Seize the early benefits! A must-read guide for beginners to navigate the TON ecosystem

Author: Biteye Core Contributor Viee

Editor: Biteye Core Contributor Crush

Have you started FOMO TON? These days, the black and white dog MEMEs and points are going viral, making us think the bull market is back.

Today, Biteye will teach you how to play in the TON ecosystem and seize potential airdrop opportunities.

We have organized this Thread into a mind map, feel free to take it.

Wallet Introduction

The first step to participate in the TON ecosystem is to use a wallet. Currently, there are 49 wallets that support the TON chain.

Here are two of the most popular: Wallet, TON Space

Wallet

Wallet is a centralized custodial wallet native to Telegram, somewhat similar to WeChat Wallet embedded in WeChat settings. Users can directly use Wallet for token exchanges. Wallet supports users to deposit funds via P2P or bank cards.

TON Space

TON Space is a self-custodial wallet based on Telegram launched by the TON Foundation. It is embedded in Telegram and can be accessed through Ton Space in Wallet. Users can connect to TON Space directly from dApps based on TON. In addition to mnemonic seed phrases, wallets can also be restored via email and Telegram accounts.

Once you complete this step, congratulations! You can enjoy the TON ecosystem!

Additionally, you can recently interact with 40 TON ecosystem projects like Catizen, Cat Gold Miner, STON.fi, Tomarket, etc., in the Bitget wallet with 0 gas, and have a chance to share a reward of $1 million. Details:
https://web3.bitget.com/zh-CN/tonnect-2024

Token Related

In terms of market capitalization, $TON is $18 billion, and $SOL is $66 billion. If $TON can take off like $SOL and become an Ethereum killer, there is still 3.7 times the potential.

$NOT has a market cap of $1.6 billion, ranking second on the TON chain, already in the top 50 by market cap, and is quite popular. The TON ecosystem is still not very mature, and there aren't many other tokens that are strong, so it’s better to wait for good opportunities.

In summary, if you are paying attention to tokens, only $TON and $NOT are doing well, and they are already listed.

DeFi

It must be said that the public chain is ever-changing, but the DeFi gameplay remains constant, such as DEX, lending, staking, NFT, etc.

A chain needs these platforms to have activity and capital flow, which can further create wealth myths.

The TON chain does not see large-scale leading projects migrating like Ethereum Layer 2, and the diversity of the DeFi ecosystem still has significant room for growth.

Here are a few DeFi projects:

• DeFi project leader: Ston.fi (DEX) @ston_fi

• Lending protocol leader: EVAAProtocol @evaaprotocol

• Stablecoin leader: Aqua @aquaprotocolxyz

• Staking leader: TonStakers @tonstakers

• Cross-chain bridge leader: Orbit @Orbit_Chain

• Launchpad leader: Tonstarter @ton_starter

• NFT platform leader: Getgems.io @getgemsdotio

You can also check the top ten DeFi projects on DefiLlama TVL, with specific methods like mining arbitrage or interacting while lurking for airdrop opportunities.

Games

Games are the current trend of TON. Simple and easy games combined with one-click forwarding on Telegram can spread games in the most effective way.

A large number of game developers are pouring into TON, easily acquiring a significant number of real users, leading to immense wealth.

Here are a few gameplay examples of TON chain games:

Catizen: Cat Synthesis Mini Game

Players run a cat pet shop, and customers pay gold coins as a reward after petting cats. These coins can be used to buy new cats. Two cats of the same level can be synthesized into a new breed of cat, which will also be one level higher than the original. The player's task is to synthesize higher-level cats and earn more gold coins. TG Link: https://t.me/catizenbot

Hamster Kombat: Hamster Battle

A Tap-to-Earn game where players click on hamsters (simulating the role of a trading platform CEO) on their phone screens to earn gold coins. Players are encouraged to interact with the community to unlock more rewards and can also buy upgrade cards to increase passive income from mining, etc. TG Link: https://t.me/hamsterkombatbot

Blum: Gamified Trading Platform

Founded by former Binance executives, players earn points through Farm and Drop games. Inviting new users grants Drop game tickets and additional points. TG Link: https://t.me/BlumCryptoBot

Yescoin: Notcoin's Twin Brother

Very similar to Notcoin, it follows a model of collecting Coins and completing tasks, where players can collect tokens by swiping their screens. TG Link: https://t.me/theYescoin_bot

Pixelverse: Cyber Style Battle

Users raise pet robots and click to battle (PVP and PVE modes), exploring different maps in the game center. TG Link: https://t.me/pixelversexyzbot

These games can be found on the growth leaderboard of the TGStat website. https://tgstat.com/

Tools/Data Platforms

Telegram Apps Center

An app store supported by the TON Foundation, projects need to be reviewed for inclusion, ensuring high security, and users can view weekly popular rankings. Link: https://www.tapps.center/

TON App

A third-party TON App query platform. Link: https://ton.app/

TGStat

A Telegram channel data analysis website that allows users to check the channels with the most subscribers on Telegram and their growth rankings, helping to filter popular projects. Link: https://tgstat.com/

TONStat

Includes key metrics of TON, updating TON network statistics daily, including total transaction volume, performance, total fees, etc. Link: https://www.tonstat.com/

Development Background and Opportunities of the TON Chain

The development of the TON chain has been quite a journey.

In 2017, Telegram founders Pavel Durov and Nikolai Durov began developing the Telegram Open Network (TON) project, with the token named Gram.

In 2020, Telegram announced its withdrawal from the TON project, which was renamed "The Open Network," and the token name was changed to Toncoin.

In 2023, Telegram officially announced that the TON chain would be its preferred Web3 infrastructure, beginning application integration.

For example, the built-in wallet in Telegram and using TON for payments have greatly accelerated mass adoption.

Recently, the overall market has been pessimistic, but the TON chain's TVL has increased more than 20 times in just four months, currently surpassing $700 million.

The TON ecosystem is also gradually developing, covering various sectors such as CEX, DEX, wallets, NFTs, and games, as shown in the image below.

Of course, compared to public chains like Ethereum and Solana, TON still has significant room for improvement, but its value cannot simply be measured by TVL. The real user base relying on the Telegram platform is a natural advantage that other public chains cannot match.

With the stimulation and promotion from the TON Foundation, the TON ecosystem has shown good development momentum and is worth long-term attention and participation.