Elytra Trails v1.0

Most elytra trail plugins are cosmetic wrappers. Players unlock everything instantly, use it for a day, and forget it exists. There is no reason to fly more, no sense of achievement, no economy tie-in, and no visual feedback that shows the player growing.

ElytraTrails solves all of that in one plugin.



XP Progression System
Players earn flight XP every second they are in the air. Trails unlock progressively from COMMON to LEGENDARY, with the final Dragon Breath preset requiring 12,000 XP. There is always a next goal. Players keep flying because flying pays off.

21 Built-in Trail Presets Across 5 Tiers
From Basic Cloud (unlocked immediately) to Ender Dragon Breath (12,000 XP), every tier feels earned. Presets include:

• COMMON - Cloud, Fire, Smoke, Hearts, Happy, Notes, Slime
• UNCOMMON - Snowflake, Redstone Dust, Soul Fire, End Rod, Cherry Blossom, Crimson Spores, Warped Spores
• RARE - Magic Enchant, Electric Spark, Portal, Witch
• EPIC - Rainbow (animated cycling colors), Galaxy (cosmic purple dust)
• LEGENDARY - Dragon Breath (requires 12,000 XP, grants +5% velocity)

6 Distinct Flight Modes Unlocked Over Time
Trail modes are progression milestones tied to total flight time, not purchasable. Each mode changes how particles behave in the air:

• SKYWRITING - Particles persist at spawn position, drawing a path in the sky. Available from start.
• FOLLOW - Dynamic particle cloud that moves with the player. Unlocks at 500 seconds.
• SPIRAL - Single corkscrew helix behind the player. Unlocks at 1,500 seconds.
• HELIX - Double DNA-strand effect. Unlocks at 4,000 seconds.
• WINGS - Particles trace both elytra wings with natural droop toward the wingtips. Unlocks at 8,000 seconds.
• BURST - Explosion of particles from both wing tips on every firework rocket boost. Unlocks at 15,000 seconds.

Speed-Reactive Particle Density
Particle count scales automatically with flight speed. Slow gliding produces fewer particles. A full-speed firework rocket dive creates a dense trail. The system uses configurable low-speed and high-speed thresholds with a 0.5x to 3.0x multiplier range.

Takeoff and Landing Visual Effects
A fountain burst triggers when the player takes off. A horizontal particle ring expands on landing. Both effects use the player's currently active trail, so every trail looks unique on the ground too.

Economy Integration via Vault
Optional Vault support allows server owners to attach per-preset purchase costs. Players can spend in-game currency to skip XP grind for specific trails. Costs are fully configurable per preset. The XP and economy systems are independent and can both be active simultaneously.

Full PlaceholderAPI Support
16 placeholders are available for scoreboards, tab lists, and holograms:

• %elytratrails_status% - ACTIVE or INACTIVE
• %elytratrails_preset_name% - current trail display name
• %elytratrails_tier% - rarity tier of current trail
• %elytratrails_mode% - current flight mode
• %elytratrails_xp% - total flight XP
• %elytratrails_xp_bar% - visual progress bar to next trail
• %elytratrails_next_preset% - name of next locked trail
• %elytratrails_next_xp_pct% - percentage progress (0-100)
• %elytratrails_velocity% - current speed bonus
• %elytratrails_stat_distance% - total blocks flown

Multilingual Out of the Box
Ships with complete language files for English, Polish, German, Spanish, and French. Every message, GUI label, and action bar string is configurable per language. Adding a custom language requires only one new YAML file.

MySQL and YAML Storage
YAML storage works without any setup. MySQL support is available for networks sharing data across multiple servers. Switch storage type with one config line.

WorldGuard Integration
Trails automatically disable in worlds added to the blacklist. Compatible with WorldGuard region-based restrictions. Useful for event arenas, lag-sensitive areas, or minigame worlds.

Action Bar HUD
While gliding, players see a real-time action bar displaying the active trail name, current flight velocity, active perk, XP progress bar, and total XP. No external plugin required.

Unlock Celebration Effect
When a player earns a new trail through XP, a title announcement and a spherical particle burst play immediately. The reward feels significant because it looks significant.

ElytraTrails is designed for servers where player retention and long-term engagement matter:

• Survival servers with active elytra usage and a player economy
• RPG and adventure servers where cosmetic progression reinforces character growth
• Semi-vanilla networks that want low-friction cosmetics without breaking gameplay balance
• Economy-focused servers using Vault where cosmetics drive additional currency circulation
• Multi-server networks needing MySQL-backed cross-server data persistence

It is not suitable for servers running below Paper 1.21, or servers that want players to have all cosmetics immediately with no progression layer.


Every aspect of ElytraTrails is configurable without touching code:

• Enable or disable individual presets
• Set XP thresholds per preset
• Set Vault prices per preset
• Adjust particle count, speed, offset, and size per preset
• Set custom RGB colors for dust-type particles
• Configure flight mode unlock thresholds in seconds
• Toggle takeoff and landing effects, adjust their ring radius and particle count
• Set world blacklist entries
• Tune speed-reactive multiplier range and speed thresholds
• Configure all sounds with volume and pitch controls
• Switch language with a single config line