A Shrimp in Splinterlands! I Finally Took the Plunge into this Legendary OG Blockchain Game
I did it! I took the plunge! I am now in Splinterlands!
And I am getting my ass kicked!
But I'm glad I am there. This article will give you a few insights into why I finally joined this groovy crowd of gamers, what you need to know before joining, and what (small amount) I have learned so far.
Why I Finally Joined Splinterlands
There are some perplexing blockchain games out there. In one of them, all you can do right now is admire your spaceship as it uselessly spins. In another one, you just click a button that says "mine" then you click a button that says "claim" then you click another button that says "approve" then you see if you won a prize NFT. Which I never do. I have terrible luck. This is just a fact, and I am used to it by now. Not happy about it, but used to it. So in these click the button see if you get a good prize games, I get sad and annoyed quickly because while everyone else is posting about how they "finally got a good NFT" that is worth $300 after the apparently lame one they got that was only worth $50, I sit around like an idiot waiting to maybe get some NFT that costs more to sell than it is worth.
Is it so hard to make a game that actually is a game? What is it with Cryptoworld that creates so many terrible games. I mean, they would have been brutal bores if I was playing them on a Commodore PET in 1988. Click, wait, click, wait, read post about someone getting rich, click, wait, cry salty tears when you get another useless dreck.
But in my subconscious there existed a world that was different. A world where the game was a real game, where a little shrimp with a dream could battle his way to becoming a slightly larger shrimp with a few Dark Energy Crystals to his name. I must have read a dozen articles about this magical place, and after each one I am sure my shrimp brain said "sounds too complicated, I will get my ass kicked." However after toiling away with my frail shrimp arms in the Click Mines of Mordor for lo these many years, getting my ass kicked sounded like a dream. At least something would be happening!
So, I steeled my shrimpy little heart (I assume shrimps have hearts, right? Does anyone know this?) to plunk down actual human money to go get my ass kicked in a real, honest blockchain game that, for once, actually was a game.
What You Need to Know
I gave away the headline to some degree. The first thing you need to know about Splinterlands is that there is an entrance fee to this game. $10. Well, I am getting ahead of myself here. There is a Free 2 Play version where you do practice battles, but that is it. You do not accumulate assets, power, equipment, or anything else from this version as far as I can tell. Not interesting, not useful. So the Play 2 Earn game is really where the shizzle is at in Splinterlands. And for that, you need to put down $10.
Splinterlands is in the HIVE ecosystem. HIVE is supremely complex IMHO. If you want to dive in and understand HIVE, read or watch a comprehensive guide. I am now playing three HIVE games and participating in 2-3 HIVE-based social platforms and I still don't have any clue how anything works. HIVE is a cautionary tale for why people should not take magic shrooms, read the Silmarillion, then code. HIVE experts get it and they know I am an idiot, but if you are not a HIVE expert and don't want to become one, then you can skip all that. I just used PayPal and blammo!, there I was, taking my first steps in the Play 2 Earn world of Splinterlands.
Immediately I was confused. Here is the portal to Splinterlands:
You will notice two things. First, you can buy with a code (no idea where to get one), PayPal (mm-hmmm), or Crypto. Especially in a down market, I didn't feel like spending my tiny stash of crypto, so I used PayPal because I have an annoying but useful credit card that earns me 3% on internet shopping and I have some fiat rewards credit to burn there. Second, you will notice that the "Packs" tab is selected. This is a NFT-card game, so you might think that you need a starter pack to get going and you might imagine that if you buy something in "Packs" section for a card game that you will get a pack. Foolish mortal! This is HIVE and I already explained that it is confusing in HIVE.
No, what you get is more like an account upgrade. For your $10 you can compete in rewards competitions and, crucially, earn Dark Energy Crystals (known as DEC, the game's native currency) and complete daily quests (where you can win cards, DEC or other performance enhancing assets).
Once you do that, you can buy more stuff or you can start to Battle! If you do the steps so far, you will have an array of pretty wimpy starter cards to choose from. It would be much better for you to join with a referral.
