Blockchain gaming ecosystem Eternals has announced Thursday, September 25, as the launch date for the open beta version of Eternals Pew Pew. This phase will introduce new features and a new leaderboard for players to compete in to play and earn various rewards.

What Is Eternals Pew Pew?

Eternals Pew Pew is a free to play 2D casual shooter where players defend the vibrant world of Eternia against waves of airborne invaders. Players control the Holy Cat, piloting an armored aircraft to dodge attacks and fire back at enemies within a set time limit and limited ammunition. Each battle is randomized, creating a casual but challenging experience. Victory requires defeating a specific number of enemies, with optional bonus objectives available for higher scores. Multiple difficulty levels allow players to push themselves further, with weekly leaderboards offering rewards to top performers.

The game is currently accessible on PC via web browsers through its official website. Login options include email, Google, Apple, or Facebook, as well as web3 wallets such as Coin98 Wallet or Ramper Wallet. Wallets connect to the Viction network (formerly TomoChain), a Layer 1 blockchain that supports zero-gas transactions for accessible web3 gaming.

Eternals Pew Pew entered its Alpha Playtest phase in early August, allowing players to compete for NFT rewards at no cost. The playtest has been structured around weekly leaderboards and time-limited events. Three leaderboard cycles have already taken place, with the Week 3 Leaderboard wrapping up last week on September 11. Though it seemed like the Alpha Playtest was at its halfway point after two weeks of competitive leaderboards, it doesn’t seem like there will be a Week 4 at this point given that we now have a launch date for the open beta instead of any other weekly event, with the team announcing that they are distributing rewards for alpha playtesters in the coming days. If you missed out on the alpha phase, then you might want to jump into the public beta release. Here’s what we know about it so far.

What’s New in Eternals Pew Pew Open Beta?

The open beta version of Eternals Pew Pew is scheduled to launch on Thursday, September 25, and is planned to feature its own leaderboard to compete for rewards in, and though the official X announcement doesn’t mention anything else, we do have an anything of what new features to possibly expect based on the official roadmap.

According to the “Vision Map” from the official documentation, this upcoming open beta release will introduce a new Crafting game mode alongside a new Crafting leaderboard, a new marketplace, a new crafting point resource, and a new premium system referred to as Sparkle, which seems to be related to weapons and materials. Specific details on all these new additions are not available at the time of writing, but it certainly looks like the game is expanding to have more varied gameplay to master alongside the main shooting-focused one.

If you want to get used to the mechanics introduced throughout the alpha stage though, then here’s what you need to know to probably be ready enough to play and earn in this web3 game’s new beta phase.

How to Play and Earn in Eternals Pew Pew Open Beta

The Alpha Playtest used a weekly leaderboard format to distribute NFT rewards, with rankings determined by Shooting EXP points earned through gameplay, and we can likely expect more of the same in the Open Beta for Eternals Pew Pew, with the addition of a potential Crafting leaderboard. Whatever the case will be, players will either way have to compete for the top leaderboard spots to play and earn various rewards.

While there is no ongoing leaderboard at the time of writing, you can still play the browser-based game to get ready for the public beta release. Simply head on over to the game’s official website and log in to start playing for free.

To begin, players select one of 3 difficulty levels: Easy, Normal, or Hard. Higher difficulties provide more Shooting EXP points but also require defeating greater numbers of enemies within the set time limit. Bonus goals tied to additional enemy kills further increase the challenge. Normal and Hard levels feature boss encounters with unique skills and stats. Each run starts with a basic weapon that degrades over time, but it can be repaired using gold earned in-game.

Energy is required for every playthrough, with higher difficulties consuming more. Energy regenerates daily, though additional Energy can be purchased through the in-game shop using premium currency called Space Stones.

Successful runs reward Shooting EXP, gold, and boxes. Boxes contain materials that will be used in the upcoming open beta, probably for climbing the upcoming Crafting leaderboard. Weekly leaderboard placement determines who receives Ranking Points and NFT Chests. According to official documentation, Chests will provide rare materials for crafting advanced weapons in future versions of the game. Ranking Points also feed into the Seasonal Leaderboard, which is funded primarily by player spending of Space Stones.

Additional Ranking Points could also be earned through the Battle Pass, available in both free and premium tiers. The premium tier cost 50,000 Space Stones which was equivalent to $10 based on pricing during the alpha phase. The Battle Pass Season ended, so we will have to wait for the beta to go live to find out how much has changed.

Progression could also be boosted by owning a Genesis NFT Pet. A total of 10,000 were made available through a dedicated mint, with more than 8,500 already minted. Rarer pets provide greater point bonuses. Pets require plasma to function, which can be refilled if depleted.

Overall, the Alpha Playtest offered multiple ways to compete for NFT rewards that will carry value into the open beta and beyond. Based on the roadmap for the open beta, it does seem like there will be even more opportunities to play and earn prizes. In the meantime, start honing your 2D shooting skills and check out the game’s dedicated wiki section in the official documentation of the Eternals gaming ecosystem to learn more.