Ascension: From Genesis to Evolution in the Divine Anarchy Universe

8 min readSep 12, 2023

New changes around ascension and Divine Tribunal rewards

What’s “Ascension”?

Imagine owning a piece of digital art (NFT) that doesn’t just sit there but evolves, grows, and transforms. Ascension is just that — a transformative journey for our Nemesis and Hero NFT’s. These characters have the ability to tap into the Astral Plane in order to “ascend” to a new and more powerful form.

The Mechanics (Simplified):

Ascension Apples: Think of these as special ‘power-ups’ or ‘elixirs’. They’re the tools our users will use to evolve the existing attributes (metadata) of their NFT’s. How they’re used determines the transformation.
Bad Apples: These items empower the innovative deflationary mechanics built into our original collection. If a user does not possess an Ascension Apple, they can acquire a Bad Apple and choose to sacrifice one of their NFT’s. The sacrificed NFT will be sent to a graveyard wallet, and in return, the user receives an Ascension Apple.
Original Collection vs. Ascended: NFT’s from the original 10k collection are what users have now. Once they use the Ascension Apple, users unlock the evolved metadata from those NFT’s, boasting a new form, look, and attributes.
Behind the Scenes Tech: We’re using some cool blockchain tech to make this happen. In gamer lingo, think of it as an upgrade from a standard character to one with enhanced gear, skill, and aesthetics.

The Genesis of Ascension: A Retrospective

Ascension, as a concept, has always been at the heart of Divine Anarchy. Whether you’ve been with us from day one or have just joined our ranks, here’s a glimpse into the initial mechanics of Ascension to enhance your understanding:

A Tale of Two Factions: Upon our debut, we rolled out a distinct collection of 10,000 NFTs. Intricately woven within these tokens was a metadata attribute known as “faction.” These were split evenly: 50% embodied the valorous “heroes”, while the other half channeled the dark allure of the “nemesis”.

Enter the Core Experience — Our dApp: Our journey took a leap with the introduction of our web-based dApp (decentralized application). This wasn’t just any application; it was the nerve center of Divine Anarchy. Here, holders could manage their assets, pitch game-changing ideas to be community-voted as approved proposals, and more crucially, wield their voting power.

Decentralized Governance: A Three-Act Drama: Voting unfolded in three “acts” or phases. Users rallied their voting might, casting their allegiance either with the heroes or the nemesis. While each token wielded one vote, holding one of the 10 legendary monarchs amplified your voice with a whopping 2000 voting power.

Stakes and Rewards: Post each act, victors were declared. On triumphing, users on the prevailing side were randomly bestowed with 500 coveted “Ascension Apples”. In contrast, the less fortunate were randomly handed 500 “Bad Apples”.

The Divine Tribunal — Season 1: Season 1 was an odyssey into decentralized governance. Users were not just participants; they were at the heart of this narrative, making pivotal decisions, influencing outcomes, and directly affecting the direction of Divine Anarchy’s universe.

This wasn’t merely a contest; it was an immersive narrative. Dubbed “The Divine Tribunal”, our inaugural season wasn’t just about winning or losing; it was a vibrant exploration of decentralized governance. The potent mix of gamification, artistry, and a gripping narrative served as a conduit for introducing users to the intricacies of Web3. And with high stakes, the thrill was palpable. With each vote, the fate of half the token population hung in the balance, echoing through the grand lore of Divine Anarchy.

Influence, Alliances, and Results: Encouraged to harness their influence, users formed tight-knit alliances and factions within the larger groups. This camaraderie bore fruit as over 5,303 wallets participated across all votes. And by the slimmest of margins (Hero: 11,044; Nemesis: 11,255), the Nemesis prevailed, ensuring their tokens were prime for ascension and steering the narrative arc of Divine Anarchy towards their triumph. In this intricate game of influence and strategy, the Nemesis narrowly emerged triumphant, charting a new narrative for the universe.

Epilogue: For us at the heart of this creation, there’s always a soft corner for the underdogs, the heroes waiting for their redemption song.

Through Ascension, we’ve not only laid the foundation of a dynamic ecosystem but also celebrated the spirit of choice, camaraderie, and change.

Ascension Changes

Ascension will only be available by applying an “Ascension Apple”

Get ready for an enthralling turn in the Divine Anarchy saga. With the new Ascension feature, we’re introducing our Ascension Gear Set. Here’s a deep dive:

Gifts of the Divine Tribunal:

For the victors of the Divine Tribunals — those holding Nemesis tokens, exclusive rewards await you! The bounties of your victory are not forgotten. You’re in line to receive our inaugural Crate drop, a token of our gratitude and a key to further adventures. (Hold onto your seats; we’ll dive deeper shortly). But first, let’s get you primed on the Ascension process.

