Buyers Guide
What is this?
Welcome traveler. If you're here then chances are you've been looking at the various Forgotten Runes collections and are befuddled by your options. At its core, Forgotten Runes is a project focusing on decentralized worldbuilding, using the various collections as characters within the Runiverse to build deep and expansive Lore together. Wizards are encoded on-chain - meaning their images and data are all permanently embedded into the Ethereum blockchain. they This guide will help walk you through deciding what these tokens are used for, what to look for when buying any of them, and what the future of the project has in store!
The tokens in Forgotten Runes aren't intended to strictly be collections of profile pictures; each token is intended to represent an entire character in the Forgotten Runiverse. They're what are known as "creative primitives", a starting template to spark imagination and creativity. It's the reason these characters are imbued with an actual title, name, and location rather than just an ID number. The fact that they are given entire bodies, items, pets, and are low fidelity pixel art is no mistake. Care was put into giving collectors just enough information to work with as a skeleton, but give enough room to expand on top of with few limitations. In a way you can consider them to be tabletop miniatures to build stories around. Holding any of these tokens allows you exclusive access to creating entries for that character in the Book of Lore, where all entries are recorded as on-chain entries.
Collectors are encouraged to flesh out these characters with their own visual interpretations and backstories. Although it may sound intimidating at first to try catching up on a backlog of previously written lore by other collectors to gather a sense of continuity, you can rest assured in knowing this is not a requirement! Taking note from other creative properties such as Marvel's Spiderman, the Forgotten Runiverse allows for a myriad of entirely different stories all pinned by the same identity. Feel free to intertwine your stories with others, or even create one entirely on your own completely! Owning a Forgotten Runes token grants you commercial rights for that character! (See Forgotten Runes License Agreement for more info).
Picking an archetype
Although there are many collections under the Forgotten Runes umbrella, there are 3 main ones with primary focus in the ecosystem; Warriors, Wizards, and Souls. Due to the supply of these collections making some easier to collect than others, it's possible to categorize these in different tiers of affordability. Although they will all share in many of the same key perks such as 2D walk sprites of your character to download and use across various Metaverses, some collections will receive more priority over others in the order they receive updates or in their utility during certain events.
Warriors
Warriors provide an easy exposure to what Forgotten Runes has to offer. With 16,000 collectable tokens inhabiting the Runiverse, it's the most affordable entry point to Forgotten Runes. As one would expect, these characters bring their !might to the Runiverse. This collection came into being after the others on this list but their creation was planned from the start. They may receive updates a bit slower than Wizards, but are still considered integral parts in the ecosystem. They're the only characters thus far to utilize dynamic upgradability through the Lock burning mechanic, enabling them to forge an upgraded weapon for themselves.
Wizards
Wizards are the original token to drop in the Forgotten Runes ecosystem. There are a maximum total of 10,000 of them, making the second most abundant archetype with a middle-ground of affordability. These masters of !magic serve as a centerpiece of the Forgotten Runiverse. As the first collection to be released, they are often prioritized for updates. They are the only tokens that can be sacrificed via the Sacred Flame to be transmuted into a Forgotten Soul.
Souls
Forgotten Souls are the second character collection to be introduced into the Forgotten Runes ecosystem. They are the undying ghouls of the Forgotten Runiverse. Unlike Warriors and Wizards, they can only be minted by sacrificing a Wizard into the Sacred Flame. Attributes from the sacrificed Wizard are usually taken into account for the summoned Soul, as they are meant to be a continuation of the same Wizard's story after entering the flame. Because two tokes are required to be burned for a single Soul, and because only a maximum of 1112 are ever allowed to exist, they are often more valuable and highly sought after than the other character collections. Due to their unique minting mechanic, it is still possible to create new Souls provided you have a Wizard and Sacred Flame to perform the summoning ritual. There is a 10% chance that burned Wizards instead result in an Undesirable rather than a Soul; meaning they're usually converted into inanimate objects such a Jelly Donut.
Deciding what to buy
First and foremost, we believe the best way to pick ANY character from our collection(s) is fairly simple.
"Like wizard, buy wizard."
-circa, the beginning of the Runiverse.
