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FTF Hardcore

New to FTF Hardcore?

Learn the systems that shape your story.

Start with Death, Land Claiming, and Portals. Then explore Unity, trade, PvP, homes, markets, and the other systems as you need them.

The Ancestors

The Ancestral Realm

Ancient beings tied to the realm’s economy, progression, relics, and warfare.

Their Backstory

Remnants of a world that came before.

The Ancestors are more than shopkeepers. They are the faces of an ancient system connecting trade, survival, death, and power.

Where to Find Them

The Ancestral Realm

The Ancestors are found in the Ancestral Realm. See the Portals section for construction and travel rules.

View Portal Construction
The Eyes of The Ancestors
Primordial Watchers

The Eyes of The Ancestors

Mysterious beings that watch over every generation.

The Eyes are the source of all land protection, relics, and ancestral power.

The Trader
Relics & Equipment

The Trader

Sells rare progression items, relic-related tools, and equipment in the Ancestral Realm.

  • Rotating rare and progression-item stock
  • Rare utility items such as the Grave Finder
  • Tier equipment can also be purchased through the Trader
  • Player markets are opened directly with /ah, /orders, and /bounties
The Builder
Warfare

The Builder

Accepts specialized orders for tools used in strategic raiding.

  • Orders Ancestral TNT and Ancestral Fireballs for raiding
  • Ancestral TNT must be launched from a TNT cannon
  • 1 / 2 / 3 / 4 / 5+ primed TNT gives a maximum range of 20 / 40 / 60 / 80 / 100 blocks
The Banker
Currency

The Banker

Converts resources into Shillings and manages your Bank balance.

  • Every player receives a one-time 250 Shilling starter Bank bonus
  • Bank balance is unlimited
  • Deposits have a 2% fee; withdrawals are free
  • Market bids and escrow use your Bank balance
The Soul Eater
Boss

The Soul Eater

A dangerous Overworld boss that drops powerful relics.

  • Tracked with a Soul Eater Compass
  • Guaranteed to drop 1 Torch of Souls when defeated
  • Rewards scale by the number of unique players who attacked during the one-hour fight window
  • Solo: 300 Shillings, 2 Land Relics, and 2 Fortification Relics
  • 2 players: 200 Shillings, 1 Land Relic, and 1 Fortification Relic
  • 3 players: 100 Shillings, 1 Land Relic, and 1 Fortification Relic
  • 4 or more players: 50 Shillings and no Land or Fortification Relics

Unity

Territory and Society

Create your own identity, organize members, manage diplomacy, and build a society shaped by its players.

Choose a Unity type:
FactionTownKingdom GuildGroupClan TribeMilitiaEmpire SettlementMerchantsPirates Outlaws Syndicate

The systems remain consistent, but the identity, purpose, leadership, and story are chosen by the players.

01

Create & Manage

Use /unity to create your group, invite members, manage roles, handle diplomacy, and control territory from one menu.

02

Fully Customizable

Build a role hierarchy, control permissions, and create a Unity Tag that represents your group.

  • Create up to 14 custom roles; Priority 1 is the highest custom rank
  • Give each role only the building, land, sleeper, and leadership permissions it needs
  • Unity Tags support 1–8 visible letters or numbers with custom colours and gradients
  • The owner can rename the Unity or change its type without losing members, roles, diplomacy, or claims
03

Diplomacy

Create alliances, declare enemies, and shape your Unity's relationships with the other powers of the world.

  • Allies and fellow Unity members are treated as friendly players
  • Tamed dogs will not attack members of your own Unity or allied players
04

Territory

Claim land with Protection Cores, expand each Core with Land Relics, and connect additional Cores to grow a larger Unity territory.

  • Use Expand Territory on a Core to mark the exact block for the next aligned Core
  • The guide targets 81 blocks north, east, south, or west and remains visible for 30 seconds
05

Citizen, Visitor & Restricted Plots

Divide Unity land into smaller managed areas so different parts of your territory can have different access rules.

  • Citizen Plots: homes or work areas for Unity members
  • Visitor Plots: embassies, shops, or spaces for outsiders and other Unities
  • Restricted Plots: secure 3D areas for selected players or Unity roles
  • Plot permissions can separately control building, storage, use, and doors
06

Leadership & Succession

Transfer ownership while alive or designate a successor who can inherit leadership if the owner remains permanently dead.

  • Owners can transfer leadership directly while alive
  • A designated successor takes over after two real-life days
  • Server downtime still counts toward the succession timer
  • Without a valid successor, leadership passes to the highest-priority, longest-standing eligible member
  • If no members remain, the Unity is disbanded and its claims reset

Land Claiming

Territory, Fortification & Raids

Establish territory with a Protection Core, expand it using Land Relics, reinforce your structures, and defend your settlement through FTF Hardcore's controlled raiding system.