I searched and searched and searched trying to find a specific referral link from an article I remember reading a long time ago. The author generously had offered to lend players great cards to help them advance. I love that sort of thing in Cryptoworld - it is part of what drew me here. But I couldn't find that article, or any of the articles I had randomly read so long ago. I really apologize to the great writers out there who have promoted Splinterlands with so much heart and integrity. I mainly signed up out of frustration with AlienWorlds and Upland and just couldn't find those posts in time. I am a big fan of using referral links and carefully consider which to use. I am sorry I did a crappy job this time around. And on top of that, I know I will be the one to suffer because it will take me days, if not weeks longer to start making progress on this game! I am not very good at it and the basic cards are mainly useless against good cards. My bad, my apologize to Cryptoworld!!
I am not going to promote my own referral/affiliate link here, because I think you will do better and support wiser players than me if you use one of these player's codes:
TO SUMMARIZE GETTING STARTED
Follow a good referral link from a nice, kind, wise, helpful veteran Splinterizer
Learn as much or as little about HIVE as you want, but be prepared to spend $10
Your $10 does not buy you any assets, but it does upgrade your account so that you can Play 2 Earn
Dark Energy Crystals (DEC) are the native currency and you earn them when you win battles
Completing daily quests also can help you win DEC, gain NFT cards that you can use or sell, and compete for other prizes as you get better
What I Have Learned So Far
Well, when I said I was prepared to get my ass kicked, and that the game was complex, I was totally, 100% right. I am getting my ass kicked, and the depth of play is 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea deep. Here is my profile after one day:
You can see that I am not very good at this. I did tank one of those games on purpose because I was starting to level up before I knew what I was doing, but I definitely am losing more than I am winning. I am pretty sure this will be a continuing trend haha! I did complete a Daily Quest and earned a reward. Because I have terrible luck, I got a very common, fairly wimpy card that I probably will never use and that is worth maybe $0.05. My bad luck is a fact, like I said. I don't count on ever winning a good card or getting a pack or getting a large payout of DEC, because I never have gotten that kind of thing in any other game I've played. I'm a sad-sack grinder and I am a lot of fun, I am sure, for luckier and better players to pummel into a bloody little splat. Hahaha! (I am crying on the inside though)
So that is the getting my ass kicked part. What about the complexity? Allow me to let the interface speak for itself!
What you see are the menu options at the top left (with the Cards interface open), some golden vampire teeth asset that I have none of in the top middle, with my miniscule DEC winnings of 0.2 DEC after 7 victories, then my username, which strikes fear into exactly nobody at this point.
In the row below that you have all the ways in which cards are typed: Edition, Foil (gold is better, which means I don't have any haha!), Role (Summoners versus fighters), Rarity (4 levels), and then Splinters which are the elements or factions of each card. The cards shown here are all Fire Splinters. The Splinter you go to Battle with is determined by your Summoner's Splinter. Everyone says Summoners are the most important card to focus on early, so there's that tip for you. On each of the cards you can see the Mana they require to be deployed in battle, their type of attack (saws mean melee, bullseyes mean ranged). You can see how much damage they do, their speed, and their hit points and so on. Are you tired yet? Hope not because there is more! Cards also have special skills like Reach (can attack from behind the card you choose to be your main melee tank) or Sneak and so on. Each of these cards can be leveled up, too. Oh, and in case that is not enough, Summoners also can grant special abilities to everybody, and in addition to Melee and Ranged attack modes, there also is Magic.
You think I'm done, don't you. Poor you. There is at least one more element that comes into play and that is the fact that you sometimes get random rules of engagement for battles (like certain card types get an advantage or are ruled out), and the fact that Daily Quests specify certain types of battles that count. For example, my first Daily Quest needed 5 wins using card decks that had at least one card with Sneak ability.
It is complex, dude. That degree of complexity will reward better gamers, which is appealing to gamer types. For me, it ensure that I will forever get my ass kicked, but what else is new! Haha!
My Takeaways
I am excited to dive deeper into Splinterlands! I think it is a real game, with many opportunities to gain assets, get better, learn more, and join a community of people who really like what is happening there. The Splinterlands community, as reflected in the PubOx writers I remember reading weeks ago at east are not just trying to score quick payouts, although I am sure that they are making a very healthy amount through their skills. It seems complex and overwhelming, but I think you, and maybe even me, will prosper if we keep three key ideas in mind:
Use a referral from someone awesome
It can be as easy as using PayPal to get going, don't let the HIVE mystique slow you down
It is a complex game but when in doubt, just keep grinding and you will see some payoff
I hope you enjoyed my first take on Splinterlands. As a pretty bad gamer and crypto noob, I will keep sharing my impressions and tips as I go, so consider supporting me. I am pathetic enough already haha!
