A Beginner’s Guide to Axie Infinity’s In-Game Assets

Article-At-A-Glance

• Axie Infinity is a play-to-earn blockchain game where every creature, land plot, and item you own is a real NFT asset you can trade or sell for cryptocurrency.
• You need a minimum of three Axies to start playing, and each one has unique traits, classes, and body parts that directly affect battle performance and market value.
• Two tokens run the entire economy: AXS (governance and staking) and SLP (breeding and earning) — understanding both is essential before you spend a single dollar.
• The 2022 Ronin Bridge hack drained $625 million from the ecosystem, making security awareness and risk management a must-know for every new player.
• The Scholarship Program lets you play without buying Axies upfront — a smart entry point covered later in this guide that many beginners overlook.

Axie Infinity isn’t just a game — it’s a full economy running on blockchain, and knowing how its assets work before you invest is the difference between smart play and expensive mistakes.

Built on Ethereum and later migrated to its own sidechain called Ronin, Axie Infinity lets players collect, breed, and battle digital creatures called Axies. What makes it fundamentally different from traditional games is ownership. Every Axie, every land plot, every item exists as an NFT on the blockchain — meaning you actually own it, can sell it, and can earn real cryptocurrency from it. Platforms like Trust Wallet have become go-to tools for players managing their Ronin wallets and crypto assets tied to the game.

Axie Infinity Lets You Own, Trade, and Earn Real Crypto Through Gameplay

Axie Infinity was developed by Sky Mavis, a Vietnam-based studio, and launched in 2018. It draws heavy inspiration from Pokémon — you collect creatures, build teams, and battle — but layers on a blockchain economy that gives every in-game asset tangible monetary value. At its peak in 2021, the game had over 2.7 million daily active users, many of whom were generating meaningful income in countries like the Philippines and Venezuela.

What Axie Infinity Actually Is

Axie Infinity is a play-to-earn (P2E) NFT game where players collect digital pets called Axies, battle them in player-vs-environment (PvE) and player-vs-player (PvP) modes, and earn cryptocurrency rewards for winning. It operates on the Ronin blockchain — a dedicated Ethereum sidechain built by Sky Mavis specifically to reduce gas fees and increase transaction speed for in-game activity. For more insights, check out this Axie Infinity review and predictions.

Why In-Game Assets Have Real-World Value

Every Axie, land plot, and crafting item in Axie Infinity is minted as an NFT on the Ronin blockchain. That means ownership is recorded on a public ledger, assets can’t be duplicated by the developer, and you can trade them freely on the official Axie Marketplace or peer-to-peer. This structure creates genuine scarcity — a rare Axie with optimal traits commands a premium because supply is provably limited.

Traditional games give you items the company controls. Axie flips that. If Sky Mavis shut down tomorrow, you’d still own your Axies on-chain. That’s the core value proposition of NFT-based gaming assets.

Axies: The Core Asset Every Player Needs

Axies are the foundational asset of the entire game. You need at least three to form a team before you can play any battle mode. Each Axie is a unique NFT with its own combination of class, body parts, stats, and genetic information — no two are exactly alike, which is what drives their collectible and speculative value.

How Axies Work as NFTs on the Ronin Blockchain

When you purchase an Axie from the marketplace, the NFT transfers directly to your Ronin Wallet. The blockchain records your ownership immutably. Each Axie carries on-chain genetic data that determines its appearance, body parts, and battle stats. This genetic data also influences breeding outcomes, making some Axies significantly more valuable as breeding stock than others.

Axies have four base stats: Health, Morale, Skill, and Speed. These stats vary by class and directly influence performance in battle. A high-Morale Axie, for example, has a better chance of landing critical hits, while high-Speed Axies attack first in a round.

The 9 Axie Classes and Why They Matter in Battle

There are nine Axie classes, each with different stat distributions and elemental strengths. Choosing the right class combination for your team is one of the most important strategic decisions you’ll make as a new player. For a deeper understanding of the game’s economic impact, you might find this ApeCoin review insightful.

