StoneBlock 4: One Month Later

StoneBlock 4 had a fantastic first month.

The response has been bigger than anything we expected. The community cleared vaults, completed the World Engines, filled new servers and sent us a wave of feedback that helped shape the modpack in real time.

Now that things have settled a little, here's a swift look at how the launch unfolded and how it helped make SB4 even stronger.

Real Momentum And Purpose

StoneBlock 4 set out to change the flow of "classic StoneBlock", and the new systems did precisely that.

• The World Engine gave players a clear sense of direction from the start.
• The vaults added handcrafted challenges that broke up the endless mining experience.
• The Echo questlines turned out to be far more popular than expected, giving everyone moments of story and mystery inside an otherwise mechanical pack.

These additions made SB4 feel familiar and fresh, still StoneBlock, but with more structure, personality and decision making.

You all jumped straight in!

The numbers took off fast: StoneBlock 4 passed 2 million plays in what felt like a few hours. Our community launched their servers almost immediately, and content creators dove into vaults on day one, settling in for long-term runs.

Even better, people kept playing. The first month turned into steady growth as the pack got smoother and more refined with each update.

Fixes, Improvements & Player-driven tweaks.

The early feedback was constructive.

Thanks to thousands of eyes on the pack, we caught things that no internal testing cycle could realistically surface. The team treated bugs and balance issues as chances to refine the experience.

Some notable improvements made by this feedback:

• Early quest clarity
• Vault death and reward flow
• Automation pacing
• Cable facades and recipe adjustments
• Stability for both servers and single-player
• Late-game balance and quality of life tweaks

Every patch made the pack a little sharper and a little smoother. (Almost like a rock!) The community (that's you!) shaped it all.

Growth behind the scenes

Big projects always reveal new opportunities, and SB4 was no exception. The main difference was that challenges turned into lessons that will help future development run even better.

A packed feature list reminded us to lock things earlier

SB4's ambition gave us a lot of cool systems, which also taught us to set cleaner boundaries next time.

Testing feedback came fast and loud, and it helped.

This feedback sped up improvements, and the pace of the first week's fixes was only possible because players were so active.

Custom tooling pushed us to think about better long-term solutions.

SB4 helped expose which workflows need better support for future large-scale packs and the ability to smooth them out.

Luckily, none of these slowed down the release. These gave us a more precise roadmap for creating a smoother, calmer and more polished day one for the next modpack.

Looking forward

The pack is still evolving, and more improvements are in the pipeline. The first month proved that the core ideas resonate. The community likes structure and the progression challenge, as long as the freedom that makes the game is still there.

Future updates will continue polishing the experience as we apply lessons from SB4 to other and upcoming FTB Projects.

A Quick Merch Update (Because you asked!)

During the StoneBlock 4 launch, we kept a close eye on our Discord Server for merch feedback. One thing was loud and clear: many of you wanted more subtle designs. Things that feel good to wear every day, not just at events.

So we started exactly that for affordable apparel and cosy items.
New merch includes:

• Stoneblock 4 Pebbles Hoodie
• Non-branded variants for SB4 & Skies
• Blankets!
• A water bottle and mugs to Quench The Beast whilst you play
• And finally, FTB Gift Cards.

These items came directly from player feedback, and we are working on more elaborate (all-over-print designs) for a more themed collection. Go get your favourite item here!