Shardbound

Introduction

Shardbound is a free-to-play multiplayer tactics game that blends deck-building with turn-based combat on hex-grid battlefields, built on Immutable. Players lead factions racing to claim floating fragments of a shattered world called shards, deploying customized card decks against rival commanders on PC via Steam and the Epic Games Store. A Web3 layer through Immutable Passport is optional, letting players earn and hold select cards as NFTs.

Lore

Shardbound’s world was reshaped by a cataclysm that shattered the planet’s surface, scattering fragments called shards into the sky above a region known as the Shardveil, where most of civilization now lives on floating continents. Each shard preserves a piece of the old world’s biomes, sometimes with ruins or treasures intact, along with deposits of Chromacite, a mineral resource that can power entire cities and grows scarcer as the continents’ own reserves run dry.

When a shard begins falling back toward the planet’s exposed core, rival factions race to explore it before its point of no return, battling enemy troops, native creatures, and the clock itself to secure its Chromacite and treasures before the shard is destroyed.

Gameplay

Matches in Shardbound play out on a hex-grid battlefield, where the goal is to reach 8 Victory Points or defeat the opposing Commander first. Players take turns deploying units and casting spells from a custom-built deck, earning Victory Points by striking Victory Crystals scattered across the map, with the finishing blow on each crystal worth the most. The open beta runs on PC through Steam and the Epic Games Store, with recurring limited-time events layered on top of ranked play.

• Positional combat: terrain and unit placement on the hex grid can swing a battle, rewarding careful deployment over raw card power.
• Faction decks: each faction brings its own abilities and playstyle, shifting deckbuilding choices meaningfully between factions.
• Limited-time events: rotating events add extra objectives, cosmetics, and rewards alongside standard ranked matches.

Economy

Shardbound’s economy centers on Chroma, the primary in-game currency used to buy card packs, alongside Elemental Shards and Radiant Shards for more targeted or premium pulls, and Faction Tokens for refining faction-specific decks. A Web3 layer built on Immutable is optional: players who connect an Immutable Passport wallet can earn Gems through in-game quests, redeemable for IMX, and can hold select cards, including pre-registration and beta-participation rewards, as NFTs.

• Optional wallet: Immutable Passport is opt-in, so the full card game is playable without ever connecting a wallet.
• Quest-based Gems: completing quests through Immutable’s Main Quest program earns Gems that convert to IMX.
• NFT cards: select cards, including pre-registration and beta rewards, are issued as NFTs tied to the player’s wallet.