StepN is probably the most talked about project at the start of the year. Released in January, the application is experiencing strong enthusiasm. Supported by Binance, its goal is now to democratize to reach non-users of cryptocurrencies. Whatever your situation, this guide aims to give you the advice you need to get your adventure off to a good start in this famous “ Move to earn ”. Not sure which sneaker to start with? This will no longer be the case at the end of this guide!
STEPN, MOVE TO EARN SUCCESS
StepN is a “ Move to earn ” web3 mobile application.
In summary, the application uses the concept of play to earn, but this time integrating physical exercise into real life. The goal is to create an engaging and fun game that inspires you to exercise. You will thus earn tokens (cryptocurrencies) by walking, jogging or running. You can then use these tokens to progress in the game, or sell them for other cryptocurrencies.
Obviously, the application is decentralized. It is currently available on the Solana and BNB Chain blockchains. Note that it is not possible to transfer your NFTs from one blockchain to another, bridges being too risky from a security point of view for the team that manages StepN.
Real flagship project of this beginning of the year in the crypto ecosystem, StepN and its 500,000 daily users have caught the attention of Binance. The exchange platform has therefore invested in the company that manages the application (Find Satoshi Lab) through its Binance Labs fund .
If you want to get started, from discovering the different elements of the application to your first mints, through the purchase of your first sneakers, this guide is for you. I’ve personally used StepN for the past two months, so this tutorial is a compendium of what I’ve learned over that time. If you want to avoid buying the wrong kind of sneaker (like I did), you’ve come to the right place.
As always, before investing, do your own research. StepN is still in beta phase, many changes are happening there and no one is able to predict its future. Only invest what you can afford to lose. This is the case on all crypto projects, it must be the case with StepN, whose long-term sustainability is anything but guaranteed.
As the game is only available in English, I will use English terms when discussing game elements.
STEPN, NFTS, CRYPTOCURRENCIES AND SWEAT
TOKENS
There are two tokens in StepN. Both have different uses: the GST is the utility token and the GMT is the governance token. One of the key aspects of these tokens is their maximum issue level. The GST has no limit to its creation, when the GMT is limited to 6 billion tokens.
Green Satoshi Token (GST)
The Green Satoshi Token is StepN’s utility token . That is to say that you can (and should) use it inside the game to progress. Its generation is potentially unlimited, and its emission takes place during your walking/jogging session. Currently (because uses are changing rapidly), you can use the GST to:
- Level up your sneakers
- Fix your sneakers
- Open mystery boxes
- Create new NFT sneakers via reproduction
- Improve your gems
When you use them for an action, the GSTs are destroyed. Obviously, since it is a cryptocurrency, you can also exchange it for SOL, USDC, or the latest trendy token.
Green Metaverse Token (GMT)
The GMT token is the governance token of StepN. Unlike the GST, there cannot be more than 6 billion GMT. Initially, it was only intended to be used to hold voting power on certain decisions, but the team recently decided to give it an in-game use as well. Currently, GMT is used for:
- Pass certain key levels on your sneakers (5, 10, 20, 29 and 30).
- Minter new pairs through breeding.
The team is still thinking about its integration into the game, but it seems that the GMT will have 12 use cases. These will be unveiled gradually over the next few weeks.
Where to get GST or GMT?
To buy or sell GST or GMT (for example to progress faster in the game, or create new sneakers via the mint), several options are currently available to you:
- On centralized platforms such as Binance, Kucoin, etc.
- From the “Wallet” part of the application, you can exchange them for SOL, USDC and GMT
- From a decentralized exchanger, Orca or Jupiter type.
Regarding the GMT, these are even your only options, because you can’t win it in the game yet.
SNEAKERS
Shoe-type NFTs are the basic element of the game: if you don’t have any, you can’t play and therefore won’t be able to win GST. The type of sneaker is the most important element: it determines how fast you need to walk to maximize your GST gains.
Types
There are 4 different types of sneakers, each suitable for a certain type of use. Determining your walking profile is important so that you don’t get the wrong type of sneaker. If you are unsure of yourself, you can launch the application without having a sneaker in order to see how fast you are walking.
Walker : the walking sneakers of the game. You have to move between 1 and 6 km/h.
