Breeding Axies in the Axie Infinity game can be an expensive endeavor, but also a rewarding one if done right. Axies are cute digital pets that players can buy, raise, and battle in PvP matches to earn rewards. Breeding Axies creates new offspring Axies with randomized stats and traits that may be stronger or more valuable than the parents. However, breeding requires investing in parent Axies, breeding fees, and other costs. So how much exactly does it cost to get started with Axie breeding?
Upfront Costs of Axie Parents
The biggest upfront cost for breeding Axies is purchasing at least 2 parent Axies. These are the Axies you will breed together to produce offspring. Good quality parent Axies with strong stats, parts, and pureness pedigree can cost anywhere from $200 to over $1000 per Axie at current market prices. So just acquiring 2 decent breeder Axies could cost $400 to over $2000. The more you invest in top-tier parent Axies with strong genetics, the better chances you have of breeding valuable offspring. You want to carefully research and select parent Axies with traits you want passed down like high HP, Speed, Morale, and pureness. Pay attention to their body parts as well. The higher the upfront costs invested in parent Axies, the more profitable the breeding can be.
Breeding Fees
The other major breeding cost is the SLP breeding fee charged each time you breed Axies. To breed 2 Axies, you must pay a fee of 100 SLP (Smooth Love Potion) which is one of the crypto tokens used in Axie Infinity. SLP prices fluctuate based on market supply and demand, but generally 1 SLP trades for around $0.02 to $0.05 USD. So at current market prices, each Axie breeding costs approximately $2 to $5 USD just for the 100 SLP fee. You also must factor in the 7-day cooldown time after breeding before being able to breed those Axies again. If breeding larger volumes, these breeding fees can really add up.
Gas Fees
There are also some smaller Ethereum gas fees when conducting transactions like breeding on the Axie Infinity platform. These are typically a few dollars per transaction. Minor, but still an added cost of Axie breeding to consider.
Other Ongoing Costs
Some other costs that can come with an Axie breeding operation include:
- Energy costs to keep PCs/devices running to play and breed Axies
- Time and effort costs spent breeding, managing, and marketing Axies
- Transaction fees moving crypto assets around
- Possible scholarships for new players to level up offspring Axies
These costs are harder to estimate but also add up, especially at larger scales. Running an efficient breeding operation takes energy, hardware, and effort.
Cost Saving Tips
Some tips to save on costs with Axie breeding include:
- Find breeding scholarships to offset SLP breeding fees
- Only breed Axies with valuable genetics and predictable outcomes
- Sell or gift extra offspring Axies you don’t plan to use
- Borrow strong Axies from friends/scholars to breed, split profits
- Wait for gas fees to be lower before breeding transactions
- Batch breed several Axies at once to amortize gas fees
Making wise choices on parent Axies and planning breeding strategically can mitigate expenses.
Sample Cost Breakdown
As an example, let’s look at the estimated costs to breed 2 mid-tier parent Axies once:
| Expense | Cost (USD) |
|---|---|
| Parent Axie 1 Purchase | $300 |
| Parent Axie 2 Purchase | $500 |
| Breeding Fee (100 SLP) | $4 |
| Gas Fee | $3 |
| Total Cost Per Breed | $807 |
In this example with moderately-priced level 15 Axies, the total out-of-pocket cost to perform 1 round of breeding is around $800. This generates 2 new offspring Axies. If these offspring Axies end up selling for $300 each, the breeding costs are covered. Any sales above the $600 mark become profit. These numbers can scale up quickly with breeding multiple Axies.
Is Axie Breeding Profitable?
Whether Axie breeding can be profitable comes down to a few key factors:
- How much is invested into parent Axies?
- What is the value of the offspring Axies?
- How are gas, SLP, and time costs managed?
- Is there enough volume of breeding and offspring sales?
With cheap parent Axies and low-value offspring, it is hard to turn much profit from breeding alone. But with strong parent genetics producing offspring worth $500+, profit margins can be significant. The value proposition of Axie breeding relies on producing offspring greater than the input costs.
Key Considerations
Some tips on operating a profitable Axie breeding business:
- Analyze genetics and pedigree of parents before purchasing
- Target specific body parts, stats, and traits in offspring
- Breed for classes and meta body parts in demand
- Improve average sales price of offspring over time
- Manage breeding volume to offset fees
- Reinvest profits into better parent Axies
- Take advantage of scholarship programs
- Sell Axies across multiple marketplaces
With the right strategy, Axie breeding can be quite lucrative. But it requires an upfront investment and active effort to see returns.
Breeding for Profit vs Breeding for Fun
There are two approaches to Axie breeding:
- Breeding for profit – Focused solely on producing valuable Axies to sell for income. This requires carefully tracking genetics, targeting meta parts, and managing breeding operations like a business.
- Breeding for fun – Playing for enjoyment and breeding Axies you just think look cool or cute. This is a more casual approach without profit maximization in mind.
Many players do a hybrid approach, trying to breed cool Axies they like while also paying attention to valuable traits. There are merits to both approaches. But targeting profit-focused breeding requires more planning and effort to see returns on investment.
Frequently Asked Questions
How much money do you need to start Axie breeding?
You need around $400-$600 to buy 2 starter Axies plus around $10 for initial breeding fees. More expensive Axies ($1000+) unlock greater earning potential but require higher upfront investment.
What is the best Axie team for breeding?
Good Axie teams for breeding include:
- 2 Axies with Mystic parts to try for Azuma
- Beast, Plant, Aquatic for reptile breeding
- 2 Axies with same recessive genes
- High pureness Axies to maintain pedigree
How often can you breed Axies?
Axies can breed once every 7 days. So each Axie can breed around 1-2 times per month. Breeding more frequently requires having multiple Axies in rotation.
Is it better to breed or buy Axies?
Breeding can be more cost-effective than buying if you create valuable offspring that sell for more than input costs. But buying allows instantly obtaining proven Axies versus waiting to breed them.
What is the best time to breed Axies?
It’s best to breed when gas fees are lower, such as weekends and nights. Also breed during uptrends in the market when demand and prices for Axies are higher.
Conclusion
Breeding Axies can cost anywhere from a few hundred dollars to over $2000+ depending on factors like parent Axie quality, breeding volume, and gas fees. But it offers the potential for great rewards if offspring Axies can be sold for prices surpassing the upfront breeding costs. With the right breeding strategy and genetics, Axie breeding can be a profitable endeavor. But it requires an initial investment and active work to maximize returns over time from breeding operations. Overall if done properly, Axie breeding remains one of the most exciting and potentially lucrative activities in the Axie Infinity game.
