Decentraland | Guide for Entrepreneurs & Investors

decentraland guide

This Decentraland Guide was inspired by NFTplazas.com – we found it very comprehensive and useful.

For support in designing and developing a Decentraland Real Estate Project. Visit our contact us.

We Transform Your Property

Into an attractive place for users to spend time and crypto

Decentraland Overview

By area, Decentraland is the largest of all virtual blockchain worlds (VBW). A virtual blockchain world is like any open world videogame. The blockchain aspect allows players to earn from their participation in the game. This is known as Play-To-Earn.

What makes Decentraland unique is that it is owned and run by its users, and does not run on a central server. Instead, all content is hosted on nodes and run on various computers around the world, therefore this makes it decentralized. This means it cannot be shut down, and will forever exist on the blockchain. This decentralized structure is called a DAO.

Founded: 2017

Project Founders: Esteban Ordano, Ari Meilich

Project Leads: Decentraland Community (Via DAO)

Funding: $26 Million ICO in August 2017

Main Graphics Style: Cartoon

Platforms Main Focus: Gaming

Decentralized? Yes

Virtual Reality? No

Buy & Sell Land? Yes

Plan to Expand Land Offering? No

Building Difficulty: Easy – Drag & Drop or Advanced SDK

Mobile Ready? No

External links permitted? Yes

Getting Started

Before exploring Decentraland, we recommend you first do some background reading to familiarize yourself with the basic concept. Start at the overview section, then work through this educational segment of NFT Plazas. If you have already done so, then congratulations, you’re ready to get started!

If all you want to do is take a look around Decentraland as a guest, then all you have to do is CLICK HERE. It is as simple as that.

However, in order to get the best experience from any virtual blockchain world, you should first download and install MetaMask, a free digital wallet, on your browser. This guide assumes you will be using the Google Chrome browser.

>> Download the MetaMask browser extension <<

Once this is installed, you are ready to enter the virtual world, as a guest, by visiting https://play.decentraland.org/

Avatar Creation

It is very easy to create a username and avatar for Decentraland. We recommend following the instructional video embedded on this page. It was created by a member of the community and takes you through, step by step, how to download and install MetaMask, and then transfer MANA and Ethereum into your MetaMask wallet, so you can purchase an avatar. The cost is 100 MANA + a small amount of Ethereum for the transaction fee.

To register an avatar, follow this link: https://avatars.decentraland.org/

Once you have followed the video, simply hit the link below to start your Decentraland journey!

https://play.decentraland.org/

If you need help with anything in this section, join the community and ask your question. You will usually receive help from a friendly face right away.

For more information about Decentraland, you can also visit the official website: decentraland.org

Explore Decentraland

When you first teleport into Decentraland, you will start in the Central Plaza, right in the centre of the Decentraland map. If this is your very first time, you should take a look around the start point, Central Plaza, to help you grasp the basic avatar functions and learn more about Decentraland by speaking to the robots, which are spread around the plaza.

The basic keyboard functions are as follows:

WASD – Move

V –  Third Person View

B –  Emotes (e.g. dance)

U – Remove user interface

Spacebar – Jump

Enter – Start chat

TAB – Open full map

Chatbox Commands (Type into the chatbox)

Teleporting – /goto xx,xx (e.g. /goto 47,-110)

Teleporting Tip – /goto crowd (takes you to busy areas)

List all other available commands – /help

It is not possible to fly in Decentraland.

Anybody can visit Decentraland as a guest. You do not need to register an avatar. However, we recommend reading our Getting Started section first.

If you feel ready to explore Decentraland right now, CLICK HERE and have fun!

Decentraland Map

The Decentraland map comprises of both private LAND owners and themed community districts.

The Decentraland map shows the location of all 90,601 LAND parcels which form Genesis City. You can view the breakdown of this in the Land section of this guide.

Evolution of the Decentraland Map & Color Key

LAND (Dark Grey) – Privately owned LAND parcels. Can be bought & sold on the Marketplace.

DISTRICTS (Purple) – Privately owned, themed communities. Not for sale.

PLAZAS (Large Green Squares) – The area of the map where players are expected to respawn and generate high footfall. Plazas are not for sale.

ROADS (Light Grey, Straight Lines) – Roads are not for sale.

Decentraland Land

You do not need to own land in order to visit and enjoy Decentraland, however, if you decide you would like to invest and build in Decentraland, you should know the following information…

Each land parcel is a non-fungible token (NFT, ERC 721) which means it is unique and cannot be forged or duplicated, the same as physical land in real life.

