How to Create Custom WorldGuard Regions with Schematics

Regions and Schematics, a Powerful Pair

WorldGuard regions protect areas; WorldEdit schematics save and load builds. Combining worldguard custom regions schematics lets you create templated arenas, resettable parkour courses, and protected builds that can be duplicated across worlds. This workflow is standard on competitive and minigame servers.

Step 1: Build and Select

Start by building the structure you want to template. Once finished, select it with WorldEdit.

# Stand at one corner and set position 1
//pos1

# Move to the opposite corner and set position 2
//pos2

# Or use the wand (wooden axe by default)
//wand

Make sure your selection includes a few blocks of padding around the build so the region has breathing room.

Step 2: Save the Schematic

# Copy the selection to clipboard (relative to your position)
//copy

# Save to a schematic file
//schematic save arena_template

The file is saved to plugins/WorldEdit/schematics/arena_template.schem. We recommend naming schematics with lowercase and underscores for consistency.

Step 3: Create the WorldGuard Region

With the same WorldEdit selection still active, define a WorldGuard region that covers the build.

# Create a region using the current selection
/rg define arena1

# Set the region priority
/rg setpriority arena1 5

# Apply protection flags
/rg flag arena1 build deny
/rg flag arena1 pvp allow
/rg flag arena1 mob-spawning deny

The region boundaries now match your schematic exactly. This is the core of the worldguard custom regions schematics workflow: one selection drives both the backup and the protection.

Step 4: Loading and Resetting

When you need to reset the arena (after a match, for example), paste the schematic back into the same location.

# Load the schematic
//schematic load arena_template

# Stand at the same position you used during //copy
//paste

The region protection remains intact because WorldGuard regions are coordinate-based, not block-based. Pasting a schematic does not affect region definitions.

Automating Resets

For automated resets, use a command block or a plugin like Skript to run the paste command on a trigger (match end, timer, button press). The schematic loads in milliseconds for small builds, making it viable for live gameplay.

Duplicating Regions

To create multiple copies of the same arena:

1. Paste the schematic at the new location.
2. Select the pasted build with //pos1 and //pos2.
3. Define a new region: /rg define arena2.
4. Copy flags from the original: /rg migrateflags arena1 arena2 (or set them manually).

This approach scales well. We have seen servers run 20+ identical arenas using a single schematic and per-region worldguard custom regions schematics configs.

Polygonal Regions

Not all builds fit a cuboid. WorldGuard supports polygonal regions for irregular shapes.

# Select with //sel poly, then click corners
//sel poly

# After selecting all vertices
/rg define custom_area

Polygonal regions are defined by a 2D polygon extruded vertically, so set your Y bounds with //expand vert before defining.

Best Practices

• Always save a schematic before applying region protection. If you need to move the build, you can paste it elsewhere and redefine the region.
• Use //schematic list periodically to clean up unused schematics.
• Back up your regions.yml file after major region changes.
• For large schematics (over 100k blocks), use FAWE (Fast Async WorldEdit) to avoid server lag during paste operations.

For flag configuration details, see the WorldGuard Flag Reference, Every Flag Explained. For initial WorldGuard setup, start with .

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