Moderation policy
Clear rules. Fair review.
DustHaven uses documented evidence, consistent penalty tiers, independent appeal review, and the same standards for players and staff.
Enforcement matrix
The listed consequence is the starting point after a violation is established. A dash means the progression ends at the preceding permanent action.
| Violation | Firstoccurrence | Secondoccurrence | Furtheroccurrence |
|---|---|---|---|
| Player conductMinor poor conduct | Formal warning | 7-day ban | Permanent ban |
| Player conductSerious harassment: targeted abuse, repeated unwanted contact, hate speech | 7-day ban | Permanent ban | — |
| SafetyCredible threats, doxxing, stalking, or sharing private information | Permanent ban | — | — |
| Base rulesDismantling another player's base where server rules prohibit dismantling. Intentional base griefing or destruction outside allowed mechanics | 7-day ban | Permanent ban | — |
| Property rulesTheft from protected areas or during a prohibited situation | 3-day ban | 7-day ban | Permanent ban |
| Combat rulesCombat logging or deliberately avoiding a valid interaction | Formal warning | 3-day ban | 7-day ban, then permanent |
| ExploitationUsing a bug for personal advantage | 7-day ban and removal of gains | Permanent ban | — |
| Cheating / Major ExploitationDuping, deliberately abusing a major exploit, or distributing exploit instructions. Unauthorized third-party software, scripts, or other cheating | Permanent ban | — | — |
| Ban evasionEvading a ban through another account or identity | Permanent ban on all involved accounts | — | — |
| Ban evasionKnowingly helping another player evade a ban | 7-day ban | Permanent ban | — |
| IntegrityImpersonating staff or falsely claiming admin authority. Lying or fabricating evidence during an investigation | 7-day ban | Permanent ban | — |
| Community accessAdvertising, spam, or an inappropriate player name | Warning and required correction | 3-day ban | 7-day ban, then permanent |
| AdministrationRefusing a direct, reasonable staff instruction during an active incident | Warning or kick | 3-day ban | 7-day ban, then permanent |
| Support conductAbusing support tickets, making knowingly false reports, or repeatedly filing frivolous reports | Formal warning | 3-day ban | 7-day ban, then permanent |
| Staff accountabilityAbusing a staff role, admin tools, logs, spectator access, privileged information, spawned items, teleportation, invulnerability, or other staff capabilities for personal or group gain | Immediate staff removal and permanent server ban | — | — |
A formal warning counts only after the incident is reviewed and the warning is delivered to the player. Temporary bans include an exact expiration date and time. If a ban is overturned, it is removed from the player's enforcement record and the occurrence does not count against them. Minor offenses are offenses whose first-occurrence penalty in the matrix includes a warning, regardless of category. These offenses reset after six months of good conduct, unless there is a pattern of abusing the reset policy.
Case review standards
How reports, evidence, prior occurrences, staff conduct, and appeals are evaluated.
- Consistency
- Staff use the published matrix to keep similar cases aligned. The incident, supporting evidence, and relevant prior violations determine the outcome.
- Evidence
- A report is not proof. Staff should confirm the player's identity, applicable rule, incident time, available logs or recordings, and prior upheld occurrences before issuing a punishment.
- Occurrences
- An occurrence is counted only after review. Similar violations use the same progression. Minor offenses are offenses whose first-occurrence penalty in the matrix includes a warning, regardless of category. These offenses reset after six months of good conduct, unless there is a pattern of abusing the reset policy. Serious offenses, exploitation, base dismantling, cheating, ban evasion, and permanent-ban history do not expire.
- Same incident
- Multiple violations from one incident may be handled as one case. The most serious applicable penalty controls. Staff should not stack punishments merely to create an excessive sentence.
- Temporary bans
- Every temporary ban must record an exact expiration date and time with timezone. It should expire automatically whenever the ban system supports automatic expiration.
- Appeals
- A player may appeal a mistaken identity, inaccurate evidence, misapplied rule, or overlooked evidence. The original punishment remains active during review. It changes only when the review finds a material error.
- Appeal review
- When possible, an administrator who did not issue the punishment reviews the appeal. The reviewer checks identity, evidence, rule, penalty tier, prior upheld occurrences, and conflicts of interest.
- Insufficient evidence
- If the evidence does not establish the violation, do not punish the player just to be safe. Previous reputation does not prove a new incident.
- Staff accountability
- Staff members are held to the same rules and to a higher standard when using privileged access. Intentional abuse of staff authority, admin tools, logs, live maps, spectator access, spawned items, teleportation, invulnerability, or privileged information for personal or group gain results in immediate staff removal and a permanent server ban.
- Admin mistakes
- Accidental activation of an admin feature must be reported promptly and corrected. An honest, documented mistake is not automatically abuse. Concealment, retained advantage, or repeated carelessness may establish abuse.
- Discord moderation
- Staff may issue an immediate Discord mute or timeout lasting up to 24 hours for argumentative or disruptive behavior, or excessively negative, nonconstructive comments about the community. Constructive criticism and good-faith reports are welcome. Record the reason and expiration time. A mute is an immediate moderation action; any formal warning or ban follows the applicable matrix row. Major Discord offenses, including hate speech, targeted harassment, threats, or doxxing, result in a Discord ban and a corresponding game-server ban. Use the applicable offense and occurrence tier to determine the ban duration on both platforms. Discord bans follow the same review and appeals rules as server bans.
- Investigation assistance
- If you are temporarily banned while an investigation is underway, promptly notify an admin if doors need to be closed and locked or items need to be picked up and secured. Provide the location and details of what needs attention. Admins are willing to help on a case-by-case basis as time allows. Being unable to play because of an investigation should not, by itself, lead to the loss of your items. Assistance is not guaranteed, and admins cannot assist if you do not alert them in time to act before the items are lost. An investigation-related restriction is not an upheld occurrence by itself; any finding and penalty are determined through review.
Not grounds for reversal
Not knowing the rule, long playtime, donations, friendship with staff, or disagreement with a correctly applied published penalty.
Not knowing the rule, long playtime, donations, friendship with staff, or disagreement with a correctly applied published penalty.
Need to report or appeal?
Open a private support ticket and include the relevant names, time, place, and any screenshots or clips you have.