Buy Property In Decentraland

The DCL World is just like any city. It has different areas and communities. The value of land varies according to where in the world it is located. This depends on a number of factors.

Through our network of landowners we can find you a property to buy or rent at competitive prices. Our local knowledge of Decentraland will ensure we pick the right location and price.

Property Prices May 2021

Starting from 3000 – 5000$

– No road connection 

– Periphery (outskirts) of the map 

Up to 20,000 – 100,000$ 

– Genesis Plaza connection

– Vicinity of Districts (e.g vegas City, DCL university, Crypto Valley)

– Road connections

Anybody can buy, sell or rent land at any time, peer-to-peer on the official Decentraland Marketplace, or via Opensea. All transactions are stored on the Ethereum blockchain as true proof of ownership, so when you buy and own that land token, you officially and unquestionably own that piece of land. Every Decentraland land token has unique co-ordinates which represent a specific location on the Decentraland map. Proximity to popular areas e.g. roads, plazas, typically determine their value.

If you own and connect adjacent parcels of land on the map, then this is referred to as an Estate, and permits the owner to build higher.

Decentraland also offers the option to take out a mortgage on land.

Land auctions: All land was initially sold at auction.

Metamask is required to buy and sell land in Decentraland.

Total LAND: 90,601 (43689 private land parcels, 33886 district LAND, 9438 roads, 3588 plazas)

Each LAND Size : 16m x 16m square spaces (previously 10m x 10m, changed in Feb 2019)

Highest ever sale (1 LAND) : 2,000,000 MANA (source)

Average price per LAND (ETH) : CLICK HERE

LAND Price Index by Metalith : CLICK HERE

Buy & Sell LAND

Official Decentraland Marketplace: CLICK HERE (Purchase with MANA only)

Opensea Marketplace: CLICK HERE (Purchase with Ethereum or MANA)

Build in Decentraland

If you own land in Decentraland, then building a great scene is easily attainable to both coders and non-coders alike.

Beginner: To create a simple scene in Decentraland, you should start with the Builder Tool. This simple drag and drop editor requires no coding knowledge, yet allows you to create beautiful scenes and simple games. It has an ever expanding library of pre-made models, both static and dynamic, which you can get creative with at your own leisure.

Visit the Builder Tool: CLICK HERE

If you want to learn a new skill, or top up your existing skillset, the Decentraland University has created a FREE comprehensive video course which will hold your hand through everything you need to know to become proficient at building in Decentraland, even if you have zero experience in coding or 3D modelling.

View the video course: CLICK HERE

Advanced: If you have knowledge of coding in Typescript, or a similar coding language, learn how to use the Decentraland SDK. The Software Development Kit allows you to import 3D models into Decentraland, as well as code advanced games, applications, animations and much more. The possibilities really are endless.

View the SDK docs: CLICK HERE

Points to note:

Build Height Limitations: 1 land = 20 meters. Estates vary. See here.

Build Underground?  No.

–  For more Decentraland building resources, visit the tools and resources section.

–  For inspiration of other creations built using both these tools, view the gallery section.

Decentraland Architects is delighted to offer you the opportunity to advertise in Decentraland, at a price that suits all marketing budgets.

Our billboards are situated on key roads and Plazas throughout the Metaverse and will help to send your brand’s awareness through the roof, whether on a single billboard or a campaign package.

You can book our billboards individually or as a pack. Our minimum booking period is one month. We have no restrictions on how many you book. We cater for the small business right through to blue chip companies. We offer a full in-house service from booking to designing your poster and finally erecting it.

Advertising in Decentraland, or any virtual blockchain world, is an attractive proposition. Having your brand displayed in virtual worlds not only increases exposure in-world, but also attracts increased engagement on social media platforms and beyond.

Decentraland Cryptocurrency

MANA

USD

Powered by CoinGecko

View Decentraland Price Chart

Official Currency: Decentraland MANA Token (info)

MANA token is the native currency of Decentraland. It is a cryptocurrency (ERC 20) and can be used to buy an avatar, wearables, land and in-game goods and services. It also plays an important role in community votes when addressing important decisions.

The MANA contract originally stipulated there would be an inflation rate of 8% per year, however, this was reduced to 0% after a vote by the community.

The total MANA supply following the token sale was 2,644,403,343.

The current official MANA supply can be found here: MANA Dashboard

Following a community vote, this is now an ever reducing supply (deflationary), due to a 2.5% MANA marketplace fee (which is burned and removed from supply) every time a parcel of LAND, avatar or wearable is sold.

Read more about MANA burning, and the associated rates here.

