# Phase 1 - Hatching
In the initial phase of the Eggle journey, aptly named "Hatching," users embark on the path to acquiring their very own digital companion.
## **Preparation: Acquiring Energy Tokens**
Before diving into the exciting world of Eggle, participants must prepare by acquiring ETH (base chain) and Energy Tokens.
{% hint style="info" %} **Eggle Energy Token**** Smart Contract Address**: [0x8A0e751e5D7A2861cA7Cf16D9720337E40604982](https://basescan.org/address/0x8A0e751e5D7A2861cA7Cf16D9720337E40604982#readContract)
{% endhint %}
Since Eggle is built on the Base network, users need ETH to pay gas fees as well as to buy eggs. ETH can then be exchanged for ENG tokens, which are used to buy eggs, nests, and feed the Animals.
{% content-ref url="/pages/JT0fDuZGTAleH7JBEMLl" %}
[Eggle Energy Token Info](/energy-token/eggle-energy-token-info.md)
{% endcontent-ref %}
## **The Egg Sale Event**
A new cycle begins as soon as the previous one ends, starting with the Egg Sale. Eggs for each animal go on sale right after the old cycle finishes. The sale date depends on the animal’s lifecycle:
* **Chicken**: 00:00 (UTC), on the 1st of every month
* **PEPE Frog**: 00:00 (UTC), on the 10th of every month
New animals will be announced and added in future updates.
## **Initiating the Purchase**
On the sale day, you have **24 hours** to buy eggs. The shop closes exactly at **00:00 (UTC) the next day**.
The main currency is **ENG Token**, but you can also pay with **ETH (Base)** and each animal’s own token.
Here’s what you need to prepare:
* **Chicken Egg**: 1000 ENG, or the same value in ETH (Base).
* **PEPE Egg**: 2000 ENG, or BasedPEPE (Base), or ETH (Base) equal to 2000 ENG.
Since Eggle is built on the **Base chain**, you’ll also need **ETH (Base)** in your wallet to cover gas fees.
**Note:** The PEPE token used to buy PEPE Eggs is **BasedPEPE on the Base chain**, *not* the original PEPE token on Ethereum.
## **Hatching the Egg**
After purchasing eggs on the Eggle website, users will need to wait a moment for the transaction to complete and for the eggs to be delivered to their wallet.
* Once you receive your eggs, you’ll get a notification confirming it.
* Then, go to the **“My NFT”** section. You can either open the **Animal** tab or just stay on **“All NFT”** to see all the NFTs you own.
* After about **one hour**, the eggs will hatch into their corresponding animals.
## **Limited Availability**
It's important to note that the availability of eggs is limited.
If the presale event sees all the eggs sold out due to high demand, any subsequent transactions attempting to send Eggle Energy (ENG) tokens to the contract will be met with failure.
This scarcity adds an element of exclusivity and excitement to the process, as participants strive to secure their digital companion before they run out.
{% content-ref url="/pages/ry4E7rhl2cnSyRyXEdSD" %}
[Phase 2 - Raising](/how-to-play/phase-2-raising.md)
{% endcontent-ref %}
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