Survival servers share the core needs covered in our general plugin roundup (EssentialsX, LuckPerms, CoreProtect), but they have one need that stands above the rest: letting players protect their own bases without staff manually policing every plot.
Land protection: WorldGuard or GriefPrevention
For staff-managed protected areas (spawn, event zones, shops), WorldGuard is the standard choice. For player-managed base claiming, where players themselves claim and protect their own land without needing an admin to set it up, GriefPrevention is the more common pick, it is built specifically around self-service claiming rather than staff-defined regions.
CoreProtect
Worth repeating here specifically: on a survival server where players build up valuable bases over weeks or months, CoreProtect is what lets you roll back a grief or an accidental TNT mishap instead of a player losing everything permanently.
mcMMO
mcMMO adds an RPG-style skill and leveling layer on top of vanilla activities, mining, farming, combat, and more all level up and unlock abilities over time. It is one of the most popular ways to give long-term survival progression a sense of continued growth beyond just gear.
Dynmap or BlueMap
A live, browser-viewable map of the world (via Dynmap or the more modern BlueMap) lets players check the map, find their base, or scout terrain without being in-game, genuinely useful on a server with an explored world spanning thousands of blocks.
Vault and an economy-dependent plugin
If you want player shops or a jobs system on top of EssentialsX's basic economy, Vault is the shared API those plugins need to hook into the same balance system.
What to skip on a small server
Full anti-cheat suites and complex permission tracks matter less on a small, trusted friend-group server than on a large public one, install them when you actually need them rather than by default. Our anti-cheat plugin roundup covers when that point is.
Getting it running quickly
Tick Hosting's panel includes a one-click installer for the plugins on this list. Available on every plan, including the free tier, from Tick Hosting's plans page.