Cores v1.1 - Cosmetic Shards

It’s finally here - Cosmetic Shards ("pink shards") are now live and generating onchain! This rare soulbound resource can be earned by staking Cambria Core NFTs. Accumulated Cosmetic Shards can be spent to get a split of ingame Arena Token spend on Lootboxes, or alternatively, used to bid on limited time Cosmetic Auctions that reward active curation and taste.

Wait, what are Cores?

Cambria Cores is our Factory NFT collection (minted Dec 2024) that gives Cores holders the ability to directly control the issuance of new in-game Companions ("pets"), Cosmetics, and other high-demand ingame assets. Instead of the traditional web2 mtx model where the game studio is selling players skins, pets, and other cosmetics, we're flipping the power dynamic by giving our power users a direct channel to owning the "means of production."

Shard Type #1: Companion Shards

Cores generate an onchain resource called Shards when staked. The first Shard type (the "green" Companion Shards) was released shortly after mint. Cores stakers (web3 power users) have used these Shards to permissionlessly mint a total of 7,976 companions (”pets”) with the Companion Summoning system, which dynamically prices new Companion minting costs (paid with Companion Shards) on a VGRDA curve, increasing or decreasing prices in real time based on whether sales are ahead or behind the current schedule.

Companions summoned by Cores Holders have been purchased and used extensively by a mass audience in Season 2 of Cambria: Gold Rush, for their perks and cute visuals. Out of the 7,976 Companions minted to date, a T5 Wyvern (with a Legendary catchphrase) set the record for the highest sale to date, sold for 800 RON.

We’ve been extremely excited to see these systems play out as designed even at this very early stage, and we expect demand for Companions to continue to grow, with expansions of our player base in Season 3+ and additional Companion Shard usage / burning mechanics in the pipeline.

To further decentralize control over these assets, we expect to have some of the onchain variables involved (target shard rate, etc.) controlled by player governance in the near future.

Shard Type #2: Cosmetic Shards (new!)

Cosmetic Shards are generated passively from staking Cores. Think of Cosmetic Shards (and the Core NFTs that generate them) as the assets targeted at web3 power users that CONTROLS the ISSUANCE of new cosmetics, while the cosmetic assets themselves (currently offchain) are freely traded and easily accessible by all players - including web2 players.

Cosmetic Shards are earned at same rate as Companion Shards - 1 Shard per Core per day (higher tier Cores earn 1.25x / 2x / 5x). Both types of Shards are earned passively at the same time - this may change in future design updates.

New: Cosmetics System

Cambria Cosmetics is the next big expansion of our onchain ecosystem of game assets. Inspired by iconic systems like RuneScape's party hats and holiday drops, Cosmetics in Cambria are more than just aesthetics - they are social markers, economic assets, and narrative artifacts that are instantly accessible to a rapidly growing player base, broadly supported across our ecosystem, widely traded (p2p), and continuously distributed via a wide range of onchain metagames (lootboxes, auctions, and more).When Duel Arena v2 launches, there will be 3 ways that cosmetics can be obtained in Cambria:

• Events (Seasonal, Competitive Events, Limited Time Rewards)
• Loot Chests & Loot Chest Keys (think CS:GO cases)
• Shard Auctions with Cosmetic Shards

Loot Chests

In Duel Arena v2, players can unlock new cosmetics through a Loot Chest & Loot Chest Key system designed similarly to CS:GO’s case economy. Chests are earned via gameplay (and tradeable on the Trading Post auction house), while Chest Keys can be purchased from the Arena Shop by any players (no Core NFT required!) using an ingame cosmetic currency called Arena Tokens.

Loot Chests are released in “collections” every season of Duel Arena or Gold Rush. The latest collection (”Mandrogan’s Chest”) will go live on launch of Duel Arena with 20 new cosmetic items (+ a few incredibly rare rolls).

Burn-(Cosmetic Shards)-to-Earn

Each time a player buys a Loot Chest Key, 50% of the Arena Tokens (ingame cosmetic currency) they spend gets pooled (the rest gets burned). Players can burn Cosmetic Shards to receive a share of that pot, pro-rata based on the amount they burned during that period. Opening Chests is incentivized in Duel Arena v2, so we expect quite a bit of volume.It’s a bit of a strategic minigame:

• You can see how many wallets have burned shards.
• But you can’t see the exact total Arena Tokens to be split
• The more you burn vs others, the more Arena Tokens you get.

