# The WASD Weekly: 12/8/23 By [WASD](https://paragraph.com/@wasdmedia) · 2023-12-09 --- **Author:** [**FaultProofBen**](https://twitter.com/BenGiove) Gm, and welcome to The WASD Weekly! The momentum in the onchain gaming space is only accelerating as we approach the holiday season. This week was filled with another slate of new launches, playtests, and announcements from titles like Dark Frontier, Project Awakening, Doomsday, Merlin’s Gambit, and Aether Sands. I think this is an incredibly bullish sign. While I expect things to slow as we get closer to the _actual_ holidays, I think this is a preview of what 2024 will look for onchain gaming. Aside from trying to keep tabs on all the news, I also spent much of my week helping coordinate [World Sky League](https://worldskyleague.xyz/), an onchain esports league in Sky Strife launched by WASD, ggQuest, and \[WE\]. Our first matches are in the books, and we’re rolling towards our playoffs that’ll be streamed on Twitch and X on December 14. The league been quite the undertaking, but a ton of fun. I’ll share my experience helping manage it on Monday in Onchain Lore VIII. Now, without further ado, here’s: * A primer on the week’s news * My picks for three games to play over the weekend * A list of upcoming playtests, opportunities, and events * A recap of WASD content & mints * An overview and my thoughts on Dark Frontier (THE GAME SPOTLIGHT IS SO BACK) And of course… …The S-tier meme of the week!!! * * * **🗞️ The TLDR:** ----------------- _The hottest news from the last week in onchain gaming and autonomous worlds._ * [![User Avatar](https://storage.googleapis.com/papyrus_images/b2e880e28a7f3e88ac78eb543915e2cb643be9dd7d8c4fc2f5e68ac3d640cf3a.jpg)](https://twitter.com/DarkFrontierGG) [Dark Frontier ◢ ✦ ◣](https://twitter.com/DarkFrontierGG) [@DarkFrontierGG](https://twitter.com/DarkFrontierGG) [![Twitter Logo](https://paragraph.com/editor/twitter/logo.png)](https://twitter.com/DarkFrontierGG/status/1732163287410979317) The ｢ Dark Frontier ｣ is live! (Link in bio) It will run continuously for 2 weeks starting today. Small batches of game keys have started being distributed! In the spirit of (casual) competition, eligible top-scoring players will share a $7,500 prize pool and secret prizes ;) ![](https://pbs.twimg.com/ext_tw_video_thumb/1732158088751525889/pu/img/IhB3qEqG-vcKRKag.jpg) [![Like Icon](https://paragraph.com/editor/twitter/heart.png) 346](https://twitter.com/DarkFrontierGG/status/1732163287410979317)[ 4:21 PM • Dec 5, 2023 ](https://twitter.com/DarkFrontierGG/status/1732163287410979317) * [![User Avatar](https://storage.googleapis.com/papyrus_images/78ccd744f7b4606bbb91a66a4c9dba6fee740a2a2bc08130a12ace64d2342f6e.jpg)](https://twitter.com/playggxyz) [gg.xyz gaming](https://twitter.com/playggxyz) [@playggxyz](https://twitter.com/playggxyz) [![Twitter Logo](https://paragraph.com/editor/twitter/logo.png)](https://twitter.com/playggxyz/status/1733126880524415143) Project Awakening Playtest has started [x.com/gg\_quest\_gg/st…](https://t.co/cJTm1qUstJ) [![Like Icon](https://paragraph.com/editor/twitter/heart.png) 0](https://twitter.com/playggxyz/status/1733126880524415143)[ 8:10 AM • Dec 8, 2023 ](https://twitter.com/playggxyz/status/1733126880524415143) * [![User Avatar](https://storage.googleapis.com/papyrus_images/b1163cc7993ca6c08a324572a7c709a38d218a81571a5fd2807a309a651cceb9.png)](https://twitter.com/doomsday_nft) [Doomsday](https://twitter.com/doomsday_nft) [@doomsday\_nft](https://twitter.com/doomsday_nft) [![Twitter Logo](https://paragraph.com/editor/twitter/logo.png)](https://twitter.com/doomsday_nft/status/1731488659973791864) 1\. Good Afternoon Settlers! It's been a while since you've heard from us, as we've been hard at work on the