Guide
How Meld Works
Creators launch collections. Collectors forge, trade, evolve, and shatter EVOs. Everything is on-chain. No admin keys. The SOL lives in the PDA.
What is an EVO?
Think of it as a trading card with SOL locked inside it.
EVO #001
0.5 SOL locked
Owned by you
Art — your image, stored permanently
Locked SOL — real money inside, always withdrawable
Owner — whoever holds the EVO
Forge
Trade
Feed
Evolve
Shatter
For Creators
Launch a collection with evolving on-chain art.
1Connect
Solana wallet
2Configure
Name, supply, lifecycle
3Upload Art
Bulk images to Arweave
4Deploy
On-chain collection
1
Connect Your Solana Wallet
Click the wallet button in the top right. Meld supports Phantom, Solflare, Backpack, and any Solana wallet adapter. You'll need a small amount of SOL for transaction fees.
2
Click "Create Collection"
Hit the Create button in the nav bar. You'll configure your collection:
- • Name — your collection name (e.g. "Cosmic Kitties")
- • Supply cap — max number of EVOs (e.g. 900)
- • Lock amount — SOL locked per EVO (the floor value)
- • Lifecycle type — how art changes over time (see below)
- • Fee config — where royalties go (creator, treasury, burn, or split)
3
Choose How Your Art Behaves
Pick a lifecycle type — this decides if and how your art changes over time:
StaticArt stays the same forever. Easiest — just upload one image per EVO.
RevealArt starts hidden (mystery), then you reveal it when ready.
Commit-RevealMystery reveal, but provably fair — nobody can peek or change the art.
Reveal & EvolveArt reveals, then evolves through stages as collectors feed it SOL.
CustomFull creative control — evolve + manually switch art stages anytime.
Not sure? Start with Static — you can always make an evolving collection next time.
4
Upload Your Artwork
Drag and drop all your images into the bulk uploader. They're stored permanently on Arweave (a decentralized hard drive that never deletes). Each image becomes one EVO. For evolving collections, upload art for each stage.
Tip: Name your files in order (001.png, 002.png, …) to keep them organized.
5
Deploy — Pay the Transaction Fee
Confirm the transaction in your wallet. Your collection goes live on Solana instantly. No admin keys, no central server — the protocol owns it, and it appears on the homepage right away.
Cost: ~0.02 SOL for transaction fees + Arweave storage (~0.005 SOL per image)
For Collectors
Forge, trade, evolve, and shatter EVOs.
1Browse
Explore collections
2Forge
Lock SOL, mint EVO
3Evolve
Art changes over time
4Shatter
Recover locked SOL
Forge
Lock SOL → mint EVO
Trade
Buy/sell on-chain
Feed
Add SOL to the lock
Evolve
Art changes at thresholds
Shatter
Destroy → recover SOL
Where does your SOL go?
Your money is never locked away forever — you can always get it back.
You pay SOL
at Forge
SOL locked inside
the EVO
SOL travels
with trades
Shatter →
get SOL back
The SOL locked inside an EVO is its floor value— the minimum it's always worth.
How art evolves
Some collections change their art over time. Here's what that looks like:
1Stage 1
Fresh forge
→
2Stage 2
After feeding
→
3Stage 3
Fully evolved
Not all collections evolve — Static collections keep the same art forever.
1
Browse Collections
The homepage shows all collections sorted by locked SOL. Click any collection to see its EVOs, floor price, trading history, and charts. Search by name to find specific collections.
2
Forge an EVO
On a collection page, click "Forge" to mint a new EVO. You lock SOL inside it — this becomes its floor value (the minimum it's always worth). The art is assigned to your EVO (randomly or deterministically, depending on the collection).
Good to know: The locked SOL is yours. You can recover it anytime by shattering.
3
Trade on-chain
List your EVO for sale at any price. Other collectors can buy it instantly — royalties are enforced automatically by the protocol, so you always get your cut. The locked SOL (floor value) travels with the EVO to the new owner.
4
Feed SOL to Grow It
Add more SOL to your EVO's lock. This raises its floor value and can trigger evolution in evolving collections. Feeding is optional — your EVO works fine without it.
5
Evolve
For evolving collections, the art changes when certain thresholds are met (enough SOL locked, enough trades, etc.). Each stage is a new visual — watch your EVO transform over time.
6
Shatter to Recover SOL
Done with your EVO? Shatter it. The EVO is destroyed and you get back the locked SOL, minus a small fee. This is the key difference from regular NFTs — you always have a floor value you can cash out into.
EVO vs Regular NFT
What makes Meld different.
| Feature | Regular NFT | Meld EVO |
|---|---|---|
| Floor value | None | Locked SOL |
| Art changes | Static | Evolves |
| Exit mechanism | Sell on marketplace | Shatter for SOL |
| Royalties | Optional, bypassable | Enforced on-chain |
| Admin keys | Often yes | None |
| Storage | Centralized/IPFS | Arweave (permanent) |
FAQ
How much does it cost to create a collection?
About 0.02 SOL for the transaction + roughly 0.005 SOL per image for permanent storage. A 100-image collection costs around 0.5 SOL total.
Can I change the art after deploying?
It depends on the lifecycle type you chose. Static collections can't be changed. Commit-Reveal is locked forever (provably fair). Custom lifecycle lets you switch art stages manually.
What happens when I shatter an EVO?
The EVO is permanently destroyed and you get back the SOL that was locked inside it, minus a small fee. The art is gone — shattering is permanent.
Are royalties enforced?
Yes — the protocol enforces royalties on every trade automatically. No marketplace can bypass them. You set where the fees go when you create the collection.
What wallets are supported?
Phantom, Solflare, Backpack, and any Solana-compatible wallet.
Do I need to know how to code?
No! If you can upload images and click buttons, you can create a collection. The entire process is visual — no coding required.