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Field guide

Obsidian and durable blocks

Obsidian and other durable blocks are timers. They make attackers spend more TNT and give defenders time to repair, move loot or counterattack. They do not make a base unraidable.

Obsidian and other durable blocks are timers. They make attackers spend more TNT and give defenders time to repair, move loot or counterattack. They do not make a base unraidable.

Short version

TNT underwater Still damages blocks

Water is not wall immunity on United Factions. If a wall is covered by water, still plan to repair it.

Obsidian About 30 TNT

Treat obsidian as a time buffer. Around 30 good TNT hits is enough to break through if nobody repairs.

Crying obsidian About 40 TNT

Crying obsidian lasts longer than normal obsidian, but it is still a timer, not a permanent wall.

Reinforced deepslate About 60 TNT

Reinforced deepslate buys the most time here. Use it for important layers, not as an excuse to skip repair access.

How it works in-game

  1. Every durable block is a timer: TNT hits reduce durability until the block breaks.
  2. Water can still matter for cannon behavior and terrain, but it does not cancel custom block durability damage.
  3. Layering and repair access are stronger than one expensive wall with no way to maintain it.

What to do

  1. Treat obsidian as a time buffer, not a guarantee. Use the public rule of thumb: obsidian about 30 TNT, crying obsidian about 40, reinforced deepslate about 60.
  2. Use layers with repair space between them. A single expensive wall is easier to focus than several repairable layers with observation points.
  3. Protect utility blocks and vault controls separately. A wall can hold while a careless door, hopper, roof gap or permission setting fails.
  4. Recheck the guide after major balance updates. The public numbers are rounded player-facing thresholds, not the full backend formula.

Durability rule of thumb

For normal players, remember the rounded thresholds: obsidian is about 30 TNT, crying obsidian about 40, and reinforced deepslate about 60. The exact backend formula is intentionally not published.

Why water is not enough

Vanilla Minecraft treats TNT in water differently, but United Factions intentionally uses custom explosion handling for Factions gameplay. Water may still shape cannons and movement, but it should not be sold as wall immunity.

Check this first

  • Outer shell is repairable under pressure.
  • High-value blocks are behind multiple layers.
  • Members understand that water-covered obsidian still needs repair.
Next steps

Where this guide connects.

Base defense Turn durable blocks into layered time, not false safety. TNT cannons Understand what attackers will actually use. Guide hub Pick the next mechanic in the player journey. Ask in Discord Use Discord for quick questions and recruitment.

Where this comes from

This guide uses public Minecraft/Lands mechanics and rounded United Factions player guidance. Exact backend formulas are not published and may change during balance updates.