A quiet background helper that lets you in even when your launcher is set to an older game version than the server is currently running. Our server runs on the latest Paper, but not everyone fancies flipping their launcher profile every time — and that's exactly what ViaBackwards handles: it translates packets on the fly between your old client and the new server, so you simply connect and play. It's the mirror counterpart to ViaVersion (which instead lets newer clients onto older servers), and it needs ViaVersion to do its job — which is why both run here hand in hand. Because new content physically doesn't exist in your older version, the plugin cleverly "repaints" it into something your client knows (newer blocks, mobs or effects appear as their nearest older equivalent), so the game doesn't crash and the world still makes sense. Here we've left a whole set of these small patches on — for instance a sculk shrieker shows to older clients as crying obsidian to fix collisions, the darkness effect maps to blindness, and colours in inventory titles stay readable. You don't do anything with it directly as a player; you just enjoy being able to join even on an older version.

How to use

1. 1You don't operate ViaBackwards directly — it runs in the background alongside ViaVersion and has no player commands.
2. 2If your launcher is on an older version than the server, just connect to the usual address — the plugin sorts out the rest for you.
3. 3The very newest content will appear as its nearest older equivalent (a newer block as a similar older one, say) — that's normal, not a bug.
4. 4You always get the best experience on the current game version; ViaBackwards is a safety net, not a reason to never update.