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Using WorldGuard to Protect Your Spawn Area

Using WorldGuard to Protect Your Spawn Area

MinecraftServers
10 min read

Running a Minecraft server comes with its fair share of responsibilities, and one of the most crucial is protecting your spawn area. This is where new players first step into your world, often serving as the central hub for your server community. Enter WorldGuard, a powerful plugin that's perfect for creating protected regions in your Minecraft world.

WorldGuard is developed by the same team behind WorldEdit, and it allows you to define areas where certain actions are permitted or prohibited. This makes it an ideal tool for safeguarding your spawn area, preventing griefing, ensuring a welcoming environment for new players, and maintaining the integrity of your server's central location.

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Prerequisites

Before we dive into using WorldGuard, let's make sure you have everything you need. You'll want a Minecraft server with plugin support - this could be Bukkit, Spigot, or Paper. You'll also need both WorldEdit and WorldGuard installed on your server, as WorldGuard requires WorldEdit to function. Lastly, make sure you have operator status or the appropriate permissions on the server.

If you haven't installed these plugins yet, don't worry. Just head over to the official websites for WorldEdit and WorldGuard to download and install them according to your server type.

Note: To install WorldGuard on a Minecraft 1.21 Server like I'm doing, depending on when you read this, you may need to download Beta versions of WorldGuard and WorldEdit. If your console fills up with red error text when you test out features like placing and breaking blocks in protected regions, you are likely using incompatible versions. This does get a bit hairy in the early days of any new Minecraft release and things change rapidly.

On Aug 13, 2024, I'm using:

I'll do my best to keep this updated. You can always get the latest in the EngineHub discord.

I'll do my best to keep this updated. You can always get the latest in the EngineHub discord.

Basic Concepts

Before we start protecting your spawn area, let's quickly cover two important concepts you'll need to understand.

Regions: In WorldGuard, a region is a defined 3D space in your Minecraft world. Think of it as an invisible box that can have its own set of rules. You can set these rules (called flags) for each region to control what players can and can't do within that area.

Selection: WorldGuard uses WorldEdit's selection system to define regions. You'll use WorldEdit commands to select the area you want to protect before creating a WorldGuard region. It's like drawing a box around the area you want to protect.

Groups: WorldGuard allows you to set groups of users who can have special permissions. A common group to create is "builders" who will have special passthrough building permissions on otherwise locked down areas like the spawn area

Step-by-Step Guide

Now, let's get into the nitty-gritty of protecting your spawn area.

Selecting the Spawn Area: First things first, we need to select the area we want to protect.

Go to one corner of your desired spawn protection area and type /pos1. This sets the first point of your selection.

Then, move to the opposite corner of your desired area and type /pos2. This creates a 3D selection of the area you want to protect. Make sure to include some space above and below ground level to prevent players from building towers or tunneling into the protected area.

To protect from bedrock to world height, use the command //expand vert

You can also use the WorldEdit wand to select your areas. Use //wand to get the tool (which unless you've reconfigured it will be a wooden axe).

Creating a WorldGuard Region: Now that you've selected the area, it's time to create a WorldGuard region.

Type the command /rg define spawn. This creates a new region named "spawn" using your current WorldEdit selection. You should see a confirmation message that the region was created successfully.

Setting Region Flags: Next, we'll set some flags to protect the spawn area. Here are some common flags you might want to use:

By default, regions are set to prevent building and breaking blocks. However, to explicitly prevent building and breaking blocks, type: /rg flag spawn build deny

To prevent PvP, use: /rg flag spawn pvp deny

To prevent item drops, enter: /rg flag spawn item-drop deny

And to prevent mob spawning, type: /rg flag spawn mob-spawning deny

Each of these commands will set a specific rule for your spawn region. You can add or remove flags as needed to customize the protection level.

You can set the flags in an on-screen interface with /rg flags spawn which you can use to view the current flags for the region, and you can even click them to set them to allow or deny

WorldGuard region flags interface showing clickable options to set allow/deny permissions for spawn protection

Testing the Protection: Now, let's make sure your spawn protection is working correctly. Important: if you are OP, you must /deop yourself. Move to an area within the region you just created and try to break or place blocks. You should be unable to do so. If you have another player available, test PvP within the region. Also, attempt to drop items and see if they're prevented. If any of these actions are still possible when they shouldn't be, double-check your region definition and flag settings.

Atain if you are OP, you will be able to do these things regardless, so be sure to test with without OP and with different permission groups.

