Get modpack features with Paper plugins

Plenty of people want what a modpack gives them, such as land claims, quests, custom bosses and vein mining, without making every friend download a mod list. On a Paper server many of those features exist as plugins, so players join with the normal game. This guide matches common modpack features to plugins you can install from the Plugins tab, and lists what has no plugin equivalent.

Checked on Modrinth in October 2026 against Paper 26.3: LuckPerms 5.5.71 (luckperms.net lists a newer Bukkit build, 5.5.88, while the Plugins tab installs 5.5.71 from Modrinth), GriefPrevention 16.18.7, EssentialsX 2.22.0, VeinMiner 2.13.0, Towny 0.103.2.0, MythicMobs 5.13.0, Quests 5.3.2 and BlueMap 5.29. Towny, MythicMobs and Quests list Minecraft up to 26.2 on their newest release, and EssentialsX lists up to 26.1.2, so check the store's version filter for those four. Modrinth has several projects called Quests. The one checked here is quests.classic, which is the 5.x line.

What carries over

Plugins work from the server side, and Paper's documentation describes them as a way to extend what a Minecraft server does. That suits features about how the game plays: rules, claims, commands and rewards.

Common modpack features and their plugin equivalents

VeinMiner's page says it works server side, so every client is supported. That is the pattern to look for: a plugin that does its work on the server and needs no matching mod.

Set it up in order

1. Choose the software. The server needs Paper or Purpur. Open JAR Manager under More to check, and see Change your Minecraft version or mod loader if you need to switch. A world carries over.
2. Take a backup in the Backups tab.
3. Install permissions first. Open Plugins under Content, search for LuckPerms and click Install. EssentialsX, for one, is designed to use a permissions plugin and recommends this one. See Install and set up LuckPerms on Minecraft.
4. Install the rest one feature at a time. Search each name, click Install, accept any Needs N more add-ons box, then restart from the Console tab. Plugins load only at startup.
5. Test with a friend before you announce anything. Join with a normal client and try the claim, the quest or the command.

For the same job on a mod server, the Mods tab has search for Modrinth and CurseForge, and Can Fabric mods run on Forge? We tested it explains how mod loaders behave.

Custom looks with a resource pack

If you want custom textures, your server can offer players a resource pack. The Config Editor has a Resource pack section for it. Paste a direct download link to a .zip into Resource pack URL, and turn on Require the pack if players who decline should be kicked.

What you will not get

Large content mods, such as machine systems, magic systems and new dimensions, are the hardest to match with plugins. You can recreate the structure around them, such as claims, ranks and quests, but do not expect the content itself. If that content is the reason you wanted the modpack, run the modpack. The Modpacks tab installs a full modpack in one click, after you confirm, and Minecraft plugins vs mods helps you decide.