How to Protect Your Discord Server from Raids

If your server has more than a few hundred members, you've probably thought about the possibility of a raid. What would happen if 100 bot accounts joined at once? What if someone with admin permissions went rogue? What if your server got “nuked” — all channels deleted, all roles deleted, the whole thing?

The good news: raids are extremely predictable and mostly preventable. Unlike sophisticated cyberattacks that require insider knowledge, Discord raids follow predictable patterns and can be stopped with standard tooling. This guide covers exactly what to watch for, how to respond when an attack starts, and how to set up protection that works 24/7.

What Is a Discord Raid?

A Discord raid is a coordinated attack designed to disrupt a server or destroy its content. Raids come in several forms:

• Spam raids: Attackers join with multiple bot accounts or alt accounts and simultaneously post spam, links, or malicious content in channels. Usually designed to get the server reported or suspended
• Nuke raids: An attacker gains administrative privileges (either by compromising a staff account or by being granted permissions) and mass-deletes channels, roles, or messages. This destroys the server's structure
• Mass DM raids: Attackers use bots to DM all server members with spam, phishing links, or malware. The server itself isn't damaged, but members are targeted
• Bot raids: Attackers use Discord bots they control to join and spam commands, trigger other malicious bots, or abuse bot reactions
• Ban wave raids: Attackers join with high-permission accounts or compromised staff accounts and mass-ban active members

How to Recognize a Raid in Progress

Early detection is critical. The first 30 seconds of a raid determine whether you can stop it or whether it spirals into chaos. Watch for these signs:

• Sudden spike in join events: Multiple new members joining within seconds. Check the server audit log — if 50+ accounts joined in the last minute, something is wrong
• Messages from unknown accounts: New members who immediately post in channels with links, invites, or spam content
• Unusual admin actions: Channels disappearing, roles being deleted, message or permission settings changing unexpectedly. Check the audit log for “Prune Messages”, “Delete Channel”, or “Delete Role” events
• Mass mentions or pings: A sudden wave of notifications from @everyone or staff role pings (especially in spam messages)
• Bot behavior changes: Bots you recognize suddenly spamming, reacting strangely, or executing unknown commands
• Member list chaos: If your server is large enough, sorting the member list by “Join Date” will show a cluster of new accounts at the top, all with similar names or blank profiles
• Verification system saturation: If you use verification, a sudden flood of verification attempts from accounts that fail your checks (e.g., accounts with no history, VPN IPs, etc.)

Immediate Response: What to Do During a Raid

If you realize your server is under attack, follow these steps in order. The goal is to lock down the server and prevent further damage.

Step 1: Stop the Bleeding (First 30 Seconds)

• Enable slow mode in all channels (Server Settings → Channels → edit each channel or use bulk settings). Set it to 60 seconds or higher. This prevents spam bots from flooding the chat
• Temporarily restrict @everyone by removing “Send Messages” permissions. Go to Server Settings → Roles → @everyone, uncheck Send Messages. This stops all new messages from unverified accounts
• Mute the #general channel or main channels to prevent further escalation while you assess

Step 2: Identify the Threat (Next 60 Seconds)

• Check the audit log immediately. Server Settings → Audit Log. Look for:
  • Mass “Delete Channel” or “Delete Role” events (indicates nuke raid)
  • A staff account performing admin actions it shouldn't (indicates compromised account)
  • Bot names or accounts you don't recognize with administrative activity
• Check recent joins: Sort members by join date. If you see 100+ accounts with “No Avatar”, blank names, or suspicious usernames all joined in the last minute, document this

Step 3: Contain and Respond

• If it's a bot raid (spam messages but no deletion): Use your anti-raid bot's mass-ban feature. Beemo can auto-ban new accounts. If you don't have one, manually ban the accounts or ask your raid detection bot to take action
• If it's a nuke raid (channels/roles deleted): Check if you have a backup. If you have RestoreCord or similar, you can restore from a snapshot. If not, you'll need to rebuild manually. See the recovery section below
• If a staff account is compromised: Immediately remove all permissions from that account and have the person change their Discord password. Then verify they weren't the attacker — sometimes accounts are hacked by people with server access
• Ban all new accounts from the last few hours: Use the Member List to sort by join date and ban in batches. Be careful not to ban legitimate new members

Step 4: Communication and All Clear

• Post in a staff-only channel: Give admins a summary of what happened. Document the time, the type of attack, and the response
• Re-enable @everyone permissions gradually once the attack has stopped. Start by enabling it again in one channel to test, then roll out
• Disable slow mode once chat is stable and verified members are back
• Post a brief message to the server: Something like “We experienced a brief security incident. It's now resolved. Our verification system prevented the attack from causing damage. Thank you for your patience.” Don't give attackers a detailed post-mortem

Prevention: Setting Up Raid Protection

The best defense is not being attractive to attackers in the first place. A server with strong verification and raid detection is exponentially less likely to be targeted.

