FTB StoneBlock 4 Complete Guide — From First Block to Endgame Automation

What is FTB StoneBlock 4? — "A Kitchen-Sink Modpack That Begins Inside Stone"

FTB StoneBlock 4 is the latest entry in Feed The Beast's popular "StoneBlock" series, and one of the most distinctive automation-focused modpacks on Minecraft 1.21.1 NeoForge. Where most modpacks drop you into a sprawling overworld, StoneBlock 4 takes the opposite approach: you start in a small space completely walled off by stone. The very first swing of your pickaxe begins a game where "I build my own base from scratch."

With more than 2.1 million series-wide downloads, the appeal of StoneBlock 4 is simple. Ores live inside the stone you mine through, so the act of clearing space simultaneously gathers resources. Unlike traditional skyblock with its detours like "turn gravel into dirt," diamonds and iron *just come out when you swing a pickaxe*. But because mining by hand is so inefficient, the loop naturally evolves into *automated mining → automated power → automated processing*, which is what makes it an automation kitchen-sink.

The biggest difference from the ATM series is that FTB Quests provides a clear, structured progression guide. If you ever felt lost in regular ATM10's "do anything you want" sandbox, StoneBlock 4 will feel far more welcoming. Conversely, if you preferred ATM10's open freedom, you'll likely prefer ATM10 over this. This guide compares both packs and walks through how to play StoneBlock 4 from start to finish.

📌 FTB StoneBlock 4 at a Glance

Item	Detail
Minecraft Version	1.21.1
Mod Loader	NeoForge
Mod Count	~200+
Starting Environment	Small space packed with stone
Difficulty	Normal (friendly quest guidance)
Recommended RAM	6~8GB (10GB for late game)
Multiplayer	Supported (instant FTB Worlds servers)
Download	CurseForge / FTB App auto-install
Total Downloads	2.1M+

Key features at a glance

• A *reverse skyblock* concept where you start inside stone
• FTB Quests makes your next task obvious — you'll never feel lost
• Ores are mixed inside the stone, so *space-clearing = resource-gathering*
• Vaults, Echoes, and Cave/Nether/End dimension-hopping as late-game content
• Mekanism, Create, and AE2 anchor the automation-heavy progression

🎮 What Makes StoneBlock 4 Special

A structure where mining IS progression

Everything in StoneBlock 4 starts with the act of *swinging a pickaxe*. That sounds basic, but it's actually the decisive difference. In most modpacks, mining a diamond means "travel 30 blocks to the mine → place torches in the dark for 30 minutes → pray you don't die on the way back." In StoneBlock 4, you might break a single block next to your workbench and find a diamond ore embedded in the wall. Because *travel doesn't eat your play time*, you gather 3~5x more resources per hour than in a normal modpack.

Because of this structure, automated miners hold more value here than in any other modpack. Set a Mekanism Digital Miner to a 16×16 area, step away briefly, and come back to *thousands of stone and hundreds of ores pouring into your ME system simultaneously*. At the same time a *substantial empty volume* appears, ready to host your next automation line. "One machine solves resources, space, and progression all at once" isn't an exaggeration here — it's the core appeal.

Tight space turns this into a *design game*

If ATM10 Sky is "a design game that begins in the void," StoneBlock 4 is "a design game that begins inside stone." Both share the *limited space* premise but feel completely different. ATM10 Sky is bright and open; StoneBlock 4 leans into a dark, enclosed cave atmosphere. Where to place lighting, which direction to tunnel, where to isolate your power plant — these become daily decisions.

Late game especially, *factory routing* matters more and more. Fitting Mekanism's 5x ore processing line, an AE2 ME system, and a Create gear shop into a constrained space pushes you to *stack vertically and modularize laterally*. You can feel your spatial design skill genuinely improving over time.

Vaults, Echoes, and Dimensions — "Why this isn't just a mining pack"

Where earlier StoneBlock entries were essentially "mine and automate, that's it," StoneBlock 4 layers in three distinctive content systems: Vaults, Echoes, and Dimensional Travel.

