When Critters and Companions won’t load, the cause is almost always one of a handful of issues. Work through this guide from top to bottom and you’ll fix most problems in minutes.

Step 1: Read the crash report

Open .minecraft/crash-reports and open the newest file, or .minecraft/logs/latest.log if the game didn’t produce a report. Look at the first lines under “Description” and for any mod name mentioned near words like missing, requires or incompatible.

# Example of a loader-version error
Mod critters_and_companions requires neoforge 21.1.x or above
Currently, neoforge is 21.0.x

A message like the one above means your loader is too old. Update it and try again.

Common problems and fixes

Crash on startup

The mod file doesn’t match your Minecraft or loader version. Re-download the file built for your exact version from the official page, and install the loader version it requires.

Wrong loader

A NeoForge/Forge file won’t load on Fabric or Quilt, and vice versa. Use the loader named on the file.

Duplicate mod error

Two copies of the mod are in your mods folder. Delete the older one.

Can’t connect to a server

Your client version differs from the server’s. The disconnect screen lists mismatched mods; install the same version the server runs.

No critters spawning

Explore new chunks near water and forests. If you use other mods that control spawning, check their configs. Server owners can also review the mod’s config file for spawn settings.

Dim cave scene with glowing particles, representing performance tuning for modded Minecraft
Busy scenes with lots of particles and mobs are where performance tuning helps most.

Fixing low FPS

  • Allocate 4–6 GB of RAM in the launcher’s Installations → More options → JVM arguments (for example -Xmx4G). More isn’t always better.
  • Lower render and simulation distance.
  • Add a rendering optimisation mod compatible with your loader.
  • Try a lighter shader profile, or turn shaders off to compare.

Last resort: clean test

Create a fresh profile with only the loader and Critters and Companions. If that works, add your other mods back in small groups until the crash returns; the last group contains the conflict.

Reporting a bug

If the mod crashes on its own in a clean profile, report it on the issue tracker linked from the official project page. Include your Minecraft, loader and mod versions and attach the full crash report.

Still stuck? Contact us and we’ll point you in the right direction.

Quick answer

Where are crash reports saved?

In the crash-reports folder inside .minecraft. The latest log is in .minecraft/logs/latest.log.