MANA tokens (ERC-20) can be purchased in 4 ways:

1) Buy with USD ($) on most of the popular crypto exchanges, such as Bittrex or Binance

2) Buy with Ethereum on the official Decentraland Marketplace

3) Buy with Ethereum at Uniswap

4) Buy with USD ($) from a CoinCloud ATM (USA only)

Decentraland Avatars

A Decentraland avatar is a customizable character which will represent you inside the virtual world. Essentially, owning an avatar is like registering a username / account on any given website. You do not need to own an avatar to visit Decentraland, you can simply login as a guest.

Registered avatar required to explore: No

Registered Avatar Cost: 100 MANA + Ethereum gas fee

Maximum avatars per email or digital wallet: 1

Is my username/avatar an NFT? Yes

Can I sell my avatar and username? Yes

Other Info

  • You can jazz up your character with Decentraland wearables, available to buy on the official marketplace or the Opensea marketplace.
  • Ownership of each registered avatar username is represented by an NFT and recorded on the blockchain.
  • Registered usernames can be bought and sold on the official Decentraland marketplace.
  • The 100 MANA fee is burnt and removed from the total currency supply
  • If you register a username, but later decide to change it, your previous username will become available for somebody else to register.

To register an avatar (Metamask required): CLICK HERE

For more information about Decentraland avatars read the official post here.

Official avatar FAQ: CLICK HERE

Decentraland Wearables

Wearables in decentraland are a fun way to express yourself and make your avatar more unique.

Wearables come in all shapes and sizes, ranging from hats, boots and masks, to full on fancy dress costumes, pumpkin heads and raver glasses.

Also, all wearables are NFTs and have their own marketplace, which means they can be bought and sold on the open market. It is a good idea to shop around to get the best deal, as prices can vary for the same item.

At the moment, only Decentraland can design and mint new wearables, which limits creativity. However, there are plans to open this up to community designers in the future.

The amount of wearables minted (created) tends to determine the price.  Wearables are each categorized into the following categories, depending on the amount available: Uncommon- Swanky – Epic – Legendary – Mythic

Average price per wearable : CLICK HERE

Official Marketplace: CLICK HERE (Purchase with MANA only)

Opensea Marketplace: CLICK HERE (Purchase with Ethereum or MANA)

Decentraland Community

The large, lively and welcoming Decentraland community mainly resides in the official Discord. It is a great place to learn more about the project, connect, and put forward your questions/ideas.

Join the official Decentraland Discord : CLICK HERE

Join the NFT Plazas Discord : CLICK HERE

As Decentraland progresses, it is expected that the community will eventually migrate there over time, but due to current limitations, Discord is the preferred method of communication.

Leadership

The Decentraland team were initially based in Buenos Aires, but now, the team is fully remote and based around the world.

When it comes to decision making, it is now the community who decide on the future direction by way of a democratic vote at the Decentraland DAO. MANA token ownership is used to add weight to voting power. The more you own, the more your voice counts.

Read more about the DAO: CLICK HERE

Decentraland Technical Requirements

Decentraland runs entirely in your web browser, just like a website, therefore there is no software to download. We recommend using Google Chrome web browser for Windows, and Safari for Mac.

Software – There are no specific requirements or software needed to visit Decentraland. However, we recommend reading our getting started section to learn about improving your Decentraland experience.

Hardware – No hardware is required to explore Decentraland. However, to avoid lag, the better your graphics card and internet connection, the smoother your experience will be.

Decentraland Whitepaper

The Decentraland whitepaper was created in 2017 and outlines the original vision for Decentraland. As with any ambitious project, the plans and development have changed over time, however, the core ideas from the original proposal remain.

A fully decentralized virtual world has always been the aim, and the project team are well on course to achieve that.

Download the official Decentraland whitepaper: CLICK HERE

Decentraland Roadmap

The Decentraland roadmap is laid out in an easy to follow and digestible format. Hosted on Trello, it keeps the community up to date with a comprehensive list of what the development team is currently working on, broken down into LIVE, SOON, NEXT & LATER sections.

Click to view the official Decentraland roadmap

Upcoming developments include an ambassador program, various supporting apps, in-world trading and much more.

A good way to follow new releases as they drop, is by following the official Decentraland twitter account.

Decentraland News Sources

To keep up with Decentraland news and progress, it is a good idea to join our weekly newsletter to get an overview of all our articles throughout the week. For further reliable content, we recommend the following resources:

NFT Plazas : Independent Decentraland News

DCL Blogger : NFT / Decentraland News and YouTube videos

Official Decentraland Blog : Blog written by Decentraland’s media department

Official Decentraland Twitter : Great for official project updates

Other Content

The Block Runner : Regular Decentraland focused podcast

For discussion, news and events as they unfold, it is a good idea to connect with the community here.

