Your First Day in the Realm

You have passed the gates. Here is how to find your footing in Terra Nova without stepping on anyone’s toes.

Get your bearings at spawn

Spawn is your first stop. Take a look around, read any information posted there and say hello in chat. The community is famously helpful to newcomers, and asking is always better than guessing.

Choose where to settle

Use the live map to scout for land from above before you travel.

• Settle more than 1,000 blocks from the Shopping District and other restricted areas.
• Keep a respectful distance from other players’ bases. If you want to be neighbours, ask first.
• Never build above, below, or right beside someone else’s property without their explicit permission.

Claim your land

There is no automatic land protection in the overworld, so the community coordinates through Discord. Post a map screenshot and the coordinates of your intended area in the claims channel. Natural structures like temples and villages can be claimed the same way, as long as nobody claimed them first.

Getting around

Terra Nova does not use teleport commands for everyday travel. The Nether roof is the realm’s highway: it is flat, fast and safe.

• Roof travel is permitted and encouraged.
• Every portal you place on the roof needs a sign showing its owner or destination.
• The standard Nether is for farms, exploration and looting structures. Do not mine it out. Use the Quarry Nether for mining instead.

Mining and gathering

• Mine anywhere except underneath player bases or server-claimed areas.
• World eaters, tunnel bores and TNT duping for diamonds or netherite are not allowed.
• Cut trees down fully and replant where you can.
• Gather large quantities of sand only from the server’s designated sand quarry.
• The Quarry Nether is the place for heavy Nether mining. It resets about every six months with a new seed, so never build there.

Protect your belongings

Chests, barrels, furnaces, shulker boxes and more are locked to you automatically when you place them, thanks to Bolt. Learn how to share access with friends in the Bolt guide.

Trade and earn

Diamonds are the currency of the realm. Once you are settled, browse the player shops in the Shopping District or open your own. Read The diamond economy to learn how.

Talk to people

• /msg <player> <message> sends a private message, and /r <message> replies.
• /g speaks to everyone; /l speaks only to players within 230 blocks.
• Type [item] in chat to show off the item in your hand.

The Chat & messaging guide covers every channel and command.