Xenon | Forge Performance Mod

Xenon is a Forge performance mod that ports the Sodium rendering pipeline to Forge and NeoForge. It forks Embeddium and ships with the improvements from Embeddium Extras plus Reese's vertical video settings, so a faster, more configurable client comes from one jar instead of several separate addons.

What Xenon Brings to Forge Players

Through its Embeddium lineage, Xenon inherits the full Sodium rendering pipeline. Chunk loading feels smoother, lag spikes shrink, and mid-range hardware hits noticeably higher FPS. Because it forks Embeddium, the toggles you used to add through Embeddium Extras are already bundled in, so the extra options mod you used to install separately is no longer needed. Reese's vertical video settings are integrated too, which reorganizes the graphics menu into a cleaner vertical layout with finer sliders.

Running Shaders With Oculus

Like Embeddium, Xenon does not ship its own shader pipeline. You pair it with Oculus, the Forge port of Iris, to run your favorite shader packs. If you also want a guided path to that setup, our Iris Shaders overview covers the basics that carry over to Oculus. Shader-specific bugs should go to the Oculus project rather than Xenon, since the rendering path for shaders lives there.

The mod runs client-side only on Forge and NeoForge. The maintainer has stated Xenon will stay Forge-only and will stop being updated for any version where an official Sodium Forge port lands.

How to Install Xenon

Drop the matching jar into your mods folder after installing Minecraft Forge or NeoForge for your Minecraft version. Before you launch, remove OptiFine, Embeddium, Rubidium Extras, and TexTrue's Embeddium Options, since Xenon replaces all of them and conflicts if they are still present. Add Oculus if you want shaders. Many players switch specifically to replace OptiFine, and Xenon handles that role cleanly on Forge.

Compatibility and Known Limits

Xenon is not endorsed by CaffeineMC or the Embeddium maintainer, so upstream bug reports will not be accepted. Send problems to the Xenon project tracker instead. On the upside, because it is a fork, anything that works with Embeddium should work with Xenon, including most Forge Sodium addons. OptiFine is explicitly unsupported and must be removed before launch.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is Xenon a Fabric mod?

No. Xenon is Forge and NeoForge only, and the maintainer has said it will stay that way. If you play Fabric, use Sodium directly.

Do I still need Embeddium or Embeddium Extras?

No. Xenon replaces Embeddium and already bundles Embeddium Extras, so you can remove both.

Can I use shaders with Xenon?

Yes, but not on its own. Install Oculus alongside Xenon to run shader packs.

Is Xenon supported by the Sodium developers?

No. It is an independent fork. Report issues to the Xenon project, not to CaffeineMC or the Embeddium maintainer.