Today, we’ll discuss how to play the new free-to-play and play-to-earn blockchain game called Illuvium. It is a game where players can hunt and battle Illuvials, fight against other players, sell NFTs, and play to earn cryptos. Since you’re here, I’m assuming you already know what Illuvium is, and you’re just curious about how and where to start. But if you haven’t heard of it, you can check out our quick overview of what Illuvium is all about.
Free and Paid Region Access
The game is free to play, and you won’t need to spend a dime if you want to experience and get to know the game. But there are perks for those willing to pay a sum of money on Illuvium. The world of Illuvium is divided into several regions. Each will have varying difficulty levels, and some will require VIP access to roam on it.
Explore the vast world of Illuvium! Tier Zero regions are free and accessible areas where players can venture and hunt common Illuvials. There will be higher tier regions that need VIP access to have the advantage of capturing more potent and rarer Illuvials, which is a tremendous head start because the few people who get to capture rare Illuvials first will dictate the market.
Shards
Shards are said to be an essential item in the game. It will be required when capturing Illuvials, and the stronger the Illuvial is, the harder it is to capture it. There are several types of shards with varying powers embedded in them. You will need common shards to capture common Illuvials, but they won’t be as effective when capturing powerful ones. So you’ll need a rare or stronger shard if you want to succeed.
Shards can also be earned by staking or depositing, but always make sure you have a spare for when an opportunity arises.
How the Gameplay Works
Before you start your journey, you’ll need to customize your avatar and pick a drone that will be your companion. After that, you can then explore and hunt Illuvials in different world regions. (Check out Illuvium’s gameplay trailer on their YouTube Channel. There’s also recent explanatory video gameplay released a few days ago. Go check them out!)
Your drone is a handy little bot that you can order to passively mine and harvest resources that you later use to craft fine gears that your avatar can wear or sell on the market. Preparing powerful gears and equipment for your avatar is vital because your avatar can also battle with and against Illuvials, so use enhanced weapons and armors to gain an advantage against opponents.
Enhancements would come in handy when facing a strong opponent or if you want to have a bit of an edge when battling other players. Furthermore, the world of Illuvium is littered with a variety of plants that bears magical fruits, containing energy used for enhancing gears and equipment. There are also enhancement boosts for your Illuvials to gain temporary increased stats.
Strategize
Illuvials are mysterious creatures, and each has its own unique trait, born with a single affinity such as fire, water, earth, air, and nature. Illuvials can also be merged to evolve, and you’re probably imagining Pokemon evolution right now. It’s exactly like that! Except that Illuvials require three of the same Illuvial to develop them into their superior form.
Alone, they are a force to be reckoned with, and when paired with other Illuvials, they form a team that can beat the mightiest foes once they synergize.
Pay close attention because this is the main focus when strategizing and assembling your team.
You need to make sure that your Illuvials have great synergy. When two or more Illuvials are paired, they gain bonuses depending on the combination or synergy they make. An example would be fire + fire = inferno or air + water = frost, and so on. You get the gist. Different pairing Illuvials give additional bonuses, and some are weak against certain elements. Some have the advantage.
Moreover, your avatar has weapons that can be equipped with gemstones that contain the elemental essence of other Illuvials, contributing to your team’s synergy. So think everything through and form your team wisely!
All items, including your collection of Illuvials and enhanced gears, can be sold as an NFT, so take advantage of that to earn profits.
PVP Arena and Auto Battler
Its most exciting feature is the PVP! It’s available for players seeking more thrill and putting their ETH on the line to see who the better hunter is! Rankings will be displayed as well so players can have bragging rights. Other players can also wager on the outcome of their match, so it’ll be a fun and competitive economy.
It’s also important to mention that ETH is the main currency used for market fees, in-game purchases, enhancements, and curing shards on Illuvium.
In a more recent update, they released a 3D auto battler arena (quite similar to DOTA’s Auto Chess) where players can strategize and position their Illuvials on different spots to try and survive the enemy’s barrage attacks. It’s a fun, and terrific addition to the game, and more players are getting hyped for it mainly because their open beta is set to release sometime this year.
Final Thoughts
The clock is ticking fast, and I can’t wait to get access to the game and capture myself an Illuviual. Their whitepaper also mentioned that they’d release a mobile version of Illuvium in this same year, 2022. Everything is looking great so far, and let’s all hope that everything goes according to plan without any hitch. Also, just a quick reminder that this is NOT financial advice. Its sole purpose is for entertainment and educational purpose only!
