One of the first things that makes a Minecraft server feel professional is a well-designed chat format with custom prefixes. Giving ranks like [VIP], [Moderator], and [Admin] their own unique, colored prefix is essential for identifying staff and rewarding players. This guide will teach you how to do it using LuckPerms, the most popular and powerful permissions plugin.
We'll cover everything from simple colored prefixes to advanced text formatting like bold, italic, and more.
Prerequisites: What You Need
This is not a standalone process. To make prefixes appear in chat, you need a combination of three essential plugins working together:
- LuckPerms: The permissions plugin where you will define the prefixes for each group.
- PlaceholderAPI: A plugin that allows other plugins to share information. LuckPerms uses it to send the prefix data to your chat plugin.
- A Chat Formatter: A plugin that actually formats the chat. EssentialsX Chat is the most common and works perfectly with LuckPerms out of the box.
Ensure all three plugins are installed before you begin.
The Basic Prefix Command
The core of setting a prefix in LuckPerms is the meta setprefix command. The structure is as follows:
/lp group <group_name> meta setprefix "<prefix>"
Let's break it down:
/lp group <group_name>: Specifies which rank (group) you are targeting.meta setprefix: The command to set the prefix data."<prefix>": The prefix itself, wrapped in quotes. The space at the end is important for separating it from the player's name!
Example: Creating a simple [VIP] prefix
/lp group vip meta setprefix "&5[VIP] "
In this example, &5 is a Minecraft color code for purple. Now, any player in the "vip" group will have a purple [VIP] prefix before their name in chat.
Adding Colors and Formatting
You can make your prefixes much more interesting by combining colors and formatting codes. Here are the most common ones:
- Colors:
&a(Green),&b(Aqua),&c(Red),&6(Gold),&7(Gray), etc. - Formatting:
&l= Bold&o= Italic&n= Underlined&m= Strikethrough&r= Resets all formatting.
Example: Creating a bold, gold [Admin] prefix
/lp group admin meta setprefix "&6&l[Admin] "
The codes are placed right before the text they should affect. The &6 makes the text gold, and the &l makes it bold.
Conclusion
Setting up custom prefixes is a simple but powerful way to add a professional touch and a clear hierarchy to your server. By mastering the /lp meta setprefix command in LuckPerms, you can create unique and visually appealing ranks that will make your players feel rewarded and your staff easily identifiable. Experiment with different colors and formats to find the perfect style for your server!
