Cosmetics
Trails, tags, capes, pets, and pickaxe skins — all purely visual, all yours to mix and match.
Cosmetics are visual-only customizations. They do not make you stronger - they make you look cool. Trails, tags, pickaxe skins, capes, kill effects, and more.
What Cosmetics Are
Cosmetics change how you look, not how you play. They are purely for fun and showing off. None of them give a gameplay advantage.
You can mix and match many cosmetics at once - for example, a fire trail, a diamond pickaxe skin, and a chat tag all together.
Types of Cosmetics
| Type | What it does |
|---|---|
| Trails | Particles follow you as you walk (fire, hearts, rainbows, lightning, etc.). |
| Hats | Wear a special item on your head. |
| Kill Effects | A burst of particles plays when you kill another player in PVP. |
| Mine Effects | Sparkly effects play when you mine a block. |
| Pickaxe Skins | Changes the appearance of your pickaxe. |
| Tags | A prefix shown before your name in chat (like [Aurarius]). |
| Capes | Wear a custom cape. |
| Pets | A small creature that follows you around. |
| Fireworks | Custom firework effects. |
| Prestige Titles | Special titles for reaching prestige levels. |
How to Get Cosmetics
| Source | How |
|---|---|
| Store | Buy cosmetics at store.imperiummc.net. |
| Crates | Many crates reward exclusive cosmetics. |
| Achievements | Unlock some cosmetics by completing achievements. |
| Voting milestones | The 100-vote milestone grants a Voter cosmetic. |
| Prestige | Reaching prestige levels grants special prestige titles. |
| PVP kills | Some trails unlock at kill milestones (25, 50 kills). |
| Events | Limited-time cosmetics during holiday events. |
Trails, Hats & Effects
Trails (particles that follow you), hats, kill effects, and mine effects are the core visual cosmetic types, configured in cosmetics.yml. The catalog is being re-authored on the fresh schema (the old merged-texture-pack set was retired in 2026), so treat /cosmetics in-game as the live list. What the schema guarantees:
| Schema field | What it controls |
|---|---|
| Type | TRAIL, HAT, KILL_EFFECT, or MINE_EFFECT - all purely visual. |
| Prestige gate | An entry can require a minimum prestige level to unlock (0 = free). |
| Kill gate | An entry can require a lifetime PvP-kill count. |
| Particle | The Bukkit particle driving the trail/kill/mine effect. |
| P2W guard | The loader rejects any entry carrying stat keys - cosmetics can never boost income, damage, or XP. |
There are also donor-exclusive trails that come with donor ranks (Eques and up).
Tags (Chat Prefixes)
Tags are short labels shown before your name in chat. They show off your rank, achievements, or style.
Examples by rarity
| Rarity | Example tags |
|---|---|
| Common | Prisoner, Fossor, Operarius, Industria, Tiro |
| Uncommon | Manus Ferrea (Iron Fist), Aurarius (Gold Rush), Gemmarius (Diamond Cutter), Noctua (Night Owl), Cursor (Speedrunner) |
| Rare / Epic / Legendary / Mythic | Higher-tier tags unlocked through gameplay, crates, or the store |
How to equip a tag
- Type
/tagsto open the tags menu. - Click the tag you want to wear.
- It shows in chat before your name.
You can switch tags any time. Some tags are permanent unlocks; others you earn through gameplay.
Pickaxe Skins
Pickaxe skins change the appearance of your pickaxe (the item in your hand). Your pickaxe keeps all its enchants and stats - the skin is purely visual.
- Type
/pickaxeand look for the skins section, or use the cosmetics menu. - Skins come from the store, crates, and achievements.
- There is a huge skin catalog (thousands of skins) available via the optional cosmetics pack.
The cosmetics pack (large download)
There is a separate, larger texture pack with thousands of item skins. It is optional and a big download.
- Type
/cosmeticspackto download it. - Only do this on a fast connection - it is large.
- You can decline it and still play normally.
Capes
Capes are worn on your back. They are visible to other players who have the same pack loaded.
- Type
/capeto open the cape menu. - Equip or unequip capes you own.
- Capes come from the store, events, and achievements.
Pets
Pets are small creatures (or custom models) that follow you around. They are purely cosmetic - they do not fight or mine for you.
- Type
/petto open the pet menu. - Equip a pet, level it up, or rename it.
- Pets come from crates, prestige rewards (Prestige 5 gives a random pet), and the store.
How to Equip Cosmetics
- Type
/cosmeticsto open the main cosmetics menu. - Browse by type (Trails, Hats, Kill Effects, etc.).
- Click anything you own to equip or unequip it.
- You can preview most cosmetics before equipping.
Other equip commands
| Command | What it opens |
|---|---|
/cosmetics | The full cosmetics menu. |
/tags | Just the tags menu. |
/cape | Just the cape menu. |
/pet | Just the pet menu. |
Tips
- Cosmetics never affect gameplay. Pick whatever looks coolest to you.
- Mix and match. A trail + a tag + a cape + a pet is a great combo.
- Save rare cosmetics for show. Mythic trails and prestige titles are status symbols.
- Check
/tagsoften. You unlock new tags as you progress and may not notice. - Prestige unlocks more cosmetics. Many of the best trails require prestige levels.
Every cosmetic you earn or unlock is permanent and carries across all prestige runs forever. Your collection is a running trophy case of every climb you have completed.