Update September 3, 12:13 AM UTC: Minting has been delayed for 24-36 hours due to low $SOMI liquidity on DEXs and tokens not yet unlocked on CEXs. Somnia also plans on launching a big event, and the Variance team would like the chain's event to go live first. All dates in the article are now outdated and will be updated once new information has been provided.

Update 2, September 3, 4:12 PM UTC: It has been announced on September 3, 3:38 PM UTC, that the mint begins today, September 3, at 5 PM UTC. Minting dates in the article have now been updated.

Web3 game developer Realm Studios has announced September 3 as the start of a 7-day NFT mint for the Variance Collection on Somnia. It’s set to take place hours after the gaming chain officially launched on mainnet, becoming the new blockchain’s first ever NFT mint on mainnet.

What Is the Variance Collection?

The Variance Collection is a unique series of 1/1 generative AI NFTs powered by Kodo AI while featuring a time-limited supply. It is the 3rd NFT collection for anime roguelike RPG Variance and is said to be inspired by the studio’s “beautiful anime artwork.”

By owning a Variant NFT from this PFP collection, it is said that you receive benefits that include access to Kodo AI, the option to earn Aura, personalize your Variant NFT in phase 3 of minting, customize your identity and in-game avatar, and access the beta version of the game in Q4 2025, which means you get an early chance to try out new additions that include new characters, multiplayer, co-op, and mobile support. However, gaining access to Kodo AI and the beta build requires having a certain amount of Aura. Minting and burning an NFT from this collection will get you 2k to 10k Aura depending on the rarity of the asset. A bonus of at least 1000 Aura may be awarded if you take part in the 7-day mint, alongside an entry ticket into a raffle for an Ultra Rare Variant airdrop, with a raffle ticket given per mint.

What Is Aura?

Aura is a points system that players can collect in order to get discounts, perks, and access to various products developed by the blockchain gaming studio. It is said that the more you engage with the team’s projects, the more Aura you can earn. Aura won’t be tokenized initially but, the developers do tease that the rewards currency will eventually go on-chain:

“We believe that value is derived from creating a product that people love and come back to every day. That is our ultimate goal. Aura will not be tokenized...yet.”

Among the first perks for owning Aura include the ability to burn and reroll a Variant NFT in order to personalize your character in Phase 3 of minting for an unspecified amount. The other two perks give you beta access to the game for 10k Aura, while 20k Aura is needed to gain access to Kodo AI, but what is Kodo AI? It’s a creative AI toolset designed for games, anime media production, and marketing. Having 20k Aura should allow you to use the toolkit and gain exclusive bundles while receiving a certain number of credits to use the AI-powered app for generating and editing anime images using prompts while creating animated videos and short clips out of static high-res visuals.

If you want to kickstart your Aura collecting journey, then you might want to join in on this mint. Here’s how it works and how to participate.

How to Join NFT Mint

The Variance Collection NFT mint is divided into 3 phases, with the first phase scheduled to begin at some point on September 2 and run over the course of 7 days on Somnia mainnet with time-limited supply. This means that everyone should be able to mint at any day in the first phase without worrying about supply running out.

If you miss out on day 1, you can join and try to mint a Variant NFT in one of the following days:

  • Day 1: September 3
  • Day 2: September 5 at 12 AM UTC
  • Day 3: September 6 at 12 AM UTC
  • Day 4: September 7 at 12 AM UTC
  • Day 5: September 8 at 12 AM UTC
  • Day 6: September 9 at 12 AM UTC
  • Day 7: September 10 at 12 AM UTC

To incentivize anyone interested to mint early, the team is providing early minter incentives in the form of Aura bonuses per Variant and Ultra Rare airdrop raffles:

  • Day 1: 1500 Aura + Airdrop Raffle for 2 Ultra Rares
  • Day 2: 1400 Aura + Airdrop Raffle for 1 Ultra Rare
  • Day 3: 1300 Aura + Airdrop Raffle for 1 Ultra Rare
  • Day 4: 1200 Aura + Airdrop Raffle for 1 Ultra Rare
  • Day 5: 1100 Aura + Airdrop Raffle for 1 Ultra Rare
  • Day 6: 1050 Aura + Airdrop Raffle for 1 Ultra Rare
  • Day 7: 1000 Aura + Airdrop Raffle for 1 Ultra Rare

This 1-week phase is your limited time chance to mint a unique anime-inspired Variant NFT generated by Kodo AI for the price of $15 in $SOMI tokens. If you are a Genesis Portal holder, you should be given 1 free mint per Portal owned alongside a rarity boost. Golden Ticket holders can also receive 1 free mint and rarity boost. Owning an NFT from the Variants Card Collection, which provides in-game cosmetics and perks, does not seem to bring any benefits for this mint.

After Phase 1 is over, Phase 2 will begin as a 2 to 4-week burn period during which holders can stack Aura by burning unwanted minted Variants from this new collection, making it deflationary. Burning these NFTs is necessary to extracting the Aura from them, which can range from 2k to 10k Aura based on the rarity of the NFT’s traits.

Last but not least is Phase 3, which is set to be an ongoing phase that allows holders to customize their Variant. Each NFT is said to include 1 reroll, with an additional reroll provided by burning a Variant you don’t need. A reroll gives you the opportunity to personalize your Variant by choosing traits you’d like to keep while having the rest updated. Customizing Variants during this phase is said to bring Aura boosts when connected to your account, with the boosts to become available after this final phase is over.

The mint link will be shared across the game's official social media channels once Phase 1 is live on September 3 at 5 PM UTC. Stay safe and be sure to keep an eye on official channels, including their Discord server and the collection's official page.

About Variance

Variance is an in-development free to play roguelike RPG set in a side-scrolling 2D anime world with action-packed real-time combat. Choose an upgradable hero and battle through dynamic dungeons while completing seasonal quests and playing to earn tradable in-game items. The game joined the Somnia ecosystem in June 2025 and uses blockchain technology to facilitate true player ownership, anti-cheat security, and on-chain verification of all player actions.

An Open Playtest on Somnia took place from July 31 to August 3 this year, giving players the opportunity to play and earn rewards such as Golden Tickets by playing the fast-paced title for free.

Variance is set to launch on PC as a browser-based game but also as a downloadable F2P title on Steam and the Epic Games Store. It’s also planned to go live on mobile for both Android and iOS devices via the Google Play Store and Apple App Store respectively.