Make a Simple Custom Weapon

This is a complete beginner walkthrough. You will make one plain brown stick in Blender and use it to replace the normal Shovel model in Minecraft Dungeons II. You will also make a matching inventory icon and two simple game textures. The Shovel keeps its existing name, stats, attacks, sounds and effects.

What You Will Do

1. Install the required programs.
2. Configure FModel for Dungeons II.
3. Export SM_Shovel as a reference.
4. Make one stick in Blender.
5. Export the stick as FBX.
6. Configure the Dungeons II Mod Kit.
7. Make the textures and icon, then complete all Unreal Engine work in one pass.
8. Run the asset extractor and patch the original material as the final preparation step.
9. Cook and package the mod.
10. Load the game, equip the weapon and test it.

1Download the Programs

• Dungeons II Mod Kit
  Provides the Unreal project and the scripts that cook and package the mod.
  DownloadJump to setup
• Unreal Engine 5.6.1
  Imports the FBX and creates the cooked game assets. Use 5.6.1, not a newer engine version.
  DownloadJump to import
• FModel
  Opens the installed game archives and exports the original Shovel mesh.
  DownloadJump to setup
• Minecraft Dungeons II Mapping 1.1.1
  Required to read the game's unversioned assets in FModel and UAssetGUI. This file does not come with the game, FModel, UAssetGUI or the Mod Kit, and generating it yourself is an advanced process. This download is for game version 1.1.1 only.
  Download mapping 1.1.1Jump to FModel setup
• Dungeons II Asset Extractor
  A batch helper that uses reTOC to convert only the game packages you request into editable .uasset/.uexp files. It asks for every input and the output folder.
  Download BATJump to asset extraction
  Download reTOC
• UAssetGUI
  Changes the original Shovel material's built-in brightness from 0.25 to 1.0. This is required for this tested Shovel method and is not a repair for a Blender mistake.
  DownloadJump to brightness adjustment
• Blender
  Creates, positions and exports the replacement stick.
  DownloadJump to modelling
• Unreal PSK/PSA for Blender
  Adds support for the .psk/.pskx model exported by FModel.
  Extension pageJump to installation
  Source and releases
• Paint.NET
  Creates the game textures and transparent inventory icon. Another editor that can save transparent PNG files is also suitable.
  DownloadJump to textures

Install Unreal Engine 5.6.1

1. Install and open Epic Games Launcher.
2. Open Unreal Engine > Library.
3. Click the plus button beside Engine Versions.
4. Choose version 5.6.1 and click Install.
5. Do not use 5.5, 5.7 or another release for this Mod Kit. Unreal assets are version-sensitive.

Install the Blender PSK/PSA extension

1. Open Blender.
2. Open Edit > Preferences > Get Extensions.
3. Search for PSK PSA.
4. Install Import-Export: Unreal PSK/PSA.
5. If it is not offered in Get Extensions, download the ZIP from the extension source link, then use Edit > Preferences > Add-ons > Install from Disk and choose that ZIP.
6. Restart Blender. File > Import should now include an Unreal PSK option.

2Configure FModel

1. Open FModel.
2. Open Directory > Selector.
3. If Minecraft Dungeons II is not listed, expand Add Undetected Game.
4. Name it Minecraft Dungeons II.
5. Select the game's Paks folder. It is the folder that contains global.utoc and Dungeons-WinGDK.utoc.
6. Xbox installs normally use:
   ...\Minecraft Dungeons II\Content\Dungeons\Content\Paks
7. Steam installs normally use:
   ...\Minecraft Dungeons II\Dungeons\Content\Paks
8. Add the game, select it, set the game version to GAME_UE5_6, then click OK.

Mapping file and encrypted archives

1. Open Settings in FModel.
2. Confirm UE Versions is set to GAME_UE5_6.
3. Enable Local Mapping File and select the correct Dungeons II .usmap file for your installed game version.
4. Open the Models or Exports section of Settings. Set Mesh Format to ActorX (.psk/.pskx).
5. Set the output directory to a folder you can find, then save Settings.
6. If the archives show as encrypted or disabled, open Directory > AES and enter the correct AES key for your legally owned game/version.

3Find and Export the Shovel

1. In FModel, open the Archives tab.
2. Choose All as the loading mode and click Load.
3. Open the Folders tab and navigate to:
   Dungeons/Content/Spicewood/Art/Characters/Player/Equipment/Weapons
4. Type Shovel into the package search box.

