Skills & Progression¶
Everyone has seven personal skills that level up as you play. Skills are yours - they
follow you across nations. Open the panel with /skills (Java gets a GUI, Bedrock a chat
readout); check someone else's with /skills <player>.
Each skill levels up from XP earned by doing the matching activity. Every level from 2 up to the max grants something - not just a handful of milestones - plus a luxury item unlock at the max level (default 10).
Only two skills can be active at once¶
You can only have two of your seven skills active at a time, and only active skills earn XP or grant their perks - swap a skill out and its perks pause (your level and progress are kept, and come right back if you reactivate it later). This forces nations to spread expertise between their members rather than everyone maxing everything.
Choose your two with /skills setactive <skill> <skill>, or click a skill in the /skills GUI.
Choose carefully - this choice is permanent.
Perks by level¶
A few perks are described as "a taste of" a later one - that earlier value is replaced, not added to, once you reach the level it's building toward. Anything else stacks or stands on its own.
Mining → unlocks Netherite at mastery
| Lv | Perk |
|---|---|
| 2 | 10% chance to double ore drops (taste of Lv 3) |
| 3 | 25% chance to double ore drops |
| 4 | 15% chance a mined block costs no pickaxe durability |
| 5 | +1 bonus XP orb per ore |
| 6 | Ores auto-smelt when mined |
| 7 | -50% fall damage while Mining is active |
| 8 | 10% chance a placed torch isn't consumed |
| 9 | Haste while mining |
Woodcutting → unlocks Shulker Boxes at mastery
| Lv | Perk |
|---|---|
| 2 | 10% chance to double log drops (taste of Lv 3) |
| 3 | 25% chance to double log drops |
| 4 | 15% chance a chopped log costs no axe durability |
| 5 | 10% chance a chopped log flies straight to your inventory |
| 6 | Fell whole trees with an axe |
| 7 | +10% axe attack speed while one's held (taste of Lv 9) |
| 8 | 10% chance of one extra log, independent of Lv 3's roll |
| 9 | +20% axe attack speed while one's held |
Farming → unlocks Enchanted Golden Apples at mastery
| Lv | Perk |
|---|---|
| 2 | 10% chance of a bonus crop yield (taste of Lv 9) |
| 3 | +25% hunger/saturation from farmed food |
| 4 | 15% chance bonemeal isn't consumed |
| 5 | +1 bonus XP orb per harvest |
| 6 | Crops auto-replant (doesn't apply to Pumpkin/Melon) |
| 7 | 10% chance a hand-replanted crop instantly grows a stage |
| 8 | 10% chance eating a farmed food clears a negative effect |
| 9 | Guaranteed +1 crop yield |
Combat → unlocks the Totem of Undying at mastery
| Lv | Perk |
|---|---|
| 2 | 5% less knockback taken (taste of Lv 3) |
| 3 | 30% less knockback taken |
| 4 | 10% chance to fully negate knockback |
| 5 | 50% chance blocking costs no shield durability |
| 6 | Heal 1 heart on each kill (lifesteal) |
| 7 | Heal 1.5 hearts on each kill (replaces Lv 6's amount) |
| 8 | 10% chance to fully negate a melee hit |
| 9 | 20% less damage taken |
Enchanting → unlocks Mending at mastery
| Lv | Perk |
|---|---|
| 2 | 10% chance to refund the lapis spent |
| 3 | -1 level cost to enchant |
| 4 | 10% chance of double Enchanting XP |
| 5 | Anvil use now grants Enchanting XP (previously none) |
| 6 | -2 level cost to enchant |
| 7 | -10% anvil level cost (taste of Lv 9) |
| 8 | 10% chance of 1 extra level off an anvil operation |
| 9 | Anvil cost reduced by 40% (repairing and combining) |
Fishing → unlocks the Trident at mastery
| Lv | Perk |
|---|---|
| 2 | 10% chance of a bonus catch (taste of Lv 3) |
