A New Path Forward…
TL;DR — The current state of the NFT space is unacceptable, and something has to change. Three key issues rise to the surface: the toxicity of the Whitelist meta, the way “community” is used as a buzzword, and the sheer number of projects relying on fake hype with no substance. Kindred Vale will tackle these issues by effectively removing the traditional Whitelist, focusing in on an interactive and engaging Discord community with events based entirely in our lore, and offering instant and transparent utility upon mint.
The way we go about the minting process itself is also stagnant. A collection does not need to be minted in one sitting, and this idea actually runs counter to our lore. The “Bonding Ceremony” (mint) is a reoccurring part of the Vale, and as such, should be regularly presented IRL. Today, we coin the “Sunder Mint”, the process by which one collection is segmented and slow released over time.
Lately, we’ve been taking some time to think through the current state of the space, and the general outlook toward the “meta” of how NFT projects are conducted. The consensus seems to be a feeling of general exhaustion and frustration at the process that I know we all feel. Grinding for a Whitelist is extremely taxing on your time and energy. What’s more, seeing all that work go to waste when a fully hyped project flops can be absolutely devastating to your drive. How many of us have put in the time and energy to grind away to the top, only to have the project go nowhere?
While theories abound as to why this happens, we believe it comes down to three reasons:
- “Community” is being used as a buzzword, rather than the real commitment to people that it is supposed to be. You are not your wallet. You are real people with real problems, and that should matter. The number count on a server is irrelevant, but entirely too many projects are putting all of the emphasis here, rather than on what makes up that number in the first place. With a focus on selling out, rather than building a quality project, it is small wonder that they fail so fantastically.
- The traditional Whitelist approach is outdated and becoming toxic. Like the days of chatting for levels, even the more engaging approaches still require you to grind your day away in a Discord for chances to earn this or that. Our Corestone system (the means by which community members perform various tasks to earn specific stones toward WL) is no different. While it can be fun, it is still a grind, and ultimately requires far more effort than anything really should in this space. You should not have to exhaust yourself in the hopes of being seen, and fake conversation is entirely unproductive and non-conducive to sustainable growth.
- These projects don’t offer anything of real substance. They are surviving off of fake hype alone, and that is also unsustainable. Utility is the way forward, and the only way a project truly has any real value. NFTs are an investment, and like any investment, you should not put your money into anything that isn’t going to pay off for you in some way.
So, how are we planning to tackle these things?
- The Discord is closing again for awhile, and in similar fashion to the quests our membership have been completing until now, this will coincide with a fun Server Event based in the lore. This will be a group effort very akin to a RL escape room, and in the spirit of community, each person wishing to join the Discord will have to participate in this. The Vale was so much more genuine and engaging when it was just the first few hundred. We had more fun and learned so much about each other, and we have a strong sense of urgency to return to what makes a community great in the first place — its people. This is how we will get there.
- Our Whitelist — as people know it — is going away. The allowlist concept in its current iteration promotes a contrary environment to the one we are attempting to foster here. Instead, everyone who completes our lore-based questline will have an opportunity to mint. We want a community of people who truly want to be here, and endorsing an allowlist that promotes the stress and pressure to succeed for a chance at a spot is killing the NFT space. We believe a project should stand on its merits alone, and the quests should be sufficient enough to show a person’s commitment, while still giving them a fun and interactive way to learn about our project.
As for those who have already earned a WL from us in the pre-existing format, we intend to stay true to that committment. While we will not have any special pre-sale or mint of their own, they will be given the new “Sundered” Corestone, which will grant them the right to mint alongside those who complete the questline. While still contrary to our new view, we feel there is just as much value in meeting the committments we make to people. The project is shifting, but that doesn’t mean we should leave people behind who put their faith in us.
In addition to the Whitelist change, we will reform our Corestone system to suit a new function and purpose. Obtaining three stones used to earn you a Whitelist spot, and will now instead grant you a part in a minor form of governance. A special channel will be opened within our Discord, and in it members will gain access to early information, engagement with the developers in real-time about project goals, and regular polls on important decisions. This group will be considered an extension of the team, and there will only be so many spots available. Governance has always been something we wanted to offer our community, and this will be our first step toward a more innovative way of thinking.
Finally, we mean to change the way we mint in this space. By doing away with our Whitelist, we recreate the problem it was originally intended to solve: gas wars. We’ve come up with what we feel is a unique and innovative approach to this:
From a lore perspective, the Bonding Ceremony (mint) was never supposed to be a singular event, but a regularly occurring part of the Volat lifestyle. While we’re still working out the details, here is an example of how we might replicate this when minting:
The Genesis Kindred collection will now consist of 3000 pieces, but we will release them in segments to accommodate each of the 5 unique species. 600 Kindred will be opened for mint at a time, with the potential to break them down further through the contract (we’re still developing this aspect). Once that period of time has ended, we will conclude that particular Bonding Ceremony, and kick off another a short time later for another 600 pieces, etc. This will continue until all 3000 have been minted, and will be known as a “Sunder Mint”.
Regarding collab opportunities: we will continue to reach out and be open to this, but they will obviously look very different. With no Whitelist spots to offer, we will offer instead an opportunity to join the Discord by participating in the same Group event we are about to launch for our Discord members with the closing of the Vale. If a project has interest in joining us, they will be invited to a channel where they’ll go through the same process described above. We intend for this to get them acquainted with the story and how deeply rooted our project is in that, while also developing their relationships with each other in a way that is conducive to growth. We hope it will also serve to weed out those who just aren’t interested and looking to grab a spot and roost.
Many of you have stood by us from the beginning, despite the bearish nature of the space, and we absolutely appreciate you for it. We intend to drive forward the vision of real world impact and pushing the boundaries of the web3 space, but in that spirit, we feel we need to go through a period of creative destruction in order to achieve these goals. To those who wish to continue this journey with us, let’s get after it. The work will be substantial, but the potential payoff limitless.
Today we raise our glass to a new dawn on the Vale. A better one, we think, and absolutely full of potential.
