Start a Kit PvP server in Minecraft

A Kit PvP server puts players straight into an arena with a chosen loadout and tracks who wins. This guide builds one on Paper with Vanta FFA, a plugin from Modrinth that handles arenas, kits, a lobby and stats from in-game menus.

Checked against Vanta FFA 1.0.8-rc on Paper 1.21.11, October 2026.

What you need

• A Paper server on Minecraft 1.21.11. The plugin needs Java 21 and a 1.21 or newer Paper, Spigot or Purpur server, and we pick the Java version for you.
• Nothing else to install. Kits and arenas are stored in a single SQLite file, so there is no database to set up.

Set the server software

Open JAR Manager, choose Paper and 1.21.11, then press Apply change. Leave Take a backup first ticked and press Confirm & reinstall. Change your Minecraft version or mod loader has the full walkthrough.

Install Vanta FFA

1. Open the Plugins tab and stay on Store.
2. In the source chip row at the top of the tab, choose Modrinth and search for Vanta FFA. The author is teddz.
3. Press Install and restart from the Console tab.

Make the lobby and the arena

All of these are run in game by an operator. Make yourself one on the Players tab if needed.

1. Stand where players should wait and run /vanta setlobby. You can give the lobby a name, as in /vanta setlobby <name>.
2. Run /ffa arena to receive a wand. Left-click one corner of the arena and right-click the opposite corner.
3. Save the region with /ffa arena create <name>.
4. Stand at each place players should appear and run /ffa arena setspawn <name>. You can add as many spawns as you like.
5. Run /ffa arena <name> edit to open the arena panel. It covers the player cap, mob spawning, the PvP protection timer, combat-logger handling and keep inventory.

The plugin ships with a default lobby in the world named world at 0, 100, 0, so set your own before opening to players.

Build kits

Run /kit create <name> to open the kit editor. The top row holds armour and the off-hand slot, and an item menu adds weapons, armour, ranged gear, blocks, food, potions and utilities. Left-click removes a piece and right-click enchants it, offering only enchantments that fit the item. Seven premade kits ship with the plugin: Sword, Axe, Mace, Netherite OP, Pot, SMP and Vanilla/CPvP.

Let players in

Players run /ffa to browse arenas with live player counts, or /ffa <arena> to join one directly. /kits opens the kit menu and /lobby returns to the lobby. Dying sends a player back to the lobby. /vanta stats shows wins, losses and favourite kit.

Settings worth knowing

Open File Manager and edit plugins/VantaFFA/config.yml:

• pvp.default-pvp-timer-seconds defaults to 10, which is the spawn protection time in seconds. Players see their time left with /pvptimer, and operators can set the default with /pvptimer <seconds>.
• kits.max-enchant-level defaults to 5, and kits.blocked-items blocks spawn eggs, command blocks, barriers, structure blocks and bedrock.

/ffa reload applies changes without a restart.

If something goes wrong

• Players cannot hit each other. Check PvP is on. Turn off PvP on your server explains where it is controlled.
• Nobody can join. Check the whitelist switch on the Players tab. Whitelist players and set operators has the steps.
• To block new joins during an update. Run /vanta maintenance on, then /vanta maintenance off when you are done.