# Atlan Mod Loader vs Eternal Mod Injector

Atlan's approach to mod-loading is fundamentally different from Eternal Mod Injector's. The major limitations of Eternal Mod Injector do not apply to Atlan.

<table border="1" id="bkmrk-eternal-dark-ages-mo" style="border-collapse: collapse; width: 100%; height: 215.567px; border-width: 1px; border-style: double;"><colgroup><col style="width: 50%;"></col><col style="width: 50%;"></col></colgroup><tbody><tr style="height: 34.2333px;"><td style="height: 34.2333px; border-width: 1px;">**Eternal Mod Injector**</td><td style="height: 34.2333px; border-width: 1px;">**Atlan Mod Loader**</td></tr><tr style="height: 49.4667px;"><td style="height: 49.4667px; border-width: 1px;">Replaces files inside of the vanilla game archives</td><td style="height: 49.4667px; border-width: 1px;">Builds it's own resource archive. The vanilla game archives are untouched</td></tr><tr style="height: 32.9333px;"><td style="border-width: 1px; height: 32.9333px;">Modders had to know what archives contained which assets, and replicate this setup in their mods.</td><td style="border-width: 1px; height: 32.9333px;">Not an issue. The modded resource archive is loaded globally, so modded assets will always be loaded. </td></tr><tr style="height: 49.4667px;"><td style="height: 49.4667px; border-width: 1px;">Adding new assets to an archive, instead of replacing existing assets, could cause instability.</td><td style="height: 49.4667px; border-width: 1px;">Not an issue. Add as many new assets as you want!</td></tr><tr style="height: 49.4667px;"><td style="height: 49.4667px; border-width: 1px;">Game updates frequently broke mods due to resource archive priorities changing.</td><td style="height: 49.4667px; border-width: 1px;">Not an issue. The modded resource archive will always have the highest priority.</td></tr></tbody></table>

**Atlan does not make your mods immune to game updates.** When a game update edits a vanilla file, you should update your mods to use that new version as a baseline. The dangers of outdated mod files vary based on their importance. Consequences can range from nothing happening, to core mechanics breaking, to your game crashing on startup.

##### What files are modified?

Atlan Mod Loader edits the following files:

```
The game executable file (i.e. DOOMTheDarkAges.exe)
base/packagemapspec.json
base/meta.resources
base/sound/soundbanks/pc/soundmetadata.bin
base/build-manifest.bin (DOOM: Eternal only)
```

The modded resource archive is `base/modarchives/common_mod.resources`

The modded StreamDB archive is `base/modarchives/common_mod.streamdb`

The modded audio archive is `base/sound/soundbanks/pc/ATLANMOD.snd`