You can decide whether to hoard your Shards for premium Shard Auctions (see below), or earn Arena Tokens via burn-to-earn to buy up more of the supply of Loot Chests to get EVEN MORE cosmetics.Burning opens with the launch of Duel Arena v2.

Shard Auctions

Cosmetic Shards can also be used on Core Auctions, to bid on LIMITED TIME, EXCLUSIVE cosmetics that get released on a biweekly scheduled.Structure:

• Blind Auction, Fixed Supply preset
• Multiple Bids per Wallet
• Top N bidders all pay the lowest winning bid
• Each Bid costs X shards to enter (burned regardless of win or not)
• Data Shown: Number of Participants, Number of Bids

Through these auctions, Cores holders decide (as collectors) which limited time Skins to bid their Shards on as they release. The potential for economic PvP here with Shards is massive, and we're hopeful that this system will create a higher-level layer of competitive curation (UGC) driven by in-game supply and demand that enhances the historical lore behind the cosmetics that make it to auction.

Legacy Cosmetics

There are currently 93 cosmetic items in game (from early cosmetic experiments) that we are now categorizing as “Legacy Cosmetics" for the purposes of NFT metadata. Legacy Cosmetics inherit their preexisting rarity (LegacyCommon, LegacyUncommon, LegacyRare, and LegacyLegendary).

Party Hats, Pumpkin Heads, Rubber Chicken, and Golden Whips have been added to LegacyLegendary due to their status as the first “rare” cosmetics created in our first few releases. The Oversized Toy Hammer is also marked as LegacyLegendary, as it was the only “legendary” rarity drop from the first chests.

Additionally, we're also discontinuing our first iteration of Arena Tokens, a cosmetic currency that was used to purchase cosmetics and party hats from the store (bonding curve to price) in the first version of Duel Arena. Any remaining Party Hats (supply capped at 100) will be distributed with Duel Arena v2 (exact mechanism TBA). Existing Arena Tokens will be auto-burned for Cosmetic Shards (airdropped directly to your wallet) at a 1000:1 conversion (min 10k AT) - 1k Arena Tokens will get you 1 Cosmetic Shard, with an additional founder NFT airdropped to the top 10 AT holders. Arena Token v1 balance is also a retroactive factor in our airdrop.

P.S. Cosmetic Auction House

In Duel Arena v2, you will also be able to use the ingame auction house (the “Trading Post”) to trade cosmetic items with other players for Arena Tokens.

P.P.S. Core Tier Skin #1 - Genesis Wyvern

We’ve just snapshot all T3+ Cores holders for an exclusive airdrop of our FIRST ever Core-tier gated cosmetic - the Genesis Wyvern. The Genesis Wyvern is a design inspired by our early concept art drawings for the Wyvern companion. This exclusive, soulbound companion will be a permanent mark of distinction for elite collectors - congrats to the 302 eligible wallets that made it into the snapshot!

For More...

• Buy Core NFTs ➕ - https://marketplace.roninchain.com/collections/cambria-cores
• Manage / Stake Core NFTs 💠- https://lobby.cambria.gg
• Dashboard 📈 - https://dune.com/petertherock/cambria#cambria-cores

Disclaimers

No Financial Expectation or Guarantee. Cambria NFTs are gameplay assets designed to provide players with in-game ownership and utility. The purchase of Cambria NFTs does not represent an investment and should not be made with the expectation of financial profit. Any value derived from assets such as Companions, Skins, or other items created with Cambria NFTs is determined solely by player-driven markets and in-game demand. Cambria makes no guarantees regarding resale value, secondary market liquidity, or future demand for such items.

Closed-Loop Shards. Shards are non-transferable, in-game resources that can only be used for summoning Companions, minting Skins, or similar gameplay functions. Shards cannot be bought, sold, or traded for monetary gain. The primary purpose of Shards is to enable player progression and customization within the Cambria ecosystem.

Player-Driven Secondary Markets. The ability to trade Companions, Skins, or other minted assets is a player-driven activity that occurs entirely between players. Cambria does not act as a broker, intermediary, or guarantor for any trades. Trading activity is optional and serves as an emergent layer of player interaction, not a core feature or financial incentive of Cambria NFTs.

No Shared Revenue or Profit Model. Cambria earns revenue through royalties on secondary market transactions of in-game assets. These royalties are used to fund game development, ongoing ecosystem expansion, and infrastructure costs. NFT holders do not receive any share of this revenue. Cambria royalties are not a shared profit model or revenue-sharing mechanism.