A new web3 game called Huntertales has just kicked off its first pre-season event: the Pioneers Program. It runs throughout the whole month and is free for anyone to participate in, though there’s no actual gameplay this early on yet. Here’s everything we know about the game and the event so far.

What Is Huntertales?

Huntertales is an on-chain multiplayer idle game that places players in the world of Sylvaris, a fallen human kingdom fighting for survival against the fiendish forces of the Dark Continent. Players become Explorers under the Sylvaris Crown, tasked with building and upgrading settlements, recruiting Hunters, and pushing back against the spreading threat.

The game's fantasy pixelated world revolves around a single war effort known as the Great Cleansing Campaign. The Crown declared this campaign after researchers discovered that the sentient creatures of the Dark Continent released a valuable energy source upon death. This energy became the foundation of Sylvaris’s survival and progress, fueling both research and warfare.

In gameplay terms, this isometric 2D title connects individual player progress to a shared global campaign map. This live map tracks how far players have advanced together in reclaiming territory from the fiends. Every settlement upgrade, Hunter deployment, or completed quest feeds into the global state of the war. The result is an ecosystem that encourages cooperation rather than isolated play.

Unlike many traditional play to earn titles that focus on individual extraction, Huntertales rewards collaboration. Players cannot progress without contributing to the broader war effort, making teamwork and coordination amongst the blockchain gaming community key elements of long-term success.

The game’s developers describe it as a test of unity: “Players advance an overarching war campaign together, or not at all.” Every decision, whether it is upgrading a settlement, deploying a team of Hunters, or managing resources, affects not only personal outcomes but also the shared fate of the in-game kingdom itself.

Initially planned for a September stealth launch, the pre-season is now live with its first event for anyone to jump into for free. Let’s check it out.

What Is the Huntertales Pioneers Program?

The Huntertales Pioneers Program marks the game’s first major community initiative ahead of the official launch. It serves as a pre-season event that runs throughout this October, giving early supporters and players the opportunity to earn rewards, climb the leaderboard, and prepare their settlements before the main campaign begins.

The Pioneers Program introduces players to the game through a referral-based progression system. By joining through an invite link, linking their X accounts, and recruiting friends, players earn Crown Credits (CC), the in-game pre-launch currency. These credits determine leaderboard rankings and unlock special rewards.

Each participant begins by entering a settlement and interacting with an NPC referred to as The Guide, whose role is to outline daily objectives and tracks recruitment progress. Players can then generate their personal invite code to recruit others, forming a network of Explorers under their banner.

Every friend invited increases the player’s total Crown Credits, moving them higher up the Pioneers Leaderboard, which features three distinct ranks:

  1. HERO - The top 5 players who collect the highest number Crown Credits
  2. PIONEER - The top 6 - 50 participants
  3. RECRUIT - Top 51+

Crown Credits that you collect now will be redeemable into on-chain assets when the web3 title goes properly live on the mainnet of an L1 chain. Which blockchain the game will launch on however has not been revealed at the time of writing. Leaderboard tiers will also come with exclusive multipliers and early access benefits, giving Pioneers a head start when the official release takes place.

The event is not only about recruitment, but also about unlocking Points of Interest (POIs) within their settlement to generate additional daily credits. Doing both activities can thus contribute to faster progression on the leaderboard.

Within 24 hours of launch, the Pioneers Program reportedly attracted more than 1000 participants. To mark the milestone, the developers distributed 10 Crown Credits to all X-linked players as an early appreciation reward. Since the campaign should be live for the rest of October, you still got plenty of time to participate and top the event leaderboard. Here’s how to get started.

How to Refer and Earn in Huntertales Pioneers Program

Joining the Pioneers Program is designed to be straightforward and accessible, allowing anyone to get involved using only a referral link and a connected social account.

Players can join the campaign and start to refer and earn by visiting the official website and logging in via a crypto wallet, email address, or social sign in option.

Once signed up, you can enter in your username and customize your own character with free starter items. With that done, you’re placed inside the settlement that you can explore alongside other players in a random 60-player multiplayer lobby. What you’ll want to do though is interact with The Guide NPC, found standing by a house right next to the spawn. The Guide serves as your central hub for missions and social verification, and the source of your invite link for this leaderboard event. Interact with him to link your X account in order to start earning Crown Credits (CC).

The referral system lies at the heart of the Pioneers Program. Each friend you recruit using your invite link that you set up with The Guide generates daily Crown Credits, which can be claimed and used to unlock or level up settlement features. You can claim free Crown Credits every 24 hours in the Earnings tab of The Guide UI, with the quantity varying depending on the amount of referrals you have. Each invite is said to generate +1 CC per day, so the more recruits you bring, the higher your CC income and leaderboard placement could be. In-game settlements also include various Points of Interest (POIs) that can be purchased for Crown Credits to increase daily passive CC earnings.

Crown Credits represent the program’s temporary reward currency. Players can accumulate CC daily to climb the leaderboard or later convert them into in-game assets when Huntertales officially launches on mainnet. The higher your leaderboard position, the more Crown Credits you’ll earn at the end of the event. Your ranking could also grant access to exclusive bonuses in the upcoming launch phase.

As this is a referral-focused event, there is no real gameplay to be had during this phase of pre-season. Settlement upgrades are the closest element to an idle game mechanic so far, but unlocking those relies on accumulating Crown Credits from referrals and free daily claims. If you have friends to invite over, then you may want to jump into the Pioneers Program as soon as possible, as this is the earliest chance to stack up on points that might later on be exchangeable for valuable rewards.