At the core of the Forgotten Runes collections lies its lore. Lore that is collectively built upon by holders of the project, participating in decentralized world-building together. One key aspect to take note of is the fact that these characters were made to be creative primitives. The low resolution pixel art leaves room for imaginative interpretation, to the point where even Wizards who are composed of almost the same traits can be depicted vastly different from one another. Their stories are for you to build on, and you may see something special in a Wizard that others don't, and turn them into tell a truly legendary tale with them.
If you can imagine the lore of a wizard, if you can picture the story, and/or see yourself in the Wizard--you are most likely on the right path! Now, you may be asking, "Okay, but what am I looking at? Is there other ways to value these characters?" and the answer is, yes, yes there is. The following is a list of common themes in how our community tends to value each character!
Overall Rarity
This is straightforward, but to understand "Overall Rarity" we need to know what a wizard is comprised of, which is broken down into a variety of traits from the following categories. Each of the following have a certain # associated with that particular trait, that number sits next to the text. Keep in mind that Wizards were purposely created with multiple layers of rarity to encourage buyers to not focus on grabbing the rarest wizard they can find, but to instead pick one they resonate with. If it feels like it's complicated recognizing which Wizards are more rare than others, that's by design!
- Head (122)
These range from Kobold to Cloud Prophet to Charmer and many more; each with a unique look that helps define that character. Some cult members even form social factions around certain head types! For example, the Murder Guild was made for Wizards with Corvid heads and even have their own Discord channel for their discussions.
- Body (86)
The body trait is just as important as the others. Ranging from, showing off your aesthetic style, sense of fashion, and/or reflecting where your wizard comes from. A harsh snowy terrain? The desert? Wizards and how they dress can be a tale in itself! Or, maybe, your wizard needs the utility attached to that body. A fanny pack to secure a magical possession. A cloak or cape to hide your appearance, tie it into your lore! The body can give reason for magical abilities, you pick!
- Familiar (37)
These are critters that tag along with the Wizard. Usually seen as companions, but some creatives have written lore on Familiars being antagonistic towards their associated Wizard. What you make with your Familiar is totally up to you! These can be common creatures you're familiar with such as brown hares, or fantastical creatures such as cockatrices.
- Prop (73)
These are the items held by your Wizard. Not all Wizards have a prop, but that certainly doesn't make them any less magical than the others! Whether it be a Green Mushroom or a Crystal Skull, these items provide a great starting point for conjuring up what your Wizard's powers are. Remember that creativity is key, your wizard certainly isn't restricted to only using their prop, or for their prop to be taken literally. Your Wizard's Eternal Rose may be completely different lore wise than others!
- Rune (23)
Like props, not all Wizards have Runes. These are symbols related to astrology, alchemy, and more. Maybe you have a Wizard with a Rune of Steel who uses its powers to strengthen their Broomstick. Or perhaps they have no Rune and are on a quest in search for one. It may be helpful to search online for meanings behind some of these for more inspiration, but of course you're encouraged to interpret these however you wish!
- Background (4)
These are all relatively dark shades, and can potentially add an extra level of nuance to your Wizard.
Name
Names can be very important for guiding your imagination! Wizards have a title, name, and place of origin that they were generated with. Some may me missing one or more of these, which can lead to some interesting themes such as 
of Dreams (9259). Most rarity tools don't take names into account, as not many collections utilize generative names, but some Wizards can be stand out and be highly sought after from having just the right name. Most rarity tools don't account for these, meaning it's possible for a high demand Wizard to go completely unnoticed if you're focusing just on basic metrics!
Affinity
Affinity is a unique aspect of most Forgotten Runes collections, and is used for generating cohesive characters. Unlike most generative NFT projects, Forgotten Runes groups each individual trait with certain thematic values, and the generation process uses those values as weights to determine which traits are more likely to generate with one another. Affinity also ties into the name scheme for Wizards, and is why every Pyromancer in the collection has at least one fire related trait (usually their prop). It keeps every character in the collection feeling like an actual living being rather than an amalgamation of randomized parts. Wizards with "perfect" affinities are those who's traits all fall under the same affinity, and as a result have a very clear thematic that they reference. They tend to be highly sought after because of how easy it is to visualize their archetype.