5. Open the Shovel folder.
6. Locate SM_Shovel. The SM_ prefix means it is the static mesh used by the weapon.

7. Right-click SM_Shovel. The context menu contains Raw Data, Properties and Model. Choose Model.
8. Do not choose Raw Data or Properties; those do not create the Blender model file. The Model command automatically uses the ActorX (.psk/.pskx) mesh format selected earlier under FModel Settings.
9. If FModel opens the 3D Viewer instead of immediately saving, right-click SM_Shovel in the viewer's outliner and choose Save Model.
10. Confirm the exported model is SM_Shovel.pskx or SM_Shovel.psk inside FModel's output folder. A static mesh will commonly be saved as .pskx; the Blender PSK/PSA extension accepts both.

4Make the Stick in Blender

Import the reference

1. Open Blender and start a new General file.
2. Press A, then Delete, to remove the default cube, camera and light.
3. Open File > Import > Unreal PSK (.psk/.pskx).
4. Select the exported SM_Shovel.psk or SM_Shovel.pskx.
5. Leave the PSK import options at their defaults and click Import.

6. Do not change Blender's unit scale after importing. If Scene Properties shows Metric, leave Unit Scale at 1.000. The imported Shovel is the ruler, so the workflow also remains reliable if a future importer displays centimetres differently.
7. Select the Shovel and press N. Under Item, its object Location should remain at 0, 0, 0. Do not move the reference object.
8. In the Outliner, rename the imported object from SM_Shovel to REFERENCE_SM_Shovel. This keeps the reference clearly separate and frees the exact game asset name for the new stick.

Create one cube at the Shovel origin

1. With the Shovel selected, press Shift+S and choose Cursor to Selected. The 3D Cursor is now at the Shovel's object origin.
2. Choose Add > Mesh > Cube. Blender adds the cube at that cursor.
3. Rename the cube to SM_Shovel.
4. Press Tab to enter Edit Mode.
5. Press A to select all eight vertices.
6. Scale the vertices into a narrow rectangular stick. Use S followed by X, Y or Z to constrain each change to one axis.
7. Use G followed by an axis key to move the selected vertices until the stick covers the same usable length and direction as the reference.
8. For the example shown here, the finished size is approximately 7.5 cm × 7.5 cm × 132.6 cm. Matching the imported reference is more important than typing those numbers.
9. Keep the bottom/handle end at the same point as the original Shovel handle.

10. Press A, then Shift+N, and choose Recalculate Outside. This corrects the face normals.
11. Press Tab to return to Object Mode.

12. In the Outliner, hide REFERENCE_SM_Shovel by clicking its eye icon. You may delete it instead, but hiding it is safer until testing is complete. From this point onward, only the new stick should be visible.

Add the brown material

1. With the stick selected, open Material Properties and click New.
2. Name the material M_Stick.
3. Set Base Color to brown.
4. Set Metallic to 0.0 and Roughness to about 0.85.
5. A flat colour does not require a texture or UV map for this first example.

Clean the model before export

1. Select the stick.
2. Press Ctrl+A and choose Rotation & Scale. Do not choose a command that moves the origin.
3. Press N and verify Location is 0, 0, 0, Rotation is 0, 0, 0, and Scale is 1, 1, 1.
4. Save the Blender file before exporting.

5Export the FBX from Blender

1. Select only SM_Shovel.
2. Open File > Export > FBX (.fbx).
3. Name the file SM_Shovel.fbx.
4. Use the following export settings, then click Export FBX.

6Configure the Dungeons II Mod Kit

1. Extract a fresh copy of the Dungeons II Mod Kit into its own folder. The downloaded ZIP normally extracts as Dungeons-II-Mod-Kit-main. Keep each mod in its own Mod Kit copy.
2. Every Mod Kit path in this guide starts with Dungeons-II-Mod-Kit-main. If you renamed that folder, use your folder's name in its place.
3. Open Dungeons-II-Mod-Kit-main\Settings.
4. Open Dungeons-II-Mod-Kit-main\Settings\editor_directory.txt. Put the full path to Unreal Engine 5.6.1's Engine\Binaries\Win64 folder on its own line.
5. Open Dungeons-II-Mod-Kit-main\Settings\game_directory.txt. Put the Minecraft Dungeons II install folder on its own line. Use the folder containing the game's Dungeons or Content folder, not the Paks folder.
6. Open Dungeons-II-Mod-Kit-main\Settings\mod_info.json and fill in a unique id, name, version and author. Keep the id simple and do not use it for another installed mod.
7. Open Dungeons-II-Mod-Kit-main\copy_cooked_assets.rcj.
8. Delete the filter line M_*.u*. If this line remains, M_Stick is cooked but omitted from the final mod.
9. Leave the MI_*.u* filter in place. This prevents Unreal's temporary material-instance placeholder from replacing the game's compiled material.
10. Leave /XF in the file because the remaining shader and asset-information filters still use it.
11. Create Dungeons-II-Mod-Kit-main\Precooked if it does not already exist. The original compiled material will go here.

