Shrapnel, the Avalanche-based PC extraction shooter, has unveiled its much-anticipated NFT marketplace with new weapon skins, made in partnership with prominent web3 partners and individuals.

This latest news coincides also with the commencement of its three-day STX2 early access playtest, following the hugely successful STX1 last month. In this article, we will cover everything you need to know about the new weapon skins and playtest.

New Weapon Skins

The highlight of the NFT marketplace launch is the availability of 10 cosmetically enhanced weapon skins, ranging from 10 to 50 SHRAP tokens, at the time of reporting. These skins offer players a chance to customize their in-game arsenal. Please note that the skins are purely cosmetic and do not affect gameplay mechanics. Although currently restricted from looting by other players, this feature will be enabled in future updates.

Mark Long, CEO of Shrapnel, expressed enthusiasm about the game's progress, stating: "The debut of our marketplace and premium cosmetics marks a pivotal milestone in our journey towards a unique Shrapnel economy that rewards creators and players in new ways."

Early Access Playtests

Neon Machine Inc., the Seattle-based gaming studio behind the web3 extraction shooter Shrapnel, took a unique approach with the release of its early access demo, Shrapnel Training Exercises One (STX1), on the Epic Games Store last month.

In a departure from traditional game development practices, Shrapnel chose to adopt a "community-driven strategy" that allows players to actively participate in shaping the game's development, until its full release in 2025. This marks a shift from conventional triple-A game launch schedules.

The community, with over 100,000 Discord members and 350,000 followers, plays a crucial role in the game's development. Shrapnel actively seeks feedback and votes from players on design and story decisions, creating a transparent and engaging game development process.

STX1 Playtest

Last month, the STX1 playtest introduced playable characters at the maximum progression level, three guns, a grenade, and the first special Sigma ability, "Sigma Wave." Sigma, a mysterious resource in the Shrapnel universe, enhances gear and abilities. Further expansions in characters, weapons, and Sigma abilities are expected as the game progresses through early access phases.

Mark Long: "Our execution of early access gameplay puts players right in the driver’s seat, helping us steer towards a blockbuster-quality triple-A first-person shooter game."

Shrapnel aims to empower creators, allowing customization of characters, weapons, and in-game maps. Online leaderboards track player skills based on Sigma extraction, offering rewards from Shrapnel's community pool. The game encourages the creation and trade of in-game content, fostering a robust creator ecosystem with potential income opportunities for players.

STX2 Playtest

The next Shrapnel Training Exercises, STX2, is set to take place from March 20th to 23rd. This 4-day event, running from 10 am to 6 pm PST daily, offers Extraction Pack holders exclusive early access to gameplay.  

What's more, STX2 brings updates to the game's leaderboard structure, including daily resets to the Sigma Extraction Leaderboard. The event also boasts a total prize pool of 298,971 SHRAP (around $92k), with daily prize pools of 74,732 SHRAP (around $23k). 

Here's the daily prize pool breakdown: 

• 1st: 2941 SHRAP
• 2nd: 1471 SHRAP
• 3rd: 735 SHRAP
• 4th-10th (each): 551 SHRAP
• 11th-50th (each): 265 SHRAP
• 51st-100th (each): 147 SHRAP
• 101st-500th (each): 74 SHRAP
• 501st-1000th (each): 37 SHRAP

STX2 brings a new gameplay element in the form of a submachine gun, offering players quieter firing options and enhanced maneuverability. Additionally, the introduction of the suppressor muzzle attachment allows for stealthier approaches, compatible with existing weapon types such as assault rifles, pistols, and shotguns.

Future Roadmap

Excitingly, Shrapnel hints at future developments in its NFT skin offerings, including user-generated content and collaborations with communities like NeoTokyo, Superverse, BoDoggos, Alchemy, and Avalanche. These collaborations will entail airdropping exclusive content to the relevant NFT holders, expanding the game's universe, and community engagement.

Mark Long highlighted the positive reception from the community, particularly Epic Games Store players. This week the team also teased upcoming gameplay features set to launch at the Game Developers Conference (GDC). For more information on Shrapnel and its latest updates, visit the official website.