• Vaults: Ancient trial chambers blending light, shadow, magic, and technology. They test logic puzzles, combat, and endurance, rewarding you with rare loot.
• Echoes: Holographic remnants of a previous civilization hidden beneath the "Garden of Stone." They give the world a *narrative*.
• Dimensional travel: Late-game content centers on hopping between the Deep Dark, Nether, End, and Cave dimensions.

You could spend 100 hours just mining and automating, but engaging with all three systems gives you *RPG, production, and exploration in a single modpack*.

🧭 Early-Game Guide — Your First 10 Hours

Phase 1: Carve out your first space and basic tools (0~30 min)

You spawn inside a tiny pocket completely surrounded by stone. The starter bag and a workbench are enough to get rolling. First steps:

1. Check the starter bag — usually contains a pickaxe, shovel, food, and some logs
2. Place a workbench, then upgrade tools (stone pickaxe, furnace)
3. Mine one block in each direction — a 3×3×3 working space is enough at first
4. Set aside spots for a furnace, a bed, and the workbench

Watch out for *mob spawns* during this phase. Dark corners can spawn zombies and skeletons, so place torches early. StoneBlock 4 plays the typical "deep cave" ambient sounds constantly because you really are inside stone — players who ignore them often die to the first mob.

Phase 2: Open the FTB Quest book and follow it (30 min~2 hours)

StoneBlock 4's biggest differentiator is the FTB Quest book. Open the inventory or press the dedicated key (usually a book icon on the side) to see *what to do now, what comes next, and what materials you need* at a glance.

Early quests typically follow this order:

• Craft basic tools → build your first auto-miner (or Quarry)
• Set up an auto cobblegen for infinite stone
• Build an ore processing line (Mekanism 2x → 5x)
• Craft a dimensional portal or Vault entry token

The quest book isn't just a guide — it also gives *rewards*. You'll receive bonus resources and special items as you progress, so ignoring the quests is just leaving value on the table. Build the habit of opening the quest book whenever you're stuck, and you'll almost never get lost.

Phase 3: First automation — cobblegen and auto-miner (2~5 hours)

Early StoneBlock 4 automation centers on two things:

• Auto cobblegen: vanilla lava+water mechanic + hopper/collector setup. The foundation for infinite stone
• Auto-miner: Mekanism Digital Miner, Create drill line, or a basic Quarry mod. Solves *space-clearing + resource-gathering* simultaneously

The stone from your cobblegen can be furnace-smelted into *smooth stone* and fed into Mekanism's refining lines for additional resources. Some players complain "there's too much stone, I'm dumping it," but later in the game *stone is the starter material for almost every automation*. Don't throw it away.

Phase 4: Pick your first "main mod" (5~10 hours)

StoneBlock 4 is still a kitchen-sink, so picking a *main mod* keeps you from drifting. Recommended branches:

• 🤖 Love clean industrial aesthetics → Build out a Mekanism 5x ore processing line
• 📦 Storage organization junkie → Applied Energistics 2 (AE2) — perfect for tight space
• ⚙️ Love cute machinery → Create — drills and conveyor belts make a great mining line
• 🗡️ Love combat/exploration → Focus on Vault content; prioritize boss-tier gear

In StoneBlock 4 specifically, AE2 is far more important than in regular ATM10. Storing all your resources digitally and auto-crafting them is essentially mandatory if you want late-game progression to flow smoothly. Pipe your Digital Miner output straight into your ME network and you'll never stress over inventory management.

🧭 Real Play Flow — The Texture of Time Inside Stone

⏰ Early Game (0~10 hours): "Mine a block, mine another, place a torch, mine another"

The first 30 minutes are essentially a *caveman simulator*. Surrounded by stone in a 3×3 pocket, you unpack the starter bag, pull out a pickaxe, and swing for your first block — surprisingly, that moment hits hard. "I just made my first space" is one of the fastest small wins in any modpack. But *once those first five minutes are over, you'll catch yourself just mining stone for a long stretch*.

At the 3~5 hour mark your first auto cobblegen activates. Lay a row of hopper + chest on top of the vanilla lava + water mechanic and suddenly *stone piles up infinitely while you sleep* — that's StoneBlock 4's first "oh, the game just started" moment. What you used to mine by hand becomes *something the factory does for you*.

