====== Installing Minecraft Forge and Our Modpack ======

Follow these steps to get Minecraft Forge and our Shadows of Aethro modpack running. No hand-holding, just the facts.

===== 1. Install Minecraft and Run It Once =====
  * Open the Minecraft Launcher, log in, and launch vanilla Minecraft once. This creates the necessary folders.

===== 2. Download and Install Forge =====
  * Go to: https://files.minecraftforge.net/
  * Download the **installer** for the Forge version matching our modpack (check the modpack page for version info).
  * Run the installer (`.jar` file).
  * Select **Install client** and let it finish.
  * Open the Minecraft Launcher. You should see a **Forge** profile.

===== 3. Download Our Modpack =====

Grab the latest Shadows of Aethro modpack directly from our site:  
[[https://www.aethro.net/files/shadows_of_aethro_modpack.zip|Download Shadows of Aethro Modpack]]

===== 4. Open Your Minecraft Folder =====
  * **Windows:** Press `Win+R`, type `%appdata%\.minecraft`, hit Enter.
  * **Mac:** Finder → Go → Go to Folder → `~/Library/Application Support/minecraft`
  * **Linux:** `~/.minecraft`

===== 5. Set Up the Mods Folder =====
  * Look for the `mods` folder inside `.minecraft`.
  * If it's not there, run Forge once or just create it yourself.

===== 6. Install the Modpack =====
  * Unzip the file you downloaded from our site.
  * Copy all `.jar` files (mods) into `.minecraft/mods`.
  * If there's a `config` folder, copy it into `.minecraft` too (replace files if asked).

===== 7. Launch Minecraft with Forge =====
  * Open the Minecraft Launcher.
  * Select the **Forge** profile.
  * Hit **Play**.

===== 8. Troubleshooting =====
  * **Crash on startup:** Wrong Forge version, incompatible mods, or missing dependencies. Check your mod versions.
  * **Out of memory:** Edit your Forge profile and give it more RAM (example: `-Xmx4G` for 4GB).

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**TL;DR:**  
Download Forge for the right Minecraft version, grab our modpack, dump mods in `mods` folder, launch the Forge profile. If it crashes, fix your mistake. Welcome to modded Minecraft.