FAQ
How to join, step by step, is on How it works.
Before you join
How do I join?
Press Apply to join in #apply on our Discord and fill in a short form. The full steps are on How it works.
Which version do I need?
Java Edition 26.2. Players on 26.3 can join too.
Can I play on Bedrock, console or phone?
No, it's Java only. If that ever changes, it'll be announced in the Discord.
Link to this answer: Can I play on Bedrock, console or phone?
Is it free?
Yes. Nothing is sold for real money: no ranks, no perks, no store.
Do I need Discord?
Yes, to apply. You don't have to be chatty.
What's the server address?
play.andesitesmp.com, on Java Edition 26.2. The server is whitelisted, so apply on the Discord first: the address won't let you in until you're accepted.
Can I use a cracked account?
No. Official Java accounts only.
Is Andesite SMP really 18+?
Yes. It's a group of adults and we'd like to keep it that way. It doesn't mean anything goes. The application asks whether you're 18 or over. Anyone found to be under 18 is removed.
Can I bring a friend?
Yes. They apply too. It's one account per person (rule 10).
How long does applying take?
The form takes about a minute. Replies usually come within a day, often within the hour.
What if my application isn't accepted?
You'll get a polite reply in your private thread.
Playing
How vanilla is semi-vanilla?
Very. There are no new items, blocks or mobs, no kits and no money plugin. The additions are claims, homes, teleport requests, one-player sleep, player shops and the spawn cannon. It runs on Paper with its standard settings, so TNT, carpet and rail duping, sand duping, headless pistons and bedrock breaking don't work, and pistons only move blocks inside claims. Simulation distance is 8 chunks, and mobs spawn within 6 chunks of a player rather than 8.
Are there shops or an economy?
Yes, player shops, in a shopping district with PvP switched off. Plots are free: ask and we'll give you one. Shops sell, buy and swap items, priced in diamonds, the ones you mine. There's no money plugin and no pay-to-win: nothing sold for real money changes the game. The live map has a Shops layer showing who sells what.
Open the mapLink to this answer: Are there shops or an economy?
Is PvP allowed?
Outside spawn and claimed land, yes. Inside them, no. New players are protected until they pick something up, logging out mid-fight kills you, and /home, /spawn and /tpa are blocked for 15 seconds after a fight.
How do claims work?
Mark two corners with a golden shovel. You start with 2,000 claim blocks and earn 100 for every hour you play, up to 80,000. Inside your claim, nobody else can build, open your chests or hurt you.
What happens when I die?
You drop everything, as in normal survival, and anyone can pick it up. /back takes you to where you died.
Do creepers blow holes in things?
Not above sea level. Outside claims, explosions only break blocks below sea level, and inside claims they break nothing. Fire doesn't spread or burn blocks anywhere.
Are AFK farms allowed?
Yes, for now. There's no AFK kick while the server is this small. That may change as it grows, and you'll hear about it in the Discord first. If a farm causes lag, staff may ask you to switch it off (rule 7).
Can I fire the cannon again if I don't like where I land?
Yes, as often as you like, with a 30-second cooldown between launches.
Link to this answer: Can I fire the cannon again if I don't like where I land?
Is the End open?
Yes. The dragon has already been beaten.
Is there a world border?
No, apart from Minecraft's own edge.
Is there a map?
Yes, a live 3D map, here on the site.
Do I need proximity voice chat?
No. It's there if you want it, and it's never recorded.
Do I need Distant Horizons or Voxy?
No. They're free, optional mods for seeing much further. The versions that work together are pinned in the Discord.
Optional modsLink to this answer: Do I need Distant Horizons or Voxy?
When does the server update to a new Minecraft version?
When the plugins it relies on are ready. Until then, newer versions of the game can usually still join. When we do move, chunks nobody has touched are regenerated, so the new features turn up close to everyone's bases.
Link to this answer: When does the server update to a new Minecraft version?
The server and your things
Where is the server hosted?
In the UK, on hardware we run ourselves.
How active is it?
It's small for now, because the server only opened in September 2026, so you'd be getting in near the start. It has got busier every week since. It's busiest in the UK evening and at weekends, with a quieter stretch around UK lunchtime; Mondays and Tuesdays are the quietest. Most evenings there's someone on, and often a few people at once, but you won't always have company. Nobody is expected to be online every evening.
Does the world ever reset?
The overworld doesn't, and it never will. Your builds there are permanent. When we move to a new Minecraft version, chunks nobody has touched are regenerated, so the new features turn up close to everyone's bases. The Nether and the End may be refreshed too, with plenty of notice.
What if I stop playing for a while?
Your base stays where you left it, and your claim stays yours, however long you're away. Claims don't expire.
What if someone wrecks my build?
Tell us in the Discord. Block changes are logged, so it can usually be put back.