The biggest early-game trap is *"never opening the FTB Quests book."* Players coming from other modpacks often dismiss quests as "probably bonus stuff," but StoneBlock 4's quest book is the core system that bundles *progression guide + resource rewards + next-step direction*. If at hour 7 you're thinking "what am I even doing?", you 100% haven't been opening the book. Build the habit of *opening the book before doing anything else*.

⚙️ Mid Game (10~40 hours): "A single Digital Miner changes everything"

Past hour 10 you can finally craft a Mekanism Digital Miner. The moment that single machine activates is the most life-changing moment in all of StoneBlock 4. All the stone and ores you spent hours collecting by hand get *matched in 5 minutes, surpassed in 10, and rendered statistically meaningless within an hour*. It's a category change.

This phase has two "aha" moments. First: attaching an AE2 ME Storage Bus directly to the Digital Miner output so stone and ores stream into the ME network already sorted. From that point on, "resource shortage" disappears as a concept. Second: starting up a Mekanism 5x ore processing line — watching a single raw iron ore get spit out as *5 ingots* the first time pulls an audible "whoa" out of you involuntarily.

Around hour 20~30 you'll attempt your first dimensional travel. The Cave dimension, Nether, End — late-game StoneBlock 4 resources are gathered through dimension-hopping, and *stepping out of "life in stone" into a vast open space* is oddly jarring. "Wow, my base was tiny" you'll think — but coming back and looking at *the factory layout you carved by hand* sparks a different kind of pride. That ambivalence is the texture of this phase.

🏆 End Game (40 hours+): Vaults, Echoes, and the era of "endless expansion"

Past hour 40, Vault content takes center stage. *Timed dungeon clears + boss hunts* — a completely different game genre embedded inside an automation kitchen-sink. Being able to flip into a different *play mode* daily — "forget automation tonight, I'll run one Vault before bed" — is what carries you past 100 hours. Within the same modpack you can freely switch between "factory building → RPG dungeon → back to factory building."

Echoes content is the *hidden gem* of late game. Holographic remnants found beneath the Garden of Stone slowly reveal a story of "a previous civilization that lived in this world," and the immersion is surprisingly strong. It delivers *the satisfaction of "narrative-driven progression" that pure automation packs can never provide*. Vault action, Echoes story, automation systems — having all three running simultaneously inside one modpack is StoneBlock 4's real strength.

The charm of true endgame is the *underground city build*. Around hour 80~100, your base stops being a "workspace" and becomes a *finished underground city*. Main factory routing, AE2 control room, isolated Mekanism fusion reactor chamber, Vault entry portal hall, Productive Bees apiary, Botania mana garden — what was once a 3×3 pocket has become a 100×100×30 three-dimensional city, and the fact that the entire transformation came from *your own pickaxing* is a strangely deep source of pride.

⚙️ StoneBlock 4 Top 7 Core Mods

Full individual mod write-ups are organized on the [mods listing page](/mods/). Here I'll spotlight the mods that matter most *specifically in the StoneBlock 4 environment*.

1. Mekanism

The *backbone* of StoneBlock 4 progression. A 5x ore processing line means a single Digital Miner is enough to keep you swimming in resources. In late game, fission/fusion reactors handle the entire pack's energy demand, while the *Digital Miner* doubles as both a space-clearer and a resource gatherer.

2. Applied Energistics 2 (AE2)

A mod that feels purpose-built for StoneBlock 4. A single disk holds tens of thousands of items in a tiny footprint, preventing your base from being buried in chests. Once you understand ME Auto-Crafting, you can chain *Digital Miner → Mekanism processing → final item crafting* into a single "order system."

3. Create

The pinnacle of steampunk machinery. Drills, conveyor belts, windmills, and water wheels let you build visually striking mining and processing lines. The *vertical space* of StoneBlock 4 is a great fit — drill rigs that climb up through stone make for some of the most photogenic builds in the pack.

4. FTB Quests

Not officially a "mod," but the system that *completely defines* StoneBlock 4 progression. The most common ATM10 complaint — "I don't know what to do" — is solved by a single quest book here. Open the quest book whenever you're stuck.

