Build a rank ladder with LuckPerms

Once you've got LuckPerms basics down, the natural next step is a proper rank ladder: default for newcomers, member for regulars, mod for helpers, admin for you. The trick that makes this manageable is inheritance — higher ranks build on lower ones instead of re-listing every permission. This guide builds that ladder end to end.

Don't have LuckPerms yet? Install it from the Plugins page and read LuckPerms basics first — this guide picks up where that one leaves off.

The plan

A good ladder is a stack — each rung has everything below it, plus a little more:

Because each rung inherits the one below, you only ever grant a rank the extra powers it adds. Change default and every rank above it gets the change for free.

1. Create the groups

/lp creategroup member
/lp creategroup mod
/lp creategroup admin

default already exists, so you don't create it.

2. Wire up inheritance

This is the load-bearing step. parent add makes one group inherit another:

/lp group member parent add default
/lp group mod parent add member
/lp group admin parent add mod

Now admin contains mod, which contains member, which contains default. You've built the stack.

3. Give each rank its extra powers

Grant only what that rung adds — inheritance handles the rest:

# default: the basics for everyone
/lp group default permission set essentials.spawn true
/lp group default permission set essentials.home true

# member: a few more homes and warps
/lp group member permission set essentials.sethome.multiple.member true
/lp group member permission set essentials.warp true

# mod: moderation tools
/lp group mod permission set essentials.kick true
/lp group mod permission set essentials.mute true
/lp group mod permission set essentials.tp true

# admin: the keys to everything
/lp group admin permission set '*' true

⚠️ Heads up: '*' on admin grants every permission from every plugin, including dangerous ones. Only put fully trusted people in admin. For staff you trust a little less, grant specific nodes to mod instead of a wildcard.

4. Add prefixes

A prefix is the [Member] tag shown before a name. In LuckPerms it's "meta", and it uses a weight so the highest rank's prefix wins when someone is in several groups:

/lp group default meta setprefix "&7"
/lp group member meta setprefix "&a[Member] "
/lp group mod meta setprefix "&b[Mod] "
/lp group admin meta setprefix "&c[Admin] "

/lp group member meta setweight 10
/lp group mod meta setweight 50
/lp group admin meta setweight 100

The &a, &b, &c are Minecraft colour codes. Higher weight = higher priority.

🎯 Good to know: LuckPerms stores the prefix, but something has to display it in chat. That's a chat plugin — EssentialsX Chat is the common pick. Without one, the prefix is saved but nobody sees it. See EssentialsX.

5. Promotion tracks (optional but tidy)

A track is an ordered ladder LuckPerms can walk with one command, so you promote instead of manually swapping groups:

/lp createtrack staff
/lp track staff append member
/lp track staff append mod
/lp track staff append admin

Now promoting someone is a single command:

/lp user Steve promote staff

Run it once and Steve goes member → mod; again and he goes mod → admin. /lp user Steve demote staff walks back down. Tracks are how big servers manage staff without fumbling group names.

6. Put players in a rank

New joiners are default automatically. Move someone up with:

/lp user Steve parent set member

(parent set replaces their rank; on a track, prefer promote/demote.)

Verify it works

Put a test account in member, join as that account (not op — op bypasses everything), and confirm it can do member things but not mod things. Run /lp user <name> info to see its rank and inherited permissions laid out.

The honest limits

• Inheritance is the whole point — if you find yourself re-granting the same node to three ranks, you've missed a parent add somewhere.
• Prefixes need a chat plugin to show up; LuckPerms alone only stores them.
• *A wildcard `''is all-or-nothing power** — there's no "everything except X" without adding explicitfalse` denies on top.
• Everything above uses stable LuckPerms and EssentialsX nodes; for a plugin's own permission names, always check that plugin's current documentation.

Troubleshooting

• A rank is missing lower permissions — its parent add is missing or points at the wrong group. Check with /lp group <name> info and re-add the parent.
• Two prefixes fight / the wrong one shows — set weights so the higher rank has the higher number; the top-weighted prefix wins.
• Colour codes show as literal &a — your chat plugin isn't translating them, or the format string is wrong. That's a chat-plugin setting, not LuckPerms.
• promote says "not on the track" — the player's current group isn't on that track; parent set them onto the first rung, then promote.

Next steps

• LuckPerms basics
• Set up EssentialsX
• Vault and economy
• Protect regions with WorldGuard