Discord's Built-In Tools (Free)

• Verification level “High” — Server Settings → Safety Setup → set verification level to “High”. This requires members to have been in Discord for 10 minutes (or another time threshold) before they can chat. Most bot raids use brand-new accounts, so this stops 60-70% of basic raids
• AutoMod: Server Settings → AutoMod → create rules for invite links, suspicious keywords, and spam patterns. AutoMod can automatically timeout or ban users who trigger rules
• Slow mode: Set to 5-10 seconds in high-traffic channels during peak hours when raids are most likely. Reduces spam impact significantly
• Explicit content filter: Set to “Scan all members”. This catches common spam patterns

Verification Bots (RestoreCord OAuth2 Verification)

• What it does: Requires members to verify via Discord's OAuth system before they can access the server. This confirms they're real Discord users, not bots
• Why it works: 90% of bot raids use either brand-new accounts or compromised alts. OAuth verification creates friction that makes bulk raids impractical
• How to set it up: Add RestoreCord to your server, enable OAuth verification in the dashboard. New members land in a #verify channel and must click a button to verify. Once verified, they get access to the full server
• Bonus: RestoreCord tracks verified members, so if the server gets nuked, you can restore all members automatically

Anti-Raid Bots (Beemo, Security Bot)

• Beemo: Free raid detection. Learns your server's normal join rate and alerts when it spikes. Can auto-ban new accounts or invite users to a quarantine channel. Extremely low false positives
• Why it's essential: Raids are typically 50-200 bot accounts joining in 30-120 seconds. Beemo detects this pattern and can auto-respond before human mods even notice
• How to use: Invite Beemo, set your join threshold (usually 10-20 accounts per minute), and let it run. It will alert you and optionally auto-ban suspicious accounts

Anti-Nuke Bots (Wick, Security Bot)

• What they do: Monitor admin actions in real time. If someone mass-deletes channels, mass-deletes roles, or mass-bans members, anti-nuke bots can automatically:
  • Lock the server (disable @everyone from sending messages)
  • Restore deleted channels from a cache
  • Ban the offending account
  • Alert admins immediately
• Why it's critical: Nuke raids can destroy a server in seconds. By the time a human mod notices, hundreds of channels might be gone. An anti-nuke bot can stop it before 10 channels are deleted
• Recommended: Wick (free tier is very capable) — invite it, enable action logging, set sensitivity to high. Test it with a channel deletion to make sure it works

VPN and Proxy Blocking

• What it does: Blocks users joining from VPNs, proxies, or data centers. Most bot accounts use hosting providers and VPNs to bypass IP bans or create multiple accounts
• Available through: RestoreCord (Premium+), Double Counter. Can be toggled per-server
• Trade-off: Some legitimate users might be blocked (e.g., people in countries with censorship using VPNs). You can provide a password bypass for these users, or allow them to appeal
• Recommendation: Enable VPN blocking if your server is <5,000 members or is a private/exclusive community. Disable for public servers where you want broad accessibility

Building a Complete Anti-Raid Stack

Different server sizes need different approaches. Here's what to implement based on your community:

Small Servers (Under 500 Members)

Focus on simplicity and cost-effectiveness:

• Discord High verification level
• Beemo (free raid detection)
• Wick free tier (anti-nuke)
• RestoreCord Free (verification + member recovery)
• Manual backups using Discord's server templates
• Total cost: Free
• Setup time: 30 minutes

Medium Servers (500 to 5,000 Members)

Add layer on top of small server setup:

• Everything from small servers, plus:
• RestoreCord Premium (€5/mo) for automated snapshots and VPN/proxy detection
• Wick Premium ($5/mo) for priority support and advanced logging
• Optional: Double Counter Pro (~$3/mo) for detailed member analytics
• Total cost: €8-10/mo
• Benefit: Automated backups mean full recovery after a nuke is possible in under 1 minute

Large Servers (5,000+ Members)

Build a comprehensive security infrastructure:

• Everything from medium servers, plus:
• RestoreCord Business (€10/mo) for advanced firewall, IP/country/ASN filtering, unlimited snapshots
• Custom RestoreCord branded bot (€2/mo) for improved trust and conversion
• Wick Premium with priority support
• Double Counter Pro for detailed alt/alt-account detection
• OPTIONAL: A second anti-nuke bot like Security Bot as redundancy
• Total cost: €15-20/mo
• Benefit: Multi-layer defense means raids are unlikely to even be attempted against your server

Recovery After a Raid

If prevention failed and your server was damaged, recovery speed depends on preparation.

If You Have a Backup (RestoreCord Snapshots)

• Restore server structure: RestoreCord dashboard → Snapshots → select the backup from right before the attack → click Restore. This rebuilds channels, roles, and permissions in under 1 minute
• Restore members: If members were verified through OAuth, RestoreCord can automatically reinvite them using stored tokens. Community can be fully functional in under 5 minutes
• Restore messages (Business plan only): Premium snapshots include message content, so you can restore pins, guides, and important announcements

If You Don't Have a Backup

• Assess damage: Take screenshots of the audit log to document what was deleted. This is useful for reports to Discord Trust & Safety
• Rebuild channels: If possible, use Discord's Undo button (Ctrl+Z) on deleted channels within the first few seconds after deletion. Otherwise, recreate channels manually using a documented template
• Restore roles: Recreate roles with the same permissions. This is tedious but necessary
• Recover members: If you have RestoreCord Free or another OAuth service, you can reinvite verified members. Otherwise, members will need to rejoin manually
• Report to Discord: If the attack was severe, report it to Discord Trust & Safety. Include audit log screenshots and a summary of damage. They may be able to provide additional recovery options

For a detailed step-by-step recovery process, see our complete recovery guide.

Frequently Asked Questions

Raid protection is one of the most high-impact security investments you can make for a Discord server. The fact that raids are predictable and almost entirely preventable makes them one of the easiest threats to defend against — if you set up the right tools.

Set up RestoreCord to add verification, member recovery, and server backups to your defense, or explore our pricing options for advanced firewall features and automated snapshot protection that can restore your entire server in under 1 minute.