Set Up Explosive Arrows for PvP Without Breaking the Map

Enable Explosions for Arrows Only

Start by opening your mod configuration file. Locate the projectile settings and find the arrow entry. Enable explosive damage for arrows and set the blast radius to a size that feels balanced for your server—large enough to be fun, but small enough that players can't crater the terrain.

Disable Block Destruction

Find the option that controls whether explosions break blocks. Turn this off. This is the key setting that keeps your map safe while still letting arrows deal damage to players and mobs.

Also disable the option for explosions to destroy dropped items, so players don't lose loot when arrows detonate nearby.

Protect Named Pets

Enable the "spare named pets" setting. This prevents explosions from hurting any animal that has been given a custom name, protecting player-owned dogs, cats, and horses.

Test in a Safe Area

Before rolling this out to your server, shoot a few explosive arrows in a test world. Verify that:

• Arrows explode on impact
• Blocks remain intact
• Mobs and unarmored players take damage
• Named pets survive nearby blasts

Adjust the blast radius if needed, then deploy to your live server.