PvP

The consent norms, opt-in arenas, and what's allowed in a player-vs-player fight.

PvP on Sunday Market runs on consent norms. The server doesn't mechanically prevent players from damaging each other — the rules layer is a community norm enforced by staff and player culture.

The short version: don't pick fights with players who aren't asking for one. Beyond that, PvP is real and valid play.

How PvP works mechanically

Anywhere in the world, PvP is mechanically possible — the server doesn't block damage between players. That's a mechanical statement. The rules layer adds the consent norm on top, and that's the layer that actually governs fights here.

Just because PvP is mechanically on doesn't mean every fight is fair game.

What's expected

Mutual consent — both players agreed to fight (verbal "1v1 me?", a quick /msg, an established rivalry)
Opt-in zones — designated PvP arenas where stepping in means you're asking for a fight
Self-defense — a player attacking you first means you can defend without further consent
Established conflict — ongoing rivalries between players or groups don't need consent each round

What's not OK

Spawn-camping — lurking near spawn waiting for new players to step out and killing them
Ambushing new players — fresh arrivals deserve protection from gear-stomping by veterans
Kit/loot griefing — killing for the sole purpose of looting their drops
Stalking and hunting peaceful players — following someone who's not engaging in PvP and forcing a fight

The line is "did the other player invite this fight?" If yes, fight on. If no, don't.

New-player protection

Players fresh off the boat deserve extra patience:

They likely don't have full enchanted gear — let alone enchants leveled up through use
They're still learning the world and the systems
Killing them to loot is functionally bullying

If someone is at your gate acting hostile, you can defend yourself. If they're peacefully exploring and you rush them in full netherite, that's a problem.

Staff treat repeated ambushing of new players as harassment. See PvP & fairness rules.

Designated PvP arenas

Some areas (built by communities or staff) are opt-in PvP zones — stepping into them means you're consenting to fights inside them. Anyone is welcome to spectate from outside; if you walk in, you're saying "hit me."

Arenas typically have:

Clear boundary signs ("PvP zone — fight at will")
Spectator stands outside the boundary
A respawn or quick-out system

The whole point is "people who want to fight can find each other without bothering people who don't."

Recovery Chests in PvP

When you die in PvP, your inventory drops to a personal Recovery Chest locked to you. The killer can't loot it.

This means:

Killing for loot doesn't work — the loot is locked to the dead player
Death is a setback, not a complete loss — the Recovery Chest holds your kit while you walk back
PvP is real but reversible — a dueling rival can win without ruining your kit

See Death & recovery for the full flow.

Fighting techniques

Use the terrain

High ground is real
Cover blocks line of sight to bows
Pearls let you reposition mid-fight

Prepare before the fight

Golden apples and a totem in the off-hand buy you second chances
Brewing-stand potions (strength, speed, regeneration) are legal and worth the ingredients
A water bucket breaks falls and blocks lava plays

Combat logging

Logging out mid-PvP fight is bad form. It's a soft anti-cheat — staff can see if you're combat-logging to escape. Repeated combat-logging may earn a punishment.

The right move when losing: take the L, respawn, recover via the Recovery Chest, fight better next time.

Reporting unwanted PvP

If someone is hounding you with unwanted PvP (spawn-camping, repeated ambush, stalking):

Document — screenshot, note the time
/helpop — report to staff with the details
Don't retaliate-and-grief — that gets you in trouble too

Staff have rollback tools and can correlate reports across players. A pattern of harassment gets dealt with.

Why PvP is allowed at all

Some servers ban PvP entirely. We don't, because:

PvP is part of the game — Mojang shipped it, players want it
Designed encounters are fun — duels, organized fights, rival groups
Self-defense matters — being able to fight back is core to feeling safe in the world
Consent norms work — most communities self-regulate PvP just fine

Recovery Chests removing the loot incentive, plus the consent norms, shape PvP into a fun consensual system rather than a "kill or be killed" wasteland.