What Is Splinterlands and How To Earn Crypto in the Game
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If you’re into gaming and crypto, you’ve likely heard of Splinterlands, a game that combines the best of both worlds. It’s an exciting new addition to the NFT world and play-to-earn games that combines blockchain technology, strategy, and fantasy in a digital collectible card game.
But, most importantly, Splinterlands allows you to earn crypto while gaming. Whether you’re a seasoned gamer or you’re just starting out, you can cash out during your pastime.
In this article, we delve deeper into the world of Splinterlands, show you how to play the game, and discuss all the various ways you can earn money in it.
Let’s get straight to it!
What Is Splinterlands?
Essentially, Splinterlands is a digital collectible card game that uses blockchain technology. In it, you own all cards (more than 500 to collect as of writing this article) as non-fungible tokens (NFTs), which you can then trade similarly to Bitcoin, Ethereum, or any other coin.
You can look at Splinterlands as your typical collectible trading card game (TCG), like Hearthstone, Magic: The Gathering, or even Pokémon. The biggest difference is that there are no dedicated downloadable apps, and you use a blockchain wallet.
Another notable difference is that, unlike the previously mentioned collectible TCGs, in Splinterlands, you don’t buy packs to improve your collection. Instead, you buy your cards through third-party marketplaces and trade with other players.
Splinterlands also requires a bit of effort to get into, as the setup isn’t as seamless as with other TCGs. As the game works on the Ethereum blockchain, it requires players to make an account and connect it to an existing Web3 wallet (e.g., MetaMask) to start playing.
Lastly, the game has its own token, called Splintershards (SPS).
What Are Splintershards (SPS)?
Splintershards (SPS) is a crypto governance token that’s, as its name suggests, used as a primary currency in Splinterlands. It's super important, as it allows the player base, asset owners, and stakeholders to make decisions and gives them control over the game itself.
To put it simply, if you hold SPS tokens, you can vote on the current and upcoming changes to Splinterlands. You can do so by visiting the Hive blockchain, where in-game voting proposals are posted. Some of the updates in Splinterlands you can vote on include:
- Updates to card balance
- DEC inflation pools
- Quest or season leaderboard rewards
- Other important upgrades to the game
You can also propose some new changes you come up with, but how seriously they’ll be taken will depend on the SPS tokens you stake.
As of writing this article, SPS’s circulating supply is 490,000,000, and its price is $0.0169.
Splinterlands Basics
Now that you know what Splinterlands and SPC are, let’s get down to the basics.
In Splinterlands, you participate in battles that allow you to choose a lineup of characters known as “summoners” and “monsters.” They can perform numerous attacks and have various abilities you can use to your advantage. Cards in Splinterlands have some of the following attributes:
- Health
- Attack
- Speed
- Armor
- Abilities
- Mana cost
- Splinter
These stats define how good a player is and affect their success rate in battle.
You should also be aware of the six different character categories of players that use different elements in battle, after which the game got its name: “Splinters.” Splinters have a special in-game language and use the following elements:
- Earth
- Life
- Water
- Fire
- Death
- Dragon
- Neutral mercenaries
It’s also important to mention that you can rent cards in Splinterlands. This is extremely useful if you have an extremely rare card that you don’t want to part with but want to make money from.
Rentals in Splinterlands are cancelable and are made in one-day intervals. You also don’t need to worry about your funds, as they will be held in escrow with smart contracts, which ensures you’re fairly compensated. Once the rental period ends, the cards are returned to the original owner.
How to Start Playing Splinterlands
Regardless of whether you use a desktop or mobile device, you need to follow certain steps to start playing Splinterlands.
#1. Create an Account
First, you must create an account by visiting the official Splinterlands website. You can do so by clicking on the dropdown menu in the upper-right corner of the homepage, clicking on ‘Login,’ and then ‘Register.’
You’ll need to enter the basic information, such as your name, country, and other details, and confirm your email via an authentication email you receive from Splinterlands.
