What is Axie Infinity?
Axie Infinity is a play-to-earn blockchain game created by Mavis Studios that has been in development since 2018. The game is still receiving updates, but reached a stable version in June 2021, when it moved to the Ronn side chain to avoid the high Ethereum gas fees.
In Axie Infinity, players battle, collect and breed virtual pets called Axies. It’s very similar to strategy games like Pokémon.
What are Axies?
Axies are cute, collectible virtual creatures. Each Axie is a non-fungible token or NFT, and are defined according to their class, stats and body parts which we’ll talk more about later.
In this beginners tutorial, we’ll go through the steps to get set up on Axie Infinity. While we won’t go over strategy specifics, we’ll also provide a simple breakdown of battling and breeding with Axies.
Getting set up
1. Create a Ronin Wallet
Because Axie Infinity now operates on the Ronin side chain, you will need to set up a Ronin Wallet to play the game. To do this, head over to ‘https://wallet.roninchain.com/’
It’s currently possible to install your Ronin wallet via Chrome or Firefox, we’ll be using Chrome for this tutorial. Note that Axie Infinity also has an Android and IOS app.
Press ‘add to Chrome’ on the chrome web store. Once you confirm the download, the Ronin wallet icon should appear in the top right corner of your browser. If it doesn’t, simply click on the jigsaw icon in the corner of your browser and select the pin icon beside the Ronin wallet.
Next, click on the wallet’s icon. In the pop-up screen that appears click ‘get started’ followed by ‘I’m new. Let’s get set up!’.
After this, you will be asked to create a password for your Ronin wallet.
On the next page, you will be given the seed phrase for your wallet. It’s extremely important that you store this phrase somewhere safe, as you will need it if you ever lose access to your wallet. If someone else gets a hold of your seed phrase, they will be able to access your wallet.
Once you confirm your seed phrase on the following page, your Ronin wallet will be set up.
Now when you click on the Ronin wallet icon in the top right of your browser, a pop-up screen like this should appear.
2. Create an Axie Infinity account
To create your account, head over to the Axie Marketplace page.
Click the login button at the top left of this page. Next, select ‘login with Ronin wallet’. You’ll then be asked to confirm the connection of your wallet to your Axie account.
Afterwards, your screen should look something like this.
Next, click on the ‘set up email & password’ button and enter in the corresponding details. Click ‘confirm’.
You should then receive a verification code in your email. Copy and paste this code into the pop-up text box and press ‘confirm’.
Once you do this, your account will be set up!
3. Deposit some ETH into your Ronin Wallet
To get started on Axie Infinity, you’ll need to buy at least three Axis. To do this, you’ll need some of the digital currency wrapped Ether (WETH) in your Ronin wallet.
First, click on ‘my account’ at the top right of your screen.
Next, click ‘deposit to Ronin’. Here, you will be able to send over some WETH from an Ethereum-based crypto wallet via the Ronin bridge.
If you do not have one of these crypto wallets already, you’ll need to set one up. We recommend using MetaMask. For a full step-by-step guide on how to set up a MetaMask wallet, click here (https://www.cryptonary.com/cryptoschool/tutorial-how-to-download-set-up-use-metamask/).
If you already have a MetaMask wallet, then you will be asked to confirm the connection between your MetaMask and Ronin.
Once you have this done, you’ll be presented with a screen that looks like this.
You can copy your wallet’s address by clicking on the two squares icon near your wallet’s name. Paste this address into the ‘Ronin address’ section.
Next, select the type (i.e. WETH) and amount of the asset you want to deposit. If you don’t already have some WETH in your MetaMask wallet, you’ll need to buy some.
Note that each time you deposit tokens into your Ronin wallet, you will be charged a gas or transaction fee. Click ‘next’ to process your transaction.
4. Acquire your Axies
To buy your Axies, head to the Axie Marketplace page (https://marketplace.axieinfinity.com/). You’ll need at least 3 Axies to start playing on Axie Infinity.
Before you buy your Axies, you’ll need to have a basic understanding of the creatures’ characteristics. We’ve included a simple breakdown of these characteristics in the ‘Battles’ section below, but as with any investment, it’s important to do your own research as well.
5. Download the Application
Finally, you’ll need to download the Axie Infinity application to your device.
