Updated 23 October 2026. Facts on this page come from minecraft.wiki, minecraft.net and the live Artemis PvP server; sources are listed at the bottom.
Prison
Prison is a server mode built around mining: you start in the lowest "cell" mine, mine and sell blocks for money, and rank up to better mines until you earn your way out.
What is a Prison server in Minecraft?
A Prison server is a custom economy game. Players start with basic tools in a starter mine, mine the blocks there, sell them for in-game money and spend it on rank-ups, which open richer mines. The loop is grind, sell, upgrade, repeat, and most of the game's depth comes from the server's own economy, enchants and events.
Prison is a custom server mode. minecraft.wiki describes customized servers as ones whose experience is very different from vanilla, made with add-ons or mods.
What vanilla mechanics matter in Prison?
Mining speed comes from your pickaxe. In vanilla, the pickaxe material decides what it can mine and how fast; Efficiency speeds it up and Fortune multiplies drops from ores, which is why Prison servers lean so heavily on pickaxe upgrades. Durability matters too: an Unbreaking pickaxe lasts longer between repairs.
- Efficiency: faster mining.
- Fortune: more drops from ores.
- Unbreaking: the tool wears out more slowly.
- Mending: repairs the tool from experience orbs.
How do you rank up fast in Prison?
- Spend your first money on a better pickaxe, not cosmetics.
- Mine the most valuable blocks in your mine first.
- Sell often so a death or a full inventory never costs you a haul.
- Learn the server's own commands for selling and ranking up; they differ between servers.
Is ArtemisPvP a Prison server?
Sources
Every fact on this page was checked against these pages; the wording is ours.