NewbieShield

NewbieShield gives new players a shield from PvP and raids for their first hours, and it drops the moment they attack, so fresh players keep playing longer.

I built NewbieShield so new players on a PvP server get a fair start. For their first hours after the first join, they take no player damage and their base can not be raided. The shield ends the instant they hit another player or an enemy base, so no one hides behind it. Every shield is saved to SQLite or MySQL, so it holds through a restart and covers a base even while the owner is offline.

Supported Features

• New player shield: for the first Hours after a player's first ever join, NewbieShield blocks all player damage to them, so a fresh spawn can not be farmed.
• First join clock: the timer starts on the very first join and does not reset when the player logs in again, so nobody stretches the shield by staying offline.
• Base protection: turn on ProtectStructures and a shielded player's base can not be raided either, not just their body.
• Offline raid cover: I store each shield's team id, so a new player's base stays safe even while they are logged off.
• Drops on attack: with DropOnAttack on, the shield ends the second a new player hits another player or an enemy base, so it can not be used as a free pass to fight.
• Fair play checks: same tribe hits and PvE damage never trip the shield. Only a real enemy player attacker of a different team is blocked.
• Cheap on the game thread: a fast out means the damage hooks cost next to nothing when no one is shielded, so a busy PvP server stays smooth.
• Status command: a player runs /protection to see how much shield time is left and how it ends.
• Restart safe: shields live in a database, so a crash or a restart keeps every timer right where it was.
• Discord log: turn it on to post a clean embed when a shield starts and when it ends.

Console & RCON Commands

Player Commands

Command names live in config.json, so you can rename them or turn them off.

Permissions

NewbieShield does not need Permissions to run. The admin remove command works from the trusted console and RCON with or without the Permissions plugin installed.

Config

To see every configuration option, visit our docs. To edit your config files the easy way, open our configuration editor.

Requirements

• AsaApi v2.01 or newer
• A Windows ARK: Survival Ascended dedicated server
• SQLite (built in, zero setup) or a MySQL server to share shields across servers
• Permissions (optional, works without it)
• Discord webhook (optional, works without it)

Installation

1. Download and unzip the pack.
2. Copy the NewbieShield folder into ArkApi/Plugins/ so the folder name matches the DLL.
3. Open config.json and set your Hours, database, and Discord options.
4. Start the server with AsaApiLoader.exe.
5. Watch ArkApi.log for the line Loaded plugin NewbieShield.

Support & Help

Need a hand or hit a snag? Join the Discord and I will help you get it running: https://discord.gg/8GGaEzWk9p

Frequently Asked Questions

What does NewbieShield do? NewbieShield protects new players on a PvP server. For a set number of hours after a player's first ever join, they take no player damage and their base can not be raided. The shield ends the moment they attack another player or an enemy base, so it stays fair for everyone.

How do I install NewbieShield? Unzip the pack and copy the NewbieShield folder into your server's ArkApi/Plugins/ folder so the folder name matches the DLL. Edit config.json to set your hours and database, then restart the server with AsaApiLoader.exe. Check ArkApi.log for the loaded line and you are done.

Does NewbieShield protect offline bases? Yes. NewbieShield saves each shield's team id to the database, so a new player's base is covered by the shield even while they are logged off. Turn on ProtectStructures to block raids on a shielded player's build.

Does NewbieShield need ArkShop or a special database? No ArkShop is needed. NewbieShield uses SQLite by default, which has zero setup and drops a local file next to the plugin. If you run many servers, you can point it at a MySQL server instead to share shields.

Can a new player fight while the shield is up? No. With DropOnAttack on, the shield ends the instant a new player hits another player or an enemy base. That stops anyone from hiding behind the shield to get free kills, so NewbieShield only ever helps players who are still finding their feet.

NewbieShield v0.0.2