01

Protection Cores

Place a Protection Core in the Overworld wilderness and choose whether the land belongs to you privately or to your Unity.

  • Claims protect the full world height
  • Protection Cores must be more than 80 blocks apart
  • Open the Core to view its border, upgrades, integrity, Gates & Bridges, and expansion guide
  • Owners can relocate a Core for a Bank cost; repeated moves can reduce or reset its upgrades
02

Land Relics

Apply Land Relics to expand the square claim outward from its Protection Core.

  • The first Land Relic creates a 25 × 25 claim
  • Each additional relic expands the boundary by four blocks per side
  • Up to 8 Land Relics produce a maximum 81 × 81 claim
  • Yellow particles reveal the boundary
03

Fortification Relics

Strengthen qualifying player-placed structures throughout the claimed land.

  • Upgrade from Base to Level 10
  • Equal durability for qualifying materials
  • Visible cracking shows structural damage
04

Sleepers & Animals

An active Protection Core protects Offline Sleepers from unauthorized attackers and protects named rideable animals outside active raids.

  • On private land, only the land owner may kill or pickpocket a protected sleeper
  • On Unity land, the Unity owner is always allowed; other members need Slay & Loot Sleepers
  • Destroying the Protection Core immediately exposes the sleeper to everyone
  • Named animals are protected from outsiders, but that animal protection pauses during Raid Mode
05

Controlled Raiding

Natural terrain and player-built fortifications follow different damage rules, keeping raids strategic without allowing instant base destruction or endless automated repairs.

  • An enemy Ancestral TNT impact starts Raid Mode inside the claim
  • Ancestral TNT damages fortified player-built structures; regular TNT is for natural or unrecorded terrain
  • Ancestral Fireballs unlock only after TNT actually breaks a player-built block and opens a breach
  • Building and several block-changing systems pause during an active raid
  • The complete guide below explains breach lanes, durability, cannon range, and raid restrictions
06

Personal Last Will

Choose an heir for your personal property in case your final death comes before you can arrange the transfer yourself.

  • Applies to your privately owned Protection Cores and claims
  • Preserves inherited Land and Fortification progress
  • Your heir activates the physical Will after your final death
  • Unity ownership is handled separately through Unity succession
Maximum Claim 81 × 81
Max Fortification Level 10
Core Integrity 16 Points
Raid Damage TNT 2 · Fireball 1
View the Complete Land Claiming, Raiding & Permissions Guide

Death

Seven Deaths. One Final End.

FTF Hardcore uses a seven-death LifeDeath progression. Your first death spares you from an affliction, the next four carry increasingly long consequences, the sixth requires another player to revive you, and the seventh becomes permanent.

Death I

Death has spared you

Your first death has no affliction. Normal death losses still apply. Before returning, choose Spawn or one of your usable Respawn Anchor homes.

Death II

The first affliction

Choose Broken Heart, Endless Hunger, or Weak Body. The affliction lasts 1 real-life hour.

Death III

The sentence grows

Choose an affliction again for 12 real-life hours. A new choice replaces the previous affliction and timer; they do not stack.

Death IV

A day of consequence

Your next affliction lasts 1 real-life day. The real-world timer keeps counting while you are offline.

Death V

The final affliction

Your last affliction lasts 3 real-life days. When it ends, the affliction clears, but your death count remains.

Death VI

Revival only

Your sixth death leaves behind a grave. Another player must reach it and complete the revival ritual using 20 Shillings and 2 Golden Apples.

A Grave Finder can be purchased from The Trader in the Ancestral Realm to help locate an active grave.

Death VII

Permanent death

Your seventh death is permanent. Ordinary grave revival is no longer available; only the rare Torch of Souls can restore you to the living world.

The Three Afflictions

Deaths II through V force one temporary affliction choice. Only one can be active at a time.

  • Broken Heart: maximum health is reduced to 5 hearts
  • Endless Hunger: Hunger I remains active for the sentence
  • Weak Body: Weakness I remains active for the sentence
  • Choosing a new affliction replaces the previous effect and timer

Grave Revival

Death VI can be reversed only by another player completing the grave ritual with 20 Shillings and 2 Golden Apples. If an affliction was still active when you died, grave revival does not cleanse it; its original real-world timer keeps counting while you are dead.

Torch of Souls

The Torch of Souls can restore a permanently dead player or cleanse a living player. Unlike ordinary grave revival, it performs a full LifeDeath reset, clearing both death progression and any active affliction.

