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! style="text-align:left; background:var(--background-color-interactive-subtle);" | Peak era
! style="text-align:left; background:var(--background-color-interactive-subtle);" | Peak era
| 2013–2018
| 2013–2018
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! style="text-align:left; background:var(--background-color-interactive-subtle);" | Key rule
| [[Deathban]]
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'''Hardcore Factions''', usually shortened to '''HCF''', is a competitive Minecraft game mode built on the Factions land-claiming system. It is distinguished from ordinary factions servers by two rules: dying removes you from the server for a set period, and the world runs for a fixed season before being wiped and restarted.
'''Hardcore Factions''', usually shortened to '''HCF''', is a competitive Minecraft game mode built on the Factions land-claiming system. It is distinguished from ordinary factions servers by a few rules: Dying temporarily bans you from the server [[Deathban]], [[maps]] have a set time of running, and [[raiding]] doesn't have Power or TNT, but has [[Deaths till raidable]] instead.


Those two changes reshape everything else. Because death has a real cost, fights are cautious and gear is precious. Because the map ends, factions race a clock rather than settling in permanently.
== Core Gameplay ==
First, the map is announced with a set date, time, and team size. On this day, everybody joins the [[queue]], and when the whitelist is taken off, people slowly trickle into the map.
 
The Map starts with a Grace Period, this is called [[SOTW]]. In this time your team [[Claiming|claims] a piece of land, builds a base, and gathers resources like diamonds, XP and villagers.
 
The rest of the map is comprised of grinding out [[Glossay|sets]], [[raiding]], and capturing [[KOTH]s. There are also usually 4 [[Citadel|Citadels]] per map (1 per week), these are the most important events of the map. Because they provide the most points, they often decide the winner of the map.


<div class="hcf-callout hcf-callout--note">
<div class="hcf-callout hcf-callout--note">
'''In short:''' claim land, build a base, gear up, and fight other factions for control of the map — knowing that every death locks you out and the whole world resets when the season ends.
Map winners are decided by what team has the most [[F-Top|points]], which are gained by Kills and Capturing [[KOTH|KOTHs]] and [[Citadel|Citadels]].
</div>
</div>


== Core rules ==
== Most Important Rules ==
 
<div class="hcf-callout hcf-callout--danger" style="border-color:#c9a227; background:var(--background-color-neutral);">
=== Deathban ===
=== Deathban ===
When you die, you are banned from the server for a fixed duration — commonly anywhere from thirty minutes to several hours depending on the server and the stage of the map. Your gear stays where you dropped it, which usually means the enemy takes it. This single rule is what makes HCF cautious and tactical rather than a constant brawl. See [[Deathban]].
When you die, you are banned from the server for a fixed duration — commonly anywhere from thirty minutes to several hours depending on the server and the stage of the map. Your gear stays where you dropped it, which usually means the enemy takes it. This single rule is what makes HCF cautious and tactical rather than a constant brawl. See [[Deathban]].
</div>


<div class="hcf-callout hcf-callout--note" style="border-color:#7a9a3a; background:var(--background-color-neutral);">
=== Maps and seasons ===
=== Maps and seasons ===
A map begins at [[SOTW|Start of the World]], when a protection period expires and PvP switches on, and ends at [[EOTW|End of the World]], when claims are disabled and the server descends into a final free-for-all before the reset. Maps typically run for a few weeks. Everything is wiped afterwards. See [[Map archive]].
A map begins at [[SOTW|Start of the World]], when a protection period expires and PvP switches on, and ends at [[EOTW|End of the World]], when claims are disabled and the server descends into a final free-for-all before the reset. Maps typically run for a few weeks. Everything is wiped afterwards. See [[Map archive]].
</div>


<div class="hcf-callout hcf-callout--note" style="border-color:#8c5a3a; background:var(--background-color-neutral);">
=== Factions and claiming ===
=== Factions and claiming ===
Players group into factions, buy claimed territory with in-game currency, and set a faction home inside it. Claims block enemy building and provide a safe spawn point. A faction loses its claim when its power drops — usually through repeated member deaths — which is how territory actually changes hands. See [[Factions]] and [[Claiming]].
Players group into factions, buy claimed territory with in-game currency, and set a faction home inside it. Claims block enemy building and provide a safe spawn point. A faction loses its claim when its power drops — usually through repeated member deaths — which is how territory actually changes hands. See [[Factions]] and [[Claiming]].
</div>


== Classes ==
== Classes ==
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== History ==
== History ==
<div class="hcf-callout hcf-callout--note" style="background:var(--background-color-neutral);">
HCF grew out of the wider Factions genre around '''2012''', spread rapidly through YouTube coverage across '''2014–2015''', and reached its largest player counts between '''2013 and 2018''' — the period the community generally calls its golden era.
HCF grew out of the wider Factions genre around '''2012''', spread rapidly through YouTube coverage across '''2014–2015''', and reached its largest player counts between '''2013 and 2018''' — the period the community generally calls its golden era.