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Hey welcome onboard - you sound like you've got the hang of it already! It gets much more interesting once you get up to silver leagues and beyond!
You should check out @exodegame as well, only Evac is playable atm, and the early stages of colonisation - but still the chance to be a relatively early adopter in that one!
@tipu curate
Upvoted 👌 (Mana: 10/48) Liquid rewards.
Thanks! I am excited for Exode. I have my tine frozen planet and am curious to see what comes next!
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Ah yes I got a frozen one too! I just wish the development pace was faster!
Hey! Welcome to Splinterlands! I got around halfway ghrough this and needed to stop to offer a quick correction.
When you join via free to play you get what amounts to phantom cards. You can use them but they don’t have monetary value. When you buy a starter deck your free to play cards become assets that you can sell or trade, unless something has changed I’m not aware of. I may have more notes after I finish this read but I really want to clarify that, as although it seems rather insignificant, you might be surprised how much starter deck cards can increase in value once that particular edition is out of print.
Thanks! But I think that has changed. All of the cards that I am allowed to use are Playable but not Owned. I didn't get any packs, or even a card, when I signed up. Just Playable standard cards that are not mine. It is pretty disappointing to be honest. $10 for nothing but the chance to grind. I am sure that earlier players got a lot more than us later players. I currently have 1 quite lame card that is mine all mine. But so far the game play is nice and I'll give it a grind to see if I can build any kind of deck. If you know how I should be able to get a Starter Deck I would love to hear it, though!
Wow, I guess a lot has changed. When they first switched it over the p4f cards were only playable but buying the deck gave you the cards. My apologies. I didn’t realize it had changed.
Have you heard of peakmonsters.com? You can rent/lease cards there, as well as bid on cards that you don’t want to pay list price for. 😊
I think I might have to check out peakmonsters ASAP - I just lost 9 straight battles lol! Just think, only 9 battles ago I used to love this game haha! My power is literally 10. I am hopeless - oh well, maybe I will get a lucky draw :)
Lol. Dude you should’ve been here for the two day losing streaks in the beginning when they were still balancing it.
People seriously had 30+ game losing streaks. It was EXCRUCIATING.
I delegated a gf Maylor to you. I’m at work and don’t have time to see what else I have available and I’ll try to remember to send few more tonight. Hope it helps get a bit more of that sweet DEC for you.
Wow, thanks!! That is really kind of you! That is so cool! I just saw him. Man did my power go up lol!
Really, just from that?
Yeah, from like 60 to 2000. It must be hard for old pros like you to remember how wimpy we noobs are hahaha! :)
Yeah but I started with a $300 investment at the launch of beta, so I’ve always been somewhat ahead of the curve.
You definitely earned it, and what must be a great return, no doubt. I'll be a shrimp for a long time to come, but I am starting to see that games have at least as high if not greater ROI than cryptocurrencies themselves. Long term goal is to build a little investment stake specific to games and see if I can make a go of it. :)
True. When I got involved I thought it’d be a safe place for $$ but I didn’t expect it to be what it’s becoming. Never ceases to surprise and amaze me.
Ok. I sent a couple more summoners. I dont know when I need them back but likely not anytime soon. They may have cool downs from previous play but shouldn’t. None the less, i hope they help.
I really appreciate that! I think it makes a big difference. I am starting to get a little feel for the strategy and might be able to sneak my way up a level or two. Thanks for your help!! And I assume you can just recall the cards when you need them back, so I'll consider myself forewarned :)
Yes, but I'll try to give a reasonable heads up so you don't get dropped from tournaments after a team has been submitted.
Hey were any of those on a cool down? Have you gotten to use them? I may have to recall them soon. My guild is re-organizing to clear out some freeloaders and I’m probably gonna have to reactivate an alt account to step up to cover Brawls.
Having said that, we’re also looking to find a member we can delegate a gold deck specifically to fill the gf untamed brawl slots. I’m not sure if you’d be interested in joining, and I don’t know if it would be an extended offer, but if you’re interested maybe we could consider it as an option.
Guild fees are currently 2k dec/monthly, but that’s not being enforced until July 1st, after which it will be strictly enforced. We’re about to have a purge to make room for more serious players, and guild fees may go up later this year, depending on how steadily the guild upgrades are advancing.
