Aerial view of Northern Wildport and its bay on the VanillaMonster launch world

Public Beta Phase I · LIVE

A Minecraft world worth crossing.

VanillaMonster Classic is a long-term Java survival world built around exploration, player trade and meaningful travel. Public Beta Phase I is now live and publicly accessible on the real, persistent 40,000 × 40,000 world. Join in and help test and shape The Wild.

Public Beta Phase I — open to join

Right now

What can you actually do here?

VanillaMonster is a survival world first. These are the gameplay loops already running in Public Beta Phase I — not a wishlist.

Hunt the Wanted

Players can place and pursue bounties. The most dangerous active targets appear publicly in The Wild Ledger's Most Wanted record.

Compete in the Trials

Seasonal competition across VanillaMonster's trial arenas. Arena of Blood and Arena of Beasts are active competitive systems; Arena of the Deep is still in development.

Build something that stays

The world is built to persist rather than reset every season. Land claims protect long-term homes, settlements, roads and projects.

Trade with players

Emeralds are the real in-world currency. Players operate shops and trade goods and services with each other in a living economy.

Player-run shops

Discover Transit routes

Travel happens in the world. Find destinations, reach stations, and use NPC-operated Monster Transit instead of teleport commands.

Explore NPC hubs

Northern Wildport, Sheriff Old Town and its Mining Station are functional places with NPCs and services worth finding — not decorative builds.

Register your vessel

Northern Wildport's harbour lets you register an eligible vessel, give it a name, and receive a persistent Vessel ID recorded by the harbour system.

Harbor Registry

Follow the Wild Ledger

The public Ledger records competition and infamy from the live world — seasonal Trial standings where data exists, and Most Wanted.

Playable now vs. what's next

Live now — honestly labelled.

Some systems are running today. Others are still being built. VanillaMonster keeps those two lists clearly separate, both here and across the rest of the site.

Live now

  • Long-term Survival SMP, Public Beta Phase I
  • Northern Wildport & Sheriff Old Town
  • NPC-based Monster Transit travel
  • Player economy & trading
  • Wanted & Bounties
  • The Trials — Arena of Blood and Arena of Beasts
  • The Wayfarer Journal
  • Harbor services & persistent vessel records
  • Creator Partner Program

In development

  • Oceanbound — a major expansion of this same world
  • Legendary Crafting
  • Black Market / Fence expansion
  • Living Settlements expansion
  • A per-player exploration map

Nothing on this list is playable yet. See Updates for development progress.

The philosophy

The journey gives meaning to the destination.

VanillaMonster is built so the world between two places actually matters. Roads, ports, rails and settlements exist because the world needs them — some built by the project, others by the community — not because a menu made them unnecessary.

Survival works best when a decision costs something. Choosing where to settle, how to reach a trading partner, and what to carry with you are all real choices here. Convenience features that let players skip the world tend to remove those choices, so VanillaMonster leaves them out — and replaces them with travel that happens inside the world instead of inside a command.

Builds are protected with land claims, trade runs on emeralds between player-operated shops, and the world is intended to grow through new content rather than routine seasonal wipes. In practice that means towns can gain real history, roads become worth maintaining, shops become known destinations, and a build from early Beta can still matter later — while the project keeps room for corrective action if something goes seriously wrong during testing.

What we protect

  • Meaningful distanceTravel happens in the world, not through a command menu.
  • Player tradeAn emerald economy with player-operated shops.
  • Protected buildsLand claims so your work stays yours.
  • Long-term progressionA world designed to keep growing rather than restart.
  • Fair accessCore gameplay does not depend on paying.
  • Shared infrastructureRoads, ports, stations and settlements, built by the project and by the community.

What we avoid

  • Pay-to-win powerNo combat power, travel benefits or income multipliers for sale. Optional claim-block packs are limited and do not provide currency, gear or transport advantages.
  • Teleport-command dependencyNo /home, /tpa, /warp, /back or /rtp for normal play.
  • Overpowered custom gearSurvival stays recognisable as survival.
  • Routine seasonal wipesKeeping the world is a long-term design commitment.
  • Convenience that erases the worldIf a feature makes the map irrelevant, it does not ship.

Core systems

What the server is built on.

Exploration

Normal play has no /home, /sethome, /tpa, /tpahere, /back, /spawn, /warp or /rtp — not a missing feature, but the design. Distance matters. Roads and ports matter. Getting somewhere becomes part of the story instead of a shortcut around it, and the players you pass on the way matter too.

No shortcut commands

Monster Transit

An NPC-operated transport service connecting established destinations for an emerald fare. Travel is an in-world interaction at a station, not a command typed into chat.

Route-based fares 60 seconds cooldown

Emerald economy

Emeralds are the main trading currency, used across player-operated shops. Emeralds can also enter circulation through gameplay and server reward systems.

Player-run shops

Land protection

Builds can be protected with land claims. Protection is intended to be available without requiring a paid rank.

