I have just joined Splinterlands!

After a previous article saying that I wanted to "work" the Crypto sphere (articles / faucets / etc) to get enough crypto to buy a spellbook on Splinterlands, I have now done it! Thank you to all those at LeoFinance as this was the main reason I was able to buy the Spellbook!

So this is my first article about how I have found it.

Signing Up!

Very easy.

Before you buy a spellbook you will have been given a novice / temporary name, and can test the basics of the game.

After you buy the spellbook you are able to change / select your name. This then creates a new account on the HIVE network (as long as the name has not been taken before).

Make sure you request your password codes and retrieve them within 24 hours of the email being sent. These will be needed if you ever want to move DEC (more on that later) into other crypto currency.

I already had a HIVE account, but I still needed to create a new one for splinterlands. This felt a little over-the-top and it would have been better if I could have used my existing HIVE account name.

And that's it. You are now into the game.

Battles

I had "practiced" a few battles in the tutorial mode. But I had no idea what I was doing for my first few battles. Let me try and sum it up:

1. You first select a "summoner" - this then affects the subsequent cards you can choose.

2. You then select your "squad" based on the mana you can use for the battle. Do you have a few "high mana" cards, or more "mid-level" cards? I have found that they all have different attributes in battle, though I'm not exactly sure how they are all used (e.g. when does a card have a "turn" in battle ; why does the opponent throw fireballs but I don't, etc)

3. Fight ! If you want to watch the details (each "turn") to try and understand the cards strategy for the next game that's fine. If you are losing and want to skip to the end you can as well.

Discalimer : I have now lost far more battles than I have won.

The thing I wasn't sure of when I joined was : If you lose a battle, what happens to your cards? Thankfully nothing. They stay in your pack and you can use them again for other battles. I was worried that if they "died" in battle they would be removed from your pack.

The cards you have at the start are also "base" cards. These are standard cards that every player has access to - but you don't own them as a result (so you can't sell them later on). I like this approach as you can always start "from scratch" if something was to ever go horribly wrong.

DEC - What is it?

I think my "win" rate is around 1 in 10 games at the moment. But when you win you get "DEC".

DEC is a Cryptocurrency format, and stands for "Dark Energy Crystals"

DEC can be used to purchase other cards and items in Splinterlands. n.b. you can also use a lot of other currency types to buy items in Splinterlands.

You can also trade DEC on the HIVE network. For a trial, I converted some LEO to DEC on LeoDex using my normal HIVE account. I then transferred the DEC from my normal account to my Splinterlands account. Et voila - the DEC had transferred. A very easy process.

I get about 0.1 DEC per battle "won", but a basic card to purchase is about 25-30 DEC. I believe you get more DEC rewards the higher the level you are though. For my first "win" I only got 0.01 DEC, but I am now getting c. 0.1 DEC as I have progressed to the next rank.

Strategy

I have no idea about strategy at the moment.

I was confused as to why my opponents seemed to be able to do things my characters couldn't. It's all down to the attributes on the card - and how to understand them. I then discovered the gameplay FAQ - It is definitely worth spending some time reading this but I would recommend doing a few battles first as it will make more sense.

FAQ : https://splinterlands.com/?p=gameplay

I now know I need to start paying more attention to the abilities section on each card, along with how the stats and order of cards make a difference.

My goal is to now read up on the strategy and understand how I can best prepare a "team" for battle (rather than just select cards at random and hope). And to see if I can really make a little bit of money with the game!

Let me know in the comments if you would like me to write further articles about strategy, DEC and trading, etc.. and as I go through my journey I will share my knowledge.

If you want to sign up to Splinterlands you are more than welcome to use my referral link : https://splinterlands.com?ref=sbenbow-splinter

Note : All of my articles are my own work and relate to my own personal experience. Investing is always at your own risk.

Posted Using LeoFinance ^Beta