# Gameplay Guide

**? THE SURVIVOR’S HANDBOOK**  
Explore, settle, trade, progress, and use PlagueMC’s features without learning everything the hard way.

# World & Exploration

<p class="callout warning">**🗺 THE WORLD IS BIGGER THAN SPAWN**  
Hard-mode survival rewards preparation and processes the unprepared into scattered inventory entities. Take a bed, food, light, and a way home before chasing the horizon.</p>

## Finding a place to settle

Use `/rtp` to reach a safe random location away from spawn. The overworld search normally places players hundreds of blocks from the centre and has a cooldown, so inspect the area before trying again.

Before building:

- Check [map.plaguemc.xyz](https://map.plaguemc.xyz) for nearby settlements.
- Look for paths, signs, farms, portals, containers, or shaped terrain.
- Leave established projects room to grow.
- Set a home before travelling farther.

Unclaimed land is not automatically unused, and an unlocked build is not an invitation to loot it.

---

## Dimensions and distance

The Overworld, Nether, and End are shared spaces. Portal links can emerge closer to somebody else’s build than expected; move or coordinate portals when they interfere with an established area.

The Nether is efficient for long-distance travel but not a private road network. Label shared routes, avoid blocking tunnels, and repair accidental damage.

---

## Using the live map

BlueMap shows explored terrain and is excellent for orientation, route planning, and checking whether a region is already busy. It is not proof of ownership and may lag behind recent changes.

<p class="callout info">**Explorer’s habit:** note your coordinates, carry a spare chest or ender chest, and decide how you are getting home before your inventory becomes valuable enough for the server to take a personal interest.</p>

# Homes, Spawn & Travel

<p class="callout info">**🏠 ALWAYS LEAVE A WAY BACK**  
A home command is cheaper than mounting an expedition to recover your own remains.</p>

## Homes

New members begin with **one home**. Stand somewhere safe and use `/sethome`. Return with `/home`, and remove an obsolete home with `/delhome`.

Higher ranks may have multiple homes. When naming is available, use memorable names such as `base`, `mine`, or `shop` rather than a collection of increasingly mysterious numbers.

Homes are not invulnerability. A badly lit room, exposed lava, or hostile player encounter can still make the destination unsafe.

---

## Spawn and random travel

- `/spawn` returns you to the central server spawn.
- `/rtp` or `/wild` searches for a safe random destination.
- Random teleport has a cooldown and may have a short safety delay.
- `/back` returns to a previous location only when your rank or permissions allow it.

---

## Player teleport requests

Use `/tpa <player>` to request travel to somebody, or `/tpahere <player>` to invite them to you. The other player accepts with `/tpaccept` or declines with `/tpdeny`.

Never accept a request from somebody you do not trust while standing beside valuables, lava, a private build, or an unsecured route. Teleport trapping and non-consensual PvP violate the rules.

<p class="callout warning">**Before teleporting:** secure your inventory, confirm the player name, and ask whether the destination is safe. “Probably” is not a safety rating.</p>

# Economy & Player Shops

<p class="callout success">**💰 ONE SHARED BALANCE**  
PlagueMC uses one shared account balance across the server economy and player shops. Earn it, spend it, and receive shop proceeds through the same wallet.</p>

## Account balance

Players begin with a modest **$25 account balance**. Check it with `/balance` or `/bal`, pay another player with `/pay <player> <amount>`, and view leading balances with `/baltop`.

Active players can earn **$25 for each two hours of non-AFK play**, up to **$250 per day**. AFK time does not earn the normal payout.

Always verify the recipient and amount before paying. Staff will investigate scams and exploits, but ordinary typing mistakes are not guaranteed to be reversed.

---

## Player shops

Player shops use the same **account balance** shown by `/balance`. Buying deducts from that balance; selling credits it.

Typical shop interaction:

- Right-click the sign to make one transaction.
- Shift-right-click the sign to transact a full stack when supported.
- Left-click the attached chest to view shop details.
- Shift-right-click the chest may cycle the display for the shop owner.

Read the sign carefully: a shop may sell to you, buy from you, barter, or combine buying and selling. Stock, your account balance, and the shop owner’s available balance still matter.

---

## Fair trading

Agree on the item, quantity, condition, enchantments, and price before exchanging. Do not exploit shop mistakes, misleading labels, broken protections, or obvious pricing errors.

<p class="callout warning">**One economy, one balance.** `/pay`, shop purchases, shop sales, playtime rewards, and compatible server features all use the same account balance. Emerald items are ordinary items, not a separate shop wallet.</p>

# Protecting Containers & Doors

<p class="callout info">**🔐 MOST STORAGE LOCKS ITSELF**  
Chests, barrels, furnaces, shulker boxes, and many doors are automatically protected when placed. “Automatically” is not permission to wander off without checking.</p>

## Check before walking away

Punch or interact with the protection as directed by LWC, then use `/cinfo` to inspect ownership and flags. Use `/climits` to see your protection allowance.

