GUI BASED · v2.62
DeathEvents
Change what happens when a player dies: a custom death message, a death sound everyone nearby hears, a burst of particles where they fell, lightning and fireworks, and a big death title when they respawn, with hex colours, gradients and PlaceholderAPI. Set it all up in game from a menu, on every Minecraft version from 1.8 to 26.3.
01 · INSTALL
Getting started
- Download the jar from Spigot. It's free.
- Drop it into your server's
pluginsfolder. If you're upgrading, delete the old DeathEvents jar first. - Restart the server. The console shows a DeathEvents banner when it's enabled, and
plugins/DeathEvents/config.ymlis created. - Run
/deconfigin game to choose the death message, sound and particles. That's the only command you need.
FIREWORKS_SPARK) are translated for your server automatically, and a decimal particle count like 60.0 is read as 60.02 · HOW IT WORKS
When a player dies
Every effect has its own on/off switch, and the whole plugin has a master switch. Here's exactly what happens, in order.
Master switch
If enablePlugin is off, or the player has de.bypass, DeathEvents does nothing and the death is exactly like vanilla.
Death message
If enableDeathMessage is on, Minecraft's message is replaced by deathMessage, with placeholders filled in. An empty message hides it completely.
Death sound
If enableDeathSound is on, deathSound plays where the player died. Everyone close enough hears it, like any in-world sound.
Particles
If enableDeathParticle is on, particleCount particles of deathParticle appear where the player died.
Lightning & firework
If enableDeathLightning is on, lightning strikes where the player died (only the effect). If enableDeathFirework is on, a firework bursts there. Neither can hurt anyone.
Death title
If enableDeathTitle is on, deathTitle and deathSubtitle show big on the player's screen when they respawn.
03 · TRY IT
Death playground
Write a death message and death title with & colour codes, hex colours, gradients and placeholders, pick a sound, particle, lightning and firework, and watch how it looks. Then set the same thing in game with /deconfig, or, as an alternative, copy the lines into config.yml.
In game the title shows when the player respawns, not on the death screen. The particle animation is an approximation of how each particle looks in game. The playground goes up to 200; the plugin allows up to 1000.
04 · COMMANDS
Every command
You don't need any of these except /deconfig. Open it, click the setting you want to change and pick or type the new value. The other commands are optional shortcuts that do the same thing, and are handy from the console.
| Command | Aliases | What it does | Permission |
|---|
Any alias works the same as the full command, so /desm &c%player_name% died and /deatheventsetmessage &c%player_name% died do the same thing. Everything after the command is used as the value, spaces included.
05 · PERMISSIONS
Three permissions
Example with LuckPerms: /lp user <name> permission set de.config true. Players without either permission can still use /deathevents to see the commands. Deaths themselves need no permission: every player's death gets the message, sound, particles, title, lightning and firework, except players with de.bypass. Nobody has that one by default, not even operators, so give it only to the players whose deaths should stay vanilla (vanished staff, for example).
07 · CONFIG
config.yml
Found at plugins/DeathEvents/config.yml. You never need to edit this file: every setting here can be changed in game with /deconfig. Editing it by hand and running /der is an alternative. Changes made from the menu only touch the one setting you changed, so edits made to the file while the server is running are kept. Switches accept 'True'/'False' or true/false.
| Key | Default | What it does |
|---|
Full default config.yml show
08 · PLACEHOLDERS
Placeholders
Use these in the death message, the death title and the death subtitle.
%luckperms_prefix% or %statistic_player_kills% (install the matching expansion with /papi ecloud download). Without PlaceholderAPI they're left as they are.| Colour | Type | Works on |
|---|---|---|
| Classic colours and formats | &c red, &4 dark red, &l bold, &o italic, &r reset | Every version |
| Hex colour | &#ff5555Text or <#ff5555>Text | 1.16 and newer |
| Gradient | <gradient:#ff5555:#5555ff>R.I.P.</gradient>. Add more :#colour steps for a rainbow, and use &l inside for bold. | 1.16 and newer |
On 1.8 to 1.15, hex colours and gradients still work but show the closest of the 16 classic colours. Try them in the playground.
Ideas to copy
09 · SOUNDS
Death sounds
Sound names changed in 1.9 and again in 1.13. Use any name below on any version and the plugin translates it for your server. The ones marked with a menu name are the 33 built-in choices in the sound picker. You can also type any other sound your server has with Custom Sound in /deconfig (or, as an optional alternative, /dess, which tab completes every sound name), or a key like minecraft:entity.wither.death. If a sound doesn't exist on your version, the explosion sound plays instead and the console warns you once.
| In the menu | 1.13 – 26.3 | 1.9 – 1.12 | 1.8 |
|---|
10 · PARTICLES
Death particles
Particles were added to the API in 1.9 (1.8 shows them through a different system) and many were renamed in 1.20.5. Use any name below on any version and the plugin picks the right one for your server. Below are the 29 built-in choices from the particle picker; click one to preview it. You can also type any other particle your server has with Custom Particle in /deconfig (or, as an optional alternative, /desp). Particles that need extra settings (like DUST or ITEM) can't be used, so firework sparks show instead.
| In the menu | 1.20.5 – 26.3 | 1.9 – 1.20.4 | 1.8 |
|---|
A dash means that particle doesn't exist on those versions; on them, firework sparks show instead.
