Topics Covered In This Article
- Introduction
- Acquire an Access Badge
- Understanding How Stamina Works
- Free to Play Method 1: Scavenging
- Free to Play Method 2: Jobs
- Understanding Dusk
- Tips and Strategies
Introduction
If you’re not familiar with the Million on Mars game I would suggest reviewing my overview article here: Million on Mars – A P&E Survival Game on Wax
Some players will purchase land and blueprints to build an empire on Mars. If you’re someone that can’t afford a land deed, or you just want to try the game first, this article is for you.
Acquire an Access Badge
In order to activate your account you need an Access Badge. If you don’t already have a Wax account/wallet, create one here: https://wallet.wax.io/
Once you have a Wax wallet you can then purchase your badge. The access badge can be purchased for $2 worth of WAX here: https://neftyblocks.com/c/onmars
Once you have your access badge you’re ready to create your account and get started. Create your account here: Million on Mars Account Creation
After your account is created you can start working and earning Dusk through one of the methods below. First lets understand how stamina works. You need stamina to do anything in the game.
Understanding How Stamina Works
In order to perform any tasks in the game, you will need to use your stamina. Once a day you will be given a daily ration. You can eat the daily ration through the Actions in the top navigation bar.
You can Eat (requires food and water) or Eat a Ration once every 4 hours. Eating will provide you with 16 stamina. As you can see in the image above, there’s a couple ways to gain stamina:
- Eat – Requires 32 food & 12 water
- Eat Ration – Requires a daily ration
- Drink Coffee – Requires 1 coffee
- Protein Shake – Requires 40 food and 10 Ice
Now that we understand stamina, we can explore ways to use stamina.
Free to Play Method 1: Scavenging
The first option is to scavenge on Mars. When you scavenge you will always get a random amount of Ice & Regolith but you sometimes can find Dusk (in-game currency), seeds, and empty power cells.
Pros of scavenging:
One of the advantages to scavenging is that you can find miscellaneous items and materials that can be sold in the marketplace. If you’re lucky this can provide more money (Dusk) than working jobs. There’s also special events from time to time where you can find additional items. During Christmas you were able to find Candy Canes and presents which could be sold or opened.
Cons of scavenging:
The biggest drawback to scavenging is that it’s unpredictable. Some scavenges could be very profitable, others might get you minimal Ice and Regolith. It’s a little bit of a gamble. Also, in order to get dusk you will need to sell the items on the marketplace which can take longer and prices can fluctuate.
Free to Play Method 2: Jobs
The simplest approach to earning Dusk in the game is by working jobs for other players. Some land owners might not have enough stamina to complete all the tasks they need to do so they will pay Dusk to have other players complete the job for them. To view the list of available jobs, click the hand icon in the Navigation bar.
Not all jobs are created equal, and some require more stamina than others. There are a couple things you will want to note before choosing the jobs you want to complete:
1) Duration – This is how long it will take you to complete the task
2) Dusk Reward – How much you are paid for doing the job
3) Stamina – The amount of stamina required for the job
Obviously you want to try to maximize the amount of Dusk earned per stamina used.
Pros of Jobs
Jobs are very consistent in the amount of Dusk you earn. Jobs are also simpler than scavenging since you do not need to sell anything.
Cons of Jobs
You are not able to earn any in game items from performing jobs, you solely earn dusk. During special events you might want to consider trying your luck at scavenging to earn special items. It will mainly depend on your overall gameplay goals.
Understanding Dusk
Everything in the game revolves around Dusk. All of the marketplace transactions are done in Dusk, so ultimately you want to earn as much Dusk as possible. There is an in game shop that allows you buy items using Dusk. You can even save up to buy your own legendary land!
Beyond the in game utility, you’re also able to withdraw your Dusk every 14 days. Once you withdraw your Dusk you can sell/swap it for Wax on the Alcor Exchange found here: https://wax.alcor.exchange/trade/dusk-dusk.onmars_wax-eosio.token
Tips and Strategies
Log in every day and claim your daily ration.
Make sure you don’t miss out on your free 16 stamina! 16 stamina is equal to at least 16 dusk through jobs, so dont leave that free money on the table.
Use the marketplace to your advantage and know your stamina prices
As a free player, everything revolves around your stamina, so knowing your costs to profit is very important. Here is an example of a good way to start:
1) Eat your daily ration and get 16 stamina
2) Perform 16 jobs and earn at least 16 Dusk (the minimum price for a job is 1 dusk per stamina required)
3) Buy food and water to eat
At current prices 32 food would cost 9.28 Dusk (0.29 per food) and 12 water would cost 5.28 Dusk (0.44 per water). This equals 14.56 Dusk.
Now you’re able to Eat (after the 4 hour cooldown). Eating gets you 16 more stamina, 4 waste (can be sold on marketplace), and 8 dusk.
If you use your 16 stamina again and earn at least 16 more Dusk you’re now up to 25.44 (1.44 from the original 16, 16 more from the stamina, and 8 from the reward). You can continue to rinse and repeat as much as you want. Then run the numbers on coffee and protein shakes!
Use the Wax marketplace
If you are interested in eventually owning your own land and buildings it might be cheapest to use a marketplace outside of the game. You can accumulate Dusk, withdraw it, convert to Wax and buy your own land deed. The cheapest land is around 71 Wax currently (roughly 1291 Dusk): https://wax.atomichub.io/market?collection_name=onmars&order=asc&schema_name=land.plots&sort=price&symbol=WAX