5. Sophisticated Backpacks

A must-have QoL mod for surviving the cramped base + heavy stone/ore hauling. Mix in magnet, pickup, and compression upgrades to create a *moving mini-inventory system*. In StoneBlock 4 specifically, the magnet upgrade that auto-collects mined stone is invaluable.

6. Vault Hunters (or similar Vault content)

The *RPG content* of StoneBlock 4. Craft a Vault entry token, dimension-hop in, and within a time limit defeat bosses or open chests for rewards. When pure automation gets repetitive, Vaults provide a *combat/exploration palate cleanser*, naturally extending playtime past 100 hours.

7. Productive Bees

A farming hybrid where *bees produce ores* even inside stone. Late-game StoneBlock 4 hits ceilings on certain rare ores even with a Digital Miner, and bees fill that gap reliably. The entry curve is steep so it's fine to delay early on, but it becomes a *key axis of late-game resource automation*.

🆚 Comparison With Other Modpacks

vs ATM10 Sky — "Two flavors of confined automation"

• StoneBlock 4: Start in a world *packed with stone*, mine outward to make space, dark and enclosed atmosphere
• ATM10 Sky: Start in the *void*, build outward to make space, bright and open atmosphere

👉 Both are themed around "limited space" but they go in opposite directions. *Prefer a dark, enclosed atmosphere*? Choose StoneBlock 4. *Prefer bright, open scenery*? Choose ATM10 Sky. Quest-based progression guidance is comparable, while ATM10 Sky has slightly more mod variety. That said, StoneBlock 4 has its own *Vault and Echoes content*, which gives it more than just automation to chase.

vs Regular ATM10 — "Freedom vs clear guidance"

• ATM10: Vast overworld, free exploration and building, almost no progression guidance, 400+ mods
• StoneBlock 4: Confined space, automation-focused, clear FTB Quests guidance, 200+ mods

👉 *Want a freeform sandbox*? Choose ATM10. *Want clear objectives and an automation challenge*? Choose StoneBlock 4. If it's your first modpack, StoneBlock 4 is actually friendlier. ATM10 sells "the freedom to do anything," but StoneBlock 4 hands you a small daily goal: "just automate this one thing today." Conversely, if you want *building, exploration, and breadth* on top of automation, ATM10 wins easily.

vs Earlier entries (StoneBlock 3, etc.) — "Should I bother upgrading?"

• StoneBlock 3 (1.18.2 Forge): Fully stable, simple mining + automation concept
• StoneBlock 4 (1.21.1 NeoForge): New systems (Vaults, Echoes, World Engine), 1.21 content compatibility

👉 *If you have an active StoneBlock 3 save, no need to migrate*, but starting fresh, the 4th installment is dramatically richer. Compared to earlier entries that were pure mining + automation, StoneBlock 4 introduces *Vaults* as RPG content and *Echoes* as a narrative layer, taking the modpack to a new level.

💡 Recommended Settings & Tips

RAM Allocation

• Minimum: 6GB (going lower guarantees late-game lag)
• Recommended: 8GB
• 50+ automation lines in late game: 10GB+

Adjust the -Xmx value in JVM Arguments from your CurseForge / FTB App instance settings. With around 200 mods (vs ATM10's 400+), StoneBlock 4 runs *noticeably lighter* on the same hardware.

Recommended JVM Arguments

-Xmx8G -Xms4G -XX:+UseG1GC -XX:+ParallelRefProcEnabled 
-XX:MaxGCPauseMillis=200 -XX:+UnlockExperimentalVMOptions 
-XX:+DisableExplicitGC -XX:+AlwaysPreTouch

This G1GC-based combination *reduces GC spikes* even as your late-game automation grows. Tuning GC options alongside -Xmx is what eliminates the stutters that show up around the 100-hour mark.

Graphics Settings

StoneBlock 4 ships with Embeddium (or a similar optimization mod) by default.

• Render Distance: 8~12 chunks — anything beyond 12 is meaningless inside stone
• Simulation Distance: 6~8 — enough to keep automation chunks active
• VSync: ON (cuts unnecessary GPU heat)
• Shaders: Recommended *only after your base is stable*. Shaders pair surprisingly well with the cave atmosphere, but turning them on once you have many automation lines tanks framerate.