11 · CHANGELOG
What's new
12 · HELP
Common questions
The death message is still Minecraft's normal one
Check that both enablePlugin (Plugin Status in /deconfig) and enableDeathMessage (Death Message menu) are on. Every time a setting is saved, the console shows a line like [DeathEvents] SomeonesSon set configuration.deathMessage to: …, so you can confirm your change was saved. If you edited config.yml by hand instead of using /deconfig, run /der afterwards. Another plugin that changes death messages can also override this one.
Can I keep the cause of death?
Yes, two ways. %default_message% is replaced by Minecraft's whole message, like Steve was slain by Zombie, so &4☠ &7%default_message% shows it with a red skull in front. %death_cause% is just the cause, so you can write your own sentence around it: &c%player_name% &7was killed by &c%death_cause% shows Steve was killed by Zombie.
What can %death_cause% say?
If something killed the player, it's that thing's name: a mob type like Zombie or Creeper, a player's name, or a mob's custom name. For arrows and other projectiles it's whoever fired them. Otherwise it's what killed them, in lowercase so it reads well mid-sentence: fall damage, lava, fire, burning, drowning, suffocation, starvation, the void, an explosion, lightning, magic, poison, the wither effect, a cactus, a falling block, a magma block, freezing, /kill and so on. If Minecraft doesn't say, it's unknown causes.
How do I hide death messages completely?
Open /deconfig, go to Death Message, click Set Message and type none. (As alternatives, /desm none or deathMessage: '' in config.yml do the same.) Turning the death message off is different: that brings back Minecraft's normal message.
I can't hear the death sound
The sound plays at the place the player died, so players need to be nearby (about 16 blocks) to hear it, and the player who died hears it too. Make sure enableDeathSound is on. If you typed a sound that doesn't exist on your version, the explosion sound plays instead and the console says so; pick a name from the sounds table.
I don't see any particles
Check enableDeathParticle is on and particleCount is above 0. In Minecraft's video settings, Particles set to Minimal hides most particles on your own screen. Particles appear at the player's feet, so they can be hidden inside blocks or lava.
Will lots of particles lag my server?
Particles are drawn by each player's game, so a large count mostly affects players close to the death, not the server itself. The count is capped at 1000. If players complain, lower it with the Particle Count menu or /desc.
Which particle should I pick for my version?
The first 11 in the picker (the top three rows) work on every version from 1.8 to 26.3, and so do most of the rest. A few only exist on newer versions: End Rod, Damage Hearts and Sweep Attack need 1.9+, Totem of Undying needs 1.11+, and Soul and Soul Fire Flame need 1.16+. On older servers those are grayed out in the menu. The particle table shows every name per version.
How do I put everything back to the defaults?
Open /deconfig and click Reset Config (the TNT in the top left). A second menu asks you to confirm, because this cannot be undone: the message, title, sound, particle, particle count, firework shape and colours, and every switch go back to their defaults. Click No, Keep My Settings to back out.
When does the death title show?
When the player respawns, so it's easy to read. On the death screen it would sit right on top of Minecraft's own "You died!". Turn it on or off, and change the title and subtitle, from the Death Title menu (the sign) in /deconfig; Preview Title shows it on your own screen straight away. Leave both lines empty to show nothing.
How do I stop DeathEvents changing some players' deaths?
Give them the de.bypass permission, for example /lp user <name> permission set de.bypass true. Their deaths stay exactly like vanilla: Minecraft's normal message, no sound, no particles, no title, no lightning and no firework.
Where does %deaths% come from?
Minecraft's own statistics, the same number as Deaths in the in-game statistics screen. It counts the death that just happened, so a player's first death shows 1. Deaths from before you installed DeathEvents count too.
How do I turn on lightning or fireworks?
Open /deconfig and click Configure Death Particles: the lightning and firework are in the bottom row, next to Particle Count. Click Lightning or Firework to turn each one on or off; both are off by default. Firework Shape cycles through Small Ball, Large Ball, Star, Burst and Creeper, Firework Colours lets you type colours in chat (names like RED, ORANGE, YELLOW or hex like #ff8800, up to 8), and Preview Effects shows the particles, lightning and firework where you stand.
Can the lightning or firework hurt anyone?
No. The lightning is only the visual effect and thunder sound, so it doesn't damage anyone or start fires. The firework is marked by DeathEvents and its explosion is cancelled before it can damage players or mobs.
My PlaceholderAPI placeholders show up as text
Check that PlaceholderAPI is installed and enabled (the console says PlaceholderAPI found when DeathEvents starts), and that the expansion for that placeholder is installed, for example /papi ecloud download LuckPerms then /papi reload. Test it with /papi parse me %luckperms_prefix%.
My hex colours or gradients look wrong
Hex colours need 1.16 or newer; older versions show the closest classic colour instead. Use six digits (&#ff5555, not &#f55), and close gradients with </gradient> so the rest of the message keeps its own colour.
Is there a per-world or per-cause message?
Not yet. The same message, sound and particles are used for every death. %default_message% is the way to include how they died.
Does it work on Paper, Folia, Purpur or other forks?
Yes. It uses only the standard Bukkit API, so Spigot, Paper and forks based on them from 1.8 to 26.3 are supported, and from 3.2 it runs on Folia too. The same jar works on all of them.
NEED A HAND?
Ask in the Discord.
If something isn't working, join the Discord and ask. Include your server version and anything the console printed about DeathEvents.