Axie Infinity's major update "Origin": real-time battles, redesigned cards, and free-to-play

Axie Infinity, the current leading blockchain game, has announced a major update with its battle mode transitioning to Battle v3 Origin. Taiwan Blockchain Game Guild ATTM commented: "This is almost like an entirely new game."

Origin is Coming

Axie Infinity is about to undergo a major update, Battle v3 will feature a brand new interface, gameplay mechanics, art, and storyline. The official release is expected in the first quarter of 2022, but due to many details still pending confirmation, delays may occur.

Alpha Version: No AXS and SLP Rewards

This version is essentially a trial version of Origin, with no rewards being generated, and progress and resources will be reset upon the official release. It is believed that this stage will coexist with the existing version and continue until the official launch of Origin.

Season 0

Season 0 represents the official version of Origin, and once the new version is fully prepared, SLP earnings will be transferred to Origin, and the old version will be shut down. In the Origin version, existing Axies can still be used.

New Gameplay Mechanics

Real-Time Turn-Based Combat: Axies will execute actions immediately when cards are played, and players will take turns playing cards, rather than pre-selecting cards at the beginning of each turn like in the old system. The game will become more intense, requiring players to either choose cards or observe their opponent's actions.

Energy and Card Reset Each Turn: Players will not have the chance to accumulate energy and cards for the next turn; they must optimize resource allocation each turn.

New Cards

The new cards will only have either attack or defense values, not both. Some cards will have new abilities, but the official statement mentions an effort to maintain the original card characteristics as much as possible.

Introduction of Eye and Ear Cards

The old version only had cards related to four Axie body features, while the new version will introduce cards related to eyes and ears, providing more skill cards for players to use.

Runes and Talismans

This is a unique equipment system in the new version that enhances passive abilities. Runes enhance passive abilities, while talismans are wearable equipment that improves basic abilities. These equipment items need to be crafted using in-game resources called Moonshards obtained through battles. Initially, runes and talismans will be non-NFT versions, with more powerful NFT versions to be gradually introduced. NFT versions will require SLP and Moonshards for crafting, introducing a new mechanism to burn SLP. Runes and talismans for each season will reset, and any unused ones can be decomposed to recover crafting resources.

No More Random Critical Hits

Due to player complaints about random critical hits in the old version, this feature will be removed in the new version. Instead, a "Rage" card will be introduced, allowing Axies to accumulate rage points that players can unleash at the right moment.

Axies will only have Health Points

In the new version, the basic stats of Axies, such as speed, are no longer relevant, and Axies will only have health points, streamlining the gameplay pace.

Free-to-Play Characters

Free entry-level Axies will be provided for players to use, but they will not be able to earn SLP.

Continual Adjustment of Economic Model

In early February, Axie Infinity made significant adjustments in the new quarter to balance the economy of governance token AXS and game reward token SLP. The mechanism of burning SLP is crucial, with daily quests and adventure modes no longer granting SLP rewards. Following the balance adjustments, the price of SLP quickly rose, with an increase of over 100%, although still significantly below previous highs.

ATTM Guild Comments

ATTM Game Guild commented that based on the information and art released by the official Origin Battles V3, it can essentially be considered as a new game. The game has shifted from turn-based to real-time combat mode, with all cards changed, the addition of a pet equipment system and rune mode, and a free-to-play system for everyone to experience. Existing pets can also be transferred to the Origin version, so there is no need to worry that pets can only be played in the current version.

ATTM Game Guild stated, "We are very much looking forward to the overall new version of Axie Infinity because the original game version was easy to get tired of, and through the new version, adding the mechanism of burning SLP and AXS will make the overall economic model more stable. In addition, we are also very optimistic about the RON token, as the platform token will be a very important part of the entire Axie Infinity with the continuous development of the game. (Currently, RON can be obtained by mining through the official Katana DEX.)"

ATTM commented that the scholarship system will continue to operate, as it is a crucial part of Axie Infinity's livelihood. Of course, the game update will be crucial for players' card strategies and strategic analysis abilities. As a provider of Axie, the game guild will need to provide more diverse combinations and spend more time assisting players in teaching and writing game strategies to achieve a win-win situation.