Choose Your Return

After Death I and each affliction death, choose Spawn or one of your valid Respawn Anchor homes. LifeDeath travel to the selected anchor is immediate and consumes exactly one charge. If an anchor cannot be used, you remain in the return selection until you choose a valid destination.

Portals

Travel Has Consequences

Custom physical gateways connect Spawn and The Ancestral Realm. Build the correct frame, establish your return link, and protect the route you depend on.

An Ancestral Portal built from Copper and Gold Blocks
Ancestral Travel

Ancestral Portal

Travel between the Overworld and The Ancestral Realm.

Required Materials: 6 Gold Blocks & 8 Copper Blocks.

  • Using a portal makes that exact portal your return link from the Ancestral Realm
  • Using someone else's portal is allowed and replaces your previous Ancestral link
  • If your linked portal is destroyed while you are away, you return to Spawn
  • Cover one complete 2 × 3 portal face with wool to mute its sound
A Spawn Gateway built from Copper and Iron Blocks
Spawn Travel

Spawn Gateway

Travel to and from Spawn.

Required Materials: 6 Iron Blocks & 8 Copper Blocks.

  • Using a Spawn Gateway makes it your return point from Spawn
  • Using someone else's gateway is allowed and replaces your previous Spawn link
  • Spawn and Ancestral links are separate; changing one does not change the other
  • Cover one complete 2 × 3 portal face with wool to mute its sound

Additional Features

Useful Systems You Will Run Into

These systems affect travel, combat, farms, storage, trade, logging out, and everyday survival. You do not need to memorize them all at once.

01

Elytra & Ancestral Paths

Elytra are built for shorter trips, while Ancestral Path Blocks reward players who build roads and trade routes.

  • Path Blocks work in every world
  • Players gain speed on paths; rideable mobs gain a stronger boost
  • Paths can be damaged during Ancestral raiding
02

Animal Lock

Name a rideable animal to claim it and control who may ride it.

  • Manage owned animals with /animallock
  • Named rideable animals gain claim protection outside active raids
  • Animal names support custom styling
03

Nine-Slot Ender Vault

Your Ender Chest is limited to nine protected slots, so safe storage stays valuable without becoming an unlimited warehouse.

  • 9 protected slots
  • Shulker Boxes and Bundles cannot be stored
  • Physical Shillings cannot be stored
04

Offline Sleepers

Logging out leaves your body in the world, so choosing where you sleep matters.

  • In wilderness, sleepers can be killed or Shift + Right Clicked to pickpocket carried items
  • Active private and Unity claims protect sleepers according to land authority
  • Only a direct left-click on the sleeper hitbox can damage it
  • Dead players never leave a sleeper behind
  • Killing a sleeper counts as a real Hardcore death
05

Flags

Buy flag styles from The Trader and create a banner for yourself, your settlement, or your Unity.

  • Use dyes to draw; wool can fill areas and Bone Meal or white dye can erase
  • Duplicate a finished design in an anvil using a blank flag of the same style and size
  • Flags can only be placed in claimed land
06

Gates & Bridges

Turn part of a claimed build into a working Gate or Bridge controlled by your land permissions.

  • Each Protection Core supports one Gate and one Bridge
  • Maximum size: Default/Tier 3 = 10 × 10 × 1, Tier 2 = 12 × 12 × 1, Tier 1 = 16 × 16 × 1
  • Registered structures remain usable with up to 3 missing blocks and disable at 4+
  • Split Drawbridge mode is available for even, symmetrical bridges
07

Player Markets

Buy, sell, request, and hunt through three direct player-run markets.

  • /ah — auction player-owned items
  • /orders — request items for other players to fulfill
  • /bounties — place or hunt player bounties
  • Market bids and escrow use your Bank balance; Auction House sales have a 5% seller commission
  • Listings can run for 24 hours or 7 days
08

Kits

Use /kit or /kits to open the kit menu.

  • Every player has access to the reusable Starter Kit
  • Tier 3 unlocks Adventure, Tier 2 unlocks Flame of Souls, and Tier 1 unlocks Soul Eater equipment
  • Higher tiers inherit the kits below them
09

Grave Finder

A rare Recovery Compass sold by The Trader that can track an active Death VI grave.

  • Shift + Right Click and enter the fallen player's name
  • The compass stops tracking when the grave is gone or when you cancel it
10

Proximity Voice Chat

Speak naturally with nearby players or create private voice groups for a Unity, allies, or travelling party.

Visit the Voice Chat Guide
12

Passive End Phantoms

Phantoms do not naturally spawn in the Overworld. They live in The End and remain neutral until attacked.

13

Respawn Anchor Homes

Charged Respawn Anchors act as physical homes in the Overworld, Nether, and The End.