Important commands:

<table id="bkmrk-command-purpose-%2Fcpr"><thead><tr><th>Command</th><th>Purpose</th></tr></thead><tbody><tr><td>`/cprivate`</td><td>Create a private protection</td></tr><tr><td>`/cmodify <player>`</td><td>Add a player to an existing private protection</td></tr><tr><td>`/cmodify -<player>`</td><td>Remove a player from access</td></tr><tr><td>`/cpublic`</td><td>Allow public use while retaining ownership</td></tr><tr><td>`/cdonation`</td><td>Allow deposits but restrict withdrawals</td></tr><tr><td>`/cdisplay`</td><td>Allow viewing but restrict taking items</td></tr><tr><td>`/cremove`</td><td>Remove your protection</td></tr><tr><td>`/cinfo`</td><td>Inspect a protection</td></tr><tr><td>`/chopper on</td><td>off`</td></tr></tbody></table>

Run the command, then click the block you want to affect.

---

## Sharing safely

Grant access to exact usernames and remove access when it is no longer needed. A public protection is appropriate for genuinely shared infrastructure—not private valuables.

Hoppers are denied access to protected containers by default unless the protection allows them. If an item sorter stops at a protected chest, inspect the hopper flag before rebuilding the machine.

<p class="callout warning">**Protection is a tool, not divine intervention.** Unlocked does not mean abandoned, and somebody else's configuration mistake is not loot spawning with extra steps.</p>

# Ranks, Progression & Player Permissions

<p class="callout success">**⭐ PLAYER ACCESS — CONFIGURATION-VERIFIED**  
This page is the player-facing source of truth for rank access. It was reconciled against the active LuckPerms migration state, current Essentials home limits, and current Autorank paths on 21 July 2026. Access is cumulative through inheritance unless an explicit denial overrides it.</p>

## Rank paths

- **Automatic playtime:** Member → Trusted → Veteran.
- **Supporter:** Member → VIP → VIP+ → MVP.
- **Staff:** Member/Trusted/VIP access → Moderator → Builder → Admin → Co-owner/Owner.
- **Utility:** Camera inherits Member and adds spectator tools.

New players inherit **Member**. Donor, staff, Camera, Co-owner, and Owner are assigned roles; they are not Autorank rewards.

## Player rank access

<table id="bkmrk-rankwhat-it-addshome"><colgroup><col style="width:142px;"></col><col style="width:596px;"></col><col></col></colgroup><tbody><tr><th>Rank

</th><th>What it adds

</th><th>Homes

</th></tr><tr><td>**Member**

</td><td>Spawn, RTP, homes, back/death-back, teleport requests, balance/pay/baltop, private messages, mail, kits, signs, LWC protection, shops, sitting, timed-flight shop/self controls, TreeCuter, own-region member management, and standard help/list/rules commands. Plugin-list commands and selected unsafe flags are denied.

</td><td>1

</td></tr><tr><td>**Trusted**

</td><td>Everything in Member, plus armor-stand tools, coloured anvils, craftable/player heads, item-in-chat, shop display controls, and Trusted Autorank progress. Nickname and full-server bypass remain explicitly denied.

</td><td>3

</td></tr><tr><td>**Veteran**

</td><td>Everything in Trusted, plus nickname formatting/safety options, personal time and weather, and RTP bypass.

</td><td>12\*

</td></tr><tr><td>**VIP**

</td><td>Everything in Member, plus join-full-server, nicknames including RGB, personal time/weather, image-map placement/list/help, hologram access, VIP anvil styles, flight trails, and own-region greeting/farewell title flags.

</td><td>9

</td></tr><tr><td>**VIP+**

</td><td>Everything in VIP, plus expanded nickname formatting, Citizens NPC tools with copy/owner/teleport denied, expanded hologram controls, staff-chat bridge access, and another anvil style.

</td><td>12

</td></tr><tr><td>**MVP**

</td><td>Everything in VIP+, plus survival/spectator gamemode access.

</td><td>24

</td></tr><tr><td>**Camera**

</td><td>Member access plus survival/spectator gamemode switching. Member Autorank progression is disabled while this role is active.

</td><td>1

</td></tr></tbody></table>

\* Veteran receives the `<span class="editor-theme-code">vip+</span>` home-limit permission in the current configuration, which maps to 12 homes.

## Staff and build roles

<table id="bkmrk-roleadditional-acces"><colgroup><col style="width:177px;"></col><col></col></colgroup><tbody><tr><th>Role

</th><th>Additional access

</th></tr><tr><td>**Moderator**

</td><td>Moderation commands; ban/kick/mute/tempban/jail; inventory and ender-chest inspection; vanish/fly; teleport administration; CoreProtect inspect, lookup and rollback; Citizens, ImageMaps, LWC moderation, region administration, staff chat, basic WorldEdit selection/wand, and 32 homes. IP unban and ImageMaps delete/download are explicitly denied.

