Complementary Reimagined

About Complementary Reimagined

Complementary Reimagined is a popular Minecraft shader. With over 68 million downloads on Modrinth, it is the most downloaded shader pack in the history of the game. EminGT has been developing it for years, and over that time Reimagined has become the de facto standard for what an improved Minecraft should look like.

The philosophy of Reimagined is simple and well thought out: keep Minecraft's blocky character, but give it a modern look. Instead of trying to make the game photorealistic (that is what Complementary Unbound is for), Reimagined subtly improves every aspect. Blocks that emit light really glow in the right colors. Lava casts an orange glow. Torches give a warm, yellow light with a natural range.

The per-block effects system is Reimagined's trademark. Practically every block in the game has its own unique behavior: leaves sway gently in the wind, lava pulses, water changes its transparency depending on depth, and glass reflects its surroundings. All of this runs smoothly even on mid-range graphics cards thanks to surgical optimization.

Performance profiles from Potato (literally for the weakest machines) to Ultra let you match the shader to any hardware. On the Potato profile Reimagined still looks better than vanilla and barely cuts your FPS. On Ultra it competes with heavy realistic packs while keeping its blocky look.

As of October 2026, the latest release is r5.9.3 from September 15, 2026, the first one marked as compatible with Minecraft 26.3. The larger r5.9 update (September 2, 2026) improved performance and added a new daytime sky, volumetric reflections in the End, and new settings and profiles. Complementary Unbound gets the same releases. For both versions you can add the Euphoria Patches add-on, whose version 1.10.0 added, among other things, a black hole and a nebula in the End.

Visual style

Reimagined keeps and emphasizes Minecraft's blocky character. The light is warm and natural, but it does not try to pass as photography. The colors are vivid without being unnaturally saturated. The key element is colored block light: a torch gives yellow light, a Soul Torch blue, a Redstone Lamp red and a Sea Lantern pale blue. The effect is subtle, but it completely changes the atmosphere of underground bases.

The volumetric clouds are big and fluffy, closer to animation than to reality. Water has a rippling surface with nice reflections. Sunsets are colorful, but in a controlled way, without oversaturation. Leaves and grass move in the wind, which gives the world more life. Rainbows appear after rain, which is a unique detail of Reimagined.

Hardware requirements

Reimagined is surprisingly light for the number of effects it offers. On a GTX 1060 with the Medium profile and a render distance of 12 you get 50-65 FPS. The Potato profile runs comfortably even on Intel HD 630. This is one of Complementary's biggest advantages: you do not need powerful hardware to enjoy nice graphics.

Installing Complementary Reimagined

Reimagined works best on Iris with Sodium. You can also use OptiFine, but your FPS will be lower.

1. Install Fabric Loader and Iris Shaders (Iris automatically bundles Sodium).
2. Download Complementary Reimagined from Modrinth.
3. Do not unzip it. Copy the .zip file to .minecraft/shaderpacks/.
4. In the game: Options → Video Settings → Shader Packs → choose Complementary Reimagined.
5. In Shader Pack Settings, choose the profile that suits your hardware (Potato/Low/Medium/High/Ultra).

Settings and configuration

Complementary Reimagined has a profile system that simplifies configuration. But you can also fine-tune every effect:

• Profiles (Potato/Low/Medium/High/Ultra): The most important setting. Potato gives the minimum of effects with maximum FPS. Ultra turns everything on.
• Block Light Colors: Colored block light, the key Complementary effect. Be sure to turn it on.
• Shadow Quality: 512 on Low, 1024 on Medium/High, 2048 on Ultra.
• Cloud Quality: Volumetric clouds look beautiful, but they cost about 8 FPS. On weaker hardware switch to 2D.
• Waving: The movement of leaves and grass. The FPS cost is minimal, so it is worth leaving on.
• Water Quality: Controls the quality of water. On High it gives full reflections and transparency.

Comparison with other shaders

Reimagined wins if you want a shader for everyday play with the best optimization. Unbound is better when you are looking for realism. BSL gives you more control over every effect.

Screenshots

Screenshots will be added soon. Try the shader by downloading it from Modrinth.

Editorial rating

Complementary Reimagined is our number one. There is no shader that balances looks, performance and ease of use better. Profiles from Potato to Ultra, per-block effects, colored light and regular updates make it the obvious choice for every player. Overall rating: 5.0/5.

Frequently asked questions