Example settings

7Prepare the Textures and Complete the Unreal Import

Make the two replacement game textures

1. Open Paint.NET and make a 64 x 64 image filled with one brown colour. This example uses RGBA 126, 68, 27, 255.
2. Save it as T_Shovel.png.
3. Make a second 64 x 64 image filled with RGBA 0, 220, 0, 128. This supplies uniform non-metallic, rough, non-emissive packed material data.
4. Save the second image as T_Shovel_MRES.png.
5. Create this exact folder path:
   Dungeons-II-Mod-Kit-main\Textures\Spicewood\Art\Characters\Player\Equipment\Weapons\Shovel
6. Put both PNG files in that final Shovel folder. Do not drag them into Unreal. Dungeons-II-Mod-Kit-main\cook_assets.bat imports them using the original game's texture settings.

Make the replacement inventory icon

1. Open Paint.NET and create a 256 x 256 image with a transparent background.
2. Draw a simple brown stick from the lower-left towards the upper-right. Leave clear transparent space around it so it fits inside the inventory tile.
3. Save it as a transparent PNG named exactly T_UI_Shovel_Icon.png.
4. Create this exact folder path:
   Dungeons-II-Mod-Kit-main\Textures\Spicewood\Art\Characters\Player\Equipment\Weapons\Shovel
5. Put T_UI_Shovel_Icon.png in that final Shovel folder. Do not drag this PNG into the Unreal Content Browser. The Mod Kit imports it during Dungeons-II-Mod-Kit-main\cook_assets.bat and copies the original Shovel icon's texture settings.

Open Unreal Engine and import the model

1. Open Dungeons-II-Mod-Kit-main\UE5Project.
2. Double-click Dungeons-II-Mod-Kit-main\UE5Project\Dungeons.uproject and open it with Unreal Engine 5.6.1.
3. Wait until the Unreal Editor has fully opened. Find Content Drawer at the bottom-left and click it. The panel that opens across the bottom is where Unreal stores project assets.

Create the exact game folder path

1. In the folder tree on the left, click Content. Unreal displays the virtual game root /Game as Content. Do not create another folder named Content inside it.
2. Right-click Content and click New Folder.
3. Type Spicewood and press Enter.
4. Right-click the new Spicewood folder, click New Folder, type Art, and press Enter.
5. Repeat the same action inside each new folder to create, in this order: Characters, Player, Equipment, Weapons, then Shovel.
6. Click the final Shovel folder. The breadcrumb above the asset area must read:
   Content > Spicewood > Art > Characters > Player > Equipment > Weapons > Shovel

Import the FBX as a Static Mesh

1. Keep the final Shovel folder selected.
2. Click the Import button at the top-left of the Content Drawer.
3. In the Windows file picker, select the SM_Shovel.fbx exported from Blender and click Open.
4. UE5.6 opens the Import Content window. Click the Static Meshes tab.
5. Confirm Import Static Meshes is on. Leave Auto Detect Mesh Type, Import LODs and Bake Meshes on. The object is a Static Mesh, not a Skeletal Mesh, and it has no animation.
6. Leave Import Uniform Scale at 1.0. Import the Blender material, but do not import or create image textures for this simple stick.
7. Click the blue Import button and wait for Unreal to finish preparing the mesh and shaders.

1. Double-click SM_Shovel in the Content Drawer.
2. The Static Mesh Editor opens in a separate window. Confirm the brown stick is visible and the top-left tab says SM_Shovel.
3. In the right-hand Details panel, confirm Material Slots > Element 0 currently uses M_Stick. A later step replaces this with the temporary MI_Shovel cooking placeholder.
4. Click the Save icon at the top-left of the Static Mesh Editor. Return to the main Unreal window and click Save All in the Content Drawer. The unsaved-asset count at the bottom-right should clear.