Advanced Configuration

As you become more comfortable with WorldGuard, you might want to explore additional flags and features. Use the /rg info spawn command to view all current flags for your spawn region. You might consider setting a welcome message with /rg flag spawn greeting Welcome to the server spawn!

You can also adjust the region priority if you have overlapping regions by using /rg setpriority spawn 10.

Remember, WorldGuard is a powerful tool with many options. Don't hesitate to consult the official documentation for more advanced configurations. The more you experiment with it, the more you'll be able to customize your server protection to fit your exact needs.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do I set my LuckPerms group to member for testing?

To set your LuckPerms group to member for testing, follow these steps:

First, open your server console or in-game chat. Make sure you have the necessary permissions to use LuckPerms commands.

Remove yourself from any existing groups. Type the following command: /lp user YourUsername parent remove GroupName

Replace YourUsername with your Minecraft username and GroupName with any group you're currently in.

Add yourself to the member group. Use this command: /lp user YourUsername parent add member

Again, replace YourUsername with your Minecraft username.

Verify your group assignment. You can check your current groups with: /lp user YourUsername info

This will display your permissions info, including your current group(s).

How do you change world spawn in vanilla Minecraft server?

The world spawn is where new players appear when they first join the server, and where players without a set spawn point respawn after death. World spawn on a server may have restrictions of it's own that conflict (and win) with WorldGuard. The solution to this is to just move your vanilla world spawn to a different location. Just be sure to use EssentialsX to set up special spawn locations to your spawn area.

Move to the new spawn location: In the game, move your character to the exact spot where you want the new world spawn to be.

Use the setworldspawn command: Once you're in position, open the chat and type: /setworldspawn

Or, to set spawn to specific coordinates: /setworldspawn <x> <y> <z>

Verify the change: You should see a confirmation message. To double-check, use the /spawn command to teleport to the world spawn point.

Additional Information

Enabling Essentials Signs: If you're using Essentials and have set up signs for kits or spawn commands, you'll need to explicitly give permissions for players to use these signs within the protected spawn area. You can do this in two ways:

  1. Use the WorldGuard command to allow use of all interactive blocks: /region flag spawn use allow
    Note that this will allow the use of anything in spawn, such as chests, doors, trapdoors, etc.
  2. Specifically allow the use of signs with LuckPerms (this will override the region settings): /lp group default permission set essentials.signs.use.*
    This gives sign usage permission to the default group, which is inherited by all other groups in that track.

Testing WorldGuard Protection: When testing your WorldGuard settings, remember that players with OP status can bypass protections. Be sure to test without OP and with different permission groups to ensure your settings are working as intended.

Version Compatibility: When installing WorldGuard on newer Minecraft versions, you may need to use beta versions of both WorldGuard and WorldEdit. Always check for compatibility and be prepared to update these plugins frequently in the early days of a new Minecraft release.

As of August 13, 2024, these versions were compatible:

  • Purpur: purpur-1.21.1-2286.jar
  • WorldEdit: worldedit-bukkit-7.3.7-SNAPSHOT-dist.jar
  • WorldGuard: worldguard-bukkit-7.0.11-SNAPSHOT-dist.jar

For the most up-to-date information on compatible versions, check the EngineHub Discord server.

External Resources

To help you further explore and master WorldGuard and WorldEdit, here are some valuable external resources:

WorldGuard Documentation The official WorldGuard documentation is an excellent resource for understanding all the features and capabilities of this powerful plugin. It covers everything from basic setup to advanced region management. Link: https://worldguard.enginehub.org/en/latest/

WorldEdit Documentation As WorldGuard relies heavily on WorldEdit for region selection, it's beneficial to familiarize yourself with WorldEdit as well. The official documentation provides comprehensive information on all WorldEdit commands and features. Link: https://worldedit.enginehub.org/en/latest/

EngineHub Forums The EngineHub forums are a great place to ask questions, share your experiences, and learn from other server administrators using WorldGuard and WorldEdit. Link: https://forum.enginehub.org/

EngineHub Discord For real-time community support and discussions, join the EngineHub Discord server. It's an excellent place to get quick answers and stay updated on the latest developments. Link: https://discord.gg/enginehub

Bukkit Plugin Page The WorldGuard page on Bukkit's website often has useful information, including user comments and experiences that can provide additional insights. Link: https://dev.bukkit.org/projects/worldguard

Remember, these plugins are regularly updated, so it's a good idea to check these resources periodically for the latest information and best practices.