Jogger : The most versatile sneakers. They allow you to move between 4 and 10 km/h, which in practice leaves the possibility of walking (at a brisk pace) or trotting.
Runner : For the more athletic among us, the Runners will be the most interesting sneakers. Not only do they have the best earning potential (with the exception of trainers, which are slightly different and above all much more expensive), but they allow you to run between 8 and 20km/h.
The trainers: certainly the best trainers in the game. They can be used from 1 to 20 km/h, so it’s really comfortable to use. And not content with offering peace of mind, they allow the best payout in the game. Obviously, the price of trainers is a little higher than that of other types.
Sneakers also have a base GST gain that depends on their type. Keep in mind that this is only the base gain. The more you increase your efficiency , the more you will multiply your GST gains.
| Kind | Optimal speed | Base gain in GST |
| Walker | 1 – 6 km/h | 4 GST / energy |
| jogger | 4 – 10 km/h | 5 GST / energy |
| runner | 8 – 20 km/h | 6 GST / energy |
| Hang out | 1 – 20 km/h | 4 to 6.25 / energy |
Base gain in GST according to the type of basketball
Your first decision will therefore be on the type of basketball you are going to use. Please note that some elements are not mentioned in the whitepaper but may influence your choice . First of all, be aware that the application’s GPS tends to estimate you slower if you are in a dense urban area. On the other hand, if you walk in an open area, you will gain a few kilometers per hour. If you’re not sure, you can run without sneakers to find out how fast you walk on average.
Statistics
- Efficiency (GST Gain) : This is the characteristic that determines your GST gain per minute when using the basketball.
- Luck (best drops) : determines the mystery boxes (see below) that you will win at the end of your sessions.
- Comfort (Gain of GMT) : It is similar to efficiency, but it determines the gain of GMT (the other token of the game). As this one is not yet winnable, the characteristic does not matter at this time. But his time will probably come.
- Resilience (Loss of durability) : This reduces the wear and tear on your trainers after each run. Less wear means less GST needed to repair your sneakers.
The sneakers also have a durability bar, which represents the endurance of it. When you run, the sneaker loses durability points. You will then have to spend GST to repair the sneakers, thus increasing their level of durability. If you don’t, you will earn less GST from the following thresholds:
- 10% less gain from 50 durability
- 90% less gain from 20 durability
It is therefore essential to think carefully about repairing your pairs after a session. Some decide to repair all the time, others from 70 points. It’s up to you to find the strategy that suits you best!
As for stats, they are all important, but not at the same time in the game. So when you start out you will want to prioritize efficiency and resilience in order to maximize your GST gains .
Luck starts counting only when 4 energy points are reached. Before, you can win mystery boxes (see below). It is only from this moment that luck comes into play. Depending on your goals, you can already decide to give up luck, or not!
Comfort is only useful if you want to prepare for the future, since you can’t win GMT yet. My advice is to totally ignore this trait when picking your first pair, since you will focus on gaining GST first.
The quality (rarity) of the sneakers
At the start of the game, almost everyone starts with a basic basketball, which is a common.
Sneakers come in different levels of rarity: common, uncommon, rare, epic, and legendary. The higher the rarity, the higher the base statistics and the number of points to distribute when leveling up .
| Type of sneaker | Basic Features | Characteristic gain when passing a level | Bonus to Total Energy |
| Common | 1 to 10 | 4 | |
| Uncommon | 8 to 18 | 6 | +1 |
| Rare | 15 to 35 | 8 | +2 |
| epic | 28 to 63 | 10 | +3 |
| legendary | 50 to 112 | 12 | +4 |
Stats and Gains by Rarity
Levels
As you will have understood, you can level up your sneaker. For this, you will have to destroy (burn) GST, see GMT for certain important levels. When you decide to improve your basketball, you will have to wait for some time before it reaches it. This increases with the levels of your basketball (1 hour to pass level 1, 15 h to pass level 15, etc.). Once you have leveled up, you can spend the characteristic points received.
