--- title: "Set Up a BedWars Minigame Server: Arenas and Teams | ZCS" description: "Protect your bed, break everyone else's, generate resources on a timer. BedWars has a lot of moving parts for a gamemode that sounds simple in one sentence." url: "https://www.zcraftstudios.com/blog/bedwars-minigame-setup-guide" updated: "2026-10-20T07:16:50.972429+00:00" source: "ZCraft Studios" --- > Site index for AI agents: https://www.zcraftstudios.com/llms.txt (full reference: https://www.zcraftstudios.com/llms-full.txt). Every page is available as Markdown by adding `.md` to its URL or sending `Accept: text/markdown`. 1. [Home](https://www.zcraftstudios.com/) 2. [Blog](https://www.zcraftstudios.com/blog) 3. Set Up a BedWars Minigame Server: Arenas and Teams [ All posts](https://www.zcraftstudios.com/blog) # Set Up a BedWars Minigame Server: Arenas and Teams ZCraft StudiosOct 3, 2026Updated Oct 20, 2026 Protect your bed, break everyone else's, generate resources on a timer. BedWars has a lot of moving parts for a gamemode that sounds simple in one sentence. ## In this guide - [Install a BedWars Plugin](#install-a-bedwars-plugin) - [Building or Obtaining a Map](#building-or-obtaining-a-map) - [Setting Up an Arena](#setting-up-an-arena) - [Configuring Resource Generators](#configuring-resource-generators) - [Setting Team Sizes and Count](#setting-team-sizes-and-count) - [The In-Game Shop](#the-in-game-shop) - [Handling Match Start, End, and Rotation](#handling-match-start-end-and-rotation) - [Testing With Real Player Counts](#testing-with-real-player-counts) - [Full match acceptance test](#full-match-acceptance-test) - [Treat arena recovery as part of the game design](#treat-arena-recovery-as-part-of-the-game-design) - [Official documentation and links](#official-documentation-and-links) - [An operational test worth running](#an-operational-test-worth-running) ## Setting Up a BedWars Minigame Server _Easy to explain in one sentence. Genuinely involved to actually set up correctly._ BedWars is a team-based minigame where each team defends a bed (losing it means losing the ability to respawn) while attacking other teams', using resources generated on a timer to buy upgrades and gear. ## Install a BedWars Plugin This guide describes a plugin category rather than one named implementation. Pick a project with documentation for your server version. The sample commands and YAML below illustrate the workflow; use your chosen project’s documented syntax instead of copying them unchanged. If your chosen plugin uses a Vault-compatible economy, these are example integrations. They are optional unless that project lists them as dependencies: [VaultConnect compatible economy, permission and chat plugins through a shared API.On GitHub ](https://github.com/MilkBowl/Vault) [EssentialsXThe essential plugin suite for Paper and Spigot servers.On Modrinth ](https://modrinth.com/plugin/essentialsx) Drop the chosen BedWars plugin jar into `plugins/` and restart. Several maintained options exist, each with its own specific setup workflow for map and arena configuration. ## Building or Obtaining a Map BedWars maps need symmetric team bases arranged around a central area, each with a bed, resource generators, and shop access. Building one from scratch is a significant time investment, so many servers start with a pre-built community map and adjust spawn points and generator locations to fit the plugin's requirements. ## Setting Up an Arena ``` /bw setup create ``` typically starts a guided in-game setup process: setting team spawn points, bed locations, resource generator positions, and arena boundaries through a combination of commands and right-clicks while standing in the relevant spots. ## Configuring Resource Generators ``` generators: iron: spawn-interval: 2 diamond: spawn-interval: 30 ``` Resource generation rates are a core balance lever. Faster generation speeds up matches and favors aggressive early rushes, while slower rates favor a more defensive, buildup-focused playstyle. Most servers tune this based on actual playtesting rather than defaults alone. ## Setting Team Sizes and Count ``` teams: 4 players-per-team: 2 ``` Smaller team sizes (solos or duos) create faster, more individually-skill-dependent matches; larger teams shift toward more coordinated, strategy-dependent play. This is as much a design decision as a technical config value. ## The In-Game Shop BedWars shops sell blocks, weapons, armor, and upgrades using the resources (iron, gold, diamond, emerald) generated during the match. The shop's item pricing and available upgrades are a major part of overall game balance, usually requiring iteration after initial testing. ## Handling Match Start, End, and Rotation A functioning BedWars setup needs a lobby/waiting area, a countdown before matches start, win/loss detection (last team standing, or all beds destroyed plus eliminations), and a rotation back to the lobby after a match ends. Most dedicated BedWars plugins handle this full cycle automatically once arenas are configured, rather than needing custom logic built on top. ## Testing With Real Player Counts A BedWars arena that feels balanced with two staff testing can feel completely different with a full lobby of real players. Playtesting at or near intended player capacity, rather than solo or small-group testing, is the only reliable way to catch balance and pacing issues before a public launch. ## Full match acceptance test Run a complete match with multiple test players. Confirm team assignment, bed protection, generator timing, shop purchases, respawning, spectator behavior and end-of-match cleanup. Verify that participants return to the correct lobby and that abandoned matches do not leave arenas stuck in use. ## Treat arena recovery as part of the game design Keep an untouched template separate from the active arena if your chosen plugin supports that workflow. Test what resets after a match: placed blocks, broken beds, dropped items and temporary player state. Inspect a second match rather than only the first launch. If the arena fails midway through play, record the point where the state diverged. Repeatedly forcing a reset without investigating can hide a dependency or storage problem. Explain team joining, spectator access and reconnect behavior before inviting players. Check lobby inventories separately from game inventories and verify rewards after both a normal finish and an interrupted match. Decide how staff refund or cancel a failed game without duplicating rewards. Keep version and map requirements in the arena's setup notes. A downloaded arena layout is not proof that its spawn points, boundaries and generators fit the plugin configuration you are using. ### Troubleshooting paths - Second match differs: compare reset state with the untouched template. - Player returns with game items: inspect inventory isolation. - Reward is wrong: trace normal finish and cancellation separately. \* ## Official documentation and links - [Paper plugin installation and troubleshooting](https://docs.papermc.io/paper/adding-plugins/) - [Minecraft Server Reward Systems That Don't Feel Pay-to-Win](https://www.zcraftstudios.com/blog/minecraft-server-reward-systems-fair) ## An operational test worth running Run one complete match with enough test players to trigger teams, countdowns, bed destruction, elimination and end-of-game cleanup. Afterward confirm that world changes, inventories and scoreboards reset before the next queue starts. Repeated games should not gradually accumulate orphaned entities or leave players stuck in spectator mode. [ Previous guide Auction House Plugin Setup: Listings, Taxes, Economy](https://www.zcraftstudios.com/blog/auction-house-plugin-setup)[ Next guide How to Set Up a World Border on a Minecraft Server](https://www.zcraftstudios.com/blog/worldborder-setup-guide)