Decentraland Tools & Resources

Here is a list of extra tools and informational resources that have been created both independently by the community to help support Decentraland, as well as some relevant online resources.

Land & Currency Tools

NonFungible – Decentraland Land market history

MyDCL – Live market data of land sales & history

Metalith – Land price index

MANA Dashboard – Live currency supply data & burn rate

DCLNodes – Live traffic counters in world

Map View – Decentraland map from a birds eye view

Developer Tools

Sketchfab – 3D Models suitable for Decentraland

Google Poly – 3D Models suitable for Decentraland

Blender – Free 3D Modelling software

Further Reading

Virtual Blockchain Worlds – Basic overview

Decentraland Data in 2018 – Steven Zheng

Large Decentraland Builder Competition Prizes – Coindesk

Full wearables lowdown – by Clark Kent

Further Reading (Underlying Tech)

NFTS – Tokens representing ownership

Ethereum Blockchain – Blockchain used for all VBWs

Smart Contracts – Contracts which govern how things work

Sidechains – Used for in-world transactions (MATIC)

ERC 20 Cryptocurrencies – Used for VBW currencies

ERC 721 NFTs – Used for all land and in-game items

Web3 Wallets – Currency & NFT Storage

Unity Game Engine – Engine which Decentraland is built with

Nodes & Decentralized Hosting 

DAO – Used by the community to govern the world

FAQs

(Info from the official DCL FAQs)

What equipment or software do I need to play in Decentraland?

A PC or Mac running Chrome or Firefox

  • Can I play on a mobile device?

    For the moment we don’t support mobile devices. But please stay tuned!
  • Can I log in from multiple computers?

    Yes, you can run Decentraland from multiple computers as long as you have your digital wallet installed on each machine.
  • Can I use a different browser?

    While it may be technically possible to use another browser, we recommend Chrome or Firefox to ensure optimal performance.

Do I need a wallet to play in Decentraland?

If you want to fully enjoy the Decentraland experience, we recommend you get yourself a digital wallet. Digital wallets work as your personal account, keeping all your digital assets (such as names, collectibles, LANDs) and in-world progress safe.

If you choose to experience Decentraland Explorer without a wallet, the information will be only be locally stored: you will be able to walk around, customize your Avatar and chat with others in-world, but you won’t have the chance to receive daily rewards, participate in events or log in with a different device using the same Guest ID and Avatar.

If this is the first time you’re hearing about digital wallets, we recommend reading Get a Wallet – Beginners Guide.

I lost my digital wallet! What happens with my account?

If you lose access to your wallet you will lose your Avatar, name, any of the wearables or NFT items stored within. Please remember to always keep your wallet recovery pass phrases in a safe and secure location.

What is MANA?

MANA is Decentraland’s fungible, ERC20 cryptocurrency token. MANA is burned, or spent, in exchange for LAND parcels. For a current summary of critical stats like total and circulating supply, please visit our MANA Token Information transparency dashboard. See the Glossary for more information.

Will I be able to buy things other than LAND with MANA?

Yes! In addition to burning MANA in exchange for LAND, users will be able to trade MANA with other users in exchange for goods and services hosted within Decentraland.

Some players have fancy wearables. How can I get them?

The Avatar editor provides a big selection of wearables and accessories – all for free. You can also buy exclusive wearables in the Decentraland Marketplace or earn them by participating in different events.

What do the collectibles colors mean?

Each collectible is assigned a rarity category, represented by a different name and color and denoting supply of collectible.

Their maximum issuance is:

  • Common: 100000
  • Uncommon: 10000
  • Rare: 5000
  • Epic: 1000
  • Legendary: 100
  • Mythic: 10
  • Unique: 1

Can I claim my Avatar name later?

Yes. Visit the Avatars page to claim it. All you need is an installed digital wallet and at least 100 MANA to burn. Another alternative is to buy a name in the Decentraland Marketplace.

How can I block or report a player?

Click on another player’s Avatar to see their card, then click on the tab block to view options. By blocking a player you will still see them on screen but they won’t be able to write to you on the chat window. If you report a player, you will be able to bring a player’s conduct to the attention of Decentraland’s Community.

What is LAND?

LAND is a non-fungible digital asset maintained in an Ethereum smart contract. LAND is divided into parcels that are referenced using unique x,y cartesian coordinates. Each LAND token includes a record of its coordinates, its owner, and a reference to a content description file or parcel manifest that describes and encodes the content the owner wishes to serve on his or her land.