Remember to keep in mind that during a level passage, it is impossible to interact with the sneaker : no mint, no repair, impossible to put or remove a gem, etc…
When your sneaker reaches certain key levels, special events come into play. The most important of these is (for now) the ability to mint at level 5.
| Level | Event |
| 5 | Unlocks the first gem slot |
| 5 | Unlocks the possibility of reproduction (mint) |
| 10 | Unlocks rental (not yet implemented) |
| 10 | Unlocks the second gem slot |
| 15 | Unlocks the third gem slot |
| 20 | Unlocks fourth gem slot |
Events during level crossings
The reproduction
Yes, sneakers can reproduce! It’s even a big part of the fun of the game, and an essential mechanic if you want to grow your sneaker count. In practice, it is simply a matter of using two “parent” sneakers to create a new one.
To make a mint, you need:
- 2 sneakers level 5 minimum
- GST and GMT (see table below)
- both sneakers have been in your inventory for at least 48 hours
- that the two sneakers have not been used for mint for 48 hours
Each pair can achieve up to 7 mints. And above all (and you will see it in the table below) the first two mints have the same cost (100 GST + 10 GMT for 2 commons for example). Once these two mints are made, it becomes more expensive to reproduce. It is for this reason that there are a very large number of 2 mint sneakers on the marketplace.
Attention, since the beginning of May, StepN has implemented a dynamic mint cost. The share of GST and GMT needed changes according to the price of GST. Below is the cost for two pairs without reproductions.
When you mint, you receive a “Shoebox”. And if you’re lucky, you can get two for the price of one. You can open it directly, or find it in the “Shoebox” part of your sneaker inventory.
When you open a Shoebox, you have a higher chance of receiving a shoe of a similar type to the parents. Similarly, children’s gem sockets are more likely to be the same as parents’. If you want to access the detailed numbers on genetics in StepN, you can find all the details here .
During mints, the most interesting events that can occur are:
- Mint from an uncommon shoe (3% chance). Or rare if you open an uncommon Shoebox, etc…
- Mint of a trainer (3% chance if neither parent is a trainer)
- And having two Shoeboxes (or “twins”)
The stats of the shoes contained in the Shoeboxes are completely random, and do not depend on those of the parents. In the same way, having a lot of “luck” on the parents does not influence the special events during a mint.
MYSTERY BOXES (MB OR MYSTERY BOXES)
At the end of a walk/run session, you will have a chance to receive a mystery box. They contain the famous gems that improve sneakers.
In practice, mystery boxes are available from 4 energy points. To increase your chances of getting it, two parameters come into play:
- the total energy you spent in the session
- the “luck” attribute of the basketball you used
Just like sneakers, MBs come in several levels of rarity. Obviously, the rarer the box, the more interesting the content may be (but this is not always the case, believe me!).
As for their content, it is always the same: gems. What differs is their number and level. A level 1 box will most often contain a single level 1 gem, when the rarest ones sometimes contain 4 gems which can be level 3.
It is important to note that opening MB costs GST. Even if you wait until the end of the countdown, there is a floor cost which differs depending on the level of the box (the rarer it is, the higher the cost in GST). It is also possible to spend additional GST to open it faster.
THE GEMS
You will therefore have understood it, from level 5, you can equip gems on your basketball. To do this, you will need to spend GST to “open” the gem slot. Then, if you have a gem, you can insert it into the slot to upgrade a sneaker.
There are 4 types of gem, one per characteristic.
- Yellows improve efficiency
- The light blue the luck
- The dark blue the resilience
- The reds the comfort
Just like sneakers, gems have levels. The higher it is, the greater the bonus provided by the gem.
You can also try to combine 3 identical gems to get a higher level one. To perform the operation, go to the “Upgrade” tab of your gem inventory. The operation will cost you GST (50 to improve gems from level 1 to 2) and is not certain to succeed, think carefully!
Gem slots also have levels. These are the small “ears” around the location that indicate this. The rarer the basketball, the more likely it is to have upgraded slots.
FINANCIAL ELEMENTS
Who says “Move to earn”, “Play to earn” or even “GameFi” necessarily says that financial elements are present in the application. In StepN, these are implemented as mechanics that limit your daily earnings. Unfortunately, we won’t be able to run all day to generate GST!
THE ENERGY BAR
The energy bar determines how long you can run while earning GST. When you start a run, you will lose 0.2 energy points per minute. One energy point is therefore equivalent to 5 minutes of running. Once you run out of energy, you will have to wait for a recharge to be able to earn GST again.
