Start Here

New Player Guide

Everything you need to go from zero to surviving your first night on LockdownMC. Read this before logging in.

Contents
  1. Installation
  2. Voice Chat Setup
  3. First Steps
  4. Server Schedule
  5. Skills System
  6. World & Exploration
  7. Economy & Trading
  8. Storage Guide
  9. Survival Tips
  10. FAQ
Step 1

Installation

Download the official LockdownMC.mrpack from this website (direct link). The pack uses the standard .mrpack format, so installation works with the Modrinth App (recommended) or Prism Launcher.

Option A: Modrinth App (Easiest)

  1. Download LockdownMC.mrpack from this site (see the Connect section on the home page or use the direct link above)
  2. Download and install the Modrinth App from modrinth.com/app
  3. Click Browse → Import from the sidebar
  4. Drag and drop LockdownMC.mrpack into the window
  5. Click Import — all 232 mods download automatically
  6. Launch the profile, wait for assets to load, then log in

Option B: Prism Launcher

  1. Open Prism Launcher and click Add Instance
  2. Select Import from zip tab
  3. Browse to your .mrpack file and confirm
  4. Prism will download all mods. This may take a few minutes.

RAM Requirement: Allocate at least 4–6 GB of RAM to this instance. With Distant Horizons and 232 mods, less than 4GB will cause crashes and stuttering. Set this in your launcher's instance settings.

Java Version: Minecraft 1.21 requires Java 21. The Modrinth App handles this automatically. If using Prism, make sure your Java path points to Java 21.

Step 2 — Required

Voice Chat Setup

Voice chat is not optional. LockdownMC is a social server. You need a working microphone and headset/headphones to play. If you can't talk, you can't play.

Simple Voice Chat is included in the pack. No separate installation needed. Here's how to configure it:

  1. In-game, press V to open the Voice Chat settings menu
  2. Set your Input Device to your microphone
  3. Set PTT (Push to Talk) to a comfortable key — default is CAPS LOCK
  4. Adjust your Microphone Volume until the bar moves when you speak
  5. Set Voice Distance based on your preference (default is fine)

Voice chat is proximity-based. Players further away sound quieter or can't hear you at all. Move closer to talk privately. The range is configurable by admins server-side.

Step 3

First Steps on the Server

You've spawned in. Here's what to do:

1
Claim Your Land

Use the Open Parties & Claims mod to claim a chunk. This protects your builds from griefing. Right-click a Claim Block or use /claim to get started. Claim enough land before you start building.

2
Set a Waystone

Craft or find a Waystone and name it your base. This is your respawn anchor and fast-travel point. Don't go far from home without a waystone set.

3
Open Your Skills Menu

Press the assigned keybind (check Options → Controls → Puffish Skills) to open your skill tree. You start with no unlocks. Every action earns XP toward the relevant skill. Plan your build early.

4
Press M for Your Map

Xaero's World Map gives you a full overview. Your minimap (top right corner) shows the immediate area. Waypoints auto-appear for your Waystones.

5
Check REI for Recipes

Press R on any item in a menu to see how to craft it. Press U to see uses. The search bar at the bottom of any inventory screen filters all known items. This is how you'll learn the pack's recipes.

Important

Server Schedule

The server is only online between 4:00 PM and 12:00 AM each day. This is by design — LockdownMC is a dedicated session server, not an always-online world.

OFFLINE — 12:00 AM to 4:00 PM
ONLINE — 4:00 PM to 12:00 AM

Outside these hours the server is unreachable. Progress is saved normally between sessions. Plan mining trips, farm setups, and build projects around the 8-hour window.

Core System

Skills System (Puffish Skills)

LockdownMC has a full progression system through Puffish Skills. Every major activity has a skill track with meaningful passive upgrades.

⛏️ Mining

Earn XP by mining ore and stone. Unlock bonuses like faster mining speed, ore fortune chance, and chance to find bonus minerals.

⚔️ Combat

Earn XP by killing mobs. Unlock damage bonuses, mob-type damage multipliers, and defensive passives.

🌾 Farming

Earn XP by harvesting crops and breeding animals. Unlock yield bonuses and growth speed passives.

🌲 Woodcutting

Earn XP by chopping trees. Unlock wood yield multipliers and rare drop chances.

🎣 Fishing

Earn XP by catching fish. Unlock better catch rates, treasure chance, and special fishing rewards.

🧪 Alchemy / Crafting

Earn XP by brewing potions and crafting. Unlock material cost reduction and quality bonuses.

Tip: Skills are persistent per player. You carry your level between server sessions. Specializing early — rather than spreading points thin — pays off faster. Pick one or two skills to focus on for the first week.

Exploration

World & Exploration

Every dimension has been significantly overhauled. Don't expect vanilla.

Overworld

Shaped by Terralith and Continents — there are real oceans separating landmasses, 85+ new biomes, and more dramatic terrain than vanilla. Structures from Dungeons & Taverns, Dungeons Arise, Moog's mods, Repurposed Structures, and more are scattered throughout. You will find them just by exploring.

Nether

Incendium reshapes the Nether completely with new biomes, new mobs, and new structures. The Nether Fortress has been overhauled. Bring good armor — it's more dangerous than vanilla.

The End

Nullscape revamps End biomes. Moog's End Structures and Medieval Buildings End Edition add structures worth raiding. The dragon fight has been enhanced by True Ending.

Use Nature's Compass (crafted with a compass and your target biome's representative item) to locate any biome by name. Essential when looking for specific Terralith biomes for resources.

