The Forge: Arena is a crypto FPS game on the carbon-neutral WAX blockchain. The developers of the closed beta title, GEN-E Studios have released the Genesis 1.4.0 update, which includes the addition of a play-to-earn feature, allowing players to now both enjoy playing the game and earn while doing so.

This also marks the release of the game’s first tradable cryptocurrency, $SCRAP. Players can now earn this new token by finishing a match in TDM and Hybrid game modes. Team deathmatch consists of 16 players (8v8) while 5v5 Hybrid, or Competitive, is actually split into two parts: Capture the Point and Search & Destroy. As the name implies, the goal of the first part is to well, capture the point before the opposing team, though you can also completely take them out, that works too. The outcome of this mode decides the role of each team in Search & Destroy. One team, Offense, is tasked with placing the bomb on one of two specific areas on the map, while the other team, Defense, has to stop them from doing so, disarming the bomb if they fail to prevent the planting of it. The winner of Capture the point plays as the Offense team, while the losing team is put into Defense.

The $SCRAP token, tradable on the Alcor DEX, is needed for using the newly-introduced Trade-Up Contract, which allows you to turn 10 weapon NFT skins of low rarity into one case of higher rarity, burning the 10 weapon skins in the process. The amount of $SCRAP needed depends on the rarity in question, with the cheapest option being the conversion of common to uncommon for 1000 $SCRAP, while the most expensive option is burning 10 Epic NFTs in exchange for a Legendary Knife Case for 25000 $SCRAP. The knives obtainable from this case cannot be found in any collection and more knives are added to it whenever a new case collection is released.

With the Genesis 1.4.0 update also comes two new case collections: Community Case 1 and Green Rabbit Case. The latter one marks the game’s first case collaboration.

To play the closed beta of The Forge: Arena, you will need to own either a Gen-Zero NFT or an Ascendance Capsule. According to the game’s roadmap, a free-to-play open-beta launch is planned for Q3 this year.