Resource Zones
The resource system is the single most important mechanic on EarthStonks. Unlike vanilla Minecraft, strategic resources do not spawn randomly across the map. Instead, they are tied to real-world geographic locations — modeled after actual mines, oil fields, and mineral deposits on Earth.
This creates genuine scarcity. Not every town can be self-sufficient. Not every nation can afford to grow. Control over resource zones is the foundation of every war, trade deal, and alliance on the server.
Strategic vs Common Resources
Strategic Resources
These resources only exist inside designated green zones on the map. You will not find ore blocks — you mine Stone within a claimed zone and the resource drops from it.
| Resource | Used For | Where Found |
|---|---|---|
| Iron | Small town upkeep (1–50 chunks) | Real-world iron mining regions (Great Lakes, Australia, Brazil) |
| Gold | Medium town upkeep (51–100 chunks) | Real-world gold mining regions (South Africa, Nevada, Australia) |
| Diamond | Trade & high-value economy | Real-world diamond mining regions (Kimberley, Botswana, Congo) |
| Oil | Large empire upkeep (100+ chunks) | Real-world oil fields (Middle East, Texas, North Sea, Venezuela) |
Common Resources
These spawn normally across the entire map and do not require zone control:
- Coal
- Redstone
- Lapis Lazuli
- Emerald
Common resources are your bread and butter for early income — mine them with a Miner job and sell via /shop.
Green Zones — How They Work
Green zones are protected WorldGuard regions placed at geographically accurate locations across the Earth map. Each zone is named after the real-world mine or oil field it represents — for example, a diamond zone might be named after the Kimberley Mine in South Africa.
How to Mine in a Zone
- Locate the zone on the live map
- Claim land inside the zone — either your town's territory or an outpost
- Mine Stone within your claimed land inside the zone
- The strategic resource drops from the Stone — there are no visible ore blocks
Resource Requirements by Town Size
Your town's daily upkeep scales with how large it is. As you expand, you must secure access to higher-tier resources or your town will lose chunks.
Small Town — Iron (1 to 50 chunks)
Every chunk of claimed land costs 1 Iron per day. A 20-chunk town needs 20 Iron daily. Iron zones are the most common strategic resource — find one near your starting location early.
Growing Town — Gold (51 to 100 chunks)
Once you exceed 50 chunks, upkeep switches to Gold. Gold is less common than Iron and requires planning ahead. Start securing a Gold zone before you hit the 50-chunk threshold.
Empire — Oil (100+ chunks)
The largest towns require Oil — a fully custom resource found only in real-world oil field locations. Oil is the rarest and most contested strategic resource on the server. Nations at this tier often go to war just to control oil supplies.
Resource Strategy
Control vs Trade
You have two fundamental strategies for securing resources:
- Control — claim the zone yourself (or through an outpost) and mine directly. Requires upfront investment but gives you independence.
- Trade — buy resources from players who control zones. Faster to set up, but you are dependent on their prices and supply decisions.
Market Power
If your town or nation controls a key resource zone, you have significant market leverage. Other towns need your resource to survive. You can set your own prices, form trade agreements, or deny supply to enemies entirely. This is how resource wars start.
Scarcity & War
Because strategic resources are geographically fixed, they are inherently scarce relative to the number of players who need them. When diplomacy fails, the SiegeWar system allows you to take resource zones by force and extract 15% of the enemy's resources daily through occupation.