Axie Infinity

Overview

Axie Infinity is developed by Vietnamese game studio Sky Mavis, with the first version of the title releasing back in March 2018. This was way before anyone considered blockchain as a suitable technology for gaming. At the time, it was a simple idle card battle game with Axies, very similar to what players are familiar to now but with skeleton features.

The game grew to host over 1 Million monthly active players at its peak throughout the mid to late 2021. The Philippines contributed over 40% of the player base, with $SLP becoming a method of payment in some places of the country. This latter statement alone is a testament on the level of success and mainstream attention Axie Infinity managed to attract towards itself and web3 gaming as a whole.

At the end of March 2022, Sky Mavis revealed a major change to Axie Infinity, revealing Axie Infinity: Origins and what comes next for the title. The changes that came with Origins was intended to address the downsides always pointed out in the original title, particularly the barrier of entry.

Gameplay Features

Axie Infinity: Origins

Axie Infinity Origins is a card-based strategy game where players collect, own, and use Axies to battle. It introduces a real-time combat system, free starter Axies, and vertical progression through Rune & Charm crafting. Key features include:

• Free Starter Axies: Let players fall in love with Axie before needing to touch crypto and NFTs.
• Upgraded Art: Makes each Axie more visually distinct.
• Sequential Turns: For a faster, more dynamic experience.
• Energy/Cards Reset: Encourages aggressive play-styles.
• Runes/Charms: Power-ups and progression.

Land Gameplay

Lunacia, the Axie homeland, is divided into tokenized plots of land. Players can upgrade plots using resources and crafting ingredients. Land gameplay includes:

• Resource Gathering and Crafting: Resources spawn across Lunacia for upgrades.
• Real-Time PvE Battles: Fight monsters called Chimera in real-time battles.
• Phases of Development: Focus on simulation, management, and strategic gameplay.

Axie Infinity: Raylights

Raylights is a land mini-game where players sow minerals, grow plants, and cultivate land plots. It's a peaceful, social experience that allows landholders to pursue the perfect aesthetic for their plots.

Axie Classes

The 9 Axie classes are:

1. Beast
2. Bug
3. Plant
4. Dusk
5. Bird
6. Aquatic
7. Dawn
8. Mech
9. Reptile

Beast, Aquatic, Plant, Bug, Reptile, and Bird were the original 6 classes in Axie Infinity's presale in 2018. As for Mech, Dusk, and Dawn, they are only obtained through breeding a specific combination of Axie classes.

• Dusk: Reptile and Aquatic

• Dawn: Plant and Bird

• Mech: Beast and Bug

Each Axie has 4 main stats; HP, Speed, Skill, and Morale. Depending on its class, certain stats are stronger while others are weaker. This leaves room for a plethora of possible team compositions.

On top of that, each group of Axie classes have a 15% damage buff or resistance towards another group. For simplicity, follow the below breakdown.

• Group 1: Beast, Bug, and Mech
• Group 2: Dusk, Plant, and Reptile
• Group 3: Aquatic, Dawn, and Bird

Once you memorize these groups, the following table may sound complicated at first but it will help you tremendously in climbing the ranked ladder as most casual players underestimate how big of a boost 15% damage can give you against certain matchp

• Group 1 deals 15% more damage and receives 15% less damage from Group 2
• Group 1 receives 15% more damage and deals 15% less damage from Group 3
  
• Group 2 deals 15% more damage and receives 15% less damage from Group 3
  
• Group 2 receives 15% more damage and deals 15% less damage from Group 1
  
• Group 3 deals 15% more damage and receives 15% less damage from Group 1
  
• Group 3 receives 15% more damage and deals 15% less damage from Group 2
  

Prepare for Battle

Once you form your team with the right synergies, you are ready to go. Each synergy caters to a different playstyle. Players can go with tankier builds who can sustain a lot of damage and whittle down their opponent's cards and health bar slowly or more aggressive builds intended to finish the game as fast as possible. This gives Axie Origins the depths it needs to keep every game's outcome more dependent on both player's outplaying each other with their action cards since certain team compositions are meant to counter the others.

Prior to jumping into PvP or PvE, you need to form your deck of action cards you want to take with you into battle. Each Axie comes with its own four unique cards, giving you twelve total actions to outplay your opponent to claim the win. The synergy between your three characters are incredibly important as well, with 9 classes to mix and match between to suit all playstyles.

Every round, players have to select the action cards they want to play for that designated turn and assign it to one of the Axies on the field. The recent Origins update changed the game slightly with sequential turns for a faste and more dynamic experience, while resetting energy and cards each turn to encourage a more aggressive all-out play style.

How to get started with Axie Infinity?

Step 1: Install Mavis Hub

Mavis Hub is the platform for playing Axie Infinity: Origins. Install it to access the game.

Step 2: Choose Starter Axies

Select 3 free starter Axies to begin your adventure. These creatures will be your initial companions in the game.

Step 3: Learn the Basics

Familiarize yourself with the game's mechanics, including energy management, cards, and turn-based strategies. Understanding these elements is crucial for success in the game.

Step 4: Experiment with Battles

Start playing in Adventure mode to get a feel for the game, or challenge other players in the Arena to test your skills.

Step 5: Upgrade and Progress

As you progress, you'll have the opportunity to craft Runes & Charms and explore different strategies to enhance your gameplay.

The newly setup Axie Infinity website guides you through the entire process seamlessly to onboard you onto the game and make sure you have everything set up to get started. From there, you can venture onto PVE or PVP if you are feeling adventurous and start climbing the ranks.

Minimum and Recommended System Specifications

Android:

• CPU: A Qualcomm Snapdragon 801 or similar with 2.3 GHz quad cores
• GPU: Adreno 330 or superior
• RAM: 3 GB for optimal experience, some report 2 GB works fine
• Internal memory: At least 250 MB of available space are necessary
• Android version: 6 or above