• Beast — High Morale, strong critical hit potential, deals bonus damage to Plant and Bug
• Aquatic — High Speed, attacks first frequently, effective against Beast and Bug
• Plant — High Health, the tank of most teams, strong against Reptile and Dusk
• Bird — High Speed and Morale, effective against Beast and Mech
• Bug — High Morale, deals bonus damage to Reptile and Plant
• Reptile — High Health, effective against Aquatic and Dawn
• Mech — Balanced offense, deals bonus damage to Beast and Bug (Origin class)
• Dawn — High Skill, deals bonus damage to Reptile and Plant (Origin class)
• Dusk — High Health and Speed, effective against Aquatic and Bird (Origin class)

Most beginner teams run a Plant as a frontline tank with two damage-dealing Axies (often Beast or Bird) behind it. This setup balances survivability with consistent offensive output. For more insights, check out this Axie Infinity guide for beginners.

Body Parts and How They Determine an Axie’s Strength

Each Axie has six body parts: Eyes, Ears, Horn, Mouth, Back, and Tail. Of these, four parts — Horn, Mouth, Back, and Tail — each contribute one Battle Card to the Axie’s moveset. That means every Axie goes into battle with four unique cards drawn from its physical traits. The quality of those cards is often more important than the Axie’s class alone.

Body parts also carry a secondary class type, which can differ from the Axie’s primary class. When an Axie uses a card that matches its own body part’s class, it receives a 10% damage bonus and a 5% shield bonus — a mechanic called a “class combo” that experienced players build entire strategies around. For those interested in exploring more about the gaming and investment landscape, you might find insights in the DeFi native DAO investment clubs.

Origin Axies vs. Standard Axies: Key Differences

Origin Axies were minted during the earliest phase of the game and hold a special status in the ecosystem. They’re significantly rarer than standard Axies and often include the mystic body parts — an extremely rare trait that applies only to Origin Axies. Mystic parts don’t provide battle advantages, but their scarcity makes them among the most valuable collectibles in the entire game. For those new to the game, this Axie Infinity guide for beginners can provide further insights into the unique aspects of Origin Axies.

Standard Axies make up the vast majority of the marketplace. For new players, standard Axies are the practical entry point — they’re more affordable and still fully functional in all game modes.

AXS and SLP: The Two Tokens That Power the Economy

Understanding the two-token economy is non-negotiable if you’re serious about playing Axie Infinity. Every economic activity in the game — from breeding to earning to governance — flows through AXS and SLP. Getting familiar with how each token works, and how they interact, will shape every financial decision you make as a player.

• AXS (Axie Infinity Shard) — Governance token, used for breeding and staking, total supply capped at 270 million
• SLP (Smooth Love Potion) — In-game reward token, consumed during breeding, no hard supply cap

Axie Infinity Shards (AXS): Governance and Staking

AXS is the primary governance token of Axie Infinity. Holders can stake AXS to earn rewards and vote on proposals that shape the game’s future development. Sky Mavis distributes a portion of marketplace transaction fees back into the staking reward pool, creating a passive income mechanism for long-term holders. AXS is also required alongside SLP when breeding Axies — making demand for it directly tied to breeding activity across the ecosystem.

Smooth Love Potion (SLP): Breeding Fuel and Earning Potential

SLP is the in-game currency earned by winning battles in Adventure Mode (PvE) and Arena Mode (PvP). It has no hard supply cap, which means inflation is a real concern — SLP’s value depends entirely on the balance between how much is earned through gameplay and how much is burned through breeding. When breeding activity is high, SLP demand rises and its price stabilizes or increases. When fewer players breed, SLP supply builds up and its value drops.

How AXS and SLP Work Together

Breeding is where AXS and SLP collide. To breed two Axies, you need both tokens simultaneously — you can’t substitute one for the other. This dual-burn mechanism is intentional: it creates consistent demand for AXS while giving SLP a reliable consumption sink to counteract inflation. When the game is healthy and breeding activity is high, both tokens tend to hold value. When player numbers drop, the imbalance shows up fast in token prices.

