Reading an SMP Store Before You Buy

On an SMP the pay-to-win line is usually drawn at gear and kits. A cosmetic rank changes nothing; a kit you cannot craft changes every fight you are in.

This is the single most useful thing to check about a server you are considering, and it takes two minutes.

10 servers on our list

1. #1 TalonMC Our #1

   Custom-enhanced survival built from scratch for this SMP: land claiming, the economy, progression and trading are its own systems rather than off-the-shelf plugins, with.

   play.talonmc.net Copy IP

   Survival SMP · Minecraft 1.8 - 26.2 · Bedrock: Yes · 1,461 online (network-wide)

2. #2 DonutSMP

   DonutSMP is by a wide margin the busiest address on this list, and unlike the networks here that count is one survival world rather than a whole platform.

   donutsmp.net Copy IP

   Lifesteal SMP · Minecraft 1.7.2 - 26.2 · Bedrock: Yes

3. #3 MineBerry

   MineBerry runs survival and anarchy next to bedwars, skywars and kitpvp, so the SMP side shares an address with a full minigame lineup.

   play.mineberry.net Copy IP

   Survival and Anarchy · Minecraft 1.8 - 26.2 · Bedrock: No · 1,064 online (network-wide)

4. #4 OtterSMP

   OtterSMP is a dedicated SMP rather than a network lane, so every player its status reply reports is in the same survival world as you.

   play.ottersmp.com Copy IP

   SMP · Minecraft 26.2 · Bedrock: Yes · 82 online

5. #5 2b2t

   The oldest anarchy server still running: no rules, no claims, no moderation and no map reset, ever.

   2b2t.org Copy IP

   Anarchy SMP · Minecraft 1.21.4 · Bedrock: No · 1,093 online

6. #6 Sulfur Cubes LifeSteal SMP

   This is the most explicitly labelled lifesteal server on the list: its own status message names the mode and the season, and it had just opened an EU region when we pinged it.

   play.lifestealsmp.com Copy IP

   Lifesteal SMP · Minecraft not advertised · Bedrock: Yes · 373 online

7. #7 Minemalia

   Minemalia names both a lifesteal reset and a survival update in its own server message, so there are two distinct SMP worlds behind this one address.

   play.minemalia.com Copy IP

   Lifesteal SMP · Minecraft 1.9 - 26.2 · Bedrock: Yes · 139 online (network-wide)

8. #8 EarthMC

   EarthMC plays out on a scale map of the real Earth with towns, nations and diplomacy on top of towny, which makes it the most political server on this list.

   join.earthmc.net Copy IP

   Earth SMP · Minecraft 1.7.2 - 26.2 · Bedrock: No · 320 online

9. #9 CraftYourTown

   CraftYourTown runs towny survival with Slimefun on top, which means machines, industry and resource chains rather than plain vanilla progression.

   play.craftyourtown.com Copy IP

   Towny SMP · Minecraft 1.7.2 - 26.1 · Bedrock: No · 118 online

10. #10 CivMC

    CivMC belongs to the civ genre: no plugin-drawn claims, just player-built nations, treaties, prison mechanics and war fought through custom reinforcement rules.

    play.civmc.net Copy IP

    Civ SMP · Minecraft 1.7.2 - 26.2 · Bedrock: No · 97 online

What to read on this

• SMP ranks and stores: reading the pay-to-win line One test settles most pay-to-win arguments: is anything in the store unobtainable in game?
• SMP economies: jobs, shops and why prices inflate Money enters an SMP economy every time anyone sells to a shop. Without sinks, prices only go one way.
• SMP glossary Every SMP term you will meet in chat, defined in one line.

Articles

• How to Choose a Minecraft SMP Server You Will Still Be On in a Month Pick an SMP by genre, season timing, claim rules, moderation and a real player count. Five checks that decide if a server survives your first month.

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