Ascension at its Core: Ascension allows users to acquire the elevated metadata attributes of a token from the original collection. The magic ingredient? “Ascension Apples.”

Ascension Mechanics 101

Dive into the new Ascension feature, a mechanism designed to metamorphose the core attributes of existing tokens from our premiere collection, using the rare “Ascension Apples”.

What You’ll Need:

An NFT from our foundational original collection.
A pivotal Ascension Apple.
Or a Bad Apple.

Your Ascension Blueprint:

Ascension:

Log into our dApp, and navigate to your Stash page.
Choose the NFT’s you want to ascend.
Apply your Ascension Apples to your selected NFT’s. (Each NFT can only undergo Ascension once.)
For each ascended token, receive a brand new 721a token that contains a set of 1-to-1 Ascended metadata traits taken from your selected original collection NFT’s
Select newly acquired Ascended traits in Fusion to create your ultimate character

No Ascension Apple? Here’s Your Path Forward:

Buy an Ascension Apple from OpenSea or similar third-party platforms.

Alternative Route — The “Bad Apple” Conundrum:

Opt for the audacious choice and pick a “Bad Apple”.
Designate an NFT from your collection for sacrifice and pair it with the “Bad Apple”.
Confirm your decision to send the selected NFT to the eternal abyss of the graveyard wallet.
As the chosen NFT embarks on its final journey, you receive the coveted “Ascension Apple” as a testament to your sacrifice.
Start the Ascension process with your new Ascension Apples.

Our Rationale:

Purpose, Utility, & Agency: Within our ecosystem, every item has its narrative and utility. Those trying to achieve “Ascension” via “Bad Apples” will encounter pivotal decisions that play into our innovative deflationary mechanics imbedded in our original collection, offering them a sense of true agency.
Legacy Conservation: Preserving Value: Our goal was to cherish the integrity of the initial collection. Rather than a new mint of 5000 NFT’s, we honor the rarity, value, and utility of your current holdings. Burning will also have ramifications to the existing supply, which will generate additional value and rarity for the remaining NFTs. Ascension is intertwined with the original collection, establishing a value bridge instead of a new floodgate.
Fusion: a Unifying Feature: Fusion isn’t just about surface-level changes. It’s the reconfiguration of your NFT’s very essence.
The fusion mechanic, an innovation birthed during the ETHNYC 2021 Hackathon (and incidentally, a prize winner thanks to Tatum), is groundbreaking. The ability to combine multiple tokens, wrap them all together, to create a new enhanced token is something that hasn’t been done before. To give you a context, this isn’t a new concept but our unique take on it. Games like World of Warcraft have “Enchantments” to improve gear stats. Diablo 3 lets players change their equipment’s appearance with “Transmogrification”. In Divine Anarchy, instead of gear or appearance, we’re evolving the core essence of the NFT.
ETH 2021 HACKATHON FUSION PRESENTATION

Stay Tuned for More!

As we elevate our tokens and tales, always remember: it’s our collective spirit that drives this ascent. Together, we’re elevating more than just NFTs; we’re lifting an entire community. Next week brace yourself for Fusion: Patora earrings and Polymerizations.

Warm Regards,

Your Divine Anarchy Team

Glossary for Important Terms:

Ascension: A feature that allows users to evolve the metadata attributes of an NFT from the original Divine Anarchy collection. This evolution requires the use of an Ascension Apple and results in the receipt of a new Ascended token.
Ascension Apple: A rare item token used to activate the Ascension process for an NFT. Users can apply it to an NFT they wish to ascend, resulting in the creation of Ascension items.
Bad Apple: Another item token. If a user does not possess an Ascension Apple, they can acquire a Bad Apple and choose to sacrifice one of their NFTs. The sacrificed NFT will be sent to a graveyard wallet, and in return, the user receives an Ascension Apple.
Graveyard Wallet: A designated wallet where sacrificed NFTs are sent during the Bad Apple process.
dApp: A decentralized application. Referring to the core web-based application of Divine Anarchy where users manage their assets, participate in community votes, and wield their NFT voting power.
Fusion: A transformative process where users can blend the Ascension attributes they receive. It results in a significant metamorphosis of the NFT’s inherent attributes.
Divine Tribunal: An overarching narrative event, involving decentralized governance and community voting, wherein users get deeply involved in the lore and direction of the Divine Anarchy universe.

Remember, as the universe of Divine Anarchy continues to evolve, so too might the terms and mechanics. Keep abreast with the latest by staying tuned to our channels!