Nine Chronicles is a fully decentralized, open-source massively multiplayer online role-playing game (MMOPRG) that allows fantasy-loving gamers to explore a whole new world.
Hosted on the Libplanet blockchain, the game delivered brand new adventures to its fans in recent weeks.
And P2E and blockchain gamers have been raving about its truly decentralized nature, hailing it as the gold standard for decentralization in gaming.
But what exactly is this fantasy-themed game all about? What’s in store for players? And is it worth playing? Read on to find out.
What is Nine Chronicles?
Nine Chronicles is a decentralized fantasy world backed by major players including Planetarium and Ubisoft.
Within Nine Chronicles, players make their way through the Campaign which currently consists of 250 unique stages spread across the various realms. Players face fierce opponents in deadly battles that get progressively more difficult.
Players must devise strategies and tactics to win these stages and progress to the next one. If they do, they earn rewards in the form of valuable materials that can be used to craft items to make their characters even stronger.
There are also competitive events where players can earn the in-game currency, Nine Chronicles Gold.
How to get started with Nine Chronicles
Getting started with Nine Chronicles is fairly simple. You’ll need to launch the game and create an account. Then, you’ll be given a private key. You must save this private key and never share it with anyone.
Then, you’ll be prompted to enter an activation code. You can get this activation code from the official channels, like the Discord or the onboarding portal.
Once you’re in, you’ll be able to create a character and start playing the game. Every account can create up to three unique characters and they can be modded too.
Creating a character
Creating a character is simple. You can modify things like your character’s hair, eyes, ears, and even their tail to make it unique to you. You then need to pick a unique nickname for your character.
Your character will also come with certain attributes that you need to understand to be successful in the battlefield.
Understanding your character’s attributes
There are several character statistics that you must be aware of before you start playing the game.
These include the character’s hit point, attack power, defence power, critical attacks, and speed.
- HP refers to the character’s hit points. If you run out of hit points, you lose the battle
- ATK refers to your character’s attack power which indicates how much damage you can do to the enemy
- DEF refers to your character’s defence power which indicates how well you can defend yourself from the enemy in a battle
- CRI refers to how often you can make critical attacks against the enemy
- SPD refers to the speed of your character, a faster character can carry out more actions than a slower character which is helpful in a battle situation
Once you have created your character, you will be able to start exploring the fascinating realms within the Nine Chronicles.
Levelling up your character through NFTs
Crafting items are the main way to uplevel a character in the Nine Chronicles space. Characters can increase their power and tackle challenging Campaign stages by obtaining items. Every item in the Nine Chronicles space is an NFT that players own; these items can be traded or upgraded and sold for profit.
Items are separated into four different types, including:
- Equipment items that are usable by players during the different types of battles.
- Consumable items that can be used during the carious Campaign stages to improve their chance of success.
- Material items which refer to rewards players win when they fight in the Campaign or Arena. These can then be used to craft Equipment or Consumable items
- Costumes & Titles which refer to cosmetic items that change the appearance of a character. They are limited in supply and are rarely given out so they are an important status symbol.
What are the main gameplay options?
The key gameplay option is the Campaign which currently consists of 250 stages of varying difficulties that allow players to explore the different realms within the Nine Chronicles. Players can also win materials in the process and create items that make their characters even stronger.
Arena
The Arena is a great option for the player-versus-player (PvP) experience. Players challenge each other to battles in the arena and compete to top the leaderboard. Players are also rewarded materials that they can use to create items and advance in campaigns.
While the campaigns and arena are the main ways to play the game, players can get involved in other ways as well.
Other ways to play
Characters who opt to win rewards in the game through campaigns and arena battles are known as adventurers. But there are other ways to get involved with the game as well.
For example, miners help create a decentralized world through their actions, while merchants are responsible for balancing the supply and demand for exotic items and materials, and politicians issue and pass amendments for the world, helping shape the realms and lore.
These supporting roles reflect the fact that the game is fully decentralized and the world is built by the players in a collaborative space where they can actively mould the rules.
After all, the game is designed so that players can play, mine, and govern together.
The video below shows just how exciting the Nine Chronicles gameplay can get.
What are the different worlds within the Nine Chronicles universe?
As of now, there are six different worlds within the Nine Chronicles universe that players can explore. A seventh world is due to be released in December 2022, and a further two worlds will be released in the future too.
