Mostly No Science (Forge)

Modpack with a focus on exploration and progression.

Mostly avoiding mods that you have to look up a wiki for.

Upgrading/Leveling your character:

• Project MMO – Level up in mining, combat, etc. by doing those activities to get bonuses for those activities. Equipment is level gated.
• PlayerEx – Gain Stat points as you gain Minecraft exp.
• Everlasting Abilities – Spend Minecraft exp to gain permanent potion effects you find.
• Lost Trinkets – Occasionally unlock passives that you can equip.
• Spice of Life: Carrot Edition – Gain more max health by eating new foods.
• Vampirism – Become a vampire or vampire hunter and and collect materials to rank up and gain more double-sided buffs.

Gear Progression:

• Tinkers Construct – Smelt materials into weapon, tool, armor, parts and combine them to create equipment. Most materials have unique passives.
• Silent Gear – Similar to tinkers. Less time to get started, less potential.
• RelicEx – Items for your curio slots that give PlayerEx stats.
• Apotheosis – Some items will have rarity and additional affixes that can be transferred to other items.

Plenty to explore:

• Aquamirae – dugeons and boss
• Atum 2 – realm with dungeons, bosses, unique equipment
• Dungeon Crawl – Procedurally generated dungeons.
• Dungeons of Exile – dungeons
• Stalwart Dungeons – dungeons
• The Abyss II – dimension
• The Afterlight – dimension
• The Lost Cities – dimension
• The Twilight Forest – dimension with quests and many bosses
• The Undergarden – dimension
• Valhesia Structures – dungeons
• When Dungeons Arise – dungeons
• YUNG’s Better Dungeons/Mineshafts/Strongholds – improve vanilla dungeons

Magic Systems:

• Ars Nouveau – spell crafting
• Blood Magic – explore the magic system
• Forbidden and Arcanus – variety and familiars
• Mahou Tsukai – magic circles that avoids just doing vanilla effects
• Mana and Artifice – spell crafting
• Occultism – ritual magic
• Psi – spell programming

The best storage system: Simple Storage Network

The best gravestone mod: Corail Tombstone