Loot is instanced. The Lootr mod makes structure chests personal — you and your friends each see different loot rolls from the same chest. You won't steal each other's drops by accident.

Getting Rich

Economy & Trading

The server is designed around player-driven wealth. Here's how the trading ecosystem works:

🏪 Villager Trading

Infinite Trading means villager stocks never permanently lock. Build a trading hall and it stays profitable. Use Trade Cycling to reroll trades you don't want without replacing the villager. Trading Post gives you a single block that shows all nearby villager trades at once.

🐷 Bartering

Bartering Station lets you automate or batch-barter with Piglins efficiently. Gold farming into Bartering Station = reliable Nether loot supply.

🌐 Player Trading Network

Tom's Trading Network connects to Tom's Storage to let you post items for server-wide sale. Other players can buy from your terminal without visiting your base. The backbone of the server economy.

Early money tip: Cure zombie villagers for massive discounts on their trades. Emerald → Diamond villager trades become extremely profitable once a cured librarian offers Mending books at 1 emerald each.

Organization

Storage Guide

With 232 mods worth of items, storage management matters. Here's the recommended progression:

  1. Early game: Use Traveler's Backpack immediately. Craft one as soon as you can — it's a wearable extra inventory plus fluid tanks. Never leave base without it.
  2. Mid game: Set up a basic chest room. Use Mouse Tweaks (drag-click to fill stacks) and Inventory Management (auto-sort button) to keep it organized.
  3. Late game: Set up Tom's Storage. Place a Storage Terminal connected to multiple Storage Units. All your chests become one searchable inventory. Use the crafting terminal to craft directly from stored materials.
  4. Expert: Connect Tom's Storage to Tom's Trading Network. Now you can sell directly from your storage to other players without moving items.

Shulker tip: Shulkerboxes drop 2 shells (Shulker Drops Two), making late-game portable storage much more accessible. Hover over a shulker in your inventory to see its contents without placing it.

Stay Alive

Survival Tips

⚠️ Combat is Harder

Mutant Monsters, Mob Captains with elite stats, and Illager Invasions make night time genuinely threatening. Don't go out at night in early game without full iron minimum. Mob Captains have names and glowing effects — they hit hard.

🍗 Food Matters More

Farmer's Delight adds saturation-rich meals. Eat cooked meals, not just bread and pork chops. The food system has meaningful saturation differences — a good meal keeps you full for far longer.

🔆 Light Your Base

Use a Magnum Torch to nuke mob spawning around your base entirely. Craft it once, place it centrally, and stop worrying about mob-proofing every corner.

🧲 Vein Mine Safely

Vein Miner is powerful but hungry on durability. Make sure your pickaxe has Unbreaking and Mending before using it heavily. Hold the keybind while mining to activate it.

🩺 Healing Campfire

Place a campfire at your base and rest near it for passive regeneration. Pair it with good food for fast recovery after fights.

🗺️ Don't Get Lost

Set Waystones before exploring. Xaero's Minimap autosaves a death marker when you die. Press M and look for the skull icon to find your body if you die far from home.

Common Questions

FAQ

Why does my game lag when I first join? ▶
Distant Horizons is rendering terrain LOD data for the first time. Give it a minute to settle — it caches terrain so subsequent sessions are instant. If persistent lag occurs, lower Distant Horizons quality in Video Settings → Distant Horizons.
How do I find a specific biome? ▶
Craft a Nature's Compass (compass + desired biome's representative item — check REI). Right-click it and search for a biome by name. It will point you toward the nearest matching biome.
Can villager trades run out? ▶
Trades lock temporarily after use, but Infinite Trading ensures they always restock. Trades will never permanently close. Wait for the villager's restock timer (works with beds and a job site block nearby).
How does land claiming work? ▶
Open Parties & Claims uses a chunk-based system. Use /claims to open the claims menu, or interact with a claim block. You get a limited number of claim chunks — use them around your base and storage. You can unclaim land to move your claim elsewhere. Form a party with friends to share claim rights.
What does Carry On let me pick up? ▶
Hold Shift and right-click to pick up most tile entities (chests, furnaces, crafting tables, etc.) and small mobs. The item keeps its inventory — you can carry a full chest to a new location. Useful for relocating your base or moving animals.
Is there a way to repair items without an anvil? ▶
Yes. Mending still works as normal — XP from killing mobs or mining repairs Mending-enchanted gear automatically. With Better Than Mending, you can also Shift+Use a Mending item to manually consume XP from your pool to repair it directly.
What are Mob Captains? ▶
Mob Captains are elite mob variants with glowing names, significantly boosted health and damage, and better loot drops. They look like normal mobs but are named and glow. Treat them like mini-bosses — don't fight them in early game without good gear.
How do I use Vein Miner? ▶
Hold the Vein Miner keybind (default: ` backtick) while breaking a block to mine the entire connected vein. Works on ore veins and tree trunks. The mod has modes — check its config via Mod Menu if you want to adjust behavior (always on vs hold key).
My chat doesn't show player heads. How do I fix it? ▶
Chat Heads requires the server to have online mode on (standard Mojang auth). If you're seeing plain chat, check that you're connected with a legitimate Minecraft account. The feature should work automatically once authenticated.
How do I link my website account to Minecraft? ▶
On the LockdownMC server, run /link — you’ll get a website URL and a code. Open the link to register (username, password, and Discord). After that you can sign in on the Account page with username+password or Discord. The server uses a small Fabric mod — see mod-dev/lockdownlink/README.md in this repo for admin setup.