Tutorials/Player versus Player

PvP or Player vs. Player is a fun but dangerous aspect of Minecraft which is only on Multiplayer as you need another player to to fight against. PvP allows you to pit yourself against other Minecraft players in an organised fight or a backstab to steal their hard earned diamonds. Whatever you do with it, PvP is almost always fun, unless you are digging dirt and the server's top PvPer is right behind you...

Organised PvP
Organised PvP is when 2 or more players agree to fight for whatever reason ranging from who is the better fighter to who gets the diamond you both just found.

Organised PvP is fun for all partakers (apart from a few sore losers). Arranging a tournament, which can possibly be time-consuming, is very fun for all combatants. A free-for-all/last-man-standing-takes-all is a great way to get some valuable items with little effort by hiding in a corner (but more about this later).

Faction Wars
Another type of organized PvP is the faction war. This is when two factions invade the other's faction server, killing members and stealing their items, burning and/or TNTing structures,etc. These can range from organized to a surprise attack, and can have up to hundreds of warriors on either side (though this may cause lag).

A Place To Fight
First things first, you need a place to fight. Fighting in your house may be fun, but to be honest, it isn't a great idea, especially if your house is made of wood and someone uses Flint and Steel and/or TNT. A flat area is good for a while, but after some time you'll get bored. Now if only someone would think of Arena Types and how to build them for you...

Building Your Arena
Well, you're in luck.

It's quick and easy to build arenas - consisting of a floor, some type of wall, and 2 entrances - so let's start:
 * 1. Clear a flat area for your arena, make it as larger as you want but a 10x10 square is the minimum size I recommend.
 * 2. Place a 2 high fence wall around the arena so spectators can see what’s happening but not interfere-Arrows can get over a 1 high fence wall. Place some fence gate or doors at 2 ends of the area so combatants can enter.
 * 3. You're done! Have fun in your very simple arena.

Time consuming and hard to build arenas, Consist any shaped floor-e.g. Circular, Triangular-which has a intriguing design(patterns and shadow shapes), Walls are seats to make a stadium like building, Piston traps-Lava, TNT, Mob and pit falls- and piston combatant entrance and many more features. (If TNT or Lava is used a cleaner is going to be needed]].

Types:
 * Ancient: Build a Colosseum inspired by the ancient Romans with fights against animals and blood (Redstone) all over the place - use sandstone for walls, sand as the floor and wood for decoration and breaking the sandstone up.
 * Maze: Build the walls and seats so the spectators can watch the combatants run around scared bacon-less as they fear a creeper around the next corner.
 * Multi-levelled: Have several floors on the arena with random holes; make sure the sides are made of glass so spectators can see all the gravitational action.
 * Nether Arena: Note: It doesn't actually have to be in the nether. Make a 3 block high nether brick wall around the wanted arena area, and cap it with nether brick fences. Use a piston door with pressure plates on the entry side. Then, make a spectator booth that rises above the walls with nether brick stairs on one side, and a gold block throne on the other for you or the current arena champion. The arena floor should be netherrack with glowstone in the middle. You can light some of the netherrack if you want. Have fun!
 * Spleef Twist: Who says you have to do the dirty work? Let the lava below the map do it for you! Run around stabbing your opponent whilst removing the floor from beneath their feet.
 * Sky: Build the arena in the sky and use piston traps to make random holes appear. Gravity is now your best and worst friend.
 * Raining Lava: Once the start lever is pulled, opening the combatant entrances, a Redstone repeater delay is all that's stopping lava from pouring from the ceiling. Using pistons and a two minute delay, make lava pour from the ceiling and kill all remaining combatants! (REMEMBER: DON'T USE FLAMMABLE MATERIALS!!!)

Preparing For Organised PvP
Get a full set of armor Iron-level and above, a weapon (Sword), a Bow with some Arrows, an Axe, Flint and Steel, or anything else you can get your hands on which does damage. Now a Potion or 5 is going to be a huge help, especially poison and instant health potions. Some food is also a good idea if the fight is going to be a long one.

Anything which will help you win is good! If you know the arena and if it has traps, lure your opponent into them! Everything helps. What's that you say? An honest fight? Ok you go for that but don't worry, I'm sure your opponent will be just as honest and have no TNT or Lava in his bag either.

The Fighting part
Now for some fun, you can fight them like a man sword to sword, bow to arrow, or run around like a headless chicken and hope he starves first. Whatever you do, make sure you win! And try not to damage his armor; remember if you win it's going to be yours afterwards...

Dodge his attacks with your lightning reactions and stab by raging at your mouse's left click button. Use you right mouse button to block attacks, sprint at opponents and hit whilst jumping for critical hits!

What's next?

