So you want to play Splinterlands 'The Secret of Praetoria' Expansion?

Are you not an alpha OG Splinterlands Whale? Did you 'miss out' on the land expansion but still are interested in playing? Well have no fear, this guide is for you! We are going to walk you through how to spend $100 dollars or less to get involved, right now - while region holders are selling off their commons in the hunt to survey more land. Keep an eye on these numbers!

I will assume you already have a Splinterlands Account and Spellbook.

Welcome to Praetoria!

Read the Whitepaper Here!

Land is all the rage, as pioneers from around the galaxy rush into Praetoria - a region filled with new challenges, resources and RICHES. Yes, that is riches with a $ because this is the future of gaming - rare physical and magical elements and essences will be able to be extracted and forged through various processes - but always also trade-able for real monetary value.

Vast quantities of Land are being surveyed, regions all over Praetoria are showing up with Legendary and Magical Characteristics of all the 6 flavors of Splinters - Life, Death, Fire, Water, Earth and Dragon.

Death Canyon, Pandon Reach, The Broken Lands

In the survey mania that comes with a new continent, speculators and investors of all sizes are on the hunt to discover these magical and mythical spaces.

This opens up an opportunity for the savvy small fry, and that is the glut of common land flooding the market from all over the Praetorian Continent. Expect more of this in the coming months.

Here is the market at the time of posting, while yesterday I saw some common plots with building in a box go for $55 dollars, today its in the 60's. Players are buying this dip! Stay savvy and patient and wait with your DEC for the offer that calls to you over the next month or two.

Building in a BOX

The building in a box YES is an important consideration. To me it is worth at least $15 dollars, maybe slightly more, since it represents money you will not have to spend in a future phase. The free power source and Lvl 1 building makes a plot on the market worth more than a plot without it.

Make sure you take this into consideration! In the above example, the $68 dollar plot with Building in a Box is CHEAPER than the $65.5 dollar plot without it. 👀 ojo

What about cards?

In the PeakMonsters Market we can compare card listings by PP/dollar and see which cards are the most efficient on the market. At the time of making this post, you can fill a plot with 5000-5500 PP (5 Maxxed Commons or Rares) for between 30-35 dollars, but keep an eye on the market, there always will be more cards.

This is a department that someone who is already playing splinterlands, maybe renting a deck on NFTy or some other way playing the game, and earning reward cards will have a great advantage. This is a perfect place to sock away maxxed reward cards of the future - there is no reason to rush into buying today. Just start keeping your eye on the market for your preferred card, or stop selling a certain splinter of reward card that you are already earning.

Terrain BONUS

Another super important boost to your plot will be its terrain. It is what will make your plot special. Once you buy your common plot, be it a canyon or a tundra, badland or a swamp, lake river or bog - take a good look at this chart:

You are definitely going to want to take advantage of a 10% or 5% bonus on your plot for each of the 5 cards. The splinters besides dragon are just about the same price, its just about planning ahead by reading the signs.

If you have a Bog, Death and Water splinters only. Caldera - make sure they are either Fire or Dragon. ETC. Neutrals don't get any bonuses. If you have a maxxed neutral, you can use it, but why would you buy a card UNLESS it gets you this terrain bonus?

As a small holder, you have an advantage - you can choose very carefully and efficiently all of the pieces to put together.

Is a totem worth it?

If you buy a $65 dollar plot and $35 dollars in carefully selected cards, you can get, let's say 5800 PP for 100 dollars.

A common totem, at $25 dollars, will give you a 10% bonus, or 580PP (scaled to $100 = 2320), so we can say it is 250% more effective to just buy more lands, than buy totems.

Also in the future certain points on the map will be mining more totems, so they are likely to come down in price over time. If you want to invest more, buy another plot, the math is clear - land is cheap relative to totems. When the continent fills up then you can decorate your plots.

The cheapest thing right now is common land and common cards. Everyone is so caught up in being Lords and Viscounts, they are overvaluing the push and shove because their reputations are on the line. So when I reload the market, I just found a new batch on the Peakmonsters Land Market:

Common Forest, Bog and Badland - with building in a box - for just $62 dollars. Keep your eyes open, stay savvy. We have a few months to go before 1.5 - but this is a long term play, if you want to come into this ecosystem to have fun, earn NFTs, battle monsters and maybe even earn something back into your pocket along the way, you have come to the right place - Splinterlands.

This game is ready for the next great crypto cycle, and the team continues to perform. Follow this guide and share it with your friends to join in on the adventures in Praetoria!

Freedom and Friendship