Game Entry & Participation

Eternum

Eternum takes place in 'Seasons', multi-week campaigns with long-term strategic and diplomatic developments. There are several weeks in between each season that allow for iterative development and feature expansion in each subsequent season.

Realms NFT Holder Entry

Realms NFT holders have the exclusive benefit of free entry into each season of Eternum through the minting of Season Passes. Each Season Pass is unique to the Realm it was minted from and allows the holder to initiate a settling transaction to enter the game. To do this, Lords must first mint the Season Pass here using the wallet that contains the Realms NFT, then transfer the Season Pass to their Cartridge Wallet.

Non-Realm Holder Entry

⚖️ Season Pass Marketplace

Should a Realm NFT holder decide not to use their Season Pass, they can transfer it or sell it on the Season Pass Marketplace, providing an avenue for non-Realm holders to acquire Season Passes to participate in the game.

🏕️ Villages

Villages are modest outposts that can be established around settled Realms, offering an accessible entry point into Eternum. Villages have some restrictions, but offer a low-cost, casual taste of Eternum gameplay to newcomers while also acting as an avenue for established players to expand their production. Each Realm can support up to six surrounding Villages.

For detailed information about Villages, including settling mechanics, resource production, and progression paths, visit our Villages guide.

Realm Control Mechanics

As long as you maintain control of a settled Realm or Village, you can actively participate without additional entry fees, engage in the market using $LORDS tokens, and enjoy uninterrupted gameplay until the end of the season. However, Eternum is a high-stakes game, it can be unforgiving and players must accept that their valuable holdings may become a target for other players. Thankfully, the game offers high-stakes and low-stakes gameplay to ensure that players can participate in the world at their own pace and risk tolerance.

⚔️ Realms - High Stakes

Once settled, Realms can be conquered and claimed within a Season, transferring control to the conqueror. Realms are the key playing pieces in Eternum and allow for the full gameplay experience in producing resources, training armies, conducting trade, and pursuing territorial expansion. This level of capability comes with increased risk, as Realms must continually manage defenses, alliances, and strategic positioning to protect themselves from rivals.

🌴 Villages - Low Stakes

Unlike Realms, Villages cannot be conquered by other players, making them an ideal choice for casual players seeking a lower-risk gameplay experience. Villages can still participate in most gameplay activities but production rates are limited to 50% the rate of Realms and progression paths are limited. These features make Villages perfect for new players looking to learn the game mechanics without the constant threat of conquest.

Blitz

While an Eternum season is a single game instance that unfolds over weeks, Blitz competitions take place in 'series' that are hosted in the development period between seasons. Unlike Eternum, Blitz does not require ownership of Realms NFTs or Season Passes for entry. Entry requirements and stakes are determined by the bracket that players choose to compete in.

Bracket System

Blitz gameplay is structured around three progressively competitive brackets: Recruit, Warrior, and Elite. Each tier escalates both the stakes and the rewards, catering to various playstyles and competitiveness levels.

🥉 Recruit - Low Stakes

Free-to-enter, this bracket is not beholden to being part of a series and serves as an introduction and practice environment. Players can experience Blitz gameplay with no stakes while potentially earning some low-value Loot Chest rewards. Recruit bracket games run every day on a varying timetable to encourage participation from players in all time zones.

🥈 Warrior - Medium Stakes

This bracket makes up the bulk of competitive games in a Blitz series. Each Warrior game requires an entry fee in $LORDS, which contributes to a shared prize pool-bolstered by additional Loot Chest rewards and entry tickets to the coveted Elite bracket games. Warrior bracket games run a few times a week while the series is active, typically during prime time gaming windows for three key timezones (USA, Europe, and Asia-Pacific).

🥇 Elite - High Stakes

Representing the highest level of Blitz gameplay, Elite bracket games are considered the 'finals' of a Blitz series. These games don't require an entry fee in $LORDS, instead demanding an entry ticket NFT that can only be earned in leaderboard positions of Warrior bracket games (or purchased off the secondary market from another Lord). These games run at the end of a Blitz series and offer substantial $LORDS prize pools, Loot Chest rewards, and prestige to the best performing Lords.

Realm Control Mechanics

Each Lord starts the game in control of three equally capable Realms. As in Eternum, Realms in Blitz can be conquered by other Lords, encouraging constant vigilance and strategic interaction. Lords must carefully balance their military forces, territorial positioning, and resource management to survive and thrive within the intense two-hour game duration. There is no progression beyond the conclusion of the game and each game instance starts with a refreshed world state.