Combat Lock Guide

PvP should be a fair fight, decided by skill, gear and tactics. Without any protection, it's too easy to cheese:

• Hit and run. Land a hit or two, then /home, /warp or /spawn away before the other player can answer.
• Hit and fly. Strike, then turn on /fly, or launch with an elytra and rockets, and disappear.
• Escaping a fight you're losing. Teleporting out at the last second so the other player never gets the win.

Combat Lock closes those loopholes. Once a hit lands, both players are tagged as in combat for a short time, and the usual escape routes stay shut until the timer runs out. Fights get settled instead of avoided.

Built to favour the victim

It isn't an even split on purpose. The player who starts the fight is locked longer than the player who was attacked (15 seconds against 10 by default). If someone jumps you, you're free to leave sooner than they are, so picking fights costs more than defending against them.

It's all automatic. There are no commands to learn. You can't turn it on or off, and you don't need to do anything. This guide explains what it does so it doesn't catch you by surprise.

You're tagged when a hit between two players actually lands. That includes melee hits and shots from arrows, tridents and other projectiles. Both players are tagged at the same moment:

• The player who made the hit becomes the aggressor.
• The player who took the hit becomes the defender.

What doesn't count

• Damage from mobs, fall damage, fire, lava, explosions and other things that aren't another player.
• Hurting yourself (for example with your own arrow).
• Hits that are blocked. If PvP is switched off where you are, or the hit is cancelled by another plugin, nobody is tagged.

Each role has its own lock time, shown in seconds in the message you receive.

Why the difference? It gives the victim a slight edge. The aggressor chose the fight, so they stay locked for longer. The defender didn't ask for it, so they get their escape routes back sooner and aren't held hostage by someone else's choice.

Every new hit resets the timer back to the full time for your role. A fight that keeps going means nobody gets away early, and the countdown only starts once the fighting stops. Your role follows your most recent hit: if you hit someone you become the aggressor, and if you're hit you become the defender.

Example

Escape commands

Certain commands are blocked and simply don't run. You'll get a message telling you how many seconds are left. By default the blocked commands are:

Other commands, such as chat, /shop or /msg, still work normally.

Flying

By default, /fly is switched off for you the moment you enter combat, whichever role you're in. You can't fly out of a fight.

Elytra and riptide

All of these are stopped while you're in combat:

• Gliding. You can't start gliding, and if you're already in the air you're stopped.
• Firework boosts. Rockets won't boost you.
• Equipping an elytra. You can't put one on by right-clicking, clicking in your inventory, shift-clicking or dragging.
• Trident riptide. You can't launch yourself with a riptide trident.

These checks are repeated several times a second while you're locked, so trying again won't get you through.

The "Xs left" number is how many seconds remain on your lock. You'll see the first two messages every time a hit resets your timer.

Your lock ends on its own once your timer runs out without another hit. You'll see You are no longer in combat. and everything is back to normal: commands work and you can use your elytra again.

Staff can also set things to happen automatically when combat ends, so the server may do more than this page lists.

• Both players are locked, not just the one who started it, so nobody can simply walk away from a fight they're losing. The one who started it is locked longer.
• Logging out simply cancels your lock. Combat Lock doesn't punish it by itself, but check the Server Rules about leaving a fight.
• Dying doesn't clear the lock. It still has to run out, so you may be unable to use /home or /spawn for a few seconds after you respawn.
• Staff are exempt. Players with the bypass permission are never locked, never command-blocked and never elytra-restricted.
• Walking and riding are fine. Combat Lock doesn't stop you running, sprinting, riding or boating away. It only closes the instant escapes.

• Don't plan a fight around an escape. If you need /home as a getaway, it won't be there when you do.
• If you're attacked and want to leave, the shorter defender timer is on your side, but note that every hit you land makes you the aggressor again, with the longer lock.
• Heal, restock and set up before a fight, not during it.
• Leave a free inventory slot if you fly an elytra, so it isn't dropped on the ground when you enter combat.
• Watch the seconds in the chat messages. They tell you exactly how long until you're free.
• Want out? Stop fighting and move away on foot. Your timer only runs down if no one hits you.

My command says "You can't do that while in combat!"

You're still locked. The message tells you how many seconds are left. Wait it out and try again.

My elytra disappeared

It was moved into your inventory when the fight started. If your inventory was full, it dropped on the ground where you were standing, so look around your feet.

I can't fly any more

Flying is switched off when you enter combat. Once the fight is over, turn it back on again.

I never touched anyone but I'm in combat

Combat Lock only starts from a hit between players, either one you made or one you took. A hit from a friend, a stray arrow from another player or a shot from another player's trident counts.

I'm stuck in combat and the timer keeps resetting

Each hit restarts your timer. Once the hits stop, the full countdown runs and then you're free.

Still stuck?

Ask in the help channel on Discord and staff will sort you out.