Pro tip: to get more help when creating an account, you can visit the Splinterlands blog or the game’s socials, such as:
#2. Purchase a Spellbook
Next, you visit the “Shop” section on the Splinterlands website, where you can purchase a Summoner’s Spellbook. A Summoner’s Spellbook gives you the ability to earn rewards while playing Splinterlands and unlocks your Hive Wallet. This means you won’t have to create the wallet on your own, which allows you to get into the action quicker.
After you purchase the Spellbook and the payment is confirmed, you need to create a username, which you’ll also use as your Hive Wallet address.
#3. Make a Hive Keychain Account
Now that you have a username for your Hive Wallet address, create a Hive account because Splinterlands is on the Hive blockchain. To do so, you can either download the Hive Keychain app, which is available on Google Play or the App Store, or add a browser extension available for Firefox, Brave, and Chrome.
The Hive Keychain app is super useful, as it allows you to manage all transaction signatures with one click.
#4. Connect Your Hive Keychain Wallet and Splinterlands Accounts
Lastly, you must connect your Splinterlands account with the Hive Keychain Wallet. To do so, follow these steps:
- Install the Hive Keychain extension or download the app.
- Come up with a password and set it up.
- Click on the “Add Account” button and select the “Use Keys/Pwd” button.
- Enter the master key you received via email when you purchased the Spellbook.
- Click “Import keys” to import all active, memo, posting, and keys.
6 Tips for Winning in Splinterlands
Splinterlands is a skill-based game, and to win it, you need to know what you’re doing. Here are some tips that will effectively boost your success rate in this exciting new game!
#1. Have a Game Plan
Your game plan in the Splinterlands depends mostly on what you want to achieve in this game. Whether you want to make money, reach high ranks, gather resources, or just play with your friends, you need to set up a game plan.
To do so, you could use decks others have created to get a better feel for the metagame or invest a considerable amount in stronger cards so you can play against higher-ranked players.
#2. Learn the Buying Options
When buying cards in Splinterlands, you have two options. The first option is to use the Splinterlands in-game market, which you can find on the official website. This will require you to spend either credits or dark energy crystals (DEC).
Note that there are also 3rd party websites where you can buy cards, such as PeakMonsters.
#3. Participate in Tournaments
If you want to improve in Splinterlands and increase your win rate, you should participate in tournaments. By doing so, you’ll efficiently improve your Splinterlands skills while also earning a bunch of DEC.
A good thing about Splinterlands tournaments is that there are always some tournaments active across all leagues. This means you can pick one that’s best suited for your skill and card strength.
#4. Stay Up to Date With the Latest News
Splinterlands, like any other TCG, constantly receives updates, and there are changes more or less on a weekly basis. That’s why, if you don’t want to fall out of the meta, you must stay up to date with all the news and changes.
The best way to stay updated is to use the blog and social media we mentioned previously and regularly check the Splinterlands website.
#5. Watch Out for Capture Rate
DEC Capture Rate can be seen when you hover over the “Capture Rate” statistic on your DEC balance. The higher your DEC Capture Rate, the more DEC you’ll earn from winning games. But keep in mind that this rate lowers every time you win. So, how do you bring it back up?
Every day, the DEC Capture Rate is refilled by 25%. This means that you should play just enough games to keep it under 100%, which will maximize the amount of DEC you get per battle.
#6. Research Other Players’ Decks
Last but not least, you should check out the “Leaderboard” page and see what the top-tier players have in their decks. The more you study other people’s decks, the more you’ll notice different playing strategies, metas, and patterns.
By knowing all this, you’ll greatly improve your gameplay and card knowledge, and you’ll be able to create a strong deck for yourself hassle-free.
Key Takeaways
Overall, it’s safe to say that Splinterlands is a game that has something for everyone. Whether you’re looking to earn some money, compete at a high level, or simply have fun, you should give Splinterlands a go.
The game is easy to set up; it doesn’t have a steep learning curve, and you’ll get into the meta in no time. You can also consult this article for any help you need when setting up and getting into the game even faster!