 * Tournaments: Get a few players together: about 10+ is good, then pit them two at a time against each other. If you win, you fight another winner; if you win again, you fight another winner again and again until you lose or are the only winner left. You never fight a loser; if they lose they are out.
 * Free-For-Alls/Last Man Standing: 10+ players fight against whoever they want in the arena at the same time. Maybe there is someone who is annoying or talks too much - who wouldn't want to try killing them...?
 * Team: 10+ players on equal teams. The team with the most players left alive at the end wins.
 * UN-Official Duels: You got a person who you REALLY hate, but you have more TNT then him? Call him on and if he says yes, start the battle. Uh oh, there is going to be a LOT of fouls (like lava pouring and TNT) but, this is why it is called UN-Official.

Unorganised PvP
This is when you're minding your own business and someone runs up behind you and kills you. No warning is normally given and most of the time they want your stuff.

All players have 10 hearts. If you are engaged in a duel, be sure to be prepared with weapons as your opponent will make quick work of you if you are unprepared.

FIGHT BACK!!!
If you have better stuff than them you will most likely be able to kill them and get their stuff. Use everything to your advantage! They attacked you, and to be honest, fighting is going to lose your hard earned equipment. Use critical hits by sprinting and jumping, block their hits using right click, and so on. Just make sure you WIN!!

RUN!
If they have diamond armor and you have iron armor the only thing you can do is run; they're going to kill you if you stay. If you see a creeper nearby, run to it and hope it explodes and hurts/kills your attacker. If it works, you can go take their stuff. If you know you can leave the server - some servers have a "time after attacked" limit for escaping pursuers - leave and come back 5 minutes later when you know the person will have gotten bored waiting and walked off. But beware, if you leave in the middle of combat, it is known as combat-logging and is against the rules on some servers.

Surviving PvP
Some PvP servers go way out of hand, having player with diamond equipment at spawns or at chest shops or areas with good amounts of materials, and just sometimes people killing others on sight, so heres your guide to surviving PvP servers.

Hate The Spawn
If your building a massive fortress near the spawn, some griefer or some plain dimwit might run behind you and kill you, disassemble your fortress and run off with your materials. Well the easiest method to prevent this is to build your house away from spawn and try to survive a good distance away from spawn. It is usually a good idea to use the /sethome command around this area where you wish to live, as if it is a long way away from spawn and you die, it's a long walk, or mad chase if there are spawnkillers with diamond armor and enchanted diamond swords. Using the /home command if you used /sethome cuts the time getting to your safe zone drastically, usually having the spawnkillers and griefers be dazzled in confusion.

Love the Wolfpack
Usually you'll die singlehandedly with a guy with diamond equipment and you ave iron equipment, but this can be a different story altogether if you have wolves or golems with you. Wolves will follow and protect you, and usually, depending wether the diamond armored griefer is smart or just blatently stupid, will either not bother attacking you or die from 10 wolves attacking them at the same time. Iron Golems are a good choice aswell as even diamond equipment is second to the strength and health of an Iron Golem.

Be great to everyone
If you want those griefers or spawnkillers on your side, be really nice to them, like asking if they wanna live with you in your house or giving them stuff like food and iron ingots, or if your really nice, diamonds and diamond tools. They are out to get that stuff so if your offering it to them once every so often they won't hound you for them, plus many spawnkillers are homeless and camp at the spawn for protection anyway, so if they live with you ingame then they won't camp at spawn so often.

Keep armor and a sword on you at all times
You might have Iron armor and a pickaxe mining in a well known mine, but your no match for a guy with NO armor but a Stone Sword. Keep a sword on you at all times and hopefully you can retaliate, plus, keep armor, even if it is basic leather or even the fragile gold armor, so if someone does attack you, you can still live to turn around and kill your attemped killer.

Participate in Server Events
Wether it'd be a Drop Party or an organised PvP match participate in server events and you'll be known by most members in the server, meaning people will have second thoughts of attempting to kill you, plus if you really are a good server participator, buy winning PvP matches or dropping Diamond BLOCKS you'll be recognised throughout the server and many won't attempt to kill you.

Sword

 * Style: Offensive, direct
 * Range: Melee
 * Damage: Varies with material

Bow
Style: Offensive, direct

Range: Ranged

Damage: no charge: .5, med. charge: 3, high charge: 4.5 - 5

Water Bucket
Style: Defensive, hindering

Range: 7 from source

Lava Bucket
Style: Offensive, lasting

Range: 3 from source

Damage: Contact (4 hearts/second, + fire effect)

TNT
Style: Offensive, Explosive

Range: ~10 blocks in diameter

Damage: Explosive (around 15 heart damage at point blank range)

Flint & Steel
Style: Contact, Lasting

Range: Damage on contact

Damage: 1/2 heart per second, while lit

Sand or Gravel
Style: Ambush, Lasting

Range: Unlimited

Damage: From suffocating