Table of Contents
Axie Infinity is a turn-based, strategic game that uses both Non-Fungible Tokens (NFTs) and virtual currencies to reward players for engaging in gameplay. In essence, the game is similar to the beloved Pokemon franchise but with virtual pets called ‘Axies’ instead of monsters. NFTs in Axie Infinity represent the Axies and various in-game items. The in-game currencies are SLP and AXS.
Key Takeaways
Axie Infinity is a blockchain-based digital pet breeding and battling game.
Players breed, raise, and battle fantasy creatures called Axies using crypto.
The game is built on the Ethereum blockchain and uses two in-game currencies: Axie Infinity Shards (AXS) for governance and Smooth Love Potions (SLP) for rewards.
Players participate in the economy by buying and selling Axies on the open market, allowing them to earn money through gameplay.
How does Axie Infinity work?
Axie Infinity’s universe is where players collect, trade and battle digital collectibles known as ‘Axies’. They are able to customize their Axies with unique body parts and accessories, as well as level them up by competing in real-time battles with other players. Additionally, players can literally buy and own land plots to build their kingdoms. They can use in-game assets such as buildings to further customize their world.
Axie Infinity Ecosystem
Axies
Axies are creatures with distinct attributes and classes that determine their role in the game and their worth the player. There are six basic classes: Beast, Aquatic, Bug, Bird, Reptile, and Plant. In addition to these, there are three secret classes – Mech, Dusk, and Dawn – each of which have unique abilities and weaknesses.
Each type of Axie has different stats, such as Attack Power, Speed, Defense and HP. These stats have further customization with Accessories and Parts to increase your chances of victory in battle. You can also Evolve your Axies to unlock powerful new skills and abilities.
The Axies you choose have a great impact on your team’s performance in battle. Your strategy for selecting and customizing Axies is key to success. With the right combination of Axie classes, stats, skills, and accessories, you can create a formidable team ready for any challenge.
Gameplay
In Axie Infinity, players engage in battles with their Axies against other players’ Axies using various tactics and strategies by positioning their Axies on the board. The core of this gameplay is the Axie’s Ability Cards. They dictate the moves and attacks the Axies can use to defeat opponents. Each Ability Card is unique to the Axie and based on its specific body configuration and class.
Battling in arena matches and tournaments is the effective way to level up Axies and earn AXS and SLP. Players also have the option to take an adventure-based approach by exploring the Axie Infinity world and engaging with non-player characters called Chimera. This earns players additional tokens and rare treasures that can improve their Axies.
Collect and Trade Axies
Each Axie that’s new has a set of unique statistics and abilities, making them valuable collectibles that people can buy and sell on the Axie marketplace. Among the rarest and most sought-after Axies are Mystics. They were sold in the first batch containing 4,088 Axies named Origins. These Axies have unique body parts that could give them certain in-game advantages, but their rarity is the primary reason for their value. Some of them with numerous mystic body parts went through sales of as high as 300 ETH.
Breed new Axies
Besides using them for earning SLP via PVP combat and completing quests, players can also breed Axies to produce offspring. Their complex genetic system determines the traits of the Axie that’s newly-bred. An in-game breeding hub and online calculator are available to assist players in determining the likelihood of breeding new Axies with unique or powerful attributes. The breeding limit for Axie creatures is seven, controlling the population. The cost for each successful breeding increases, meaning that the first breeding will be less costly than the last.
In-game Currencies
Axie Infinity Shards/Tokens (AXS) and Smoot Love Potion (SLP) tokens are the in-game currencies. Players use them in the Axie universe to breed and trade Axies. This in turn can generate more of these tokens through trading and gameplay.
Axie Infinity Shards (AXS)
The AXS token is the in-game currency, and players can earn rewards by staking their tokens, participating in games and casting votes on key governance decisions. The ownership of the game and its governing system stays decentralized. This ensures that it runs for the benefit of the community rather than solely for Sky Mavis, the developers.
The token also allows the developers to align their interests with those of the players. It helps maintain a secure and transparent ecosystem for Axie Universe gamers. The AXS tokens trade on numerous decentralized exchanges. Players use them in various ways within the game, such as purchasing items or staking them to level up characters.
Smooth Love Potion (SLP)
SLP tokens are able to be used within the Axie Infinity game in order to purchase special items, including skins and other cosmetics. Players also use them to buy battle or adventure mode tickets or upgrade your Axies into higher tiers. For players who wish to develop their own gaming applications, SLP tokens can access the game’s API and unlock exclusive features.
Unlike AXS, which has a fixed maximum supply of 270 million tokens, there is no limit to the number of SLP tokens that could be created in the future.
