RLCraft Server Hosting in Australia
RLCraft is a hardcore survival overhaul pack that reworks nearly every part of vanilla Minecraft, adding tougher mobs, dragons, and realistic temperature and thirst mechanics on top of a much harsher progression curve. It is not as RAM hungry as newer kitchen sink packs, but it runs on an older Minecraft engine that leans more on raw CPU speed than modern packs do, so hardware quality matters as much as RAM here.
This guide covers how much RAM you need, what to look for in a host, and how to get an RLCraft server running in Australia in a few minutes.
What is RLCraft?
RLCraft strips away a lot of vanilla's forgiveness. Mobs hit harder and behave more aggressively, dragons roam the world as genuine threats, and survival systems like thirst and temperature mean you cannot ignore the basics the way you can in vanilla. It suits groups who want Minecraft to feel dangerous, rather than a building or automation focused experience.
RLCraft runs on Forge for Minecraft 1.12.2 and includes around 185 mods. Because it is built on the older 1.12.2 engine, it needs Java 8 rather than the newer Java versions modern packs use. MCHosts automatically selects the right Java version for whichever version or modpack you install, so this is not something you need to configure yourself.
How much RAM does an RLCraft server need?
Modpack RAM requirements depend mostly on the number of mods loaded and how many chunks players keep active. For RLCraft, here is what we recommend as a starting point.
| Players | Recommended RAM | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 1 to 4 | 6GB | A comfortable minimum for a small group running RLCraft's default settings |
| 5 to 10 | 8GB | The sweet spot for most groups, matching general guidance for this pack |
| 10+ | 10GB or more | Our top tier, suited to larger communities running through RLCraft's tougher late game content |
Modded servers reward headroom. Extra RAM keeps chunk loading smooth when players explore, lets you run a higher view distance, and gives the pack room to breathe as dragons, dungeons, and tougher mobs get added to the mix, so if you are between two plan sizes, the larger one is usually the better experience. The one thing more RAM cannot fix is an oversold host. Many budget plans put lots of customers on the same hardware and let them fight over it, and because Minecraft does most of its work on a single thread, that shows up as lag at peak times no matter how much RAM you buy. Our guide to choosing an Australian host explains the overselling trade-off in more detail.
Why host RLCraft in Australia?
Every interaction in Minecraft is a round trip between your computer and the server. From the Australian east coast, a Sydney server responds in roughly 10 to 40 milliseconds. A server in the US or Europe takes 150 to 300 milliseconds, which makes combat and general movement feel noticeably sluggish.
This matters more than usual in RLCraft because its combat overhaul depends on precise dodge and block timing, and against dragons or an ambush from one of the pack's tougher mobs, lag can be the difference between surviving and losing everything you were carrying.
Plenty of big hosts default to US or European locations on their cheapest plans, so always check that an Australian location is available and whether it costs extra.
Setting up an RLCraft server on MCHosts
Here is the whole process from start to finish.
- Pick a plan with at least 6GB of RAM from our plans page.
- At checkout, click Browse Modpacks, search for RLCraft, and select it. Your server deploys automatically within about 60 seconds with the pack already installed and the Forge setup handled for you.
- Start the server from the control panel and connect with the matching RLCraft profile from the CurseForge app.
Already have a server with us? Open the MC Settings tab in the control panel and click Select ModPack to install or switch to RLCraft at any time.
Every plan includes 100% dedicated RAM with no overselling, automatic backups, and a 7 day money back guarantee, so you can test real performance from your own connection before committing.
The first startup and initial world generation can take longer than most packs, since RLCraft's dungeon and biome mods place a large number of custom structures as the world generates. This is normal.
Performance tips for RLCraft
- Pregenerate your world. Chunk generation is the most expensive thing a modded server does. Pregenerating a few thousand blocks around spawn with a tool like Chunky prevents lag spikes when players explore.
- Keep view distance sensible. A view distance of 6 to 8 is plenty for modded servers and dramatically reduces the load per player.
- Leave Ram Optimizations on. Every MCHosts server includes a Ram Optimizations toggle in MC Settings that applies modern tuned Java flags, the kind of garbage collection setup you would otherwise have to research and configure by hand. It is on by default, so just do not turn it off.
- Schedule a daily restart. Modded servers accumulate memory bloat over long sessions. On MCHosts there is an "Enable scheduled daily restart" toggle in the MC Settings tab, so set it once at a quiet hour and forget about it.
- Watch TPS closely the first time your group spreads out. RLCraft's structures and tougher mob AI put real load on the CPU during early exploration, more so than on RAM. Pregenerating ahead of your group, as above, is the single biggest thing that helps here.
- Dial back mob difficulty in the configs if the server struggles. RLCraft's own config files let you reduce spawn rates and mob aggression without touching anything else about the pack, which is a lighter fix than upgrading RAM if CPU load is the actual bottleneck.
Frequently asked questions
How much RAM do I need for an RLCraft server with 6 players? 8GB is the sweet spot for a group that size. See the table above for other group sizes.
Can Bedrock players join an RLCraft server? No. RLCraft requires every player to run the modpack on Minecraft Java Edition, so console and phone players cannot join. If crossplay matters to your group, a vanilla or plugin based server with GeyserMC is the way to go, and that is free on every MCHosts plan.
Can I add extra mods to RLCraft? You can upload additional Forge mods through the file manager or SFTP, as long as they match Minecraft 1.12.2, but be cautious. RLCraft's mods are more tightly interdependent than most packs, and adding something unrelated is more likely to cause conflicts. Take a backup first.
How do I update the server when RLCraft releases a new version? Take a backup first, then open the MC Settings tab in the control panel, click Select ModPack, and choose the new version. The panel handles the rest.
Why is RLCraft so much harder than other modpacks? That is the point of the pack. RLCraft is designed as a hardcore realism overhaul, with tougher mobs, harsher survival mechanics, and real stakes if you die unprepared. If your group wants a gentler modded experience, a lighter pack is a better fit.
Ready to get RLCraft running on a Sydney server? Head to mchosts.com.au/plans, pick a plan with at least 6GB, and remember, every new server comes with a 7 day money back guarantee.
