Which format to choose

Choose .modpkg when your skin manager supports it. If you need .fantome, pack it with raw .wad.client folders inside.

Both choices preserve readable asset paths. This helps tools reopen, edit, repath, and repair your mod later.

Why this matters now

Riot is moving asset references in BIN files from readable string values to hashed file values. As more references change, tools have fewer readable paths to recover from the BIN itself.

In text editors, you may see this type written as file: or file =, depending on the editor. The binary stores a 64-bit path hash. An editor can display a readable name when it knows the matching path.

Previously, a string reference could carry a custom texture path directly in the BIN:

assets/my_custom_skin/textures/body.tex

After conversion to a file value, the reference stores that path's hash instead. If nothing else preserves the name, the tool cannot reliably recover it from the hash alone.

This concerns asset references. It does not mean every text field in a BIN becomes a file reference.

What unhashing actually does

A packed WAD identifies its files by path hashes. It does not keep a normal directory of readable filenames.

Tools such as Quartz use a lookup table to resolve those hashes:

1. Read the file's hash.
2. Look for that hash in a dictionary of known paths.
3. Show the matching path if one exists.
4. Keep a numeric hash if the path is unknown.

Unhashing is a lookup, not a reversal of the hash. Community hash databases cover known game paths. They cannot automatically know paths you invented for your mod. Tools can also learn names from project folders, readable BIN strings, and embedded hash tables.

Packing a WAD removes the readable filenames. Converting BIN strings to file hashes removes another source of those names. Without a saved mapping, custom paths may extract as hexadecimal filenames. That can prevent tools from finding textures, following references, or repathing assets correctly.

How to pack a Fantome

Keep each .wad.client as a folder containing loose mod files under WAD/. Here is an example layout inside the .fantome archive:

MySkin.fantome
├── META/
│   └── info.json
└── WAD/
    └── Ahri.wad.client/
        ├── assets/
        │   └── my_custom_skin/
        │       └── textures/
        │           └── body.tex
        └── data/
            └── characters/
                └── ahri/
                    └── skins/
                        └── skin0.bin

Ahri.wad.client/ above is a folder. A single packed Ahri.wad.client file does not preserve that directory listing. “Raw” means loose files inside the package. The outer .fantome can still use ZIP compression.

Flint's Fantome exporter writes this folder layout. Hematite also writes repaired WADs as unpacked folders to preserve resolved paths. Keep that structure when packaging the result.

When to choose Modpkg

Choose .modpkg if the receiving manager supports it. Flint's exporter includes the paths for its packaged assets. Tools can use those names without relying only on the community hash database.

Export from your original project while the readable paths still exist. Converting an old packed WAD to .modpkg cannot recreate custom names that have already been lost.

Before you share

1. Export as .modpkg or a .fantome containing raw WAD folders.
2. Reopen the exported package and check that your custom asset paths remain readable.
3. Keep generated hash tables and path metadata with the package.
4. Test the export in your target skin manager and in-game.
5. Keep your original project folder for future updates.

Embedded hash tables and BIN path metadata can help compatible tools resolve custom references. Keep them, but do not assume every tool preserves them when saving. Neither recommended format replaces a backup of your source project.

Source references

• Flint export code: folder-form Fantome output and Modpkg asset paths.
• Quartz unhashing code: dictionary lookups for file, hash, and link values.
• Hematite: mod repair and WAD processing.