The six worlds that exist within the Nine Chronicles are Yggdrasil, Alfheim, Svartalfheim, Asgard, Muspelheim, and Jotunheim. The Cave of Jotunheim is the latest realm to be released, with a new world expected in December.
Other important concepts to be aware of in the Nine Chronicles realms
The Nine Chronicles universe is a complex landscape with many different concepts. Players will have to discover some of these when they start playing the game on their own. But there are a few key concepts to be aware of before you begin your adventure.
These include:
- The Monster Collection staking mechanism where players can earn important resources by depositing NCG and collecting monsters.
- The importance of Hourglasses and Action Points which are the core fungible items in the game and allow players to craft top-tier items and progress faster in the game.
- The different types of equipment items that can be created, including swords, armor, belts, necklaces, and rings.
- Gamers can freely mod features within the game as long as it is done for the benefit of the whole community.
How can you earn from Nine Chronicles?
Nine Chronicles is a play-to-earn (P2E) game so it is possible to earn actual money while playing the game.
But how are people earning money from Nine Chronicles? There are actually a couple of different ways you can earn money by participating in the Nine Chronicles universe.
And it’s worth noting that gamers and streamers still believe Nine Chronicles is an underrated game that can bring about a decent ROI.
So without further ado, here are some key ways to make money with Nine Chronicles.
Staking NCG
Players can earn money by staking Nine Chronicles Gold. Staking Nine Chronicles Gold (NCG) results in the generation of consumable items that help make their characters stronger so they can win more challenges in-game. This, in turn, results in more rewards that can be sold for NCG and converted to actual money.
An in-depth analysis of earnings from staking indicated that some players could achieve yields of over 100% APY by staking NCG in some instances.
Staking NCG is, therefore, a great way to earn money from the game.
Participating in Nine Chronicles P2E events
The Nine Chronicles team holds various events that allow avid players to earn money throughout the year. Last September, they announced a play-to-earn event that promised players the opportunity to win a total of $2,000,000 in NCG rewards.
Players faced arena-style challenges and the top 500 players each week were given financial incentives as part of the challenges.
Play the game and earn rewards
The third way to earn in the Nine Chronicles realm may seem obvious. It is simply to play the game, reap the rewards associated with various battles, and cash them out. Players can also craft items that can be sold on the marketplace for NCG which can be converted into fiat money.
By playing the game, players can unlock new recipes, craft more items, upgrade them, and sell them on the marketplace.
They can also stake their NCG in order to win more AP pots & Hourglasses in order to craft even more unique items and win more campaign events.
This handy chart reflects exactly how the developers view the earning model within Nine Chronicles.
As can be seen, this is a sort of perpetual pentagon that ensures players can keep earning as long as they keep playing the game and getting involved with the various features of the universe.
The core economic system concepts to be aware of within Nine Chronicles
The Nine Chronicles economic system concepts refer to the way the development team views decentralized gaming. These concepts may seem abstract and big-picture, but they are important in terms of understanding exactly how the game’s roadmap might look long-term.
They are also key to understanding the reasoning behind certain decisions.
Some of the most important economic system concepts as outlined by the development team include the following:
- An independently functioning in-game economy with little involvement from the development team
- A sustainable Nine Chronicles economy that does not falter in the event of an influx of new players
- A supply and demand system that is the basis for the in-game assets’ value
- A gaming experience that allows all players to begin playing for free
- A meritocracy that reflects the time spent by each player within the game and the rewards they’ve received as a result
- The opportunity for gamers to have true ownership over their items within the game
How the game reflects these core beliefs
Much of these core beliefs have already been reflected within the game. For instance, the game’s in-game economy does function largely independently from the development team due to the collaborative nature of the game.
Players can take on ‘politician’ and ‘merchant’ roles to mould the in-game economy with little input from the development team.
Also, because of the blockchain gaming experience, players do have true ownership over their items within the game.
And, the Nine Chronicles team is currently developing new features that are likely to deliver on this premise even further.
What’s new with Nine Chronicles this year?
The Nine Chronicles team have been consistently delivering against the roadmap they set out so far, with some exciting updates released just last month. Here are the highlights.
World 6: The Cave of Jotunheim
The highly-anticipated new fantasy world addition to Nine Chronicles was released earlier this year and it did not disappoint.