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'''<span style="font-size:110%;">→ Full article: [[History of Hardcore Factions]]</span>'''
'''<span style="font-size:110%;">→ Full article: [[History of Hardcore Factions]]</span>'''
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== See also ==
== See also ==

Revision as of 17:11, 17 September 2026

Hardcore Factions
File:HCF banner.png
Genre Competitive PvP
Based on Minecraft Factions
Emerged c. 2012
Peak era 2013–2018
Session length Timed maps (SOTW to EOTW)
Common versions 1.7 / 1.8

Hardcore Factions, usually shortened to HCF, is a competitive Minecraft game mode built on the Factions land-claiming system. It is distinguished from ordinary factions servers by a few rules: Dying temporarily bans you from the server Deathban, maps have a set time of running, and raiding doesn't have Power or TNT, but has Deaths till raidable instead.

Core Gameplay

First, the map is announced with a set date, time, and team size. On this day, everybody joins the queue, and when the whitelist is taken off, people slowly trickle into the map.

The Map starts with a Grace Period, this is called SOTW. In this time your team [[Claiming|claims] a piece of land, builds a base, and gathers resources like diamonds, XP and villagers.

The rest of the map is comprised of grinding out sets, raiding, and capturing [[KOTH]s. There are also usually 4 Citadels per map (1 per week), these are the most important events of the map. Because they provide the most points, they often decide the winner of the map.

Map winners are decided by what team has the most points, which are gained by Kills and Capturing KOTHs and Citadels.

Most Important Rules

Deathban

When you die, you are banned from the server for a fixed duration — commonly anywhere from thirty minutes to several hours depending on the server and the stage of the map. Your gear stays where you dropped it, which usually means the enemy takes it. This single rule is what makes HCF cautious and tactical rather than a constant brawl. See Deathban.

Maps and seasons

A map begins at Start of the World, when a protection period expires and PvP switches on, and ends at End of the World, when claims are disabled and the server descends into a final free-for-all before the reset. Maps typically run for a few weeks. Everything is wiped afterwards. See Map archive.

Factions and claiming

Players group into factions, buy claimed territory with in-game currency, and set a faction home inside it. Claims block enemy building and provide a safe spawn point. A faction loses its claim when its power drops — usually through repeated member deaths — which is how territory actually changes hands. See Factions and Claiming.

Classes

Armour sets grant abilities, and the set you wear defines your role. This is the mechanic that turns HCF from individual PvP into team combat.

Class Armour Role
Diamond Diamond Frontline. Highest armour, no abilities.
Bard Gold Support. Buffs allies and debuffs enemies via energy.
Archer Leather Ranged. Tags enemies at distance for bonus damage.
Rogue Chainmail Assassin. Speed and burst damage from behind.
Miner Iron Utility. Night vision and haste underground.

Specifics vary between servers — see Class comparison for a side-by-side breakdown, and always check the ruleset of the network you play on.

Events

Scheduled events give factions something to fight over on a timetable, which is what keeps a map active between raids.

  • King of the Hill — capture and hold a zone for a continuous timer against everyone else
  • Conquest — multiple simultaneous capture points scored over time
  • Citadel — a large fortified structure contested on a longer cycle, usually the map's biggest fight
  • End portal — control of access to the End and its loot

History

HCF grew out of the wider Factions genre around 2012, spread rapidly through YouTube coverage across 2014–2015, and reached its largest player counts between 2013 and 2018 — the period the community generally calls its golden era.

The turning point came in February 2016, when Minecraft 1.9 rewrote combat with attack cooldowns and an off-hand slot. The HCF community overwhelmingly rejected the change and stayed on 1.7 and 1.8, which preserved the format it knew but gradually cut it off from the version most players were running. Numbers declined through 2019–2020 as networks closed, and the scene has since continued at a smaller scale around a committed core.

→ Full article: History of Hardcore Factions

See also