Tips

• Never disable JEI/EMI. StoneBlock 4 has many modpack-specific recipe variants that aren't on external wikis.
• Always run auto-miners with a Chunk Loader. Walking too far unloads chunks, halting work and (with some mods) leaking memory.
• Never throw away stone. Create's grinding, Mekanism's processing, and even basic furnace smelting all *start with stone*.
• Empty your backpack before entering Vaults. Items often get lost when you die in a Vault. Manage *Vault-specific gear* separately and leave expensive items at base.
• Enable auto-backups. ME systems occasionally corrupt disks in late game. Back up your save folder weekly.
• Start with a small base. Don't carve out a huge space upfront. *Mine only what you need, then expand naturally once auto-miners come online* — that's the efficient path.

⚠️ Common Issues & Fixes

"Won't even launch / Java error"

1.21 NeoForge requires Java 21 or higher. CurseForge and the FTB App auto-fetch it, but Prism Launcher and ATLauncher require you to install Java 21 separately and assign it to the instance. Errors like "Unsupported class file major version" are 100% Java version mismatches.

"Severe lag"

• F3+T to reload chunks (refresh textures and models)
• Drop simulation distance to 6~8 or lower
• Too many *Create windmills/water wheels* drive CPU usage through the roof. Replace some with Mekanism generators.
• If your AE2 ME system has too many Auto-Crafting CPUs registered, expect TPS drops. Clean up unused patterns.
• The more Productive Bees hives you have, the slower the game runs. Don't cluster more than 50 in one spot.
• The Digital Miner must always run with a Chunk Loader. Leaving it to roam without unloading causes memory leaks.

"My Digital Miner is only mining stone, not ores"

A frequently confusing point in StoneBlock 4. The Digital Miner uses *filters*, and the default config mines every block — meaning *stone piles up in your inventory too*. Solutions:

1. Add *Stone, Cobblestone, Dirt* to the Digital Miner's blacklist mode
2. Or use whitelist mode and specify *only the ores you want*
3. Attach an *item sorter* (Sorting Pipe, AE2 Storage Bus) on the output side to handle stone separately

Don't trash the stone entirely — it's a processing input. Keep it in your ME network and you'll use it as a late-game auto-crafting material.

"I die in a Vault and lose my items"

StoneBlock 4's Vault content often *deletes items partially or entirely* on death. Prevention:

1. Maintain Vault-specific gear separately — don't bring expensive base equipment
2. Always watch the *time limit* — head for the exit before time runs out
3. Confirm a *gravestone backup mod* is enabled (usually on by default)
4. Start with *low-tier Vaults* to learn the patterns before tackling higher tiers

"Multiplayer sync errors"

Caused by mod version mismatches between server and client. The StoneBlock 4 server pack on CurseForge/FTB App ships with the *exact same build number* as the client, so always use matching versions. Using FTB Worlds to spin up a server directly from inside the game greatly reduces version-mismatch risk.

💬 Pick This Pack If...

• "I tried ATM10 but the freedom was so overwhelming I lost my way in 3 hours and quit" — StoneBlock 4 is the perfect alternative. The FTB Quests book lays out *today's task, the next step, and required materials* at a glance, almost completely curing the chronic ATM-series "I don't know what to do" syndrome.

• "ATM10 Sky's void-falling deaths terrify me, I just can't do it" — StoneBlock 4 delivers the same "confined space + automation" concept with *0% falling-death risk*. From day one you can focus purely on builds without survival anxiety.

• "I want to play in short 30~60 minute sessions after work" — StoneBlock 4 is the friendliest fit. Knock out one or two quests and quit, and you'll always have a small "I accomplished something today" moment, letting you progress *consistently without time pressure*.

• "I want to build a co-op underground city with 2~3 friends" — StoneBlock 4 is the answer. *FTB Worlds* spins up a multiplayer server instantly, and the cramped space makes *cooperative density* far higher than in normal modpacks — you're literally mining together side by side.

• "I want to deeply learn automation mods, but ATM10's 400+ mods feel overwhelming" — StoneBlock 4's 200+ mod lineup is the right balance point. You get an environment where you can *focus and master* core automation mods like Mekanism, Create, and AE2 without the overwhelming sprawl.

