Hey everyone, it's already time to make another Splinterlands post for this weeks Social Media Challenge, and this week I want to explain to players not yet familiar with the game, why this game is different and why it has transitioned from just a game I played among other games to becoming a part of my life which I now play every day for over 3.5 years already.

To find out how you can participate in this challenge yourself, and hopefully earn some nice upvotes so you can buy in-game assets with it, check out the Splinterlands post here.

Ok.. first things first...

What is Splinterlands?

Splinterlands is a digital trading card game (TCG) where players collect, trade, and battle with cards. Each card represents a different monster or summoner, every card and asset is a NFT on the blockchain, meaning they can be later sold if you ever want to stop with the game, more on this later.
Battles are fast-paced, automated matches where strategy comes from choosing the best team for each fight.

Unlike traditional card games, Splinterlands is built on blockchain technology, meaning:

✅ You own your cards as NFTs (non-fungible tokens).
✅ Cards have real-world value—they can be traded, sold, or rented.
✅ You can earn cryptocurrency (SPS) by playing.

A trading card game.. that sounds boring, it's not for me!

Yeah, that's what I thought too, I had NEVER played a trading card game before, I thought they were boring, I was always playing shooters like Call of Duty and in the past RTS games like Warcraft and Command & Conquer, even when I made the step in to web 3 gaming, my interest was NOT in TCG's!

Web 2 vs. Web 3

What Are Web2 Games?

Web2 games are traditional online games that are controlled by a central authority, typically a game developer or company. These games include popular titles like World of Warcraft, Fortnite, League of Legends, and Hearthstone.

✅ You play on a company’s servers—they control everything.
✅ In-game items belong to the company—you don’t truly own them.
✅ You can’t sell or trade items freely—unless the game allows it.
✅ Monetization is limited—players spend money but don’t typically earn real value.

For example, if you buy a skin in Fortnite or a mount in World of Warcraft, you can use it in the game, but you can’t sell it for real money or transfer it to another game. If the developers shut down the game, your purchases disappear.

This is a screenshot from Raid: Shadow Legends, a very popular game, the in game purchases are quite expensive!

What Are Web3 Games?

Web3 games use blockchain technology to give players true ownership of their in-game assets, such as characters, items, or currencies. Games like Splinterlands, Axie Infinity, and Gods Unchained fall under Web3 gaming.

✅ You own your assets as NFTs (non-fungible tokens)—cards, skins, or items are yours.
✅ Play-to-Earn (P2E) mechanics—earn cryptocurrencies or NFTs that have real-world value.
✅ Decentralized and player-driven—items can be traded or sold freely on marketplaces.
✅ Blockchain records everything—ensuring transparency and security.

For example, in Splinterlands, if you earn a card, you truly own it as an NFT. You can:

Sell it for cryptocurrency.

Trade it with other players.

Rent it out for passive income.

Even if the game shuts down, your NFT cards still exist on the blockchain, meaning they retain value and could be used in other compatible games or markets.

New and booming Play 2 Earn games

The problem with most web 3 games is that there are so many of them out there and new ones keep being launched, creating the pump and dump effect where for example content creators hype up a game and use the new players as exit liquidity to sell their assets on, the game dies and with the earned money they rinse and repeat in to other games.

Being able to EARN in a game is cool, but it should never be the focus, when a game isn't FUN to play you won't last for long, and the commitment and dedication is what you need for web 3 games because it's not a 'get rich quick thing'.

Splinterlands already exists for over 6 years and survived two bear markets, I have been around since August 2021 and stood strong in the crypto winter that started in 2022 and lasted until, well let's say halfway 2024 but then only Bitcoin started firing and everything else stayed behind, but at least it's the start of a sentiment change.

In the past I played other web 3 games as well like Crypto Unicorns to experience first hand how it feels like when you grind a game every day, put in quite a bit of money and then suddenly, the company just stops with the game, and overnight, your assets become worthless. When this happened, I decided from that moment, it was ONLY Splinterlands for me, full dedication.

Splinterlands keeps pushing and improving

I have to admit it wasn't always easy to keep believing in the game, especially when most people tell you it's dead or a sinking ship, a lot of players were leaving.
I kept believing because I had FUN playing the game, and while there were problems that needed to be addressed, I could see the potential, so I kept going!

Over the past year, the Splinterlands team has implemented several significant improvements to enhance gameplay, expand leadership, and strengthen the game's economy. Here's a summary of these developments:​

Leadership Changes:

• Appointment of New Chief Operating Officer (COO): Dave McCoy, a long-time community member with extensive business experience, joined Splinterlands as the new COO. His primary focus is on attracting and retaining new players, aiming to turn hope into confidence through execution. ​

Gameplay Enhancements:

• Ranked Battle System Overhaul: In February 2024, the Ranked Battle System underwent a significant overhaul. Key changes include the removal of summoner level caps and penalties for low-level cards, mandatory advancement through leagues, and matchmaking based on player ratings rather than league levels. ​

• Introduction of Survival Mode: An upcoming ranked format called Survival Mode was announced, offering a unique gameplay experience. In this mode, battles do not require energy, but cards that die in battle enter a cooldown period, making them temporarily unusable. This encourages strategic collection management and introduces new dynamics to gameplay. ​