Energy recharge is 25% of its total every 6 hours . If you have 2 energy points, you will therefore receive 0.5 energy each time you recharge.
To know : when you buy your first basketball, you will not directly obtain two energy points. You will have to wait at least a few hours for a recharge to take place.
In France, the hours at which you regain energy are:
- 3h
- 9am
- 3 p.m.
- 9 p.m.
If you want to increase your energy total, you are going to need to acquire more sneakers . Note that it is impossible to exceed the total of 20 energy points .
Having non-common quality sneakers in your inventory also increases your energy:
- +1 energy for an uncommon
- +2 for a rare
- +3 for an epic
- +4 for a legendary
THE GAIN LIMIT OF GST
In StepN, you can’t run all day because of the energy limit we just mentioned. But even if it did, there is a maximum amount of GST you can earn in the day. Once this limit is reached, you will have to wait until the next day to continue generating GST. A day goes from 3 p.m. to 2:59 p.m. French time .
To increase your maximum daily gain, you will need to improve your basketball. The higher level it is, the more GST you can earn. The maximum for a level 30 basketball is 300 GST per day. On the other hand, you do not necessarily need to use your highest level basketball during your sessions.
At the beginning of your adventure, you will not really feel the daily gain limit. Rather, it concerns people who accumulate a certain number of sneakers. Once you hit that limit, it’s probably time to upgrade your main sneaker.
HOW TO START IN THE GAME
DOWNLOAD THE APP
The app is available for Android and IOS . You can download it directly from the play/app store. Once done, you will need to register. The procedure is intended to be as simple as possible in order to be accessible to all.
When you register, you will have to provide an ” Activation code “. The mechanism is recent and was implemented in order to regulate the (massive) influx of new users. To obtain a code, thus allowing you to join the application, several means are at your disposal:
- go to this address , where StepN provides new codes every day.
- go to the official StepN discord , in the #-activation-code channel . Players regularly post new codes here.
- ask another runner to give you a code. Indeed, when a player spends 10 energy points, he generates a code. This is located in the “Account” section of the application. If you don’t know any, Twitter is a good way to interact with the French community.
HOMEPAGE
Once the registration is complete, the serious things begin. The home screen is actually the screen that allows you to start a race. It has the following elements:
- access to the “My account” section
- your token balance (GST, GMT and SOL) and access to the wallet
- the sneaker you are going to use
- the durability of the sneaker
- the level of the sneaker
- mystery box locations
- the daily gain bar
- your energy level, and the time before the next 25% recharge
- the “Start” button, which allows you to launch a session
- access to other sections:
- Your NFT inventory (sneakers, gems)
- the marketplace, to buy your NFTs (sales are made from the inventory).
- The “Trophies” section is not yet available.
During your first use, access your wallet by clicking on the Solana icon at the top right of the screen. You will then be offered:
- import an existing wallet, to use if you are comfortable with Solana
- create a new portfolio
If you use the second option, choose a passcode to your wallet that only you know and write down your 12-word recovery phrase . These are the 12 words that will allow you to access your funds in the event of a problem (change of telephone, forgotten code, etc.). I insist on it, write down your 12 words and put them in safety.
Once your wallet has been created, you will need to deposit Solana (SOL) on it in order to be able to buy sneakers. To do this, send it from a centralized exchange (Binance, FTX) or another wallet to the address below your SOL total. Once the operation is complete, use the “Transfer” button then “To spending” to be able to use them in the application.
HOW TO CHOOSE YOUR FIRST SNEAKER
Once the administration is done, it’s time to play! To buy your first shoe , go to the marketplace using the central bar. Use the filters to select the type of sneaker you want to buy.
When studying the characteristics of a pair, consider using the “Base” button to see the statistics at level 0, without the points spent to improve it.
Regarding the most important statistics in the choice of his first basketball , prioritize:
- The efficiency , to maximize the GST gain.
- Resilience , to avoid spending too much GST on repairs.
- Luck, only if you want to have at least 4 energy points to drop mystery boxes.