| 3 | 25% chance of a bonus catch |
| 4 | -10% bite time (taste of Lv 9) |
| 5 | +1 bonus XP orb per catch |
| 6 | Junk catches re-rolled toward fish/treasure |
| 7 | 10% chance the rod takes no durability damage |
| 8 | +10% extra bonus-catch chance while it's raining |
| 9 | Faster bite time, plus a rare chance at a legendary catch |
Alchemy → unlocks Strength II Potions at mastery
| Lv | Perk |
|---|---|
| 2 | 10% chance a brew yields an extra potion |
| 3 | -1 brewing-stand fuel cost |
| 4 | -10% brewing time (taste of Lv 9) |
| 5 | +5% duration on potions you drink directly |
| 6 | Splash potions +15% effect duration |
| 7 | Splash potions +5% more (stacks with Lv 6) |
| 8 | 10% chance a drunk potion isn't consumed |
| 9 | -40% brewing time |
Luxury gating: why can't I get that item?¶
Those seven "luxury" items are completely unobtainable until you master the matching skill - reach its max level and currently have that skill active. This isn't just a crafting block: until then, you can't get one any way - not by crafting, smithing, fishing it up, trading for it, or taking it out of a loot chest. The one exception is a gift from a player who has mastered the skill: if a master drops one for you, you can pick it up. Items you already legitimately own are never taken away - but if you swap a mastered skill out, you won't be able to obtain a new one of its luxury until you swap it back in.
- Netherite (ingots, blocks, scrap, and any netherite gear) → mastered Mining.
- Shulker Boxes (any colour) → mastered Woodcutting.
- Enchanted Golden Apple → mastered Farming.
- Totem of Undying → mastered Combat.
- Anything enchanted with (or carrying a book with) Mending → mastered Enchanting.
- Trident → mastered Fishing.
- Strength II Potions (regular, splash, or lingering) → mastered Alchemy. A master's splash potions still buff whoever they hit, even a non-master ally - the gate only blocks holding or drinking one directly, not being splashed by a master's.
Crafting a shulker box¶
Shulker boxes are made with this recipe:
Diamond Purple Dye Diamond
Purple Dye Chest Purple Dye
Emerald Purple Dye Emerald
Crafting an Enchanted Golden Apple¶
Enchanted Golden Apples are made with this recipe:
Diamond Gold Block Diamond
Gold Block Apple Gold Block
Diamond Gold Block Diamond
Both recipes still require you to have mastered the gating skill (Woodcutting for shulker boxes, Farming for enchanted golden apples) before they'll craft.
How XP is earned (and what doesn't count)¶
Only survival-mode actions grant XP, and only for your two active skills - everything below is a no-op while a skill is inactive.
Mining - breaking naturally-generated ore/stone. Blocks you placed give nothing.
| Block | XP |
|---|---|
| Ancient Debris | 30 |
| Diamond Ore, Emerald Ore | 16 |
| Iron, Gold, Nether Gold, Redstone, Lapis Ore | 8 |
| Coal, Copper, Nether Quartz Ore | 6 |
| Stone, Deepslate, Netherrack, Granite/Diorite/Andesite, Tuff, Cobblestone, Blackstone, End Stone, Basalt, Calcite | 1 |
Woodcutting - breaking naturally-generated logs. Placed logs give nothing.
- Any log: 6 XP per block (including each extra log felled by the Tree Feller perk).
Farming - harvesting crops.
- Wheat, Carrots, Potatoes, Beetroot, Nether Wart, Cocoa (must be fully grown): 6 XP
- Pumpkin, Melon: 4 XP
- Sugar Cane: 4 XP (cane you planted yourself gives nothing - no wait time otherwise, unlike other crops)
- Breeding a cow, pig, or sheep: 3 XP per successful breed
Cocoa is harvested the same way as wheat/carrots - break the pod, then replant beans on the log - not by right-clicking it.