Assign the correct equipped material

1. In Unreal's Content Browser, right-click M_Stick and choose Create Material Instance.
2. Name this temporary cooking placeholder exactly MI_Shovel.
3. Open SM_Shovel in the Static Mesh Editor.
4. Change Material Slot 0 from M_Stick to MI_Shovel.
5. Click the Save icon in the Static Mesh Editor, return to the main Unreal window, and click Save All. Do this before closing Unreal or running Dungeons-II-Mod-Kit-main\cook_assets.bat.
6. Do not assign MI_Shovel_Storable to the mesh. It contains the movement used by the inventory presentation and makes an equipped replacement move separately from the hand.
7. Do not remove MI_*.u* from Dungeons-II-Mod-Kit-main\copy_cooked_assets.rcj. Unreal needs the placeholder while cooking, but the placeholder must not enter the final mod.
8. At the end of Dungeons-II-Mod-Kit-main\cook_assets.bat, the Mod Kit copies the patched MI_Shovel pair and the untouched MI_Shovel_Storable pair from Dungeons-II-Mod-Kit-main\Precooked into the final staging folder.

Check the imported asset

1. The Content Browser must contain SM_Shovel, M_Stick and the temporary MI_Shovel cooking placeholder.
2. Double-click SM_Shovel.
3. In the Static Mesh Editor, confirm the stick is visible and Material Slot 0 uses MI_Shovel.
4. Check the approximate bounds. This example is about 7.5 cm × 7.5 cm × 132.6 cm. If it is about 100 times too small or too large, correct the Blender/FBX unit settings and re-import.
5. Do not change the mesh's position in Unreal to repair a bad pivot. Correct the mesh in Blender and export again.
6. Click Save, close the Static Mesh Editor, then choose File > Save All.
7. Close Unreal Engine before cooking.

8Extract and Patch the Original Materials

Extract both editable materials with the helper

1. Close Minecraft Dungeons II.
2. Download extract_dungeons2_assets.bat and download retoc.exe from the reTOC release linked above.
3. Double-click extract_dungeons2_assets.bat.
4. For retoc.exe, paste its full path into the path box or click Browse... and select it, then click Continue.
5. For the game's Paks folder, paste the full folder path or click Browse.... This must be the folder containing Dungeons-WinGDK.utoc and global.utoc.
6. Return to FModel and locate MI_Shovel in the normal Shovel package folder.
7. Right-click MI_Shovel, choose Copy > Package Path, and return to the extractor.
8. Paste the copied package path into the extractor's asset-path filter box. For this tutorial, you can shorten the pasted value to Shovel/MI_Shovel; that matches both MI_Shovel and MI_Shovel_Storable.
9. Paste the correct version-specific AES key into the visible input box. Check that the complete key was pasted, then click Continue. The extractor does not print or save the key.
10. For this tutorial, use this exact output folder:
    Dungeons-II-Mod-Kit-main\Precooked\Dungeons\Content\Spicewood\Art\Characters\Player\Equipment\Weapons\Shovel
    Paste its full path from your computer into the output box. The extractor creates missing folders.
11. Review the filter and output folder, press Y, and wait for SUCCESS.
12. Open Dungeons-II-Mod-Kit-main\Precooked\Dungeons\Content\Spicewood\Art\Characters\Player\Equipment\Weapons\Shovel. Confirm it contains MI_Shovel.uasset, MI_Shovel.uexp, MI_Shovel_Storable.uasset and MI_Shovel_Storable.uexp.

Adjust the original Shovel material brightness with UAssetGUI

1. Keep MI_Shovel.uasset and MI_Shovel.uexp together in Dungeons-II-Mod-Kit-main\Precooked\Dungeons\Content\Spicewood\Art\Characters\Player\Equipment\Weapons\Shovel. UAssetGUI needs both files.
2. Open UAssetGUI without opening the asset yet.
3. Choose Utils > Import Mappings... and select the same matching Dungeons II .usmap file used by FModel. If you are using game version 1.1.1 and do not have it, download the version 1.1.1 mapping here. If asked for a name, enter Dungeons II 1.1.1.
4. At the top-right of UAssetGUI, change No mappings to the imported Dungeons II mappings and set the engine version to 5.6.
5. Now choose File > Open and select MI_Shovel.uasset.
6. If you already opened the asset and saw Failed to parse unversioned properties or Failed to parse 1 export, import and select the mappings as described above, then close and reopen MI_Shovel.uasset.
7. Look at the tree in the left panel. Click the small + beside Export Data. Do not click Export Information.
8. Under Export Data, expand Export 1 (MI_Shovel), then expand MaterialInstanceConstant (8).
9. You should now see ScalarParameterValues (2), as shown below. This confirms you are in the correct place.