next season of Doomsday. Today we're excited to announce the next season, and all the new features that will come with it: Season 4 will launch 8pm EST, December 10th! ![🛰](https://abs-0.twimg.com/emoji/v2/72x72/1f6f0.png) [![Like Icon](https://paragraph.com/editor/twitter/heart.png) 15](https://twitter.com/doomsday_nft/status/1731488659973791864)[ 7:40 PM • Dec 3, 2023 ](https://twitter.com/doomsday_nft/status/1731488659973791864) * [![User Avatar](https://storage.googleapis.com/papyrus_images/d0a2b575d145f5a6ede131b4281e9e0c624cb22b16e125400823bb3c24a831e6.png)](https://twitter.com/LootRealms) [Realms.World ☁️](https://twitter.com/LootRealms) [@LootRealms](https://twitter.com/LootRealms) [![Twitter Logo](https://paragraph.com/editor/twitter/logo.png)](https://twitter.com/LootRealms/status/1730665190054916207) $Lords is now the 4th most liquid token on Ekubo, the largest source of liquidity on Starknet. There is now $420k of liquidity in the Lords/Eth pool [@EkuboProtocol](https://twitter.com/EkuboProtocol) + [@Starknet](https://twitter.com/Starknet) + R e a l m s . W o r l d ![👑](https://abs-0.twimg.com/emoji/v2/72x72/1f451.png) Details in the thread ![](https://storage.googleapis.com/papyrus_images/a31b0c90f225dec307289953021ffe2893d8cca72b30bf24ced61b60571f613d.jpg) [![Like Icon](https://paragraph.com/editor/twitter/heart.png) 100](https://twitter.com/LootRealms/status/1730665190054916207)[ 1:08 PM • Dec 1, 2023 ](https://twitter.com/LootRealms/status/1730665190054916207) * [![User Avatar](https://storage.googleapis.com/papyrus_images/f4882df96c36a3e74693066e69a8d7a8fc03fb996c7717f323e13315a8037348.jpg)](https://twitter.com/Aether_Sands) [Aether Sands](https://twitter.com/Aether_Sands) [@Aether\_Sands](https://twitter.com/Aether_Sands) [![Twitter Logo](https://paragraph.com/editor/twitter/logo.png)](https://twitter.com/Aether_Sands/status/1732190042012193136) Greetings Settlers ![✨](https://abs-0.twimg.com/emoji/v2/72x72/2728.png) We have some exciting updates for you! We're finally getting ready for our first playtest! Here's what to expect: ![🧵](https://abs-0.twimg.com/emoji/v2/72x72/1f9f5.png) (1/5) ![](https://storage.googleapis.com/papyrus_images/abafc866d8a5018ae3aacd57a18d20ef22f190a5fbdc06b7efdab44e6123abee.png) [![Like Icon](https://paragraph.com/editor/twitter/heart.png) 73](https://twitter.com/Aether_Sands/status/1732190042012193136)[ 6:07 PM • Dec 5, 2023 ](https://twitter.com/Aether_Sands/status/1732190042012193136) * [![User Avatar](https://storage.googleapis.com/papyrus_images/bef68d0564e8f8a972691f169f0b2ee37b947a0bdb6d8f69df735301943b3ff8.jpg)](https://twitter.com/baseapp) [Base app](https://twitter.com/baseapp) [@baseapp](https://twitter.com/baseapp) [![Twitter Logo](https://paragraph.com/editor/twitter/logo.png)](https://twitter.com/baseapp/status/1732890414301008003) Play Base Hunt! An onchain game at [@ArtBasel](https://twitter.com/ArtBasel). Play online or IRL, collect points, and unlock free merch at Base House. (Yes, that's right.) Magic Mints only with Coinbase Wallet—we'll cover the gas and it’s instant. → [basemiami.splashthat.com](https://t.co/cSCAPX1J43) ![](https://pbs.twimg.com/ext_tw_video_thumb/1732888400401756160/pu/img/18J_74J9LJ_ygBdF.jpg) [![Like Icon](https://paragraph.com/editor/twitter/heart.png) 145](https://twitter.com/baseapp/status/1732890414301008003)[ 4:30 PM • Dec 7, 2023 ](https://twitter.com/baseapp/status/1732890414301008003) * [![User Avatar](https://storage.googleapis.com/papyrus_images/c7cb467d6dc4d8f6667c5001806123f53053fc32abd8aba9866fe536dde47b31.jpg)](https://twitter.com/merlinsgambit) [Merlin’s Gambit 🗡🪨](https://twitter.com/merlinsgambit) [@merlinsgambit](https://twitter.com/merlinsgambit) [![Twitter