Whether your Discord server is for friends or a community there are several features every server should have. When you’re just starting a Discord server it can be particularly difficult to know what features you should add. Some Discord features add utility to the server, while others maintain the server and make it easier to use.
Muted Role
A muted role works similar to a timeout, preventing a member with the role from typing or talking. Bots interact with a muted role, allowing the role to be used to automatically punish rule breakers. You can customize the permissions in your server to change what muted members can do.
Embedded Information Channels
Embedded messages help make a server look professional and should be used for all informational channels. When creating your embedded message we recommend taking time to format the text and design. The better the message looks the more personalized the server will feel.
Embedded messages work using Discord webhooks and can be created with Discohook. The messages can be edited at any point and can be sent using any username and profile image you like.
Moderation Bots
A great way to take some stress off moderators is to set up a moderation bot. With a moderation bot in your server, selected actions will automatically occur whenever a member breaks the rules. Most bots allow you to completely customize your moderation settings to make the rules as strict or loose as you would like.
Depending on the bot your moderators will also get access to moderation tools that can be very helpful when punishing members or cleaning up the server.
Game Bots
One of the most difficult tasks when building a Discord server is keeping members active. Game bots are a great option for engaging server members. Some of the more popular game bots are Dank Memer and PokeTwo.
Level Roles & Rewards
Level roles allow members to gain XP and rewards from being active in your Discord server. When your server members level up roles will automatically be given to them using a bot, allowing them to unlock different permissions. The rewards can range from allowing the member to change their nickname, or giving them access to a special channel. You can set up level roles using a Discord bot such as Arcane or Pro bot.
Anti-Nuke Measures
Nuking a Discord server is when someone will kick or ban all of the members. As your Discord server becomes more popular there will be people looking to ruin it. You can protect your server by either removing all role permissions to kick and ban, or using an anti-nuke bot like Wick.
We also recommend enabling the 2FA requirement in the server moderation settings. This will require all of your moderators to enable 2-factor authentication on their accounts before they can use moderation tools.
Verification System
Like most platforms Discord has its fair share of bot and scam accounts. To keep out any unwanted bots or scammers we recommend including some sort of verification system in your Discord server. Reaction roles are one of the more popular methods of verification, requiring new members to add a reaction to gain access to the server.
Discord also has an inbuilt verification system that can be set through the server moderation settings. We recommend using at least the medium verification level. However, as your server grows you will want to switch to either the high or highest level.
Self-Assignable Roles
Self-assignable roles allow members to assign themselves specific roles that will customize the server. Using permissions, the roles can be used to customize which channels members can see. We highly recommend using self-assignable roles in larger servers with a lot of channels.
Ping Roles
Ping roles can be used instead of the everyone mention allowing members to opt in to mention notifications. Using ping roles members can choose what notifications they receive, and when they receive them. This is particularly useful for content creator servers where lots of mentions will be occurring. You can use ping roles for news, video notifications, stream notifications, and more.
Member Stats
Member stats are locked voice channels that show statistics from your server. With member stats you can show how many members your server has, or how many people have a specific role. Pairing member stats with a level role feature may incentivize members to be more active.
Specialized Channels
Specialized channels are a must-have Discord server feature. Setting up channels for a specific use or topic will help keep your server organized and prevent confusion. For example, promotion, meme, and help channels.
Moderator Guide
A highly underrated feature that you can add to your server is a moderator guide. A moderator guide is a specified channel that outlines what is expected by your moderators. Having a guide will allow your moderators to act according to what you want, and know how to handle specific situations that might arise.
Private Channels
Private channels give special roles a place to talk. For example, a mod channel. With a mod channel, moderators can talk about how to punish a member without it being shown to the entire server. You can also use a private channel to post all of your server images to be used in embedded messages.
Locked Channels
Voice channels can be locked so that only specified roles can join. However, all members in the server will be able to see the locked channel and who is in it. By adding locked channels to your server your members will be able to see you talking to friends in the server. We highly recommend using locked channels for content creation to show your members your activity.
Log Channels
Every Discord server should have log channels to track the actions of server members. Log channels are typically read-only channels that bots post to. We recommend having numerous log channels with different actions being logged in each one.
Music Bot
Music bots are a great addition to any server as they add extra utility for your members. With a music bot members can listen to music while in a voice channel. This allows multiple people to listen to the same songs at once.
Dedicated Bot Channels
With dedicated bot channels members will only be able to use certain bots in specific channels. This is particularly useful if your server has level roles or game bots.
Hidden Bots
A good way to keep your Discord server looking professional is it hide bots in your server. This is highly recommended if you have added a lot of bots. While there is no direct way to hide a bot, there are a few methods you can use to disguise them.
Suggestion Channel
Members can use a suggestion channel to suggest server improvements or content ideas. To encourage suggestions you can add a reward role for anyone with a successful suggestion.
Ticket System
When a feature isn’t working properly members can use a ticket system to report the issue. Members can also use a ticket system to report any other issues they run into with the server. A ticket system can be added using a Discord bot.
Booster & Subscriber Channels
As your server grows we highly recommend adding booster or subscriber only channels. These private channels will give your supporters a special place to interact.
Aesthetic Channel Names
Channel names are easy to overlook. When setting up your server you should customize each channel name. You can customize the names to match your server theme or have a unique style. In addition, using emojis can help brighten up the channel names and make each easy to identify.
Announcement Channel
An announcement channel can be a text channel or an announcement channel. Specialized announcement channels can only be created with the community feature enabled. Members can follow announcement channels to receive notifications in their own server.
Final Thoughts
You should always be looking to add more Discord features to your server. Adding features help keep members active and gives them something to do.