Breeding Axies Creates New NFT Assets

Breeding is one of the most powerful economic activities in Axie Infinity. When you breed two Axies together, the result is a brand new Axie NFT with a genetic combination drawn from both parents. That offspring is yours to keep, use in battle, or sell on the marketplace. Skilled breeders who understand genetics and market demand can generate consistent returns by producing high-purity or meta-relevant Axies and selling them to new players.

• Each Axie can be bred a maximum of 7 times before it can no longer produce offspring
• Breeding cost increases with each successive breed on both parent Axies
• The offspring’s body parts are randomly inherited from either parent, with some chance of mutations
• Purity — how many body parts match the Axie’s primary class — significantly affects marketplace value
• Higher purity Axies tend to command premium prices because their class bonuses are maximized

The genetics system runs on a dominant and recessive gene structure. Each body part has one dominant (D) gene and two recessive (R1 and R2) genes. The dominant gene determines what the offspring displays, but recessive genes can surface in future generations — which is why two “average” Axies can sometimes produce a surprisingly valuable offspring.

Breeding isn’t gambling if you understand the genetics. Serious breeders track gene combinations, study the current meta (which Axie builds perform best in the Arena), and time their listings around demand cycles. It takes time to learn, but it’s one of the more skill-based ways to generate returns in the ecosystem.

The Breeding Cost and Why It Matters

As of current game mechanics, each breeding action costs 150 SLP and 0.5 AXS for the first breed on both parents. That cost climbs with each subsequent breed — by the time an Axie reaches its 5th or 6th breed, the SLP cost alone can exceed 2,400 SLP per action. This escalating cost structure is a deliberate economic design: it makes over-bred Axies expensive to produce and naturally less valuable on the market.

Before you breed, always calculate your break-even point. Add up the SLP and AXS costs at current token prices, factor in the marketplace fee (currently 4.25% on the Axie Marketplace), and compare that against realistic sale prices for the offspring you expect to produce. Breeding without this math is how new players lose money fast.

Breed Count Limits and Rarity Impact on Value

An Axie’s breed count is permanently recorded on-chain and fully visible on its marketplace listing. A 0/7 Axie (never bred) is worth considerably more than a 6/7 Axie, all else being equal, because its full breeding potential is intact. This creates a clear pricing hierarchy in the marketplace that beginners should learn to read before buying. For more insights into Axie Infinity, check out this Axie Infinity review and predictions.

Rarity compounds the breed count dynamic. An Origin Axie at 0/7 with mystic parts is among the rarest assets in the game. A common Axie at 6/7 has minimal breeding value left and is essentially valued on its battle utility alone. When browsing the marketplace, always check breed count alongside body parts and class before making a purchase decision.

Land Plots in Lunacia: Axie Infinity’s Virtual World Asset

Lunacia is the in-game world of Axie Infinity, divided into a grid of 90,601 land plots — each one a unique NFT. Land was introduced as a long-term strategic asset, giving players a stake in the virtual world beyond just their Axie teams. Plots vary in rarity, location relative to the map center, and resource availability, all of which influence their market value.

Sky Mavis has been developing land gameplay mechanics over time, with the vision of Lunacia becoming a fully interactive world where Axies can explore, gather resources, and participate in land-based activities. While full land gameplay is still in development, land NFTs are actively traded on the marketplace and have historically shown significant price appreciation during peak game activity periods.

The 4 Land Types and Their Rarity Levels

Land plots in Lunacia are divided into four types based on rarity and resource richness:

Land Type	Rarity	Key Characteristics
Savannah	Common	Most abundant, entry-level land, lower resource yield
Forest	Uncommon	Mid-tier, moderate resource output
Arctic	Rare	Limited supply, higher resource generation potential
Mystic	Legendary	Extremely rare, located near the center of Lunacia, highest value

What Land Owners Can Do With Their Plots

Currently, land owners can hold their plots as speculative assets, list them for sale on the Axie Marketplace, or wait for full land gameplay to roll out. As development progresses, land is intended to allow resource gathering, crafting, and potentially hosting in-game structures — all of which would make well-positioned plots significantly more functional and valuable within the ecosystem.