  • Home limits: Default 2 · Tier 3 3 · Tier 2 4 · Tier 1 5
  • Use /ra to travel or manage names; multiple players may link the same anchor
  • Normal travel takes 20 seconds and cancels if you move or take damage
  • LifeDeath return to an anchor is immediate and consumes exactly one Glowstone charge
  • Claimed anchors require the land's Respawn Anchor permission
14

PvP

FTF uses faster faction-style melee while keeping Maces on their own normal timing.

  • Non-Mace melee attacks recharge immediately and do not use the normal player melee hit cooldown
  • Maces still deal player damage and keep their own vanilla attack timing
  • End Crystal explosions do not damage players
  • Respawn Anchor explosions do not damage players
  • Bows, crossbows, shields, potions, armour, enchantments, and knockback remain part of combat
15

Spawner Pickup

Regular mob spawners can be mined with Silk Touch and relocated while keeping their mob type.

  • Trial/Chamber spawners and Vaults are not collectible through this system
  • Relocated spawners use local population limits; mobs are not stacked into artificial mob stacks
16

Crates & Voting

Vote Keys are earned by voting, while Flame of Souls and Soul Eater keys open higher-value reward pools.

  • Every key rolls two rewards
  • Left-click a crate to preview rewards; right-click with the correct key to open it
  • Premium crates can include managed spawners, relics, raid items, Maces, Shillings, and other progression rewards
  • /vote shows all 4 voting sites, your vote total, and the leaderboard
  • Verified votes award Vote Keys; the Vote pool also includes Adventure equipment
17

Farm & Pet Limits

Large animal farms have local limits so one base cannot fill an area with unlimited entities.

  • Local livestock limit: 80 total across cows, mooshrooms, sheep, pigs, chickens, rabbits, and goats
  • Local tamed-animal limit: 32
  • At the tamed-animal cap, new taming or breeding is blocked; existing pets are not deleted
  • Player-bred livestock stay persistent normally; at the livestock cap, an eligible existing bred animal of the same species may be replaced by the newborn
  • Named, tamed, leashed, ridden, and custom animals are protected from automatic livestock removal
  • Villagers are not part of the livestock retirement system
18

Spawn Boost

Inside the designated Spawn boost area, double-tap Space to launch forward and move around Spawn quickly.

  • Boosts can be chained in midair without landing
  • There is no boost cooldown while you remain inside the enabled area
  • The custom whoosh plays only when a boost succeeds

Commands

Quick Access In-Game

Start with /help. The list below covers the commands most players will use for land, travel, kits, markets, communication, and stats.

/help

Open the Help GUI

See commands, server information, and quick links in one menu.

/unity

Manage your Unity

Create or manage your group, members, roles, diplomacy, succession, and territory.

/privateland · /pland

Manage private land

View your private claims and give players or Unities selected access permissions.

/ra

Respawn Anchor homes

Travel to or manage linked anchors. Normal travel takes 20 seconds and cancels on movement or damage.

/tpa <player> · /tpaccept

Player teleport requests

Request or accept a teleport. After acceptance, travel takes 20 seconds; /tpa has a 60-second request cooldown.

/kit · /kits

Open the Kit GUI

Claim your available Starter or tier kits and check their cooldowns.

/vote

Vote for the server

Open all voting sites, view your vote count and leaderboard, and earn Vote Keys from verified votes.

/ah

Auction House

Browse, search, bid on, and create player item auctions.

/orders · /order

Order Requests

Post an item request or fulfill another player's order.

/bounties · /bounty

Bounties

View, place, and manage player bounties.

/deaths

Check LifeDeath status

View deaths out of seven, remaining lives, current affliction, and its timer.

/stats

View statistics

See personal and server statistics, including current-life Days Alive and wealth.

/animallock

Manage owned animals

View named animals and control ownership, riders, and animal settings.

/cosmetics

Supporter cosmetics

Manage available trails, halos, effects, nickname styling, and chat colour.

/msg · /r · /w

Private messages

Message another player, reply to your latest conversation, or whisper directly.

/realname

Check a nickname

Reveal the real Minecraft username behind a player's nickname.

/discord · /discordsrv

Discord

Get the community link or link/unlink your Minecraft and Discord accounts.

/store

Open the Store link

Get the official FTF Hardcore tier store link.

/crates

View all crates and rewards

Includes the Soul Eater Crate, Flame of Souls Crate, and Vote Crate contents.

/voicechat

Voice groups

Create and manage private Simple Voice Chat groups.

/prayer

Prayer menu

Open the server's Catholic prayer collection.

V

Voice Chat Keybind

Open the voice chat menu

Press V when Simple Voice Chat is installed.

View Installation Guide