Axie Infinity Marketplace
To find and purchase available Axies, the most convenient place to access them is the Axie Infinity Marketplace. This is where players can browse the listings of Axies that are currently for sale or have recently been sold to other players. In addition, players can apply various filters within the marketplace to refine their search for Axies with specific Axie classes, body parts, statistics, prices, and more.
Players are able to purchase Axies with their Ronin Wallet, which is a cryptocurrency wallet Sky Mavis created specifically for Axie Infinity. To fund the Ronin Wallet, players need to have Ethereum (ETH). They can buy it from cryptocurrency exchanges such as Kraken.
Axie Infinity Development
Since its launch, Axie Infinity has seen several updates and improvements. In the near future, a land gameplay feature is expected to be launched, which is still currently being internally tested. Additionally, the option to stake AXS is planned.
The Axie Infinity network runs on the Ronin sidechain, which is a tailored Ethereum sidechain that Sky Mavis developed. Sidechains are a scalability solution that addresses the limitations and difficulties that can occur on public blockchain networks, such as high transaction fees and slow confirmation times.
By running on its own Ethereum sidechain, Axie Infinity is able to benefit from Ethereum’s features while utilizing a network optimized for its transactional needs. In 2020, Sky Mavis created Ronin to improve the game’s usability, hindered by Ethereum network congestion. The Ronin sidechain offers fast transaction confirmation, user-friendly onboarding, and low gas costs, as well as an integrated block explorer.
Since 2017, Ethereum-based gaming has grown in popularity, especially with the integration of NFT collectibles and metaverses. The success of Axie Infinity in 2021 attributes, in part, to its seamless integration of crypto and blockchain elements into gameplay.
Play-to-Earn (P2E) Model
The P2E model of business is a new concept in the gaming industry. This system aims to reward players for adding value to the game’s world or ecosystem. P2E is primarily based on freemium, meaning that the game is free to play. Although, players can choose to pay for additional features, content, gear or to progress faster through the game.
As of February of 2022, the game does not comply with the traditional model of free-to-play. Players require at least three Axies to begin with. However, according to a decrypt.co report, Axie Infinity plans to release free starter Axies in-game to attract new players who are not ready to pay the current premium.
Axie Infinity FAQ
Frequently asked questions about Axie.
Who are the founders of Axie Infinity?
The Vietnamese studio Sky Mavis developed Axie Infinity. It was founded in 2018 by Trung Thanh Nguyen and Aleksander Larsen. The game’s development is led by Trung, who serves as the CEO and has a background in software engineering. Aleksander, who acts as COO, is a former competitive gamer, having competed for the Norwegian national teams in Warcraft 3 and DotA, and brings his business development experience to the company. The team behind the game currently numbers 40 employees.
How do I start playing Axie Infinity?
Creating an account/wallet is the first step to joining any crypto-based program, such as Axie Infinity. To access the Axie Infinity marketplace, users must set up a Ronin wallet. It acts much like a traditional digital wallet like Cash App or Venmo does, but it stores your crypto funds instead. Through this wallet, users are able to purchase the necessary Axies for their team.
Purchasing Axies
To purchase Axies on the marketplace, players will need to use Wrapped Ethereum (WETH). Players can transfer ETH to their Ronin wallet via an approved gateway or purchase it directly using fiat currency through Ramp (only available in certain countries/states). If you already have ETH on an exchange like Coinbase, you can transfer it to your MetaMask wallet and then move it over to the Ronin network by using their official bridge.
Another option for obtaining cryptocurrency is by using a Binance account. Binance offers integration with the Ronin network, which allows players to buy AXS/SLP on Binance, transfer it to their Ronin wallets, and then convert it to WETH on the Katana DEX (which is the official DEX for the Ronin network).
Creating an In-game Account
For players to gain access to the Ronin account, they must first create an authorized in-game account on their profile page located on the marketplace. Players do not need an account to browse the marketplace, but the game requires a valid account for entry.
Downloading Axie Infinity (Desktop/Mobile)
For the desktop version, players need to visit the official website and download the necessary files for installation on their PC. The game is also available as an APK file for Android devices – downloadable from trusted sources or the play store. Unfortunately, there is currently no access to Axie on iOS devices.
How do Axie Infinity and its users make money?
The Axie Infinity system generates revenue by imposing a 4.25 percent commission on players who buy and sell Axie NFTs on its marketplace, as well as by collecting fees for breeding Axies to create new ones. These fees are paid in the form of Axie Infinity Shards (AXS) and Silky Love Potions (SLP). AXS is the governance token, while SLP is a utility token that can be used to create new Axies. Both tokens can be converted to fiat currency or other cryptocurrencies.