Economic and Reward System Updates:

• Introduction of Glint: The game introduced Glint, a new in-game currency earned through various activities such as winning battles and participating in events. Glint can be used to purchase cards, items, and other in-game assets, enhancing the overall player experience. ​

• Soulbound Reward Cards: A new set of soulbound reward cards was introduced, providing players with unique, non-tradable cards that can enhance gameplay and strategy. ​

• Simplified Onboarding for New Players: To attract and retain new players, Splinterlands removed restrictions on essential gameplay features that were previously locked behind the purchase of a Spellbook. New players can now join guilds, earn Glint from ranked battles, and participate in seasonal events and Brawls without an upfront investment. ​

Community and Recognition:

• Enhanced Community Engagement: Splinterlands has encouraged community participation through various activities, such as the Social Media Challenge, where players share creative content related to the game, fostering a more engaged and vibrant community. ​

• Industry Recognition: Splinterlands secured 2nd place in the PlayToEarn Game Awards 2024 for Best Card Game, reflecting its growing prominence and positive reception within the gaming community. ​

These developments demonstrate Splinterlands' commitment to continuous improvement, player engagement, and innovation within the blockchain gaming space.

Well.. that's a heap of text, now we know what Splinterlands is, what's the gameplay like?

So, when I started playing Splinterlands, I thought I would never have to level up cards and get to higher leagues, I was okay with being a low level player! But as I learned more I did it anyway and start building my own deck, my own collection of cards I can use to fight battles with against other players, I always play on PC but the game is also available on smartphones, the app is in development and is planned to launch in Q2 this year.

Basically every battle is different: you get a certain amount of mana to use with different rulesets and available cards you are allowed to use, the game is highly strategic and the combinations are almost endless. See every battle is a strategic puzzle, the player who comes up with the best solution wins but it's deeper than that because you can try to counter the most obvious teams, or make counters to that counter 😅 well... you'll get it!

The picture above is a screenshot from a battle I had this morning, I won the battle and earned just over 7 SPS with it, SPS is the Splinterlands Governing token, and even at today's low value, my win was worth about 4 cents.

SPS is used to stake on to your account to earn even more, and by staking it I also get a nice 11.76% APR on it.
I usually spend my gaming time fighting my battles on two accounts, and in the weekends when I have more time I make blog posts like this one to participate in the Splinterlands Challenges the team launches every week so I can earn some extra funds to build my account with.

As a new player you won't earn this much of course because I am working on expanding my account for a really long time already but I am nowhere near the top players, they make a lot more!

So over the years, the game has really started to become a part of my life, playing battles to earn SPS and Glint so I can buy more competitive cards and win more games, earning more SPS and Glint to rinse and repeat.
On top of the battles and making blog posts I really like the friends I have made in the space, with some of them I chat every day to share knowledge and just have a great time.

Besides the normal ranked battles to earn glint I also participate in tournaments sometimes to earn extra SPS and I participate in the Guild Brawls with my other guild members to earn more SPS and a special token called merits with, we can use to buy powerful Gladiator cards with.

Planning ahead, how to spend my funds and glint, searching the markets for good deals is another part of the game and them there is Land, which is a whole different part, I won't go in to detail on land because it's a long story on it's own but it's yet another part of the Splinterverse what makes it even more awesome.

Currently I own 8 plots of land I can use to produce resources like Grain, Wood, Stone and Iron we can later use to produce goods with to use or sell in different aspects of the game, this part is still being developed and called 'Land 2.0'

What does it cost???

The great thing is, one of the improvements made it possible for new players to start the game totally for free, you can see what it's like, IF you like it and even just keep playing for free if that is what you like.
To get the full game, a $10 Spellbook is required which gives you access to the full game, earn SPS and join tournaments, it also comes with a Hive account which is awesome on it's own but that too is a huge topic I am not venturing in to today. 😆

For the $10 I believe at the moment you get 3500 in game credits (worth $3.50) you can use to buy or rent cards with as well as 5 card packs from Chaos Legion.

So, about half of what I put in to my Splinterlands accounts I earn with blogging, which is something you have to build up as well, you won't get real high upvotes every time from the start, but again, dedication with an investors mindset will get you there.
I also put in some personal money in to the game every month which I consider my recreational money, it was €20 for a long time but now with all the awesome changes and the financial stability in my personal life I raised that to €50 monthly I use to buy in game assets with, currently I'm working on accumulating more land

Want to try?

Let me know if you're going to try the game and what you think of it and also don't be shy if you run in to problems, I can assist you personally if you like as well on Discord.

If you do, please consider using my referral link but I have to tell you one of the top players has an awesome deal for you on X formerly known as Twitter you should definitely make use of that when you're serious about the game!

Thank you for reading!!!

If you haven't made an account already, please consider using my referral link to sign up, I'll happily send the amount I get for your signup back to you in DEC or SPS to help you start.

Also, when you require any help to get you started,let me know, I'm here to advice and guide new players and maybe I can help you with card delegations too!

Have a great day!