumed.^[15]

general.chanceForThemeKeys is 0. That is the chance for an enemy in a basic dungeon to carry a theme key.^[15]

The Key Enscriber wear options are all 0 on a scale of 0 to 100: general.keyEnscriberDowngradeChanceFull, general.keyEnscriberDowngradeChanceUsed and general.keyEnscriberDowngradeChanceDamaged. These control the odds of an enscriber taking damage, or of a damaged one being destroyed, when used.^[15]

Client options

Both client options are true in this pack. audio.playPortalSounds controls the portal keyhole block's ambient noises, and render.showParticles controls its particles. Set either to false if you want the keyhole quieter or cleaner.^[23]

StoneBlock 4 1.21.0 ships with Dimensional Dungeons 210, using the file dimdungeons-210-neoforge-1.21.1.jar. The mod has been in the pack since StoneBlock 4 1.0.0 or earlier, so it's a long-time part of the modpack.^[1]

Mod changelog

The mod's own changelog for version 202 says it was updated to 1.21.0 and is compatible with 1.21.1. That release includes bugfixes and room improvements.^[27]

Unverified I don't have any pack changelog entries for this mod, and I don't have the mod's changelog for version 210. What changed between version 202 and the 210 build in this pack is unverified.