Understanding Elo
The real Elo formula used on PaffMC, with worked examples: points won and lost, placement matches, Bronze to Champion ranks, anti-farming and season end.
Published 23 October 2026 by the PaffMC team
1. Low ping from where you live
In PvP, every millisecond counts. A server hosted near you means your hits land at the right moment. PaffMC is hosted in France: ideal for Europe and North Africa, less so for the Americas or Asia.
2. A shop that does not sell wins
Look at what is for sale. If you can buy stronger kits, items or in-game money, paying players start with an advantage. Mojang's rules for servers forbid that anyway. On PaffMC, the shop only sells cosmetics and convenience; in duels, both players have the same kit.
3. Anti-cheat and active staff
A good server detects abnormal reach, autoclickers or flying, and gives you an easy way to report a cheater. On PaffMC: server-side anti-cheat, the /report command that alerts online staff, and tickets on Discord.
4. Honest numbers
Some servers inflate their player count or pass bots off as humans. Be wary of a "full" server where nobody talks in chat. On PaffMC, the counter only counts real players; when a bot fills a queue, it is shown as a bot, and a ranked match against it does not change Elo.
5. A ranking that means something
An Elo protected against farming (the same opponent over and over, alt accounts) is worth something. The details of our system are in the Elo guide.
6. Available on your platform
On console you need a method to join an external server: a good server explains it clearly. Our guides cover PS4 and PS5, Xbox, Switch, mobile and PC.
7. A community and events
A server lives through its people. Check for an active Discord, regular events (KOTH, tournaments, bosses) and staff who answer. And be honest with yourself: a small serious server where you find opponents at your level beats a big server where you wait.