Blockchain gaming studio Pixcape Games has officially launched Playtest #4 for Hive Invasion, giving the web3 gaming community a week to play and earn an airdrop of DUST. More on what that actually is and what’s new to the web3 game can be found below.

What Is Hive Invasion?

Hive Invasion is a free to play blockchain roguelite set in a dystopian future where rogue AI has merged with biological evolution to create relentless mutations that threaten humanity’s survival. Players take control of an Echo-9 unit, which is a human and war machine combo, to defend the last remnants of civilization against the Hive’s growing armies.

The game features pixel art biomes and fast-paced top down combat where players fight off endless waves of alien enemies, unlock new abilities, and perhaps eventually trade loot and skills on-chain. Built in Unity, Hive Invasion is still in active development and can only be accessed through timed playtests. Previous playtests have attracted tens of thousands of players, with Playtest #2 alone recording over 27k participants who collectively defeated more than 120 million enemies. The game was also showcased during Somnia Gaming Week, while the third playtest gave everyone a chance to win NFTs and USDT for free. Interested players can pre-register on the official website to stay updated on future playtest announcements, but now, let’s see what new is in store for the latest test session.

What’s New in Hive Invasion Playtest #4?

Playtest #4 runs from September 9, 1 PM UTC, to September 16, 1 PM UTC, and introduces major updates to try out for a week in Hive Invasion. This test brings in a new reward layer called DUST, the debut of Chest mechanics, and another global leaderboard to compete for rewards in for free, albeit with different types of prizes in comparison to the last test phase.

Instead of Genesis NFTs and USDT, the leaderboard rewards this time around, and likely in the future, will be distributed in DUST, with top performers receiving the largest share:

  • 1st place: 100 DUST
  • 2nd–10th place: 50 DUST
  • 11th–50th place: 20 DUST
  • 51st–100th place: 10 DUST
  • All participants: 1 DUST

Additional DUST can be earned through rare in-game drops, while anyone who mints and opens a Chest during the event receives a 5 DUST bonus at the end of the playtest. But what is DUST?

For this phase, DUST is a non-transferable in-game asset designed as a reward system for players, NFT holders, and community creators. All participants earn DUST, but the amount scales with effort and achievement. Outside of skill-based gameplay, developer Pixcape is also rewarding content creation, where players can submit posts, videos, or visuals through an official form for evaluation. The best contributions will receive bonus DUST allocations.

Genesis Pass holders gain further benefits through a total of five scheduled DUST airdrops, with amounts varying by NFT rarity. According to the studio’s Substack announcement, while DUST currently cannot be traded, it is planned to have future conversion mechanisms and a larger role within the Pixcape ecosystem.

Chests are another new mechanic. Each Chest contains 3 random skills that provide various buffs to give you fresh ways to adapt in combat. Players can mint up to 3 Chests per account at a cost of 2 $SOMI each. As a bonus, Genesis Pass holders automatically receive 1 free Chest airdrop within the first 24 hours of the playtest, based on a snapshot taken prior to launch.

It looks like this won’t be the only playtest in which you can earn DUST, but if you want to start collecting this potentially useful in-game asset for future airdrop rewards, then here’s how you can hop in to play and earn for free.

How to Play and Earn DUST in Hive Invasion Playtest #4

Hive Invasion is a browser-based game, and you can play it now in Playtest #4 from September 9 to September 16, 1 PM UTC and start to play to earn DUST for free by visiting the official playtest page and connecting your crypto wallet to the Somnia mainnet.

Upon connecting your wallet, you get access to the main menu, where you can set up your build before entering combat. Up to five skills can be equipped, with at least one being an active skill. First-time players begin with one active and one passive ability, with the equipped skills randomly dropping throughout playthroughs, during which you can level them up if you pick up more of the same.

Players can also choose between different Echo-9 units. Each operative has distinct base stats, perks, and abilities, providing different playstyles. Two units are unlocked by default, and once you pick one and set everything up, you’re ready to jump into a run where the goal is to survive as long as possible while eliminating as many enemies as you can.

Fuel is a critical gameplay mechanic. Weapons consume Fuel over time, and when it runs out, Health begins to deplete instead. Defeating enemies restores both Fuel and HP, creating a constant loop of high-risk survival.

Leaderboard ranking is determined by your kill count, with the top 100 getting varying amounts of DUST, while 1 DUST is awarded simply for just participating in this playtest, regardless of your ranking performance. Learn more about the game’s mechanics and this playtest in the studio’s official docs.

Pixcape, the studio behind Hive Invasion, previously launched the Genesis Pass NFT collection in June. The 777 NFTs provide benefits across the ecosystem, such as access to exclusive upgrade packs and free Hero and Weapon NFTs. Holders also gain long-term perks tied to future Pixcape projects. Those who missed the mint can also purchase a pass on secondary markets such as OpenSea, where it trades on Ethereum at a floor price of 0.0174 ETH at the time of writing.