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.

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.
Randomized Names - Unlike most Minecraft servers, where your Minecraft username is displayed, Era will assign a random name to you at the start of the event. You will 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 info on this see the relevant section on 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 player 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.

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 defences 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.