No rank required

Northern Wildport

A handcrafted harbour region and one of the world's established destinations, with docks, warehouses, a shipyard and its own station.

Connected to Monster Transit

Persistent development

The world is intended to expand through new content and new regions rather than routine seasonal resets.

Built to continue

Community

Designed for builders, explorers, traders and players looking for a long-term survival home rather than a server to finish in a weekend.

Long-term survival

Fair support model

Support the project without buying power. Paid recognition tiers are not designed to grant combat strength, free or discounted travel, or economic dominance.

No power for sale

Now live

Public Beta Phase I is live.

Help us shape The Wild.

Public Beta Phase I is open to everyone — connect and play on the real, persistent launch world. Balancing, bugs, exploits, multiplayer behaviour, economy, claims and stability are still being actively evaluated, so expect ongoing changes as testing continues. We're also keen to meet strong builders and technically minded community members during this phase, though playing now isn't a promise of any staff role.

VM-BETA-001 campaign artwork Campaign artwork coming soon.

Who we are looking for

    Current testing priorities

      Join the Discord

      Discord is the best place for updates, bug reports and the community — no application needed to play.

      Main hubs

      Two places the whole world runs through.

      Northern Wildport and Sheriff Old Town have both completed their final solo audits and are operational in Public Beta. They are connected to each other by Monster Transit, and each keeps its own bank branch on one shared balance.

      Competition & consequence

      The world remembers.

      The Wild Ledger is VanillaMonster's public record of competition and infamy. It tracks live standings from the Three Trials where data exists, and the server's Most Wanted list — pulled from the same systems players actually play, not hardcoded here.

      The Three Trials

      Seasonal challenges built into the world. Competing feeds directly into the Wild Ledger's standings.

      • Arena of BloodA player-vs-player competitive arena. Live
      • Arena of BeastsA combat challenge against hostile waves and creatures. Live
      • Arena of the DeepA third trial, still being built. In development

      Most Wanted

      PvP exists, but reputation follows it. A bounty is not just a chat message — wanted players become part of the server's public record.

      • Post a bountyPut a price on a target through the existing bounty system.
      • Hunt wanted targetsTrack down active bounties for a reward.
      • Appear in the recordSignificant active bounties are listed publicly in Most Wanted.
      Open the Wild Ledger

      Hall of Fame and the Forsaken Citadel are separate Ledger sections still in development.

      Getting around

      Monster Transit.

      Travel between fixed destinations by paying an NPC in emeralds. It keeps long distances practical for players with limited time without turning the map into a menu. Find it first. Ride there later.

      Tested routes

      Verified in testing
      Cooldown 60 seconds
      Rank pricing Identical
      Transfer hub Northern Wildport

      Same fare for Default, Supporter, Patron and Founder.

      • Fixed destinationsRoutes connect established locations that exist as real builds in the world.
      • Paid in emeraldsTransport is a running cost, which keeps the currency in circulation.
      • No command neededPlayers interact with an NPC at a station instead of typing a teleport command.
      • Equal for every rankPaid ranks receive no free travel and no fare discount.
      • Find it firstWhere discovery-based unlocking applies, you reach a destination on foot before Transit will take you there directly — a fare doesn't replace exploring.

      Northern Wildport is intentionally the transfer hub. Further routes are added only once they have been tested.

      The world

      A live map of The Wild.

      BlueMap renders the complete public Overworld, including roads, settlements, ports and player claims. Player positions remain hidden, while the Nether and End are intentionally excluded from the public map.

      Live Overworld map

      The public BlueMap renders the full Overworld. Enable JavaScript, or open the map directly.

      Launch Overworld 40,000 × 40,000 — Ready
      Public map Overworld — Live
      Player claims Visible
      Player positions Hidden
      Nether & End Not publicly mapped
      Oceanbound expansion Wave I: ~60,000 × 60,000 staged frontier · Long-term: toward ~100,000 × 100,000

      The launch Overworld is fully pregenerated and is the persistent world Public Beta Phase I is playing on. The Oceanbound expansion size describes planned future content only.

      A world with history

      The world remembers.

      VanillaMonster is not designed around routine seasonal wipes, so what happens here can accumulate into a long-term world history. A short selection of what's already become part of it:

      • Northern Wildport became the first major hub.
      • Sheriff Old Town opened as the second settlement hub.
      • The Blood and Beasts Trials became part of the world.
      • The Wayfarer Journal began recording discoveries, reputation and player systems.
      • Oceanbound entered final pre-implementation development.

      Development

      Where the project stands.

      Public Beta Phase I is the current stage. Nothing below it carries a date until it is confirmed.

      Closed Alpha

      Complete

      Technical testing and construction of the world and spawn, with the core systems running for a small internal group.

      Technical testing Economy testing Vote rewards Claim protection Monster Transit World & spawn

      Beta Preparation

      Complete

      Core technical preparation, onboarding, documentation, world generation and first-wave recruitment have been completed.