10. Click the small + beside ScalarParameterValues (2) in the left tree. Two numbered parameter entries appear underneath it.

11. Click ParameterInfo (3) under entry 0 (3) and read the Name value in the right panel. Repeat under entry 1 (3). Stop when the Name is naturalEmissiveBrightness. In the example below, it is entry 1 (3).

12. Click the numbered parent entry that contains that name. In this example, click 1 (3). In the right panel, find its ParameterValue row, double-click the current value 0.25, type 1.0, and press Enter. Do not change the other numbered entry.

13. Choose File > Save. Confirm the updated MI_Shovel.uasset and MI_Shovel.uexp remain in the Precooked Shovel folder beside the unchanged MI_Shovel_Storable pair.
14. Delete MI_Shovel.uasset.bak and MI_Shovel.uexp.bak from the Precooked Shovel folder before cooking. They are UAssetGUI backups and must not remain in the mod's input folder. If you want to keep them, move them somewhere outside Dungeons-II-Mod-Kit-main.

15. After deleting the backups, the Precooked Shovel folder must contain these four material files and no .bak files: MI_Shovel.uasset, MI_Shovel.uexp, MI_Shovel_Storable.uasset and MI_Shovel_Storable.uexp.

9Cook and Package

1. Keep Minecraft Dungeons II closed.
2. Double-click Dungeons-II-Mod-Kit-main\cook_assets.bat.
3. Wait for Unreal's command window to finish. A successful cook reports zero errors. On the first cook it should report that three textures were imported.
4. Before packaging, open Dungeons-II-Mod-Kit-main\Dungeons\Dungeons\Content\Spicewood\Art\Characters\Player\Equipment\Weapons\Shovel. Confirm it contains cooked files for SM_Shovel, M_Stick, T_Shovel, T_Shovel_MRES and T_UI_Shovel_Icon.
5. Confirm it also contains the patched MI_Shovel.uasset/.uexp pair and the untouched MI_Shovel_Storable.uasset/.uexp pair copied from Dungeons-II-Mod-Kit-main\Precooked.
6. If the final message says the Precooked source folder is missing, create Dungeons-II-Mod-Kit-main\Precooked\Dungeons\Content\Spicewood\Art\Characters\Player\Equipment\Weapons\Shovel, add both complete material pairs, and run Dungeons-II-Mod-Kit-main\cook_assets.bat again.
7. Double-click Dungeons-II-Mod-Kit-main\package.bat.
8. Do not run a separate reTOC packaging command here. Dungeons-II-Mod-Kit-main\package.bat calls the Mod Kit's internal reTOC tool with the correct to-zen arguments.
9. Open the game's Paks\~mods folder. Inside the folder named after your mod id, confirm all three files exist:

• Stick-Shovel-Tutorial_P.pak
• Stick-Shovel-Tutorial_P.ucas
• Stick-Shovel-Tutorial_P.utoc

10Load the Game, Equip and Test

1. Launch Minecraft Dungeons II from the store or launcher where you installed it. Do not start the shipping executable directly.
2. At the title screen, select the hero that owns a normal Shovel, then choose Start Game to load into camp.
3. Open the inventory. With a controller, the default quick-inventory control is D-pad Up. With keyboard and mouse, use the inventory control shown by the game; if it has been remapped, check Settings > Controls.
4. Confirm the weapon tile shows the new brown-stick icon instead of the original metal Shovel icon.
5. Move to the melee weapon slot and open the list of owned melee weapons.
6. Select a normal Shovel and use the on-screen Equip control. The exact confirm button follows the controller or keyboard prompts shown by the game.
7. Open the full inventory preview and rotate/view the equipped Shovel. It should now appear as the brown stick.
8. Return to camp and confirm the character holds the lower end of the stick.
9. Walk, roll and perform every normal Shovel attack. Check that the model remains attached throughout the full combo.
10. Check both the inventory model and the in-game model. They use different presentation scenes, so inspect both.
11. When testing is finished, close the game before replacing, rebuilding or deleting mod files.

Fix Common Problems