Messari: A Comprehensive Analysis of the GameFi Project Seraph
Seraph is expected to lead the next wave of blockchain gaming trends, providing players with entertainment and real rewards, and building a thriving ecosystem.Original Title: Understanding Seraph: A Comprehensive Overview
Original Author: Jeremy Koch
Compiled by: Scof, Chaincatcher
Core Content
- Seraph is a blockchain-based action role-playing game (ARPG) developed by Seraph Studio, built on the Layer 2 solution opBNB of the BNB Chain.
- Seraph achieved over $2 million in revenue during a single 30-day season, recently (November-December) completing over 20 million transactions and engaging 1.84 million unique players.
- The game features an ActPass market, allowing users to buy and sell in-game items and enabling instant item transfers between accounts and the game through off-chain orders.
- Before the TGE, players can purchase Seraph Starry Journey Feathers to qualify for future token redemption.
Background
Since 2017, the metaverse and Web3 gaming sector has attracted over $19 billion in funding. The technological advancements in blockchain gaming have significantly minimized the impact of on-chain operations on users while delivering a true AAA gaming experience.
Seraph, as a classic loot-driven ARPG, combines an immersive gaming experience where players embark on adventures, explore hidden treasures, and craft equipment. The game adopts a free-to-play model while integrating a play-to-earn mechanism, rewarding players for completing challenges.
Seraph Studio merges traditional game development with Web3 technology, combining industry knowledge with the scalability of blockchain technology to showcase the real-time advantages of blockchain to players.
As the top-ranked game by users and transaction volume on the BNB Chain, Seraph features a dedicated marketplace that supports users in buying and selling game gear. The game’s exclusive token SERAPH has not yet undergone TGE, but players holding the Seraph Feathers series can redeem SERAPH tokens in the future.
Basic Gameplay
Heroes
Players can choose one of the following four characters to start their adventure, with a fifth character, "Druid," currently in development:
- Valkyrie: Skilled in using bows and spears for ranged attacks.
- Barbarian: Possesses great strength and endurance, specializing in melee and frontline combat.
- Sorceress: Focused on magic, capable of manipulating frost, fire, and lightning elements.
- Necromancer: Controls undead minions and casts curses.
Additionally, Seraph has launched a collection of avatar NFTs called SOUL PFP, consisting of 6,000 NFTs, with 500 being SSR (Super Rare) and the rest R (Rare). Players holding this NFT series will be regarded as core players.
Equipment System
The game features a rich equipment system, allowing players to utilize 10 equipment slots, including: weapons for both hands, necklace, rings (2), helmet, armor, belt, gloves, and shoes.
Each character class can benefit from different equipment combinations. For example, equipment labeled "Valkyrie" has a wider range of base damage values compared to unlabeled equipment. This encourages players to seek gear that fits specific categories to achieve their ideal overall build. Therefore, if players aim for maximum damage output, they should choose items with the "Valkyrie" label.
If players equip a companion/pet, they will enjoy convenient features such as automatic item pickup, item identification, disassembly, and shop access. Players can also set pickup parameters for their pets.
Dungeon Gameplay
The game offers three dungeon modes, increasing the diversity of exploration and challenges:
1. Void Realms
The Void Realm will unlock after players complete the main storyline or by using the paid item "Riftbreaker's Gift." The Void Realm has a total of 18 difficulty levels and includes special boss maps. If players can defeat monsters in the selected map, they will receive Soul Spars, item materials, and/or high-level equipment as rewards. The Void Realm supports team entry, which is very helpful for tackling higher difficulty levels.
2. Mystery of Chaos
The Mystery of Chaos dungeon is designed for holders of "Equipment of Seraph" NFTs, where players can complete challenges and earn new equipment NFTs. To enter this dungeon, players need to accumulate an energy bar by defeating monsters. Once the energy bar reaches a certain level, players can challenge the dungeon boss. Defeating the boss will reward players with multiple treasure chests, which may contain equipment NFTs.
3. Trial of Seraph (Ladder Gameplay)
The ladder gameplay will unlock after players complete the main storyline. This dungeon is the primary drop location for gems and charms. The gameplay is similar to the Mystery of Chaos, with the main difference being that non-boss monsters do not drop any items, only experience rewards. The ladder gameplay dungeon can be entered by player teams, and the difficulty will increase with the number of team members.
