Galxe Quest Onchain: The Intricacies of Decentralized Web3 Questing

Galxe Quest Onchain: The Intricacies of Decentralized Web3 Questing

Galxe Quest Onchain: The Intricacies of Decentralized Web3 Questing

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Jan 21, 2025

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In our quest to empower individuals through a more equitable digital future, we’ve transitioned Galxe Quest to an onchain environment. Through this shift, we’re transforming the fundamentals of the platform to elevate the elements of transparency, ownership, autonomy, security, and fairness while pushing the boundaries of decentralized exploration. 

With that, this article will explore the core mechanics of an onchain questing platform, using Galxe Quest as a case study. We’ll compare the distinct advantages and challenges of operating in onchain versus offchain environments, highlighting how this transition impacts user experience and the broader web3 landscape. 

What are Onchain Quests? 

Onchain quests are web3 campaigns that run directly on blockchain networks. Unlike offchain quests, where transactions and actions occur on centralized servers controlled by a single entity, onchain quests function transparently across a decentralized network. This distinction means that onchain quests inherit key blockchain attributes like transparency, immutability, and decentralized verification. 

While the user interface may look similar to its offchain counterpart, the underlying architecture in onchain quests operates very differently. This setup creates a transparent, auditable record of the user’s journey within the quest, ensuring that each interaction is both tamper-proof and traceable. This dynamic adds a level of trust and transparency that’s harder to replicate in offchain systems, as users and project teams alike have a verifiable, shared view of all completed transactions. 

Galxe Quest is an onchain questing platform that operates on the Gravity network, where each quest component, from token raffles and loyalty points to NFTs, exists as a verifiable blockchain asset. Accordingly, this setup ensures that transactions, such as claimed rewards, within Galxe Quest are fully transparent and traceable through the Gravity Explorer, allowing users to verify the history and authenticity of their actions and rewards.

With this foundation, let’s explore the broader implications of onchain quests, particularly how they reshape user experiences and the overall dynamics of the web3 ecosystem.

How Do Onchain Quests Improve User Experience? 

As highlighted earlier, the advantages of onchain questing primarily stem from the inherent benefits of blockchain transactions. These advantages, rooted in trust, security, and transparency, redefine how quests are structured and executed. Now, let’s take a closer look at how these core principles shape the user experience and the operational mechanics of an onchain questing platform. 

Tradeable Rewards

One of the most compelling advantages of onchain quests is the ability to earn fully tradable rewards, such as onchain loyalty points, token raffles, or NFTs, that add a new layer to the experience. Unlike rewards confined within centralized systems, these onchain assets offer users full ownership and control, allowing them to sell, trade, or exchange them freely on decentralized marketplaces. 

Essentially, this allows the assets to have tangible market value. For example, tokens from raffles or loyalty points collected by completing quests can appreciate over time, much like traditional assets. 

Over time, some rewards, particularly those tied to exclusive events or limited-edition releases, have the potential to appreciate in value based on factors like rarity, demand, or utility within a specific ecosystem. 

What begins as a reward for completing a quest can transform into a highly sought-after collectible (similar to rare Pokémon cards) where users may choose to hold onto them as long-term investments, anticipating future demand.

Interoperability with the Broader Web3 Ecosystem 

The transition to an onchain reward system fundamentally alters how quest rewards can be utilized. Unlike offchain rewards, which are typically confined to the platform where they’re earned, onchain rewards extend far beyond their original environment. Instead, rewards earned from one quest can be leveraged across a wide range of dApps. For example, an NFT gained through a quest could unlock exclusive events in another project or grant access to features in DeFi applications.

This flexibility allows users and projects to break free from the limitations of any single ecosystem. Their rewards now carry value and utility across the broader decentralized landscape, enriching the user experience. Additionally, it encourages cross-platform collaboration, as projects integrate onchain quests into their engagement strategies, fostering a more interconnected and vibrant ecosystem.

Omnichain Functionality 

Before transitioning to an onchain platform, Galxe Quest participants had to deal with the complexities of managing multiple tokens and the administrative burden of paying transaction fees across different blockchains. 

For instance, claiming rewards often required users to connect the correct wallet, switch between various chains, and ensure they had enough funds to cover the gas fees specific to each network. This process quickly became one of the most frustrating and time-consuming aspects of the experience. 

With the introduction of Smart Savings, powered by Gravity’s omnichain capabilities, Galxe Quest has simplified the entire process. Users can now pay gas fees across multiple blockchains using the G token, greatly improving the reward-claiming experience. 

Quests that span multiple blockchains often introduce added complexity for participants. For instance, users might need to mint NFT rewards on one blockchain while simultaneously collecting loyalty points on Gravity. Previously, this required users to juggle different wallets, tokens, and gas fees, all of which add unnecessary complexity to the experience.

With Gravity’s omnichain functionality (through Smart Savings), participants can seamlessly mint NFTs on the quest partner’s respective blockchains and accumulate loyalty points on Gravity without the need to manage multiple wallets or worry about cross-chain compatibility. This streamlined approach ensures that users can focus on the quest itself, rather than navigating the technicalities of interacting with different platforms.

Learn more about Smart Savings here.

Transparency

"Don’t trust, verify."

Blockchain technology inherently brings a higher level of transparency. For end users, this means more trust and control. On an onchain questing platform, every user action or any adjustments made to the platform are recorded on an immutable, public ledger. This transparency removes any doubts about the fairness or integrity of the process. 