Head to https://axieinfinity.com/?download=true and select the device you’ll be using to install the application.
Once you have this done, you’ll be asked to enter the email address and password for your Axie Infinity account.
After you login, click ‘install’.
Now you’re almost ready to play! To add your axies, simply click on ‘axies’ followed by ‘sync axies’.
Earning income on Axie Infinity
The two main ways that players can earn an income on Axie Infinity are via Battles or Breeding.
Battles
There are two types of Battles you can take part in. In ‘Adventure Mode’, your Axies will battle against various enemy monsters across thirty-six levels or ‘Ruins’. Players often use this mode to level up their Axies in preparation for the ‘Arena Mode’. The Arena is where you can compete against other players’ Axies.
Both of these modes involve you and your opponent taking turns to plan and carry out attacks. Each Axie will have four different cards that represent the moves or abilities they can use during the battle. Generally, these abilities can be defensive or offensive.
The end goal is to eliminate all of your opponents through the strategic use of these cards. It’s important that you practice and do your own research to find a strategy that works best for you.
Each Axie will have a set of stats, a class and a set of body parts. All of these different traits combined influence an Axie’s individual strengths and weaknesses, which determines their role in battle.
Class
An Axie can belong to one of nine different classes: Plant, Reptile, Dusk, Beast, Bug, Mech, Aqua, Bird and Dawn.
Stats
Each Axie will have a total of 165 stats points. An Axie’s class and body parts determine how these points are divided up across the four stat groups which are: Health, Skill, Speed and Morale.
Health (HP): represents the amount of damage and Axie can withstand before getting knocked out.
Skill: An Axie’s skill level influences the amount of damage done when multiple cards are played at the same time (i.e. higher the skill, the greater the damage).
Speed: Dictates turn order (i.e. faster Axies will attack first).
Morale: Morale increases and Axie’s chance of landing a critical hit. Higher levels of morale also increases the chances of entering ‘last stand’, which enables the Axie to strike a few more times before being knocked out.
Body parts
Axies have six body parts: Tail, Back, Horn, Ears, Mouth and Eyes. Tails, Backs, Horns and Mouths determine the cards that an Axie can use in battle.
Note that each body part will belong to a specific class, and will add additional stat bonuses depending on this class ( e.g. Plant = 3 HP + 1 Morale, Beast = 3 Morale + 1 Speed).
Small Love Potions and AXS tokens
When you win a battle, you will receive some Smooth Love Potions, or SLPs, as a reward.
SLPs are tokens that can be exchanged for other crypto tokens or fiat money. SLPs can also be used to breed Axies, which we’ll talk about more below.
Another way to earn SLPs is through completing daily tasks set out for you on Axie Infinity (e.g. winning 10 battles in Adventure Mode).
Some of the best players on Axie Infinity will also be rewarded with AXS tokens (an ERC-20 utility token). AXS is the governance token for the Axie Universe. AXS token holders can earn further rewards by staking these tokens or taking part in governance votes. It’s also possible to acquire AXS by swapping other tokens, like SLPs, on exchanges such as Katana.
Breeding
The other way players earn income is through breeding Axies.
Axies can be paired together to create new offspring. Player’s can then choose to battle with these offspring, sell them on the Axie marketplace or use them to breed more offspring.
Each Axie can be bred a maximum of seven times. This rule serves to regulate the Axie population.
The Axie breeding process is also not free, as you will be charged a certain number of SLP / AXS tokens each time you breed. The more times an Axie has been bred, the higher the fee.
Here is where it gets a bit complicated:
As mentioned, every Axie has six body parts. Each body part will have a set of three different genes: a dominant gene, a recessive gene and a minor-recessive gene. Each gene has a % probability of being passed down to the offspring.
The dominant gene will reflect the body part that is present on the parent Axie, and has the highest % probability of being inherited by the offspring.
You can head to ‘https://freakitties.github.io/axie/calc.html?sireId=123&matronId=701’ to calculate the probability of an Axie’s offspring possessing a particular trait.
The breeding process can get quite technical, and is generally recommended for more experienced players who have done their own research on the topic.
Want to learn more about Axie Infinity? Read our Crypto School Axie Infinity Simply Explained piece here.
