Sieges

How war works on Meridian: attacking towns, battle sessions, the banner, and what winning gets you.

Starting a siege

• Who can attackA nation's leader or its generals. Towns must be in a nation to attack.
• WhenSieges can only be started on Fridays. A nation can run 2 attacks at once.
• HowPlace a coloured (non-white) banner in the wilderness right next to the enemy town, within 1 chunk of its border.
• War chestStarting a siege costs 16 gold per chunk the town owns (25% more for a capital). Whichever side wins the siege gets it.
• Who can't be attackedPeaceful towns, towns founded in the last 7 days, and towns that were besieged in the last 7 days.

Battle sessions

Fighting only counts during battle sessions. Each one lasts 90 minutes, and a siege lasts 12 sessions. A war horn sounds in siege zones when one starts.

Scoring

• The siege zoneEverything within 300 blocks of the siege banner. A beacon beam marks the banner.
• Holding the bannerStand near the banner for 6 minutes to take control of it. Your side then scores points every minute you hold it. Taking it back from the enemy scores double.
• DeathsEvery death in the zone during a session gives the other side 150 points. A side that's badly outnumbered earns extra.
• WinningWhen the last session ends, the side ahead on points wins. A big lead is a decisive or crushing victory.

War ranks and honor

• Earning honorYou gain one point of honor each day you play while in the same nation. Leaving the nation sets it back to zero; being away for 14 days or more loses a point every day.
• What it's forMilitary ranks (private up to general, and a town's guards) need 3 honor, so nobody can join a nation the night before a siege and fight for it. Players who stop qualifying lose their war rank at the next new day.
• Peaceful townsMembers of peaceful towns or nations can't hold war ranks at all.
• Check it/honor shows your honor, /honor <player> someone else's.

In the siege zone

• Keep your gearDying in a siege zone keeps your inventory (tools lose 5% durability), and during battle sessions everyone keeps their inventory.
• BystandersPlayers on neither side get sick if they stay in the zone for more than 20 seconds. They can't place TNT, and during sessions they can't fight.
• No building tricksIn the wilderness of a siege zone you can't place obsidian, ice, ender chests, enchanting tables, chests, glass or bamboo, can't empty buckets, and explosions don't break blocks.
• No claimingTowns can't claim land near an active siege zone, and a besieged town can't unclaim.
• No escapesTotems don't work, chorus fruit won't teleport you, and /home, /tpa and similar commands are blocked. Combat-logging kills you.
• Siege spawnsLeaders can set a spawn for their side with /siegetp setspawn <town>, and fighters teleport there with /siegetp tp <town>.

After the siege

• PlunderIf the attackers win they can plunder the town: 24 gold per chunk from its bank.
• Surrender or retreatDefenders can surrender and attackers can abandon a siege at any time.
• Siege statsEvery siege's kills, deaths, captures and more are on the stats website, and /siegestats in game.

Peaceful towns

• Going peaceful/t toggle peaceful. It takes 3 days to take effect (2 for new towns). Capitals can't be peaceful, and World Tension can lock peacefulness too.
• What it meansPeaceful towns can't be besieged and their people can't hold military ranks or fight in sieges. A nearby nation can peacefully take a peaceful town over.