Items and Crafting Materials as Tradeable Assets

Beyond Axies and land, the Axie Infinity ecosystem includes items and crafting materials that function as tradeable NFTs. These are gathered through land exploration gameplay and used to craft upgrades, structures, and equipment. Item rarity follows a tiered structure, with higher-tier materials commanding premium prices on the marketplace.

For most beginners, items are a secondary consideration behind Axies and land. But as land gameplay matures, crafting materials are expected to become a meaningful economic layer — players who accumulate them early could benefit from increased demand once the full system launches. It’s worth keeping an eye on, even if it’s not your immediate priority as a new player.

How to Start Acquiring Axie Infinity Assets

Getting your first Axies requires a few setup steps that are more straightforward than they might look at first glance. The entire onboarding process — wallet setup, funding, and first purchase — can be completed in under an hour once you know the sequence. The key is moving through each step in the right order so you don’t hit friction mid-process.

One thing to understand upfront: all Axie Infinity transactions happen on the Ronin blockchain, not Ethereum’s mainnet. This means you’ll need a Ronin-compatible wallet and RON tokens (Ronin’s native gas token) to cover transaction fees. Mainnet ETH won’t work directly inside the game ecosystem.

Step 1: Set Up a Ronin Wallet

Download the Ronin Wallet as a browser extension (available for Chrome and Firefox) or as a mobile app. Create your wallet, securely store your seed phrase offline — never digitally — and record your Ronin wallet address. This wallet will hold all your Axie NFTs, AXS, SLP, and RON tokens. It is the single most important account in your Axie Infinity journey, so treat seed phrase security as non-negotiable.

Step 2: Buy ETH or AXS on a Crypto Exchange

Purchase ETH or AXS on a centralized exchange like Binance, Coinbase, or Kraken. Once purchased, you’ll bridge your assets to the Ronin network using the official Ronin Bridge. The bridge converts your mainnet ETH into Ronin-compatible WETH (Wrapped ETH), which is the currency used to purchase Axies on the marketplace. Be aware that bridging can take several minutes and carries a small gas fee on the Ethereum side. For insights on the future of crypto investments, check out this Singapore MAS-regulated crypto investment clubs article.

Step 3: Browse and Buy on the Axie Marketplace

Head to marketplace.axieinfinity.com and connect your Ronin Wallet. You can filter Axies by class, body parts, breed count, purity, and price range. For beginners building a first team, focus on finding a solid Plant tank with defensive cards and two damage dealers — typically Beast or Bird class — with cards that synergize well together.

Budget-conscious beginners should expect to spend anywhere from $10 to $100+ per Axie depending on market conditions. Floor-priced Axies (the cheapest available in any class) are the most accessible entry point, though they may not be optimized for competitive Arena play. For Adventure Mode (PvE), floor Axies are usually sufficient to progress through early stages and start earning SLP.

Before completing any purchase, always verify these details on the Axie’s listing page:

• Breed count — lower is better if you plan to breed
• Body part cards — check that all four cards are useful and not redundant
• Class purity — higher purity means stronger class bonuses in battle
• Gene quality — check dominant and recessive genes if breeding is your goal
• Price history — compare against recent sales for similar Axies to avoid overpaying

Beginner Tip: Use the community-built tool Axie.tech to analyze an Axie’s genes in detail before buying. The official marketplace shows dominant genes, but Axie.tech reveals all recessive genes — critical information if you’re planning to breed strategically rather than just battle.

Step 4: Build Your First Team of Three Axies

Your first team composition matters more than the individual quality of each Axie. The classic beginner setup is a Plant-Beast-Beast or Plant-Bird-Aquatic combination. The Plant sits in front, absorbs damage, and generates energy through shield cards, while your two back-line damage dealers focus on eliminating enemy Axies quickly. Don’t chase expensive “meta” Axies right away — learn the card mechanics first with affordable team builds, then upgrade as your understanding grows.

