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How to Protect Builds with WorldGuard

Use WorldGuard regions to protect spawns, builds, and player areas, selection, flags, members and the most useful flag presets.

8 min read9 sectionsJava & Bedrock

WorldGuard is the answer to "how do I stop people griefing spawn?" It defines named regions where you can deny breaking, building, PvP and dozens of other actions. Pair with WorldEdit to define regions from a selection. Here's the quick setup.

1. Install

Download WorldGuard and WorldEdit from EngineHub. WorldGuard depends on WorldEdit. Drop both into plugins/ and restart.

2. Define your first region

Stand at one corner, //pos1 (or use the wand). Other corner: //pos2. Then:

/region define spawn

You now have a region called spawn.

3. The flags you'll set most

/region flag spawn pvp deny
/region flag spawn build deny
/region flag spawn use allow            # so players can open doors
/region flag spawn entry allow
/region flag spawn mob-spawning deny
/region flag spawn fall-damage deny
/region flag spawn greeting "&aWelcome to spawn!"
/region flag spawn farewell "&7Leaving spawn..."

4. Members and owners

Owners can add/remove members, members can build:

/region addowner steveville Steve
/region addmember steveville Alice

5. Region priority

Higher priority overrides lower. A "shop" region inside spawn can re-allow building for shop owners only:

/region setpriority shop 5
/region flag shop build allow
/region addmember shop ShopOwner

6. Global per-world flags

Apply a flag to an entire world by editing __global__:

/region flag __global__ keep-inventory allow -w pvp
/region flag __global__ pvp deny -w spawn

(See also the dedicated KeepInventory guide.)

7. Player claims at scale

WorldGuard isn't designed for thousands of player-created claims, for that, use GriefPrevention or RedProtect. WorldGuard is best for staff-managed regions.

8. Common pitfalls

  • Forgetting to set the use flag, players can't open doors in spawn.
  • Using region build deny without interact deny, players can still trigger redstone.
  • Defining a 2D selection (no Y), mobs spawn under your "spawn" floor.
  • Not raising priority of inner regions, the outer region's deny overrides the inner allow.

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Questions about Protect Builds with WorldGuard

What does Protect Builds with WorldGuard come down to?

WorldGuard is the answer to "how do I stop people griefing spawn?" It defines named regions where you can deny breaking, building, PvP and dozens of other actions.

Protect Builds with WorldGuard: what does 2. define your first region mean here?

Owners can add/remove members, members can build: Higher priority overrides lower.

What does this guide say about 3. the flags you'll set most?

A "shop" region inside spawn can re-allow building for shop owners only: Apply a flag to an entire world by editing __global__: (See also the dedicated KeepInventory guide.) WorldGuard isn't designed for thousands of player-created claims, for that, use GriefPrevention or RedProtect.

Protect Builds with WorldGuard: what does 4. members and owners mean here?

Forgetting to set the use flag, players can't open doors in spawn.

How to Protect Builds with WorldGuard: Use WorldGuard regions to protect spawns, builds, and player areas, selection, flags, members and the most useful flag presets.
How to Protect Builds with WorldGuard, from the Plugins guides on Astroworld.

Blocks and items in this guide

Redstone in MinecraftRedstone

Redstone is named in the Protect Builds with WorldGuard guide above. Look them up in the item database.

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