• "Pure automation gets boring, I'd love some dungeon-style action mixed in" — Vault content is the precise answer. Within the same modpack you can freely toggle between *building factories until you're tired, running a dungeon, then back to factories*.

• "I love a dark, enclosed cave atmosphere" — StoneBlock 4's aesthetic is perfect. Turn on shaders and walk through your base at night — *the way torchlight catches on cave walls and the distant hum of an auto-miner* creates an oddly cozy ASMR-like atmosphere.

👍 Recommended For

• Players who got *lost in the freedom* of regular ATM10 — the quest book gently guides you
• Anyone who enjoys the puzzle of *factory design within spatial constraints*
• Players who want to deeply explore *automation mods like Mekanism, AE2, and Create*
• Anyone who finds pure automation boring and wants *Vault and dimensional travel* RPG content too
• Co-op groups that want to *split automation lines* among players to build a giant underground city
• Players who love a dark, enclosed *cave atmosphere*

👎 Not Recommended For

• Players who want to *explore a vast overworld* — StoneBlock 4 essentially has no "overworld"
• Players who hate automation and want pure *manual play* (auto-mining is 80% of progression)
• Players who prefer *bright, open scenery* — ATM10 Sky is a better fit
• Anyone with less than 6GB RAM — late-game automation lines will lock up the game
• Fans of combat/survival-heavy packs like *RLCraft or Prominence II*
• Players uncomfortable with kitchen-sink in general — fewer mods than ATM10, but still 200+

🔚 Final Thoughts

FTB StoneBlock 4 hits a nice three-way balance: "confined space + clear guidance + automation focus." If massive kitchen-sinks like ATM10 feel overwhelming and a void skyblock like ATM10 Sky scares you with falling-death trauma, StoneBlock 4 is *the most balanced choice in the middle*. The flow of "mining stone expands my space, gathers resources, and the quest book tells me what's next" delivers small daily wins without fail.

While the ATM10 series sells "the freedom to do anything," StoneBlock 4 offers a friendly hand: "just do this one thing today." And yet late-game content like Vaults, dimensional travel, and Echoes keeps things deep enough that even past 100 hours, you rarely feel "there's nothing left to do." It's a confident recommendation for anyone new to modpacks, or anyone burned out on giant kitchen-sinks.

Related guides:

• [Beginner's Guide to Modpacks](/guides/beginner-modpack-guide/)
• [Minecraft Modpack Performance Optimization](/guides/performance-optimization/)
• [FTB StoneBlock 4 Modpack Page](/modpacks/ftb-stoneblock-4/)

🔗 Related Modpacks Worth Checking

• [All The Mods 10: To The Sky](/modpacks/atm10-sky/) — A sibling pack that takes the "confined automation" concept in the opposite direction. Where StoneBlock 4 is *building by mining outward through stone*, ATM10 Sky is *building by stacking upward into the void*. After graduating from StoneBlock 4, it's the natural next step if you're curious about "same concept, different vibe."

• [All The Mods 10](/modpacks/all-the-mods-10/) — A freeform pack with twice as many mods (400+) set in a *vast overworld*. After getting comfortable with StoneBlock 4's friendly guidance, ATM10 is the next step if you want "a bigger sandbox to roam freely."

• [Vault Hunters 3rd Edition](/modpacks/vault-hunters-3/) — Takes StoneBlock 4's late-game Vault content and *expands it into the entire modpack*. If you enjoyed Vaults in StoneBlock 4, Vault Hunters is a full roguelike pack built around that system carrying you 100+ hours.

• [Better Minecraft BMC4](/modpacks/better-mc-bmc4/) — When the automation atmosphere of StoneBlock 4 gets stale, BMC4 is the modpack that flips the script with *pure exploration, combat, and RPG*. Alternating the two creates a healthy balance between "building factories ↔ adventuring."

• [Prominence II RPG](/modpacks/prominence-2-rpg/) — If StoneBlock 4 is "a quest book that guides automation," Prominence II is the polar opposite — *a quest book that guides RPG storytelling*. If you love guided progression but want story and combat over automation, Prominence II is the answer.