My personal advice is to look for a sneaker with a cumulative efficiency and resilience of at least 15 . If you have to choose between the two statistics, choose efficiency. Do not rush to purchase, good opportunities appear regularly.
Luck will not be useful until you have 4 energy points (3 baskets). If this is not your case, you can totally ignore it. Otherwise, I refer you to Krit’s excellent table on the drop of mystery boxes to determine your need for luck.
THE FIRST RACES
Once you have acquired your first sneaker, you will have to wait 24 hours before your energy bar is full. When this is the case, you will be able to carry out your first session. To do this, select the sneaker you want to use on the home screen and press “Start”. The GPS will then record the distances you cover, and the step counter will make sure that you are moving on foot. Once your energy is spent, use the “Pause” button then end the race by long pressing the red button. You will then receive your GSTs, your possible mystery box and your sneaker will lose durability. Remember to repair it, and see you the next day for a new session!
Until then, it’s up to you:
- improve your main basketball
- to improve other sneakers dedicated to reproduction
- to buy / resell on the marketplace
My personal advice will be to upgrade your main sneaker at least for the first few days, and put the points into efficiency . This is the stat that will allow you to earn more GST, and therefore further accelerate your progress. Thereafter, use the tools that I detail at the end of the article to determine which ratio efficiency / resilience is optimal according to your situation.
2 PAIRS, THE REAL GAME
Let’s be honest: part of StepN’s success comes from its mint mechanic . It is through the latter that you progress in the game (by increasing your total energy). But it is above all an opportunity to acquire an uncommon quality sneaker of significant value, a trainer or twins. You are then free to use it, or resell it, or even use it for mint again.
If you want to follow this path, you will need not one but two pairs, if possible with 0 mints. You will then need to do jogging sessions to acquire a sufficient amount of GST and GMT (100 GST + 100 GMT at least). Since GMT is not yet earnable in-game, you will actually need to convert GST to get it.
For most players, it’s really about acquiring the number of sneakers that corresponds to their weekly release.
CONVERT YOUR GSTS
To convert from one cryptocurrency to another, tap the Solana icon at the top right of the home screen. You will arrive on your wallet, from which you can directly make trades. You can therefore transform GST into GMT on this space (for mint for example), or into USDC to collect gains.
If you are comfortable with decentralized exchanges, you can also convert GST on most Solana DEXs including Orca .
THE GAME IS STILL IN BETA
Although StepN is already popular in the crypto ecosystem, keep in mind that the game is still in beta . As such, many changes can still take place. For example, the team changed the mint cost a few days ago from 120 GST + 80 GMT to 100 GST + 100 GMT. Obviously, this has an impact on token prices.
UPCOMING FEATURES
Who says game in beta therefore says new things to come. I’m not going to dwell too much on the subject, but here is a (non-exhaustive) list of functions that should appear in the coming months:
- the rental of sneakers, to onboard more users
- marathon mode (10 to 20 km) for the most enduring
- a system of weekly competitions
- a system of quests and badges
- the possibility of buying sneakers directly with your bank card
- multi-chain deployment (already done on the BNB Chain)
TO FIND ANSWERS
This guide should help you get started in the StepN adventure: from starting the app to your first mints, including the dreaded purchase of your first sneaker. Nevertheless, the game being above all based on optimization, the more you progress, the more you will need to refine your strategy.
For this, you can find help thanks to:
- the earning simulator according to the statistics of your sneakers (must be used)
- another winning simulator that will also help you plan your strategy
- to Krit’s excellent data compilation tool (follow him on Twitter, he’s a goldmine!)
Finally, I also refer you to the Discord server of StepN. The community is very welcoming, so you will find answers (and activation codes) there. You can also follow the main Twitter accounts dedicated to the application. They regularly share interesting content on new products, the cost of mints compared to that of reselling GSTs or tips (did you know that you can open your mystery boxes during your sessions?).
You now have all the keys to get started on StepN. Choose the type of sneaker suitable for your use, aim for a total efficiency and resilience of at least 15, and if possible sneakers that have never been used for mint. Thereafter, the possible strategies vary according to the objectives and the desires, but tools have already been developed by the community to accompany you. The team, meanwhile, claims to have learned the lessons that kept Axie Infinity from lasting despite similar infatuation. The appointment is made.
