What to Expect in Season 8
Season 8 is almost here, and with it comes our move to Minecraft 1.21.11.
This post covers what’s new in the latest Minecraft update, what it means for Beacoland, and what you can expect when the new season launches.
What’s New in Minecraft 1.21.11?
Minecraft 1.21.11 introduces new gameplay features, blocks, mechanics, and technical improvements, while keeping the core survival experience intact.
Rather than summarising everything here, we recommend reading Mojang’s official overview:
Minecraft 1.21.11 – Official Mojang Article
Read more
What Does 1.21.11 Mean for Beacoland?
Like most large servers, we don’t use Minecraft’s default server jar. We run Purpur, an optimised fork of Paper, which gives us better performance, stability, and security.
Because of this, when a new Minecraft version releases, we need to wait for:
Based on our experience across the last 7 seasons, we’re confident enough to commit to a launch date!
Season 8 Launch
- When: Saturday 31st January 2026
- Time: 6pm GMT
- Version: Minecraft 1.21.11
Important Disclaimer
We will do everything in our power to stick to the date above. However, if the most recent server version at the time is beyond playable, or if critical plugins such as CoreProtect do not have a stable 1.21.11 release, we may need to postpone.
Postponing would be a last resort. Our responsibility is to keep you, your builds, and your data safe, and to provide the best experience possible.
How Season 8 Will Start
Season launches are always busy, so we’ve put a few systems in place to keep things smooth, fair, and a little bit memorable.
Before launch
Players will be able to join the Hub server at any time before launch and wait there. This gives everyone a chance to get connected, make sure things are working, and be ready to go together.
The Survival server will open at 5:45pm GMT.
This is purely to allow players to join and to give us time to catch and fix any last-minute issues before the official start.
Refresh yourself with our rules before the season starts – rules are currently being reviewed, especially with new features coming to Minecraft 1.21.11, so keep an eye on Announcement for any changes.
The official launch
The official launch time is 6:00pm GMT.
We will never start earlier than this, but the launch may be delayed by a few minutes if last-minute adjustments are needed. We’ll keep everyone informed if that happens.
First spawn & countdown
When you join Survival for the first time, you’ll spawn high up in the air, inside a restricted boundary. While you’re there:
- Your movement will be restricted
- You won’t be able to break blocks
- You’ll be waiting with everyone else for the countdown
Once everything is ready, we’ll begin a countdown.
When it reaches zero, the restriction will lift and players will fall from the sky, marking the official start of Season 8.
You will not take fall damage from the drop.
Early exploration rules
To give everyone a fair start and reduce early congestion:
- Players must travel 500+ blocks in any direction before they can break blocks
- This helps spread players out and keeps the immediate spawn area clean
If anyone gets stuck in a hole or awkward terrain during this process, just ask a member of the team and we’ll help get you out.
After Launch
- The world map will be available.
- Our team will be monitoring performance; be prepared for restarts if necessary.
What To Expect In Season 8
- 20k x 20k Map – This allows for future expansion while giving us plenty of space.
- The End Dimension Closed – As always, the End will be closed for the first week or two and we’ll host an event to fight the dragon together!
- Vote Shop Closed – The Vote Shop will remain closed until the End is opened.
Survival – What’s New
- Minecraft 1.21.11
- New Survival world
- New Shopping District
- Quests
- Alts allowed at launch
- Build & Events Teams
Optional Resource Pack (Later in the Season)
We’re exploring an optional, cosmetic only resource pack, such as visual items like hats.
This won’t be ready at launch and won’t be required to play, but it’s something we’re actively working on and will share more about when it’s ready.
Creative
- Updated to Minecraft 1.21.11
- New Creative flat world
A Creative reset is currently TBC. If confirmed, this will be communicated clearly and in advance.
Other Changes
- General bug fixes
- Backend improvements
- Performance and stability refinements
- Website improvements
- New supporter perk(s): More information will be provided once our optional resource pack is ready for production.
Shopping District
The shopping district this season will remain in the Overworld with a revised layout, increased shop size limits and simplified licenses! More information about this will be given as soon as possible.
Quests are coming in Season 8!
Season 8 introduces Quests on Beacoland, a brand new optional system designed to complement normal survival gameplay.
What are Quests?
Small, achievable objectives that nudge you toward things you already do in Minecraft:
- exploring new areas
- gathering resources
- progressing naturally
- working on your base and projects
Quests are:
- Optional – do them if you want, ignore them if you don’t
- Survival-friendly – no overpowered rewards, no unfair advantages
- Vanilla-aligned – built to feel like Minecraft, not like a grindy “task server”
If you ever log in and think “what should I do today?”, Quests will give you ideas without forcing a playstyle.
To keep it survival-friendly, completing each Quest can give you a small amount of XP and/or Beacoins.
Anarchy Day
You didn’t think we’d forget about Anarchy Day, did you?
What is Anarchy Day and how does it work?
Anarchy Day is the final 24 hours of the season that gives players the opportunity to blow off steam and essentially blow up the server they’ve spent the last 10 months building!
Blow up your base and public areas, battle each other and take anything you want (respectfully). All we ask is that you stick to public areas and your own areas, please don’t touch other people’s bases to allow them the opportunity to do it themselves.
- Survival locks: Friday 23rd January 2026
- Full backups will be taken and prepared for world downloads
- Anarchy Day: Saturday 24th January 2026 at 6pm GMT
- Survival will remain online for a minimum of 24 hours
Alts At Launch
Based on how smoothly last season’s launch went, we’re comfortable allowing alts from the very start of Season 8. That said, server performance will always come first. If we feel it’s necessary, we may ask players to temporarily avoid using alts until things have fully stabilised.
Build & Events Teams
Season 8 is the first season we’re launching with dedicated Build and Events teams, and we’re excited to see them in action. These teams will help shape community spaces and host events throughout the season, adding more shared experiences for everyone.
Remember, you don’t need to be apart of the teams to contribute to the builds, any support you’re able to give would be greatly appreciated!
Beacoland Stories
As we head into Season 8, we’re also introducing Beacoland Stories.
This is a space where community members can share how Beacoland has impacted them.
Friendships formed, creativity sparked, confidence gained, or simply having a place that feels familiar and welcoming.
- Share with your IGN or anonymously
- Short moments or meaningful stories, it’s up to you
More details on how to submit coming soon!
Timeline Summary
- Creative Reset: TBC
- Survival Ends: Friday 23rd January 2026
- Survival Anarchy Day: Saturday 24th January 2026 at 6pm GMT
- Season 8 Launch: Saturday 31st January 2026 at 6pm GMT
What You Can Do Now
- Start planning your Season 8 base, or projects
- Coordinate with friends or groups ahead of launch
- Keep an eye our Discord Announcement for final reminders and updates
Thank You!
Thank you for your continued support, patience, and trust. We can’t wait to see you all in game again soon!
Tell us what you think below, or start a discussion on Discord.
I am super excited! I can’t wait to get started! I have a pretty cool redstonr mini game I’ve been working on for this 🙂
Sweeeeet! Quest look awesome — can’t wait to gamble away my diamonds again!
Always excited for a new season and Beacoland is the best place to be for playing a vanilla like server. Alts from day one is a game changer but knowing how hard the staff work behind the scenes to keep everything running smoothly it’s no wonder that we can have alts from day one.