The Scholarship Program: Play Without Buying Assets Upfront

The Axie Infinity Scholarship Program is one of the most overlooked entry points for new players. In this arrangement, an Axie owner (called a manager) lends their Axies to a player (called a scholar) who can’t afford to buy their own. The scholar plays the game, earns SLP, and splits the earnings with the manager — typically anywhere from a 40/60 to a 60/40 split depending on the agreement. The scholar pays nothing upfront, and the manager earns passive income from Axies they’re not actively using.

To find scholarship opportunities, check the Axie Infinity Discord server, dedicated Reddit communities like r/AxieInfinity, and scholarship-matching platforms such as YGG (Yield Guild Games), which pioneered large-scale scholarship management. If you’re not ready to spend money on Axies yet, pursuing a scholarship is the smartest way to learn the game mechanics, understand SLP earning rates, and decide whether investing your own capital makes sense.

Risks Every Beginner Should Know Before Investing

Axie Infinity has genuine earning potential, but it also carries real financial risk — and glossing over that would be doing you a disservice. Before you put a single dollar into the ecosystem, you need to understand what can go wrong, because in crypto gaming, a lot can go wrong very quickly.

• Token price volatility — SLP and AXS prices fluctuate dramatically; earnings in dollar terms can collapse even when you’re winning battles
• Axie price depreciation — NFT floor prices dropped over 90% from their 2021 peak, and recovery is never guaranteed
• Smart contract risk — bugs or exploits in the Ronin network or Axie contracts could put assets at risk
• Regulatory uncertainty — governments continue to develop crypto regulations that could affect P2E game legality and taxation
• Game meta shifts — balance updates can make previously valuable Axie builds worthless overnight

None of these risks mean Axie Infinity isn’t worth exploring. They mean you should treat any money you put in as money you can afford to lose — the same rule that applies to any crypto investment. Set a budget, stick to it, and never fund your Axie wallet with rent money.

Asset Prices Are Highly Volatile

At its peak in late 2021, individual Axies were selling for thousands of dollars, floor prices for basic Axies exceeded $300, and AXS briefly traded above $160. By mid-2022, floor Axies had dropped to under $10, AXS had fallen more than 95% from its peak, and SLP was trading at fractions of a cent. That’s not a warning to scare you off — it’s essential market history that shapes how you should size your entry position.

The root cause of the 2022 collapse was a combination of the Ronin bridge hack, an oversupply of SLP from millions of scholars earning tokens simultaneously, and broader crypto market conditions. Understanding that Axie’s token economics are sensitive to player count and breeding activity helps you anticipate — rather than react to — market conditions.

The 2022 Ronin Bridge Hack: A $625 Million Lesson

In March 2022, hackers compromised the Ronin Network validator nodes and drained approximately $625 million in ETH and USDC — one of the largest crypto hacks in history. Sky Mavis traced the attack to the North Korea-linked Lazarus Group. The bridge was shut down for weeks, and the hack sent shockwaves through the entire Axie ecosystem, triggering mass player withdrawals and a sharp decline in asset prices across the board.

Sky Mavis ultimately reimbursed affected users and rebuilt the Ronin Network with enhanced security, including additional validator nodes and strengthened key management practices. The incident is a stark reminder that blockchain security is not absolute. Diversify where you hold assets, avoid keeping large amounts of crypto inside any single gaming ecosystem, and stay updated on any security developments from Sky Mavis through their official channels.

Start Small, Learn the Game, Then Scale Your Assets

The most common mistake new players make is going all-in before they understand the game. Start with the cheapest viable team you can build, complete the Adventure Mode stages to earn SLP, and spend at least two to four weeks learning card mechanics, energy management, and team synergies before you consider buying premium Axies or breeding. The players who do best in Axie Infinity’s economy are the ones who treat it like a long-term investment rather than a quick cash grab — because that’s exactly what it rewards.

Frequently Asked Questions

New players tend to have the same core questions before committing to Axie Infinity. The answers below cut through the noise and give you the direct information you need to make an informed decision about starting your journey in the ecosystem.