After each challenge, players will be ranked based on the number of levels cleared and completion time. Ranking rewards will be distributed based on player performance, encouraging competitive gameplay and teamwork.
Technical and Economic System
Market
Seraph Studio has created the ActPass market for players to buy and sell in-game items. Players can easily use the market through a simple login process without needing to delve into the complexities of blockchain. ActPass allows players to deposit the cryptocurrency assets needed to purchase any digital items and instantly syncs with the accounts used in the game. This means that a newly purchased one-handed sword will immediately appear in the game without waiting.
ActPass manages users' wallets in the market, simplifying the overall experience. The operational costs of bringing NFT items in and out of the game are entirely borne by the initial purchase price, with no additional fees for users.
The functionality of ActPass is made possible because Seraph is built on the Layer-2 solution opBNB of the BNB Chain. opBNB has extremely low transaction fees (around $0.001) and plans to handle over 4,000 transactions per second. Players can engage in frequent transactions, such as NFT trading and acquiring game gear, without worrying about financial burdens, ensuring a smooth and uninterrupted gaming experience even during peak times. This scalability supports real-time asset synchronization in the ActPass market, ensuring that newly purchased items can be used immediately without delay. The use of opBNB aligns closely with Seraph's mission to provide a high-quality gaming experience by abstracting the complexities of blockchain.
In-Game Economy
All players can earn rare asset outputs during their gameplay, especially in the Void Realm. Players equipped with NFT gear can produce Soul Spars, the main currency in the game, by defeating monsters in the Void Realm dungeon and consuming the chaotic energy of NFT gear. Soul Spars are not on-chain assets and have four main uses:
- Consuming Soul Spars to enter the Mystery of Chaos dungeon, where "Equipment of Seraph" NFTs can drop.
- Enhancing the attributes of NFT gear, increasing players' combat abilities and levels through strengthening gameplay.
- Buying and selling items in the in-game ActPass market.
- Packaging Soul Spars into "Soul Boxes" for on-chain trading and selling as NFTs to other players.
Token Economics
Seraph is a free-to-play game that also incorporates a "play-to-earn" mechanism. The project's token SERAPH TGE has not yet occurred; however, players can qualify for future SERAPH token redemption by acquiring "Seraph Feathers."
The feathers are divided into three rarity levels and provide a fixed exchange ratio for future SERAPH tokens:
- 1 Star Feather = 1 SERAPH token
- 1 Chaos Feather = 3 SERAPH tokens
- 1 Soul Feather = 10 SERAPH tokens
A portion of the token supply will be allocated for player rewards and distributed through the "user interaction" system each season (as shown in the image above). This system quantifies player interaction based on behavior and activity levels.
The SERAPH token is intended for unlocking game features, crafting items, and promoting player engagement in the game. To further enhance the utility of the SERAPH token, it will also be used for:
- Recasting NFT gear with chaotic enchantments each season.
- Revealing the attributes of NFT gear obtained through drops.
- Participating in unique opportunities, such as "Soul Spar" and "Seraph Equipment" NFT drops.
- Engaging in future community governance activities.
Network Activity
Seraph has demonstrated its profitability. From August 22, 2024, to September 25, 2024, Seraph generated over $2 million in in-game revenue, achieving a historical high of 90,000 unique players. In the recent 30 days (November-December 2024), Seraph's transaction volume exceeded 20 million, with the number of unique players in the Seraph ecosystem reaching 1.84 million.
Technical Roadmap
Conclusion
Seraph showcases the latest advancements in the blockchain gaming sector. This dungeon loot game offers players an immersive action role-playing experience, allowing them to engage in quests, explore treasures, craft equipment, and enjoy the "play-to-earn" mechanism that rewards them for overcoming challenges. The ActPass market simplifies the trading of NFTs and in-game items, enabling players to participate smoothly without needing in-depth knowledge of blockchain technology.
Seraph has proven strong network activity, achieving significant revenue and a growing user base on opBNB of the BNB Chain. With the advantages of its Web3 technology, Seraph is poised to lead the next wave of blockchain gaming trends, providing players with entertainment and real rewards while building a thriving ecosystem.
