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Table of Contents
There is a lot to EXODE. It may initially look scarily large and complicated – but you really don’t need to know much to start the game. This simple step-by-step introductory guide will lead you through starting your EXODE journey and will tell you what you need to know when you need to know it (and not before). It will be constantly revised and kept up to date. If you see anything that needs correcting, please alert digital-wisdom on the EXODE discord.
Premise
It is 2325 and nearly all of mankind has been wiped out on a galactic scale by hostile aliens. Players are space captains visiting faraway as yet unattacked stations – just as those stations come under attack. They are tasked with an exceptional mission: to take some of the last survivors on their starships, escape to unknown destinations, colonize new worlds and prevent the extinction of mankind . . . with the hope that some of them, at least, won't be found by aliens…
But a picture is worth a thousand words and a movie is many pictures - so check out the introductory video which introduces you to the universe of eXode.
The Manifesto
The first and most important thing about any new game is to know what is in the designer/developer’s head. It will tell you what he believes is important, where his priorities are and, generally, which way he is likely to decide when there are multiple options. Conveniently, Elindos has written a Game Manifesto that gives a great feel for where his head is at, what he wants to do and what he wants to avoid. It is relatively short and extremely well written. You should go and read it now before proceeding.
Joining the Community
Like most games, EXODE has a highly active Discord community. If you have a questions or experience problems, they are likely quickly answered – just click on the invite link https://discord.com/invite/GZcYNXz to join. Elindos is frequently there and answers far more often than I’ve experienced in any other game. Note also that ideas hatched by others in the Discord frequently end up in the game.
On the Hive blog, you want to follow: @exodenews, @elindos and @khazrakh at a minimum.
Current Status
EXODE is currently in a playable alpha stage. The game starts with an Evacuation phase. An early version of this is live and being beta tested by anyone who wishes to participate. Oh! And there are rewards to be won for participating in the beta tests.
As with most games, EXODE treats early adopters *very* well. Unfortunately, people joining now have missed some insanely low prices and great gifts. On the other hand, there are still somewhat reduced prices and a number of tremendous offers that will be ending in the next few weeks (two special escorts, three contracts that create a never-ending supply of cards and two special robotic crew members). If you think you are ever going to want to join EXODE, you *really* want to do it now.
Origins
The very first thing that you do in EXODE is to select your Origin. As Elindos said in the manifesto, Origins are “like character classes” – except that they apply to your entire group. Or your Origin card is like your summoner in Splinterlands. You can’t use cards not of your Origin unless:
- the card has the versatile keyword (the equivalent to a neutral monster in Splinterlands), or
- you have added a Faction and the card is of that Faction.
There are four Origin Types (Civilian, Criminal, Military, Scientific) and seven Origin Cards (three found in Starter Packs and four in Boosters). The Origin Cards are as follows:
- Ark Scientist – Origin: Scientific (starter)
- Cruise Ship Captain – Origin: Civilian (boosters)
- Elected Leader – Origin: Civilian (starter)
- Navy Lieutenant – Origin: Military (starter)
- Repentant Pirate – Origin: Criminal (boosters)
- Secret Agent – Origin: Military (boosters)
- Stranded Trader – Origin: Civilian (boosters)
You’ll want to start your eXode experience by buying one of the three starter packs in the store.
An excellent comprehensive guide to the origins is at https://hive.blog/hive-155862/@exodenews/comprehensive-guide-to-all-exode-alpha-edition-origins
Starter Packs
Buy Packs links appear at the bottom and in the upper right corner of the initial screen at https://exodegame.com. Clicking on either of them will bring up the shop. It is important to note that the shop has seven pages of goodies. The first page has the three starter packs, currently reduced to $8 from $10. A better deal is to get all three starters together for $15, reduced from $20. The third page has booster packs currently at $2 apiece. The fourth page has limited time support items: two different escorts and a bunch of colonization essentials. Each is currently $15 reduced from $20. The next two pages are contracts. Contracts give you weekly card drops forever! They are clearly the best deal in the game and will not be sold by the shop for much longer (though players will be able to sell theirs for what are likely to be exorbitantly soaring prices). The last page has two special robotic crew members currently available for $25, down from $30. Prices will rise to their final values shortly and everything except the starter packs and the boosters will be unavailable two weeks after that. If you are going to invest heavily in the game, now is the time!
An excellent pictorial guide for starting EXODE is at https://hive.blog/hive/@jacobpeacock/exode-hive-game-getting-started-guide