      Balancing Onboarding Documentation World generation

      Controlled Beta

      Complete

      A small whitelisted group tested the persistent launch world, focusing on real multiplayer behaviour, economy balance, claims, PvP, bounty systems and shared services.

      Real player testing Persistent world

      Public Beta Phase I

      Current · Live

      Open to everyone on the same persistent launch world. Balancing, bugs, exploits, multiplayer behaviour, economy, claims and stability continue to be actively evaluated.

      Open access Real player testing Persistent world

      Official Launch

      To be announced

      Opening as the official full release on the same persistent 40,000 × 40,000 Overworld already in use. No date has been announced.

      VanillaMonster: Oceanbound

      In development

      Controllable ships, crews and maritime exploration. Wave I targets a staged frontier of approximately 60,000 × 60,000, with a long-term direction toward approximately 100,000 × 100,000, without replacing the existing world.

      In development

      Oceanbound. Sail beyond the known.

      A major expansion of the same persistent VanillaMonster world, currently in final pre-implementation design. Same world, new frontier — Oceanbound extends the map outward instead of replacing it.

      • Controllable ships and crews
      • Maritime expeditions and charting
      • Cargo, trade routes and salvage
      • New ports and frontier exploration
      • Maritime reputation and licenses

      Wave I targets a staged frontier of approximately 60,000 × 60,000, with a long-term direction toward approximately 100,000 × 100,000 — both describe planned future expansion, not the current world size. Oceanbound is not released and has no announced date.

      In development

      Player Settlements

      Build more than a base. Recognized player settlements will be able to join Monster Transit, establish local services and become part of the world's history.

      Learn more

      Questions

      Before you join.

      Is VanillaMonster public yet?

      Yes — Public Beta Phase I is live. The server is open to everyone; the official launch date has not been announced.

      How do I join the Public Beta?

      Connect directly to play.vanillamonster.eu — no application or whitelist required. Joining our Discord is recommended for updates, bug reports and the community, but it isn't required to play.

      What happens to progress during Beta?

      Public Beta runs on the persistent launch world, and the intention is that builds, claims, balances and ordinary progress carry forward. Beta is still a testing phase, so we cannot rule out corrective action if a serious bug or exploit makes it necessary. Anything that would affect player progress would be communicated on Discord first.

      Will the server have teleport commands?

      No. Normal players do not have /home, /sethome, /tpa, /tpahere, /back, /spawn, /warp or /rtp. Travel between established destinations is handled in the world through Monster Transit instead.

      How does Monster Transit work?

      You visit a station and pay an NPC in Emeralds to travel to another established destination. Two routes are tested: Spawn Central to Northern Wildport for 16 Emeralds, and Northern Wildport to Sheriff Old Town for 32 Emeralds. Northern Wildport is intentionally the transfer hub. There is a 60-second cooldown, and the fare is the same for Default, Supporter, Patron and Founder.

      How does chat work?

      Local chat is the default and reaches players within 128 blocks. Use /local, /world and /trade to switch channels. World reaches the whole server, while Trade is reserved for buying, selling and services. World and Trade are bridged to Discord; Local stays in-game.

      Is the server pay-to-win?

      It is designed not to be. The project may offer ranks, cosmetic benefits and limited additional claim blocks, but supporter benefits are not intended to provide combat power, free or discounted travel, exclusive overpowered items, or economic dominance. The aim is to let people support the project without buying power.

      What currency does the economy use?

      Emeralds. They are used for player-operated shops and for services such as Monster Transit fares, and can also enter circulation through gameplay and server reward systems.

      How are builds protected?

      Through land claims. Claim-based protection is intended to be accessible without requiring a paid rank.

      Will the world reset every season?

      Routine seasonal wipes are not part of the design. Keeping the world and expanding it through new content is a long-term design commitment for the project.

      Is there a live map?

      Yes. BlueMap renders the full 40,000 × 40,000 Overworld, including roads, settlements, ports and player claims. Player positions and names are hidden, and the Nether and End are intentionally not published.

      What is Oceanbound?

      Oceanbound is a major expansion of the same persistent world, currently in final pre-implementation design — it is not released and has no announced date. The direction includes controllable ships, crews, maritime exploration and new frontier content, extending the existing world rather than replacing it. Wave I targets a staged frontier of approximately 60,000 × 60,000, with a long-term direction toward approximately 100,000 × 100,000. See the Oceanbound preview for more.

      Where can I follow development?

      Development updates are shared on our Discord. The invite is linked in the navigation, in the Beta section and at the bottom of this page.

      Get involved

      Help shape the world before launch.

      Public Beta Phase I is now live. Connect and play on the real, persistent world, and join our Discord for updates, bug reports and the community.

      Launch date to be announced after testing.

      Create on VanillaMonster. Looking for a persistent Minecraft world for your streams or series? Learn about the Creator Program →
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