Minecraft RPG Skills Server Guide: AuraSkills vs mcMMO

A Minecraft RPG skills server turns everyday play into progression: mine, farm, fish and fight, and your character gets stronger in ways you can feel. If you are choosing between plugins, the short version is that mcMMO focuses on unlocking active abilities, while AuraSkills focuses on growing stats and passive perks. Below we explain what each one does, how they differ, and how skills fit into AngelicCraft.

What makes a Minecraft server an RPG skills server?

Vanilla Minecraft has no real character growth. You get better at the game, but your character stays the same. An RPG skills server adds a progression layer on top of survival. Doing something over and over earns experience in a matching skill, and higher skill levels reward you with bonuses.

Most RPG skills servers share a few traits:

• Skills tied to activities: mining, farming, fishing, combat and similar actions each have their own track.
• Visible progress: menus and messages show your levels, so you always know what to work on next.
• Rewards that matter: stats, passive bonuses or special abilities make a higher level worth chasing.
• Room to specialize: you can become a master miner, an angler or a front-line fighter, or try a bit of everything.

The result is a longer-lasting survival experience, because there is always another level to reach. Skills plugins usually work alongside other systems such as custom mobs, bosses and an overall player level.

What is AuraSkills?

If you are asking what is AuraSkills, it is an RPG plugin for Spigot and Paper servers, formerly known as Aurelium Skills. It can be downloaded from its website, SpigotMC, Hangar and Modrinth, and it is open source on GitHub. You can read the full documentation on the official AuraSkills wiki.

Skills

AuraSkills ships with 11 default skills: Farming, Foraging, Mining, Fishing, Excavation, Archery, Defense, Fighting, Agility, Enchanting and Alchemy. A legacy preset can restore the 15 skills from the older Beta versions if a server prefers that layout.

Stats

Each skill is linked to two stats, and those stats rise every one or two levels. This is the heart of the plugin's RPG feel: leveling a skill steadily makes your character stronger, not just better at one task.

Abilities

Most skills have five passive abilities. They unlock across the first five levels and then upgrade every five levels, so you keep getting small improvements as you progress.

Mana abilities

Some skills also have one mana ability. These are activated on purpose, they cost mana and they have a cooldown, so using them well takes a little timing.

Menus

The /skills command opens configurable GUI menus where you can check your progress without memorizing commands.

AuraSkills vs mcMMO: the real differences

The AuraSkills vs mcMMO debate comes up constantly, and neither is simply better. They are built around different ideas. mcMMO was originally created in 2011, and it is the classic skills plugin many players already know. Its site says every skill has its own Super Ability, and a comparison from MineGuard points to examples like Super Breaker and Tree Feller. That same article describes AuraSkills as a more customizable, stat-driven system.

• Core idea: with mcMMO you level up and unlock an active ability. With AuraSkills you level up and grow passive stats.
• Customization: according to MineGuard, AuraSkills treats custom skills as a first-class feature and lets admins add their own stats through YAML files, while mcMMO does not officially support custom skills. The AuraSkills wiki notes that skills are configured in skills.yml.
• Menus: AuraSkills leans on configurable GUI menus through /skills.
• Add-ons: MineGuard says AuraSkills has official MythicMobs integration, which can help servers that use custom mobs.
• Feel: mcMMO is the long-standing classic, while AuraSkills appeals to projects that want a stat-driven RPG layer.

If you love the classic activate-an-ability style, mcMMO may feel familiar. If you like watching your character's stats grow and a server that can tune the details, AuraSkills may be a better fit. Server owners should pick the one that matches the experience they want to build.

Where levels and custom bosses fit in

Skills are only one part of an RPG server. Many servers add custom enemies with MythicMobs. It lets admins customize mob health, damage and speed, replace vanilla mobs or spawn custom ones under certain conditions, and script behavior with YAML skills, conditions, targeters and triggers. Bosses can be built from those skills, mob levels and threat tables, and mobs can carry or drop custom equipment.

An overall level system can sit beside your individual skills too. That gives players one big number to grow in addition to their skill levels, while custom mobs and bosses give them something worthwhile to test their progress against.

How skills fit AngelicCraft

AngelicCraft is a fantasy survival server built around an Angel vs. Demon alignment system. Players earn essence tied to their alignment, and everyone starts at the default rank, Mortal. On top of that, we use AuraSkills for skills and CyberLevels for leveling.

MythicMobs handles custom mobs, and the rest of the experience is rounded out with UltraCosmetics, FancyNPCs, DeluxeMenus and EssentialsX. Supporter ranks (Divine, Archon, Eternal, Ascended and Guardian) are available through our store.

We have not launched publicly yet, so we will not share launch details here.

Playing on Java or Bedrock

Java players connect with the address angeliccraft.net. Bedrock players can join through GeyserMC, a bridge between Bedrock and Java Edition, using angeliccraft.net on port 19132. Our how to join guide has the full walkthrough.

Frequently asked questions

What is a Minecraft RPG skills server?

It is a survival server where activities like mining, farming and fighting earn experience in skills, and leveling those skills gives you bonuses, stats or abilities.

What is AuraSkills in simple terms?

AuraSkills is an open source RPG plugin for Spigot and Paper. It gives players skills, stats, passive abilities and some mana abilities, all viewable through the /skills menu.

Is AuraSkills better than mcMMO?

Not automatically. mcMMO is the long-standing classic built around active abilities, while AuraSkills focuses on stats and customization. The best choice depends on the style of server.

Can I use AuraSkills on Bedrock?

AuraSkills is a Spigot and Paper plugin, so it runs on the Java server. Bedrock players connect to that server through GeyserMC, a bridge between Bedrock and Java Edition.

Does AngelicCraft use AuraSkills?

Yes. We use AuraSkills for skills, alongside CyberLevels and the Angel vs. Demon alignment system.

Join AngelicCraft

We have not launched publicly yet, but these are the details to bookmark. Our step-by-step how to join guide walks you through connecting, you can browse the store ahead of time, and the server rules are worth a read before you jump in. Join our Discord to follow along as we get ready.

• Java: angeliccraft.net
• Bedrock: angeliccraft.net, port 19132
• Discord: discord.angeliccraft.net

Cover image: Photo by Anna Khromova on Unsplash (Unsplash License).