5 best high-end shaders for Minecraft 1.19 update

Minecraft is well-known for its ability to be customized. From massive visual changes through community-made texture packs to quality of life mods, there is little that can’t be done in the game.

Shaders are one of the most exciting innovations in the Minecraft community. They completely change the game’s ability to render things like water and light for the better.

Here's a look at some of the most impressive graphical shaders in Minecraft 1.19.

Note: This article reflects the opinions of the writer

---

KUDA Shaders, Project Luma and 3 other great shaders for graphical overhauls in Minecraft 1.19

1) Werrus

The Werrus shader specializes in two main areas of the game: water and shadows.

The shadows found within this shader are unmatched in their beauty. They even have god rays typically associated with ray tracing to complement them.

While not quite up to par with the shaders that focus entirely on water, the water within this shader is just below the best of the best, with nice colors and gentle waves.

The enhanced shadow work featured in this shader is best seen at night. It adds a palpable sense of fear to Minecraft nights, which is a refreshing change for many veterans of the game.

---

2) KUDA Shaders

An example of KUDA shaders (Image via Mojang)

KUDA Shaders is one of the best shaders in the Minecraft community. The changes made by this shader are less apparent and more subtle.

KUDA Shaders makes many changes to the game, including increased vibrancy of coloration and additional depth to shadows. It also features basic water reflections, but nothing incredible.

The shader's unique selling point is its skies. It revamps the game’s atmosphere completely, with the skies having gorgeous clouds and looking incredible.

---

3) Naelego’s Cel Shaders

A village as seen with Naelego's Cel Shaders (Image via Mojang)

This shader gives Minecraft a style that has been made famous by games such as Borderlands. For those unfamiliar, a cel shaded stylization is characterized by black bars around objects. This helps the objects stand out from each other and the environment.

This shader also features bold and vibrant colors, as well as crisp outlines associated with classic cartoons and comics.

Its biggest drawback is that it is not particularly well-optimized, meaning that it will not run well on lower-end systems. It's still a great choice for players on beefier gaming rigs, though.

---

4) Project Luma

The water as seen with the Project Luma shader (Image via Mojang)

Project Luma is the official successor to KUDA. It has been remade from the ground up.

Project Luma is an interesting shader as it straddles the fine line between graphical overhaul and performance. It succeeds for the most part.

Project Luma features vibrant colors, distance fog, lens flair and directional shadows, making it an amazing choice for players wanting to experience a whole new Minecraft.

---

5) Too Many Effects

A beachside base as seen with TME Shaders (Image via Mojang)

Too Many Effects, as the name might imply, is a shader that focuses on excess. This shader attempts to add any and every effect that a player can think of.

A few effects featured in this shader include water reflections, directional light god rays, trees that shake with the wind, and shadows so realistic that players might start to not trust their own eyes.

This shader can be totally system-crippling due to the sheer amount of features and effects crammed into it. It is the ideal shader option for players with great CPU and GPU performance on their PCs.