Battle of Nodes: Shadowshards — Terms, Rules & FAQ

What is Battle of Nodes: Shadowshards?

3 min readDec 4, 2019

Battle of Nodes: Shadowshards is an expansion of the original Battle of Nodes incentivized testnet event, with the following goals:

Stress test our sharded proof of stake architecture and its inherent complexities in preparation for launching our mainnet;
Prepare our node validators for operating in real conditions that will include unfavorable conditions and adversity;
Collect newly discovered bugs, learn about potential attacks and use the findings to further strengthen our network.

What are the rewards for the event?

Shadowshards Prize pool:

$20.000 for vulnerabilities, distributed for successful attacks & issues discovery
$10.000 to be split among people running validators on the Elrond testnet

Who can join this event?

anyone with access to a decent PC or VPS and basic knowledge about computers
any Non-US citizen (sorry US guys, legal stuff :( )that passes our KYC

What are the system requirements for a node?

Intel i3 or compatible CPU (2 cores)
4GB RAM
200GB HDD
Broadband internet
Linux OS (Ubuntu is preferred)

How many nodes are allowed per account?

Each participant can operate up to 6 nodes simultaneously.

When will Battle of Nodes: Shadowshards happen?

Shadowshards schedule:

Registration: 04–17 December (open now!)
Phase 1 — Build 07–09 December
Phase 2 — Challenge 10–12 December
Phase 3 — Attack 13–23 December
End: 23 December 23:59 UTC

How can newcomers join?

Newcomers please do:

Join https://t.me/ElrondValidators & https://t.me/BattleOfNodes
Perform KYC (link)
Install up to 6 nodes — tutorial (link) -> in the tutorial pay close attention to Step 4, where you get keys, you need them for the form
Fill in this form (link)

How are the rewards earned?

Earn points for:

running a node with the latest version of our client software
maintaining a high uptime
proposing blocks and earning rewards
doing missions
submitting bugs & improvements proposals to the Elrond github
perform attacks when the time comes (Phase 3: Attack)

How are rewards paid?

The rewards will be paid in up to 3 days after the event closure. The prizes will be in fully unlocked ERD tokens. The ERD/USD parity will be locked in on the day after the official event closing. We will consider an average of the Binance ERD/USD price over the previous 7 days period.

Where are the points tracked?

Points are added for each node and tracked on our Leaderboard (link).

I don’t think I will stand a chance against the veterans, why should I join?

In addition to earning rewards, Battle of Nodes: Shadowshards is an opportunity for those who want to run a node on the Elrond mainnet to learn how to do so. It’s an educational experience which is fun, exciting, frustrating, demanding, boring, rewarding and, above all, bonding — you will have a chance to join a very special kind of brotherhood.

My KYC is still pending, can I start?

Yes. KYC needs to be submitted at start and completed by the end of the event, so we know you are eligible for the rewards. In the meantime, you can join in the action as soon as you’ve set up your nodes and filled in the form.