Water Shader Alpha
ShaderReflective, refractive, and rippling water.
Why gradeC
How grades workStrengths
Points lost
- No release in 18 months−5 points
- Releases in only 1 of the last 24 months−4 points
- No place to report problems−3 points
- Under 5 million downloads−2 points
All 10 criteria
Maintenance
7 points lost20 / 27Last releaseHow long ago the newest file came out, or an existing file was marked as working on a new Minecraft version.18 months ago (19 Apr 2025) 9 / 12Supports popular versionsWhether the project has a file for a Minecraft version that 15% or more of the popular mods updated in the last 6 months also support. A version many modpacks use, like 1.20.1 or 1.21.1, also counts after a release in the last 12 months.Newest supported: 1.21. 15% or more of the popular mods updated in the last 6 months also have files for 1.21. Latest Minecraft: 26.3. 9 / 9Regular releasesIn how many of the last 24 months a new file came out. Full points at 3 months.Releases in 1 of the last 24 months 2 / 6Stability
Full points5 / 5Removed from modpacksHow many modpacks removed it in a later version of the pack. We can only see this in modpacks with two or more versions. A pack that swaps it for another edition of the same project, or that is rebuilt from scratch, does not count.Not measured yet.Quick fixesHow often a release needed a quick fix: a new release within 3 days to fix a problem in it.Not measured yet.Known conflictsHow many projects say they do not work with it, compared with how widely it is used. Packs, small projects, forks, ports, add-ons, alternatives and old versions do not count.None 5 / 5Transparency
3 points lost0 / 3Source codeWhether the project page links to its source code, so anyone can read what it does.Does not apply. A shader's files can be read in the download.Place to report problemsWhether the project page links to a place where players can report problems: an issue tracker or a Discord server.No link to report problems 0 / 3Popularity
2 points lost2 / 4DownloadsDownloads on Modrinth and CurseForge. Full points from 5 million.13,944 2 / 4Track record
2 points lost6 / 8AgeHow long the project has existed. It counts less when no new file came out recently.18 months, 4 releases 6 / 8
33.3 of the 47 points that apply = 71 out of 100. The points above are rounded to whole numbers.
Images
About
Water Shader Alpha is a rewrite of the classic Water Shader Mod, bringing its distinctive reflective, refractive, and rippling water effects to a modern shaderpack. It uses planar reflections to render water surfaces at up to four different heights, and automatically prioritizes larger water patches when allocating reflection calculations. Reflection and refraction are blended to create the final image, with water distortion, see-through water, enhanced underwater fog and translucency, and improved sky reflections alongside vanilla lighting. The shader includes styles inspired by Necrowizzard and Superbomb17, as well as experimental reflections of the sun and moon.
Written from Modrinth and the GitHub README . How we write it
In-game changes
It has no file for a recent Minecraft version. This is about its files for Minecraft 1.20 to 1.21.
Changes how the game looks: 11 shader programs, the dimensions are not stated in the pack. Draws its own shadows, water, sky, clouds and weather.
Settings in English.
Details
- Creator
- MahoganyCraft
- License
- MIT License
- Downloads
- 14K
- Created
- 12 Apr 2025
- Official page
- Modrinth
- Links
- Source code , Wiki
Security
No harmful code found
It has no file for a recent Minecraft version. This is about its files for Minecraft 1.20 to 1.21.
We checked what is inside its files, without opening them in the game.
Why we show this: a shader cannot run programs, but its file can hide one. Our checks look for known signs of harm. They cannot prove that a file is harmless. In the grade: malware means no grade.
How we checked
- FilesWe download the files from Modrinth or CurseForge and look at what is inside them and what their code can do, without running them. Fixed rules tell what is harmful.1 latest file. It is not for a recent Minecraft version, so the answer above is about it. Recent versions: those released in the last 2 years, plus 1.20.1 and 1.21.1, among the most played in modpacks. See each file in Releases
- Author on ModrinthThe disclosure form on Modrinth, where the author declares that the project reads or edits things on your system outside the game. Since 13 Aug 2026, Modrinth's rules require it when this applies.Nothing declared about your system outside the game.
Privacy
Sends nothing
A shader has no code that can connect to the internet, so it cannot send anything about you.
AI
No sign so far that AI was used to make it
We looked for AI tools in its texts, files and images and found none.
We have not read its code history yet.
Why we show this: some players and servers avoid projects made with AI. Not in the grade: using AI does not tell whether a project works well or is kept up to date.
How we checked
- Author on ModrinthThe disclosure form on Modrinth. Since 13 Aug 2026, Modrinth's rules require it when a substantial part of the code is AI output, when an asset is mainly AI output, or when the project or its page relies on generative AI.No AI content declared.
- Code historyThe public code on GitHub: who made each change, credit lines such as "Co-authored-by", and its files.Not read yet
- Description and changelogsThe description, project page and newest changelogs: sentences saying an AI tool was used, and text pasted from an AI chat.Nothing found4 changelogs read
- Its filesFiles that AI coding tools leave behind (like AGENTS.md), and the texts inside the files you download.Nothing found
- Images in its filesHidden data in the images of the files you download, where AI image tools write their name and settings.Nothing found1 image read
Compatibility
See all 4 filesPoint at or tap a version to see it.
Modpacks using this project
Modpacks that include Water Shader Alpha in at least one of their versions, most downloaded first.
Latest files
The newest file for each Minecraft version and loader. None is for a recent Minecraft version. Recent versions: those released in the last 2 years, plus 1.20.1 and 1.21.1, among the most played in modpacks.