Quick Reference: Axie Infinity Beginner Essentials

Minimum Axies to play: 3  |  Blockchain: Ronin Network  |  Earn tokens: SLP (battles) + AXS (staking)  |  Breeding cost: 150 SLP + 0.5 AXS (first breed)  |  Max breed count per Axie: 7  |  Marketplace fee: 4.25%  |  Wallet needed: Ronin Wallet

These figures reflect current game mechanics as of the latest Sky Mavis updates. Breeding costs and marketplace fees can change following governance votes, so always verify current rates on the official Axie Infinity website before breeding.

Do I Need to Spend Real Money to Play Axie Infinity?

Technically, no — if you join the Scholarship Program, you can play without purchasing Axies. A manager lends you their Axies at no upfront cost, and you split SLP earnings with them. However, if you want to own your own Axies, build your own team, and keep 100% of your earnings, you’ll need to purchase at least three Axies from the marketplace using WETH bridged to the Ronin Network.

The scholarship route is genuinely worth considering for complete beginners. It eliminates financial risk during the learning curve and gives you real gameplay experience before you commit any capital. Many successful Axie investors started as scholars, learned the game thoroughly, and then purchased their own Axies once they understood what to look for. For a deeper understanding of the potential of Axie Infinity, check out this review of Axie Infinity predictions.

What Is the Minimum Number of Axies Needed to Play?

You need exactly three Axies to form a team and access any battle mode in Axie Infinity. There’s no way to play the game — Adventure Mode, Arena Mode, or any other — with fewer than three. Each Axie in your team contributes its four battle cards to your hand, so the minimum of three gives you a 12-card deck to work with in every match. For a broader perspective on the gaming ecosystem, you might find the DWF Labs ecosystem review insightful.

Can I Sell My Axies for Real Money?

Yes. Axies are NFTs listed and sold on the official Axie Marketplace using WETH on the Ronin Network. Once sold, you can bridge your WETH back to Ethereum mainnet and withdraw it to a centralized exchange like Binance or Coinbase, where you can convert it to fiat currency (USD, EUR, etc.) and withdraw to your bank account.

The full withdrawal process — from in-game earnings to bank account — typically takes two to five business days depending on the exchange you use and your local banking infrastructure. Marketplace sales are subject to a 4.25% fee deducted at the time of the transaction, so factor that into your pricing when listing Axies for sale.

What Happens to My Assets If I Stop Playing?

Your Axies, land, and tokens remain in your Ronin Wallet regardless of whether you’re actively playing. Because they’re blockchain assets, they’re not tied to your game account activity — they exist on-chain and stay in your wallet indefinitely. You can stop playing entirely and still sell your assets at any time through the marketplace, or hold them long-term as speculative investments.

The one thing to watch is token erosion. SLP sitting idle in your wallet doesn’t lose value from inactivity, but the token itself can depreciate significantly if the game’s player base declines and breeding demand drops. If you’re stepping away from the game for an extended period, consider whether to hold your SLP or convert it to a more stable asset depending on current market conditions.

Is Axie Infinity Available on Mobile Devices?

Yes. Axie Infinity: Origins — the current main battle game — is available on both iOS and Android devices. The mobile version gives you access to the full Arena and Adventure gameplay without needing a desktop or laptop. You manage your Ronin Wallet through the Ronin Wallet mobile app, which pairs with the game for asset management and transactions.

The PC version via the Mavis Hub launcher offers the same gameplay with a larger screen and is generally preferred for extended play sessions. Both versions connect to the same account, so your progress, Axies, and earnings are synced regardless of which platform you use. There’s no functional difference in earning potential between mobile and desktop play.

Axie Infinity has become a popular blockchain-based game that allows players to earn rewards through gameplay. As players engage in battles and breed Axies, they can earn various in-game assets. For those interested in the future prospects of this game, it’s worth checking out the 2026 Axie Infinity AXS review to see what predictions are being made about its growth and sustainability.