Sodium Extra adds a lot of toggles, and it is not obvious which ones matter. This guide explains each page in plain terms. Option names and positions can shift between versions, so treat it as a map rather than a fixed checklist.
Finding the options
Open Options → Video Settings. Sodium replaces the vanilla screen, and Sodium Extra adds its pages alongside Sodium's own. Changes save to a file in your config folder when you apply them.
Animations
Controls animated textures such as water, lava, fire and portals, plus a general switch for block animations. Turning animations off can reduce the work done each frame, especially with resource packs that use many animated textures. The trade-off is a static look: still water and lava can feel odd.
Particles
Lets you disable all particles or only selected types, like rain splashes or block-breaking fragments. This is one of the more noticeable settings during busy moments such as explosions, heavy rain or large farms. Keep particles you rely on for gameplay feedback.
Details
Covers sky and environment details: stars, the sun and moon, the sky itself, weather and some color blending. Most of these are about appearance. Hiding the sun and moon, for example, rarely changes frame rate but can help when recording or building at night.
Render
Focuses on fog and on extra visuals attached to some entities and block entities. Fog controls are popular with builders who want to see further without changing render distance. Options to hide certain entity extras can help in bases full of item frames or armor stands.
Extras
A mix of quality-of-life features:
- an FPS overlay you can place in a corner of the screen,
- cloud height adjustment,
- switches for toast pop-ups such as advancements and recipe unlocks,
- a few small behaviour tweaks that vary by version.
None of these are required, but the overlay is useful while you test the other pages.
A sensible order to try
- Turn on the FPS overlay so you can see the effect of each change.
- Stand somewhere demanding, like a busy base or a rainy biome.
- Try the Particles page first, then Animations, one change at a time.
- Adjust fog and sky details for comfort once frame rate is acceptable.