Let me know if you think it’d be worth access to a silver/gold untamed gf deck to fill brawls until we get organized and I’ll see if everyone gets on board.
I don't know if any are on cooldown - is there a way to tell? I have used the cards and benefitted from them for sure, particularly in being able to advance to Bronze I because of the power boost they give me. Also, Mylor is not in the starter deck so that has been very useful. I think without them I would only be able to compete in Bronze III. That has made a difference for the season because I can win more packs. So thank you for this and I appreciate it.
Of course you should recall them when you need to, for whatever reason you need them. I appreciate you giving me some heads-up. Do you know if I would still be able to claim Bronze I rewards if I lose power for that level?
For the guild, thank you for considering me. I think I am a pretty good player, but I am not quite at 50% wins, so I don't know if I am good enough for your guild. Also, I have only earned 154 DEC so far and have played every day for 10 days, so I would not come close to earning 2000 DEC per month. I would get purged right away I think.
I probably need to find a way to lease other cards that can give me enough power to stay at least in Bronze III. Is that easy to do? I have seen people refer to leasing but I have not figured out how to do it yet.
You wouldn't be able to use them if they were, so I guess they aren't or aren't anymore.
I'm probably gonna need them next month for sure, but right now I'm just feeling things out. I haven't heard from the others regarding what kind of deck we could assemble yet either, or if that's what we're going to settle on. I just thought I'd toss it out there to see where everyone stands on things. I imagine your power would increase considerably using an all gold deck, so earnings should increase, but I don't know if it would be enough to cover guild fees, as you pointed out.
You can claim any rewards earned, so it doesn't matter where you end the season in ranking or power, you'll get rewarded for highest level achieved.
Go to peakmonsters.com to lease cards. I've never done it, but it seems pretty straight forward. I was going to once, but the card I wanted to test was affordable so I just bought it. Closest I've gotten to trying it, lol.
Haha, yeah, I just looked, and as a point of comparison, gold-foil Drake of Arnak is $4.5 to rent and $5.44 to buy. I also cannot tell how much they would increase power. So, I think I just need to hope for some nice cards in the pack and otherwise just grind away in Bronze III or whichever league I qualify for.
I appreciate the chance to use them so far and totally understand that you will need them back next month if not sooner. Cheers! :)
Ok. I’m finished and kudos on a great write up! This does pretty much nail the basics but there’s so much more.
For instance, the dev team just announced another new upgrade. In addition to the land/minting update expected in Q3/Q4 this year, they’re also airdropping a new token. All owned cards factor into the amount to be dropped and those drops will be ongoing for almost 5 1/2 years. The Splintershards, as they’re calling them, will also grant a governance both inside the game, but more importantly, outside. Meaning, players who hold and stake Splintershards will have voting control over the DAO (That’s right, we’re getting our own DAO!!) which will be the funding pool the game uses going forward to determine how, and in what direction(s) the game grows.
This was out of the blue as far as I know, and it’s the biggest thing to happen to the project to date. Again, welcome aboard. Pray we don’t meet on the battlefield. 😝
Thanks for your kind words. The Dev team drop of the new token sounds interesting! Except that because new players (or at least me and maybe that's just my bad luck as always) don't get any Starter Deck, so I have 1 common lame card and can't imagine getting any airdrop that would be worth anything. It's nice and I have nothing against rewarding longer term and more invested players, but my impression is that the good old days of starting out and getting actual cards to own and play with are gone. Or, it is some special sign up thing that I don't know about.
You’ll earn more or earn enough DEC to buy some. Tournaments are a good way to earn dec starting out at low levels.
You’re first gold foil will make your day. 😊
Have you been in the discord channel? There are very helpful people there who might have better beginner’s tips than I do. I spent a few hundred $$ when I bought in (about 2 weeks bf battles even started... that was a loooong wait) so I had early mover’s advantage, but once you get up a league or two your chances of getting good rewards grow exponentially.
Not to mention, I recall someone posting about getting a single reward card and it bursting open to reveal a gfl, so even just doing daily quests you can get good stuff.
welcome to the bulls*** ,
have fun !!!
;)
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Haha! What's not to love? :)
I will tell you this, search @mercurial9 account and check his awesome beginner guides, they are really good, follow that and you will start to win half of the games soon.
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Splinterlands is definitely the best blockchain game I've seen so far, but it's still not particularly engaging. Hoping to see more interesting games in the future.
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