Take token raffles, for example. On offchain platforms, users often worry about the fairness of the process because centralized systems can run opaque algorithms that might skew results or manipulate probabilities. On an onchain platform, however, raffles are governed by transparent smart contracts that execute the process according to fixed, immutable rules. These smart contracts are decentralized and unbiased, ensuring that every participant’s chances are clear and verifiable. 

Put differently, onchain raffles eliminate the potential for manipulation or favoritism. On Gravity, users can verify these transactions through our Explorer. Every aspect of the raffle is open for anyone to check, reinforcing user confidence and ensuring a level playing field for all participants. 

We’ve also recently introduced zkRaffles—an onchain raffle system powered by zero-knowledge proofs that ensures fairness, transparency, and verifiability, all while protecting user privacy. 

The Price of Onchain Quests

Migrating Galxe Quest to an onchain environment marks a significant move toward decentralization, emphasizing transparency and user control. However, this transition comes with its own set of technical and operational challenges. Let’s take a closer look at the costs and practical considerations of an onchain questing platform.

Gas Fees

Gas fees are an inherent aspect of any onchain platform, as they are essential for processing and validating transactions on the blockchain. In the case of Galxe Quest, this means that actions like minting NFTs or claiming loyalty points now come with associated gas fees. 

These fees introduce a key consideration for both quest creators and participants. During periods of high network congestion, when gas fees are higher, users must weigh the cost of participation against the potential rewards. If the costs outweigh the rewards, users may decide that it’s not worth engaging with the quest, which could limit participation and the overall success of the quest. 

The figure above shows the gas fees on Gravity, the network powering all onchain transactions on Galxe Quest. According to the data, each transaction typically costs around $0.01, as detailed in our Explorer

Through a positive lens, this structure encourages quest creators to prioritize high-value tasks, ensuring that the rewards are worthwhile despite the associated gas fees. However, on other networks, there may be periods when gas fees can spike, exceeding $1.00 per transaction. When this happens, the balance shifts, and if the rewards no longer justify the increased costs, users may choose to opt out. This can lead to a drop in participation, ultimately affecting the overall success and appeal of the quest. 

Developer Dependency

On blockchains, code is law. Unlike offchain platforms, where actions and transactions are managed through a centralized system controlled by a single authority, onchain platforms operate within a decentralized framework that demands a more intricate approach. 

This complexity applies to all aspects, including maintaining the platform, enhancing functionalities, or simply interacting with it. 

Let’s take task verification as an example. On offchain platforms, project teams can easily set up and modify task verification processes with little technical friction. If there’s a need to adjust criteria or reward structures, updates can be made quickly through backend changes, often without requiring deep technical input. 

Onchain platforms, however, require a more hands-on approach from the development team when designing and implementing task verification methods. Because these interactions are governed by smart contracts and blockchain protocols, teams must carefully consider how to structure verification steps to fit within the constraints of the platform. 

Immutability 

While immutability on the blockchain enhances transparency, it also introduces challenges, particularly when handling human errors or unexpected issues.

In centralized systems, resolving mistakes, like misallocated rewards or incorrect transactions, is straightforward. Administrators can simply adjust records or update user accounts with minimal disruption. 

In contrast, onchain environments make such corrections much more complex. Because blockchain transactions are immutable, any error typically requires a new transaction to reverse or offset the mistake. 

To better understand this, here’s a typical process for correcting an error on an onchain platform:

  1. Identify and Plan: First, the issue is identified, and a solution is planned. This requires developers and stakeholders to assess the error, determine its impact, and outline a clear strategy for correction. 

  2. Implement Fix: The next step is to create a new transaction to address the mistake. This involves coding the fix and deploying it to the blockchain. 

  3. Audit and Notify: After the fix is in place, a thorough audit is conducted to ensure everything is functioning as expected. This includes verifying that the correction doesn’t introduce any vulnerabilities. 

Immutability on the blockchain ensures security but makes error resolution more rigid. Unlike centralized systems, onchain corrections are more deliberate, requiring careful planning to avoid compromising security. This process is resource-intensive, demanding coordination among multiple stakeholders to implement fixes effectively.

A Step Towards a Decentralized Future

The migration to an onchain rewards system represents a fundamental shift in how users engage with Galxe Quest. The transition to a fully onchain platform for Galxe is underpinned by the objective of realizing a truly connected web3 ecosystem. By going fully onchain, we’re not just upgrading Galxe Quest – we’re driving our mission to onboard web3 users while advancing ownership and exploration. 

For our community of explorers, this means fueling interconnectedness within our ecosystem and uniting data to create seamless experiences, paving the way to a future where decentralized reward systems are the standard.

Step into the world of onchain quests with Galxe Quest and explore a new era of exploration. 

About Galxe

Galxe is a decentralized super app and web3’s largest onchain distribution platform. Through its robust infrastructure and product suite of modular AI, digital identity, and blockchain technologies — Quest, Passport, Score, Compass, and Alva — Galxe supports the development of advanced, user-friendly web3 applications with an emphasis on secure and self-sovereign digital identity management. The recent introduction of Gravity, a Layer 1 omnichain leveraging Galxe’s infrastructure, enables developers to tap into Galxe’s 30 million users and create new products that help onboard the world to web3.

About Gravity

Gravity is a high-performance Layer 1 blockchain built for mass adoption, powering an ecosystem of over 25 million users. Built by Galxe, Gravity achieves over one gigagas per second throughput and sub-second finality with a pipelined AptosBFT consensus engine and Grevm (Gravity EVM), a parallel EVM runtime, while maintaining PoS security through restaking technology.

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