At level 3, eating Bread, Cookie, Carrot, Golden Carrot, Potato, Baked Potato, Beetroot, Beetroot Soup, Pumpkin Pie, Melon Slice, Sweet Berries, Glow Berries, or Mushroom Stew restores 25% more hunger and saturation than normal.
Combat - killing mobs or players. (The Ender Dragon isn't listed - it only exists in the End, which is disabled server-wide, see World Rules.)
| Kill | XP |
|---|---|
| Player (PvP) | 30 |
| Wither | 200 |
| Warden, Elder Guardian, Ravager | 40 |
| Blaze, Witch, Enderman, Piglin Brute, Evoker, Vindicator, Hoglin, Zoglin, Guardian | 12 |
| Any other hostile mob | 8 |
| Passive mobs | 0 |
Killing the same player more than 3 times within 10 minutes stops earning Combat XP (and lifesteal) for further kills of them specifically - it resets once that long passes without killing them again. This only limits repeat kills of one specific person; fighting different opponents is unaffected. It exists so two players can't just repeatedly kill each other to farm XP.
Enchanting - every enchant you apply at a table gives 8× its displayed level cost in XP (e.g. a cost-30 enchant gives 240 XP).
Fishing - landing a catch.
| Catch | XP |
|---|---|
| Treasure (bow, enchanted book, name tag, saddle, nautilus shell) | 16 |
| Fish (cod, salmon, pufferfish, tropical fish) | 6 |
| Junk (string, bones, leather, sticks, etc.) | 2 |
Legendary catches¶
Once Fishing is active at level 9, every catch has a small chance (1%) to instead be one of three curated legendary weapons - a separate, repeatable reward from the one-time Trident unlock at mastery:
- Ocean's Wrath (netherite sword) - Sharpness VIII, Fire Aspect III
- Storm Breaker (netherite axe) - Sharpness VIII, Sweeping Edge III, Knockback III
- Athena's Spear (netherite spear) - Sharpness VIII, Looting IV
Each pushes at least one enchant past its normal vanilla cap (Sharpness maxes at V, Fire Aspect and Knockback at II, Looting at III) - unmistakable at a glance. The axe's Sweeping Edge is a second tell, since vanilla doesn't allow that enchant on an axe at all. None of this is producible through any normal enchanting table or anvil path. The spear still gets a spear's usual Lunge dash - that's not a legendary-only bonus, every spear can do it. Being netherite would normally require mastering Mining first, but a legendary catch bypasses that gate entirely - it's exempt regardless of your Mining level, the same way a live gift from a master is. The catch is a genuine power spike, but a temporary one: it comes with only 10% of its normal durability, and it can never be repaired, renamed, or combined at an anvil - once it wears out, it's gone for good.
Alchemy - completing a brew at a brewing stand. (Lingering potions need Dragon's Breath, which only comes from the End - disabled server-wide, see World Rules - so they aren't a route to XP here.)
| Potion | XP |
|---|---|
| Tier-2 potion (e.g. Strength II, Poison II) | 10 |
| Any other real potion | 4 |
/skills opens a menu with all seven skills laid out in a row - click one to see its full
breakdown: a summary at the top (level, XP bar, and whether it's one of your two active skills -
click it to toggle active/inactive), then every perk level from 2 to 9 plus Mastery, each in its
own slot showing whether you've unlocked it. Use the Back button to return to the skill list.
It's a slow grind, on purpose¶
Skills are meant to be a long-term goal, not something maxed in a day or two of casual play. The XP curve gets steeper every level, and the higher-value actions (rare ores, tough kills, expensive enchants) are the ones actually worth pursuing if you want to level efficiently.
The XP shown in the tables above is exactly what lands on your bar per action - no hidden division. What varies is how much a skill needs per level: most skills need 4x a shared baseline amount, but Fishing needs half that (2x) and Alchemy needs a quarter (1x) - both deliberately faster to level than the rest.