</td></tr><tr><td>**Builder**

</td><td>Moderator access plus WorldEdit, WorldGuard, debug stick, all BetterRTP worlds, survival/all gamemodes, DecentHolograms, and the Admin Herochat channel.

</td></tr><tr><td>**Admin**

</td><td>Builder/Moderator access plus CoreProtect, Essentials, holograms, LWC, QuickShop, staff chat, TAB staff, TreeGravity operator, Vault admin, and WorldEdit wildcards. Automatic AFK is explicitly denied.

</td></tr><tr><td>**Co-owner**

</td><td>Admin access with a distinct display rank; no additional permission nodes are configured.

</td></tr><tr><td>**Owner**

</td><td>Admin access plus the Essentials administrative wildcard, silent join/quit, and explicit Nether world access. Backup, Essentials internal/reload/plugin controls, and setspawn remain denied by the inherited administrative policy.

</td></tr></tbody></table>

## Automatic progression

- **Member → Trusted:** 1 hour of tracked playtime.
- **Trusted → Veteran:** 43,800 tracked minutes (about 730 hours), with a $1,000 account reward.

Use `<span class="editor-theme-code">/autorank</span>` or `<span class="editor-theme-code">/ar</span>` to view your path. Checks run periodically. Supporter and staff ranks are intentionally excluded from Autorank.

## How to interpret this page

- A higher rank keeps its inherited access unless that rank explicitly denies a permission.
- Some plugin commands may still depend on world, region, cooldown, balance, or plugin state.
- A command appearing in plugin help does not necessarily mean your rank can run it.
- If the server and this page disagree, report the command, exact denial message, rank, world, and time to staff so configuration and documentation can be reconciled.

<p class="callout warning">**Permissions do not outrank the rules.** Staff/build tooling and supporter conveniences must be used only for their intended purpose.</p>

---

[Open the Command Quick Reference →](/books/commands-features/page/command-quick-reference) · [Read the Timed Flight guide →](/books/commands-features/page/timed-flight)

# Survival Features

<p class="callout warning">**☣ FAMILIAR SURVIVAL, STRANGER EDGES**  
PlagueMC adds conveniences and personality without making the world fond of you. The menus are helpful; the things outside them remain professionally hostile.</p>

## Nights and mobs

The server runs on Hard difficulty. Levelled Mobs can make creatures feel less predictable than their vanilla cousins.

When **50% of eligible active players** sleep, Harbor accelerates the night and clears bad weather. AFK players are excluded after the configured timeout.

---

## Movement and expression

- `/sit` toggles sitting.
- `/lay`, `/layback`, `/bellyflop`, `/spin`, and `/crawl` provide additional poses when permitted.
- Armor stands can be adjusted with the server’s armor-stand tools.

Cosmetic commands do not excuse blocking doors, paths, shops, or other players.

---

## Useful item features

- **TreeCuter:** use `/treecuter` or `/tc` for feature help. Replant and avoid felling trees attached to builds.
- **Portable shulkers:** supported shulker boxes can be opened from inventory by right-clicking when allowed. Chat and commands are temporarily blocked while the shulker interface is open.
- **Armored elytra:** special armored elytra combine flight equipment and protection; acquisition and tiers depend on server permissions or recipes.
- **Heads:** eligible players can use HeadsPlus commands such as `/heads`, `/myhead`, `/sellhead`, or `/hpc` for available challenges.
- **Voting:** `/vote` shows voting options and `/votestreak` shows streak information.

<p class="callout info">**Feature missing?** Run the feature’s help command first. Some commands depend on rank, world, cooldown, or item type; the server enjoys conditional mercy.</p>

# Farms & Responsible Building

<p class="callout warning">**⚙ BUILD FOR THE SERVER YOU SHARE**  
A machine is not successful if everybody else pays for it in lag. The server is already trying to stop their hearts; it does not need help stopping the ticks.</p>

## Practical limits

- Keep passive mobs to **50 or fewer per chunk**.
- Avoid excessive item streams, villagers, minecarts, hoppers, portals, or always-running redstone clocks.
- Shut down farms when storage is full or nobody is using them.
- Do not build AFK farms or automation that bypasses intended play or harms performance.
- Ask staff before committing to an unusually large technical project.

Staff may pause, limit, move, or remove a build that threatens stability, even when every individual component is obtainable in survival.

---

## Public farms

Public farms belong to the community. Replant or reset them, do not empty every reserve, and do not AFK in a way that prevents others from using the farm or warp.

---

## The landscape

Avoid floating treetops, lava casts, pointless craters, abandoned scaffolding, and visible resource scars. Restore temporary work sites and replant trees where practical.

<p class="callout success">**Good engineering is survivable:** efficient enough to be useful, controlled enough to stop, and tidy enough that it does not become the next server-wide incident.</p>