Open Prism → Accounts (top right) → Manage Accounts → Add Microsoft and log in with the Microsoft account that owns your Minecraft (Java Edition — Bedrock accounts won't work). When it's done, make sure that account is the selected one: it should have the checkmark next to it in the account list, and your name should show in the top-right corner. Prism will happily launch with no account selected and then fail at the login screen.
In Prism: Add Instance → Import, paste https://marcelcraft.lol/marcelcraft-1_5_9.zip into the text field, hit OK: Prism downloads the pack itself. (Or download the zip and browse to it instead; no need to unzip.)
If Prism asks about Java, let it download Java 21 for you (or grab it from Adoptium).
Launch the instance, then in-game: Multiplayer → Add Server → address play.marcelcraft.lol.
If the server shows as offline, it's just waking up. Wait about 2 minutes and refresh/retry.
Updating to a new version
Every version is a separate instance in Prism, so your minimap and
waypoints stay behind in the old one. They are not deleted. They just don't
follow you across on their own, so carry them over before you delete
anything:
Import the new version exactly as above. Don't delete the old instance yet.
In Prism, right-click your old Marcelcraft instance → Folder.
Open minecraft and copy the xaero folder.
Right-click the new instance → Folder, open minecraft,
and paste it in. Say yes if it asks to replace.
Launch the new instance, check your waypoints are there, and only then delete the old one.
That one folder holds both your waypoints and everywhere you've
explored. You can copy it over after you've already played on the new instance
too. Just replace when prompted.
If something goes wrong
"Invalid session (Try restarting your game and the launcher)"
This one is always your launcher, never the server. Minecraft asks Microsoft
to vouch for you when you join; if your saved login has gone stale, your game
gives up before the server is ever involved. Restarting Minecraft usually
doesn't fix it, because the stale token gets reused.
Work down this list, testing after each step:
In Prism: Accounts → Manage Accounts, remove your Microsoft
account, then Add Microsoft and log in again. A full re-login is the
fix; the "refresh" button often isn't enough.
Check the account is selected (checkmark next to it) after re-adding.
Sync your PC's clock — Windows: Settings → Time & Language → Date & time
→ Sync now. A clock that's off by more than a few minutes invalidates the login.
Close any other Minecraft running on the same account, anywhere.
Quick way to confirm it's your account is to try joining
any other server, e.g. mc.hypixel.net. If that fails the same way,
it's definitely the login.
The server says offline, or the connection times out
Normal. The server sleeps when it's empty and your connection attempt is what
wakes it. Booting the pack takes about 4–5 minutes, so hit refresh on the
server list every minute or so until it appears. It shuts itself down again five
minutes after the last player leaves.
The live status at the top of this page tells you whether it's already awake.
Prism complains about Java
Let Prism download Java 21 when it offers to. If it doesn't offer, install it
from Adoptium, then in
Prism go to Settings → Java → Auto-detect and pick the 21 entry.
If the game starts and immediately closes, it's usually memory: Instance
Settings → Java, set max memory to at least 6144 MB.
Kicked for a mod mismatch, or the pack looks wrong
You're on an old pack version. Just redownload the latest version.
Quests
There's quests now! Open your inventory and click the book icon in the
top-left corner of the screen
How it works
35 quests across 5 sections: first steps, the kitchen, Create, Immersive Engineering, and a catch-all for Refined Storage,
Ars Nouveau, fishing and bees.
Progress is per-player, so you're not waiting on anyone and nobody
can complete your quests for you.
Quests don't re-teach the mods, some of the mods already have built-in tutorials like the Engineer's Manual for Immersive Engineering. The quests are more like a guided tour of the pack, with a few extra challenges.
House rules & the Hearts
You keep your inventory and your ten hearts. Only green bonus hearts break when you die.
House rule: your ten normal hearts are permanent — death can never take one, and Keep Inventory is always on. Dying shatters one green bonus heart if you have any, and costs you nothing if you don't. The five hearts below do nothing when you right-click them; they are ingredients for the Heart of the Heart, which is the only one that grants a green heart. All recipes are shapeless, so any arrangement works:
→
Heart of the Sea: 4 lapis lazuli, kelp, 4 ink sacs
→
Heart of the Mountain: 4 bricks, 4 coal, iron ingot
→
Heart of the Honey: 4 honey bottles, honeycomb block, 4 sugar
→
Heart of the Slime: 4 slimeballs, 4 carrots, string
→
Heart of the Gold: 4 redstone, golden carrot, 4 wheat
→
Heart of the Heart: combine all five hearts — right-click for a green bonus heart (max 10)
Heart of the Heart: using one grows a green heart beyond the 10-heart cap, up to 10 extra. When you die, a green heart shatters in place of a real one, so stock up before boss night.
Cat Attack
A mod built just for this server. Ten cat gods were sealed away when the Felouli people fell:
Taffy, Corn Dog, Reaper, Sasha, Safi, Peeg, Juju,
Zipper, Momo and Sydri. Their last priest left three volumes of his journal
behind; find them in dungeon, mineshaft and stronghold chests and they'll teach you the rite.
Build a Felouli Altar, then lay the right volume on it alongside that god's
offering: an everyday item they loved, empowered with diamonds. Strike the stone with
flint and steel. Survive what answers and the seal breaks.
Every god you free leaves a Cat Charm. Wear one for their blessing and a small version
of them pads along at your side. Free all ten to become the Chosen One.
Special thanks to Matthew for writing the lore, and Alex for doing the Cat Charms art.
What's in the pack
Create & machinery
Create: rotational machines, belts and buildable contraptions
Just Enough Breeding: see what every animal eats to breed
Waystones covered above. Yes, they're that good
Visuals & ambience
Iris: shader support, with shader packs already bundled in the modpack. Nothing to download: switch one on under Options → Video Settings → Shader Packs.