How large is a tile of LAND?

Land parcels are 16m x 16m, or 52ft x 52ft. Height is restricted based on these limitations.

What is an Estate?

Like LAND, an estate is a non-fungible digital asset. An estate is an association of two or more directly adjacent parcels of LAND. These parcels must be directly adjacent and cannot be separated by a road, plaza or any other parcel. By connecting parcels to form Estates, you can more easily manage your larger LAND holdings. Estates are especially useful when building larger scenes that span more than one parcel.

How can I buy LAND or Estates in Decentraland?

You can visit the Decentraland Marketplace to browse through all of the available LANDs or Estates of LAND that are currently for sale. On December 15th, 2017, we held our first LAND auction, called the Terraform Event, to distribute the first parcels of LAND to the community. The auction concluded in January 2018 and LAND tokens have been distributed to participants.

What does ‘owning’ virtual LAND mean and how does it work?

LAND within Decentraland is represented by non-fungible LAND tokens (meaning that each is unique and cannot be replicated) that track ownership on the Ethereum blockchain. Owning LAND within Decentraland is akin to owning any other unique, crypto asset like CryptoKitties or CryptoPunks, however you will be able to use your LAND within Decentraland to build three dimensional spaces and applications. LAND is built on our ERC721 standard, making it a digital asset that can be traded with other users, like other digital assets.

Why is LAND scarce?

Like CryptoKitties and CryptoPunks, LAND is a non-fungible digital asset. To ensure that the value of LAND parcels remains stable, the amount of land in Decentraland corresponds to the fixed, total amount of MANA.

Without LAND scarcity, many parcels would likely be left abandoned, negatively impacting the quality of content in Decentraland and the user experience.

Does Decentraland run on top of its own blockchain?

Decentraland uses the Ethereum blockchain to store and verify information about LAND ownership and LAND content. It does not run on its own independent blockchain. Content within Decentraland is hosted and served to users via a network of community-owned content servers.

Who validates transactions?

The Ethereum LAND smart contract registers any changes to the state of a parcel of LAND, such as a change in the contents of the LAND or a transfer of ownership. These changes are recorded and verified by the Ethereum blockchain.

How is content distributed?

The visual, audio and three dimensional content of Decentraland will be stored in a network of content servers. Anyone can submit a server to join this network, but it must be voted on by the community. This is handled by a Decentralized Autonomous Organization (DAO). When you visit Decentraland, the content needed to render your location will be pulled from the content servers. Each LAND token, stored on the Ethereum blockchain, is associated with an x,y location within the world and links to the content for that location.

What tools should I use to start building in Decentraland?

There are two ways to create 3D content for Decentraland:

  • The Builder is an easy drag and drop visual tool. You have access to a large library of pre-made items, including interactive items that react to player feedback. You can also import and use your own custom 3D models.
  • The SDK is for creating scenes writing code, which gives you much more power and flexibility.

Both tools can also be combined. You can create a scene visually with the Builder, then export it and work with its code to add interactive functionality. It is also possible to use the SDK to create custom smart items and place these using the Builder.

The most widely used tools like SketchUp, Blender, and Maya to create 3D models that you can then import into Decentraland, these models must be in .gltf or .glb format.

Will I be able to control who can see content on my parcels?

Yes. You will be able to control how certain content on your parcel is served to other users within the Decentraland platform. For example, you could make 3D models, images, video, or sound content only visible to a player in Decentraland after they have submitted a payment or fulfilled some other requirement.

However, remember that by uploading content to the content servers you are essentially making it publicly available since the content servers are a distributed file system. While we intend to make it possible to limit how that content is served to players through a Decentraland client, the content itself will always remain discoverable on the content servers.

You will be able to control who you can see and interact with (and who can see and interact with you) within Decentraland. For example, imagine that you have a house on your parcel and you only want to invite certain friends into your house. You will be able to specify which players you can see (and which players can see you) within your house, but you won’t necessarily be able to prevent anyone from seeing your house or its contents since the assets required to render your house reside on the content server.

Can I monetize my content?

Yes. You are free to decide whether you will charge other players to access your content and how you will implement said charge. Decentraland is in no way involved in the monetization of your content and does not guarantee any return, profit or income. The success of the platform depends entirely on the efforts of the users. Your fate, your success, and eventually your journey, depends on you, your efforts, your imagination.

I need support! Where can I contact you?

Join our Discord and visit our #help channel to ask whatever questions you have. We’ll answer as soon as possible. Our friendly community members can help too. While you’re there why not check out some of the other channels to learn more about Decentraland?