The Cave of Jotunheim is a brand new realm filled with ‘forbidden and barren’ caverns that players can explore. The Jotun giants that dwell in these mysterious lands hate gods and humans alike and promise tantalizing adventures.
The new crystals system
With the Cave of Jotunheim came a new in-game currency called crystals. This new concept allows players to replace insufficient materials and obsolete items for crystals.
The crystals can then be used to unlock new worlds and recipes. Also, players can now use crystals to gather insufficient materials for recipes without having to go back a level to farm specific materials.
This is a huge gameplay improvement that makes the game more seamless and slick overall.
The Arena Reboot
According to the Nine Chronicles team, the Arena is the feature that changed the most during the last upgrade. Essentially, the Arena became much more structured with the latest update.
First, Arena battles now take place according to a regular schedule. But also, there are now different tiers and consequently relative rewards as a result of this.
There will be 12 ‘seasons’ per year, with four championships, and one grand finale. Also, there will be an ‘off-season’ period between each season where players will be able to register for the following season.
Players will be able to register after a particular season has started, but the fees will be higher. The developers say this was done to deter bots from joining the arena challenges just so they can get rewards.
Other Arena reboot features were also introduced. Among the most notable were that HP (hit points) would be doubled for players during arena battles to improve the gameplay experience.
What else can we expect from Nine Chronicles this year?
The Nine Chronicles developers promise lots of new updates to look forward to before the end of the year. From a new world to explore to a mobile version, there is lots to look forward to over the next few months.
World 7: Niflheim Release
Fans can expect the release of the seventh world within the Nine Chronicles universe. After the Cave of Jotunheim was released earlier this year, fans will be able to explore Niflheim in December.
While not much is known about this latest release, Norse mythology provides some hint as to what Niflheim might contain.
Within Norse mythology, Niflheim is the cold, misty, dark world of the dead. Much like the Underworld in Greek mythology, Niflheim is ruled by a deity, a goddess called Hel. In some versions of the legend, Niflheim is seen as an afterlife reserved for evil men. In others, a spring flows from it with many rivers.
How will the Nine Chronicles interpret this cold, dark, mythical world? That remains to be seen. But, perhaps it is fitting that this frosty instalment will land in December.
The mobile version of Nine Chronicles
One of the most important Nine Chronicles updates this year is the mobile version of the game. Right now, players can only access Nine Chronicles via a computer. But with the release of the mobile version, players will be able to play the game on the go. And fans that prefer mobile-only games will be able to participate too.
The new Proof of Stake update
Another major update this year will be the Proof of Stake upgrade. It is hoped that this new upgrade will significantly decrease the latency in the game thereby improving the gameplay experience.
Nine Chronicles: A promising future for a truly decentralized game
Nine Chronicles has had a promising reception from gamers in the space previously.
Last year, Leofinance reviewed the game and strongly recommended giving it a go due to its many positives. He raved about the cool graphics and free-to-play model allowing you to earn crypto.
And, he stressed, further updates would only improve the gameplay.
He said:
“The biggest advantage of this game is that it is fully decentralized and peer-to-peer. I think no other game can claim to be as decentralized as Nine Chronicles.
“I expect this level of decentralization to be the default for blockchain games in the coming years.”
But, he stressed, the greatest strength of the game might also turn out to be its greatest weakness. Because the game is decentralized, each action requires a transaction in the blockchain.
This includes simple things like crafting items, as these actions need to be logged on the blockchain. The game must keep running for a few minutes after players stop playing. And sometimes transactions can take a while.
But, the new Proof of Stake update will likely help resolve some of these issues by decreasing the network’s latency significantly.
Nine Chronicles: an overview of the game
Nine Chronicles is the decentralized blockchain game to play if you are a fantasy fan. There are several worlds inspired by Norse mythology to explore, with new adventures due to be released later this year.
And with a mobile version due to be released in the next few months, fans of the game will soon be able to take the adventure with them anywhere they go. The mobile version will also appeal to gamers who prefer not to game on their computers, reaching even more avid players across the globe.
New proof of stake upgrades will make the game even faster and improve the gameplay, paving the way for a gold standard in decentralized blockchain gaming.
And the game is underpinned by some transparent decentralizing concepts that promise a great experience for gamers in the space.
All in all, Nine Chronicles promises an exciting roadmap with new developments building on an already solid project loved by many players.
