Deathban
| Deathban | |
|---|---|
| Type | Core mechanic |
| Triggered by | Any death |
| Typical length | 30 minutes to several hours |
| Gear | Drops where you died |
| Bypassing | Banned on all networks |
The deathban is the rule that defines Hardcore Factions. When you die, you are banned from the server for a fixed period. Everything else about the format follows from it.
Why it matters: in ordinary Minecraft PvP, dying costs you gear and thirty seconds. In HCF it costs you the rest of the evening. That single change turns reckless fighting into a bad idea and makes every engagement a decision rather than a reflex.
How it works
Any death triggers it. Player kills, mobs, lava, fall damage, the void, starving. There is no distinction between dying in a Citadel fight and drowning in your own base.
Your inventory drops where you died. On a map with active enemies that usually means someone else takes it, so a death costs both your time and your gear.
Ban length varies by network and is often tied to rank. Paid ranks commonly carry shorter deathbans, which is one of the main things servers sell. Some networks also lengthen bans as a map progresses, or shorten them near EOTW.
Consequences for play
- Fights are cautious. Players disengage rather than trade to the death, which is why pearls and potions matter so much.
- Numbers compound. Every death removes someone for hours, so a losing fight gets worse rather than stabilising.
- Citadel is brutal. Anyone who dies is out for the rest of the event, not just the rest of the fight.
- Rosters need depth. A faction with thirty players can absorb losses that would end a fight for a faction with ten.
- DTR is the faction-level version. Individual deaths also push a faction toward being raidable, so dying hurts twice.
Bypassing
Using an alt account to keep playing through a deathban is banned on every network and treated as one of the most serious offences, since it removes the format's defining cost. Related bans cover alts used to scout while dead, hold gear during a ban, or inflate a faction's power. See Rules and punishments.