New Player Guide

Welcome to Era of Civilization! This guide is meant to shed some light on the most important changes to gameplay in Era of Civilization compared to regular Minecraft, and to help newer players get acclimated.

Many of the changes in the plugin amount to a much more challenging early game experience. Having a basic understanding of how things work compared to the base game can be very beneficial. One of the most important things to keep in mind is that Era is fundamentally a cooperative experience. The plugin is designed around encouraging cooperation and the formation of groups. Playing solo can be incredibly difficult and frustrating and is not recommended. Era is difficult either way, but playing with others can help take the edge off and foster a sense of camaraderie. As such, one of your first priorities should be finding other players.

How to Survive?

Your first days as a new player will be tough. The higher mob difficulty, lack of natural regeneration and increased hunger will make survival difficult, all while the class systems locks you out of most tools, weapons and materials you need to survive, and ultimately thrive. But don't be spooked by the challenge, with the right approach and the help of others, this seemingly insurmountable task can be overcome. And this guide will teach you how to get started. First, we will cover the most important changes you need to know to be able to engage with the new mechanics effectively, as this is not the same as vanilla survival. We will then talk more in depth about the particulars of each class, as the choice of class is a rather important one that needs special attention. And finally, we cover the most important strategies to survive the first days, and nights.

Important Changes

Class-Locked Progression - The biggest change is the addition of the class system. In regular Minecraft, the player can fulfill their material needs entirely by themselves. In Era, there are 7 different classes to choose from, each with their own unique roles, crafting recipes, and abilities. To become a class, the player must accumulate class experience by performing actions related to said class. A player can only be one class at a time, and changing class is difficult, so players will want to cooperate with each other and take on different roles to make up for individual shortcomings. To see your progress on each class, as well as recipes you have unlocked, type /class.
Randomized Names - Unlike most Minecraft servers, where your Minecraft username is displayed, Era will assign you a random name at the start of the event. You will then have 10 minutes to decide if you want to change this name to one of two other options, which will appear in a chat message when you join, and can be seen again with /namechoice. You can always see your name by typing /class and hovering over the Emerald. This new name will be your pseudonym for the duration of the event. You may not reveal your actual Minecraft name or Discord username during the event. For more information on this, see the relevant section of the #rules channel.
Monster Difficulty - In Era, monsters are a much greater threat. They can move very quickly, hit harder, notice players from further away, and can break blocks. It is advised to avoid facing monsters head-on until sufficiently prepared. The Builder class can create mob-proof defences. The Guardsman class has improved combat capabilities, but is difficult to level early on.
Healing - Natural regeneration, the ability to regenerate health using food, is disabled. Most sources of healing come from the Healer class, so players will want to obtain a Healer as soon as possible. In the meantime, players can sleep in Beds placed near a source of heat to slowly regenerate health, with limitations.
Hunger - In Era, energy-intensive actions, like sprinting, exhaust the player much more than normal. There are also new sources of exhaustion, such as crafting. The player is unable to craft when starving, or if crafting would reduce them to near starvation. It is imperative to work towards establishing a stable food supply, which is the responsibility of the Farmer class.
Local Chat Messages - Chat messages are localized to an area, having a maximum distance at which they will appear to others. This is intentional, as communication is meant to be limited to players that are close to one another. Another valid form of communication is using the Simple Voice Chat mod, which is highly recommended for all players to download and install. You may not use out-of-game communication methods (such as Discord) to talk about in-game events or information throughout the duration of the event. Doing so is called metagaming, and it is highly against the rules.

Classes

Blacksmith - Blacksmiths are critical for progression, as a Blacksmith is needed to craft most equipment, including tools, armour, and weapons. Blacksmiths also gain the ability to repair existing equipment by using it at an Anvil while sneaking. Blacksmiths gain experience by taking ores out of Furnaces, crafting equipment, and repairing.
Builder - Builders are a well-rounded class with the ability to create mob-proof defenses through brick-type blocks and reinforcement. Reinforcing blocks is performed by interacting with a block while holding either Copper or Iron in hand. They have a wide range of crafting recipes ranging from decorations to Redstone components.
Farmer - Farmers are required for agriculture and thus food production at scale. Harvesting crops has a chance to yield no return, which for non-Farmers is extremely high. Having levels in Farming increases the success rate, making farming feasible. Farmers also possess the unique ability to breed livestock and tame animals. Farmers gain experience by breaking short grass, tilling soil, and harvesting crops.
Healer - Healers have a focus on keeping players alive through their healing abilities. Healers can heal players directly using the Bandages they craft, or by blessing food, which imbues it with healing properties. They can also heal players who have been 'downed', which players become upon reaching zero health, unless the damage received exceeded a certain threshold. High-level Healers are the only ones capable of brewing potions. Healers gain experience by crafting Paper or Bandages, blessing food, and by healing other players.
Miner - Miners have the unique ability to harvest stones and ores that are necessary for Builders and Blacksmiths, respectively. They gain an increased block breaking speed that scales with their level. Miners gain experience by, well, mining.
Guardsman - Guardsmen are monster hunters with an increased combat prowess. They have a sixth sense for danger, and monsters will prioritize targeting them over other players. They also possess the ability to 'pat down' other players, inspecting the contents of their inventory. Guardsmen gain experience by fighting monsters.
Librarian - Librarians are a versatile class with the primary ability of enchanting equipment. They also make great cartographers, explorers, and recordkeepers. Librarians gain experience by crafting book-related items.

First Days, and Nights

For the first days, your priority should be to find (or, if you are brave, form) a group of people of at least 7 players, one for each class. You will need to work with one another to be able to make progress, as the class system prevents any single player form being able to survive effectively on their own. Teamwork is essential, so find your tribe.

You may die multiple times before finding others (or, goodness forbid, after finding them). Do not worry, you can still survive for long enough to find a group that will take you in:

Firstly, if you can, you should install the recommended mods of Simple Voice Chat and Distant Horizons (or Voxy). The first one is particularly important for communicating with others, as chat messages are kept local and most people will likely prefer voice chat instead. The second mod may help you greatly in finding your way back to places you were previously at. If you can't (or don't want to) use these mods, that's okay! They are not required to play in any way.
Secondly, although mobs are significantly stronger than normal, there are still ways to survive at least for a few days until you get your group together. Pillar up with blocks, or get on top of a safe tree to survive the night. You can also use /sit to sit down and conserve energy.

Once you have a group together, your first priority should be to build a rudimentary base to call a home, where you will be able to safely pass the nights. While at night, talk to others to plan your moves and assign classes to the different members of your burgeoning society. During the day, you should focus on hunting for food and gathering materials to make beds, as these will allow your group to survive and to stay together, respectively.

What's next?

After the initial formation and stabilization of the settlement, the rest of the journey will be about increasing your class levels to acquire new items and abilities that will turn deadly mobs into mundane inconveniences, impossible journeys into routine voyages, and a primitive base into a wealthy metropolis. Survive, thrive, make friends and enemies, and carve your own path through this Era Of Civilization!