Logo](https://paragraph.com/editor/twitter/logo.png)](https://twitter.com/merlinsgambit/status/1733205181658222613) The Sword invites you to encounter the fate of fortune. Will it be you? [merlinsgambit.com](https://t.co/lhnxIZ1GlJ) [![Like Icon](https://paragraph.com/editor/twitter/heart.png) 4](https://twitter.com/merlinsgambit/status/1733205181658222613)[ 1:21 PM • Dec 8, 2023 ](https://twitter.com/merlinsgambit/status/1733205181658222613) **🎮 Plays of the Week:** ------------------------- _Three onchain games to try out for yourself this weekend._ * [Sky Strife](https://playtest.skystrife.xyz/) * [Dark Frontier](https://darkfrontier.gg/) * [Block Heroes](https://www.blockheroes.online/) **⚔️ PTO: Playtests, Tournaments, & Opportunities:** ---------------------------------------------------- _Upcoming events from around the onchain gaming ecosystem._ * [![User Avatar](https://storage.googleapis.com/papyrus_images/d8f88c07a4c9ebc11e612dd6a5ad59eec4345727f367b9ae13ceb04e1654426c.jpg)](https://twitter.com/WASD_0x) [WASD](https://twitter.com/WASD_0x) [@WASD\_0x](https://twitter.com/WASD_0x) [![Twitter Logo](https://paragraph.com/editor/twitter/logo.png)](https://twitter.com/WASD_0x/status/1731755317799838108) WASD, [@gg\_quest\_gg](https://twitter.com/gg_quest_gg), & [@awexplorers](https://twitter.com/awexplorers) are extremely excited to announce the launch of World Sky League: The first-ever onchain esports league for [@skystrifeHQ](https://twitter.com/skystrifeHQ)! ![⚔️](https://abs-0.twimg.com/emoji/v2/72x72/2694.png) Here's the TLDR & how to join the biggest Sky Stife competition to date to win a ![💰](https://abs-0.twimg.com/emoji/v2/72x72/1f4b0.png) prize & NFT trophy! ![👇](https://abs-0.twimg.com/emoji/v2/72x72/1f447.png)![👇](https://abs-0.twimg.com/emoji/v2/72x72/1f447.png) ![](https://pbs.twimg.com/ext_tw_video_thumb/1731749518943870976/pu/img/3qLuzQkimRtsbZLx.jpg) [![Like Icon](https://paragraph.com/editor/twitter/heart.png) 39](https://twitter.com/WASD_0x/status/1731755317799838108)[ 1:20 PM • Dec 4, 2023 ](https://twitter.com/WASD_0x/status/1731755317799838108) * [Playtest: Gaul on December 14](https://discord.com/events/1046768579556679710/1182072577921917099) * [Playtest: Tonk Attack (Date TBD)](https://forms.gle/Xo1XqYsnk9thA3888) **📺 This Week in WASD:** ------------------------- _Catch up on WASD content and mints from the past week._ * [Read & collect: The State of the Onchain Gaming Venture Market](https://wasd.mirror.xyz/qH0tRoGWB-kWEyM9SU4i7XOEXwug4GPGLvKKhrZUNik) **🤝 Words From Frens:** ------------------------ _The best non-WASD Content from friends in the community._ * [Read: What We’re Learning from Extending Downstream with Composable Gameplay and Secrets - Baz](https://tonk.substack.com/p/what-we-learned-from-extending-hexwood) * [![User Avatar](https://storage.googleapis.com/papyrus_images/e7bd2b4f335e6c346b93dce3d8297ea1c3b48d188e379b71e4e7f0505748363e.jpg)](https://twitter.com/composablehub) [Composable Hub](https://twitter.com/composablehub) [@composablehub](https://twitter.com/composablehub) [![Twitter Logo](https://paragraph.com/editor/twitter/logo.png)](https://twitter.com/composablehub/status/1732369388039553521) Realms World by [@LootRealms](https://twitter.com/LootRealms) has been the talk of the week, but do you know the games being built on its ecosystem? With $LORDS being used in these games, here are 7 onchain games you NEED to know building on Realms World ![🧵](https://abs-0.twimg.com/emoji/v2/72x72/1f9f5.png) ![](https://storage.googleapis.com/papyrus_images/c19e3db2c6154fc29e80ca0b36bbaf6419df33fb60337465582276654b1ab9a1.png) [![Like Icon](https://paragraph.com/editor/twitter/heart.png) 86](https://twitter.com/composablehub/status/1732369388039553521)[ 6:00 AM • Dec 6, 2023 ](https://twitter.com/composablehub/status/1732369388039553521) * * * * **🕹️ Game Spotlight: Dark Frontier** ------------------------------------- ### **Overview:** ![Credit: 0xOsprey on X](https://storage.googleapis.com/papyrus_images/4836eace61e7e7fb2d106beaeb9680219809b14eac3562b971777af25aae14ce.png) Credit: 0xOsprey on X [Dark Frontier](https://twitter.com/DarkFrontierGG) is an MMORTS. An independent reboot of the OG onchain game Dark Forest, in Dark Frontier players compete against one another in a shared galaxy to capture planets and reach the top of the in-game leaderboard. To do so, players will search for new planets using the “explorer” and capture them using energy, a resource within the game that players can transfer between planets. Each planet has a different amount of energy and attributes like defense, range (how far it can send energy), and fill time (how long it takes to refill its energy). Under the hood, Dark Frontier is built by Argus Labs using World Engine. World Engine is a framework for creating sharded, EVM-compatible L2s optimized for hosting high-throughput onchain games. The network also utilizes Celestia as its data availability layer to further boost scalability. This round of Dark Frontier launched on December 5 and is set to run until December 19. At its conclusion, Argus will distribute $7500 in prizes to the “top scoring players” over this period. ### **The WASD Take:** ![Credit: The Dark Frontier X account.](https://storage.googleapis.com/papyrus_images/17813bab6ff0681664ceb1fb9e4b5ecd45026e53d107badf150f46ffcd7bc206.png) Credit: The Dark Frontier X account. I never played the original Dark Forest, so Dark Frontier was my first experience with its game mechanics. I played the game for a few hours shortly after it launched and had a lot of fun with it, as the gameplay is engaging and easy to get started with. However, I underestimated the time commitment needed to play, as I spent a couple of days between playing in which time all of my planets had been captured (RIP). Despite this, I could definitely see why the OG Dark Forest became so popular. When playing Dark Frontier, I was also curious to assess the in-prod performance of World Engine. So far, I like what I’ve seen. The game runs smoothly, and the use of “Persona,” an account abstraction system that enables signature-free gameplay, also provides a nice boost to UX. However, I do think the rollout of “Game Keys,” a code that gives you access to the game, could have been improved. I received mine 6 hours after launch, putting me at a theoretical disadvantage to other players, and I know of many who received their keys even later. Overall, I think Dark Frontier is a nice demonstration of what World Engine is capable of. I’m very excited to see what else is built with it, whether the Argus team continues to run rounds, and how the broader ecosystem developers from here! * * * **🤣 The S-Tier Meme of the Week:** ----------------------------------- A recreation of a classic in Sky Strife. ![Credit: Me!!](https://storage.googleapis.com/papyrus_images/d2e6cabe6e43ac939f4d3393a6bbda42db92941f518a7177c669b10797eacb8f.png) Credit: Me!! * * * Thanks for reading! If you liked this piece, you can collect it at the top of the page. It’s free! After you do, hop in our [WASD Collectooor Telegram chat](https://guild.xyz/WASD0X) to meet other collectors, enthusiasts, players, and degens! Finally, to stay current on all things WASD, subscribe below, [follow us on Twitter](https://twitter.com/WASD_0x), and head over to [our WASD Republic Discord server](https://discord.com/invite/76sm5KEb6G)! Have a great weekend, and see you all on Monday! --- *Originally published on [WASD](https://paragraph.com/@wasdmedia/the-wasd-weekly-12-8-23)*