So, How Were Last Few Weeks?

Yeah, I know, some ill-advised move by Sun uncle and company bought the Steem world to the fore. Now, that the crypto world has noticed that even exchanges cannot be trusted, expect future chain and the existing ones coming up with protection against such attacks.

On the bright side, Steem is in the news and so is her sister chain – Hive; and for all the right reasons. John McAfee had tweeted about the episode. So, we are being watched. That in my books is good news. And what’s more, I enjoyed myself playing on Splinterlands.

That reminds me, this article is about Splinterlands, an exciting game on the Steem blockchain. Now that the world knows about Steem, it is about time that they got to know about Splinterlands, the fun place to play. 😊

But Before That...

Did you know that Steemslotgames (another game on the Steem blockchain) financed my starter pack purchase on Splinterlands? Well, that’s another exciting story.

Now, Hive account@steemslotgames is one of the earliest games alongside Splinterlands on the Steem chain. However, I had written multiple times about the slot game and how it gives back to the players. They claim to have a “Return to Player” (RTP) percentage of 98%, and that’s really high. I vouch for that since I am a direct beneficiary of the game.

So, how did they help me? Well, I played the slot game, one of my favourites, and at one point by betting at 0.1 Steem, I ended up making 62 Steem in the game. Now, the Splinterlands starter-pack was USD 10 or about 54 Steem back then. So, I took out the 54 Steem from my winnings and used it to buy the starter pack. That’s how Steemslotgames financed my starter pack purchase on Splinterlands.

If you want to try your hands on slot games, poker, roulette and more, head towards Steemslotgames. You won’t be disappointed. You can use the link below to try out Steemslotgames.

Try out STEEMSLOTGAMES.

Now, let’s understand Splinterlands too!

What about Splinterlands?

Well, it is one of the games which has existed in the Steem chain for a long time now, but I started playing only recently. Ah, how sad that I started so late! Anyway, no need to despair, there is so many opportunities no matter when you start.

Splinterlands is a digital card game which allows you to collect, trade, battle, rent and even earn on the cards. It is one of the most generous games that I have seen where cards, potions, Dark Energy Crystals (DEC. Cryptocurrency) are given out every day to thousands of players for just playing and winning daily quests. And there are tournaments or guilds that you can join. I just love the game!

Here is a small comparo with other types of collectable card games:

Over the following sections, I will explain how the game looks and feels. However, if you are the curious one (like me) who would like to jump into the game and figure out things for yourself, you can do so here:

Try out SPLINTERLANDS

Now, in my next article, I will get a comparison of Splinterlands done with another blockchain game – Holybread.

Holybread did I say?

Yes, that’s the game. Holybread is about strategy, strengthening your heroes, earning breadcrumbs (HBC. Cryptocurrency), bread (in-game asset) and gold (in-game asset). You can participate in battles with other players in the “arena” as much as buy and sell assets like shoes, chest guards, weapon and headgear. These are also tradeable.

There are some areas where Holybread could be compared to Splinterlands, but let me not push it too far, as Splinterlands is quite an evolved game whereas Holybread just started a few months back. I will compare the two in my next article.

Of course, like before, if you want to jump into the game yourself and get to know it, you can do it here:

Try out HOLYBREAD.

Let’s get back to Splinterlands.

Splinterlands: Look and Feel

Splinterlands has a near 3D look to its site and cards and has evolved over the last couple of years.

That’s about the looks department. Now, on to the others.

Splinterlands: Earning Base Tokens

The base token in Splinterlands is Dark Energy Crystals (DEC). It is obvious that there need to be ways to earn the base token. Let’s see how to earn DECs.

There are multiple ways to earn DEC with the more upfront ones being the “Daily Quest” and “Battles”. The difference between the two is that battles can be fought at any time while daily quests are for a set period. Each quest lasts for 24 hours and is primarily made up of three or five battles. So, while we win DEC in the battles within the quest, we also win additional DECs, potions or cards at the end of the quest. Double the benefit!!

Of course, you can buy the DECs from Steem-Engine market as well.

Splinterlands: Battles

One of the easiest ways to earn DEC is through battles. This we saw in the previous section. But how to win it in the games? Let’s see that step-by-step.

STEP 1: Get into Battle Mode

STEP 2: Make Team

STEP 3: Choose Summoner

STEP 4: Choose Monsters

STEP 5: Start Battle

STEP 6: Result

So, that explains one of the easiest ways to earn DEC.

Splinterlands: Buying Assets

There are two types of Assets in the game. One is the DEC which we just saw, and the other is the cards and potions. DEC being a cryptocurrency, has an intrinsic value which follows the demand-supply curve; in other words, its price can increase based on market demand. Hmm, not a bad asset, huh?

What’s more, DEC can be used to buy cards and potions. Card and potions can be purchased directly through Steem, Hive or Tron tokens (All three being cryptocurrencies listed on major crypto exchanges).

Here’s a look at the cards in your kitty. These are the playable ones.

And here are the owned ones. These are the cards that you own.

The cards too have their intrinsic value, and they also based on rarity, demand and other economic principles will have varying prices. This is a real example of digital tradable assets.

So, how do we buy these cards and potions and from where? Let’s find out.

Splinterlands: Shops

There are two types of cards that you can buy – Starter pack and Regular packs. The starter packs are not a choice but something a player has to buy to be able to earn DECs and participate in quests. As the name indicates, it is to get started on Splinterlands. The cost is USD 10, which one can buy through PayPal or even Steem, Tron or Hive. So, that’s about getting started.

Once you get started, you will be surprised at the number of airdrops, quests and rewards that one can win. And, of course, you can buy your own packs too. These packs are priced at USD 2 or 2000 DEC.

Where do you buy these packs?

You can buy on Splinterlands, Peakmonsters.com and Monstermarket.io. The advantage with the latter two options is that you have a benefit of getting a percentage payback if you buy from those sites.

Anyway, let’s look at the buying option at Splinterlands.

If you arent’ wanting to buy packs and just need cards, even those can be purchased in the Market. Here players or owners can list their cards, and you can buy from there. That applies to us too. We can list the cards that we want to sell over here.

Splinterlands: Guilds and Events

Well, one thing that Splinterlands does not run out of is opportunities to have fun and make some DECs. For the active and dynamic players, there is always the Guilds and Events. Guilds are basically groups formed by players, and many of the Guilds would be needing an invitation to join. But there are tons of perks awaiting you in the Guilds.

Here you will find the listing of the top 100 Guilds. You can also search for Guilds that you plan to join or have been invited to. Besides, you can start your own Guild too.

If this is not enough, then players also get to participate in tournaments which run every day with some hefty prizes. You never have a non-active time on Splinterlands.

So, how does that feel? Opportunities galore, aren't they? But it’s not over yet.

Splinterlands: Telegram and Discord

Make sure you join Splinterlands’ Telegram and Discord channel. While these are really (and I can’t stress more) informative channels, they are also the host of many giveaways. Many of the giveaways are just too cool or too difficult to believe. Sometimes, I get a sense that giveaways are just second nature on these channels. And I kid you not; you would have experienced nothing like it.

Join the channel and enjoy!

Parting Shot

If you are convinced that Splinterlands is a neat avenue to try out, then don’t waste time and join using the below link.