after struggling (and failing) so hard just to get mods working for minecraft on steam deck, i am 1000% a certified linux hater

Open Discover in desktop mode and search for Prism Launcher, anything after that will be either you importing a new zip or starting a new modpack through creating a new instance

prism launcher

it literally makes everything WAY harder than it ACTUALLY needs to be. i gotta jump through 5 bajillion hoops to download java for minecraft mods