A guide to Somnium’s best parcels (for you)

Okay so you are looking for a great spot for your next parcel in Somnium Space. Or maybe you are new and want to have your own little hideaway in this amazing VR world. But just like in the real world, when buying property, you have a few questions. What are the prices? Where are the good areas? Are any places in a flood zone or prone to other natural disasters?

Well, in Somnium there are neither floodings nor hurricanes nor any other natural disasters, so you do not have to worry about that. You may find a bear in your backyard though, but they are super friendly!

Does that mean that all parcels and areas in Somnium Space are equal? Yes and no. Yes because every parcel in Somnium Space gives you access to the same features. They may differ in size and be in different locations, but if you own a parcel you are a Somnium citizen in every respect. You can freely build using all the available tools, socialize and share, create your own little business or build that dream home where you can withdraw and relax. Just for the record, you do not need to own a parcel to be part of Somnium, socialize with people and have fun. But if you want to build you will need some land.

As far as the ‘no they are not equal’ is concerned, each parcel has a number of properties that you should be aware of. Easiest is to ask yourself the following questions:

• What is the size of the parcel?
• How can I (and others) access a parcel?
• What’s the view from the parcel?
• What’s characterizes the area the parcel is in? Is it busy, quiet?
• What are the expectations for future development in the area?
• And of course, what is the price?

Whether the answers to these questions are important depends on what you are looking for, just like when you are scanning the market for a property in the real world.

Parcel size

Now, as far as the size is concerned, Somnium Space parcels come in 3 different sizes. Small, Medium and Large (also called XLarge).

In practical terms, if you want to have a cosy little home, gallery or advertisement area, a small parcel will do. Small parcels offer some good space to build. For more elaborate structures, grand homes, shops, galleries, etc., you may want to opt for a medium parcel though. And for the biggest of structures, warehouses, stores, museums, nightclubs, etc., you would want to get yourself a large parcel.

An important thing to add is that owners of waterfront parcels will be allowed to build on the land between the water and the parcel, so this will give you some additional space.

Parcel access

In Somnium, how to access your parcel is an important question. The main reason for this is that to create the best level of immersion, the company has opted to make traversing distance an activity that takes time. While there will be a limited number of teleportation hubs throughout Somnium, you are bound to use more time to reach a parcel in a far corner of the map compared to a parcel close to Somnium Waypoint.

The way it works is that when you login (or spawn into Somnium), your initial location will be Somnium Waypoint (or city center). Now, if you subsequently walk 5 minutes to your parcel and stay there, the next time you login you will spawn in that same location (unless you reset your location in the Somnium Launcher). In other words, you will not have to walk 5 minutes every time.

This will be great if you have built yourself a nice home where you can relax. In fact, having a home not too close to the city can be an advantage and exactly what you are looking for. But imagine you want to open an art gallery. Obviously, you are interested in having as many people visit your gallery as possible. Having a parcel that is easy to reach, either because it is not too far from Somnium Waypoint, is next to a main road or can be conveniently accessed via teleportation hubs, should be an important consideration.

But what is distance in Somnium Space? What would be a good location for a business? When is far too far?

These are hard questions to answer, but one way to look at it is in terms of distance to Somnium Waypoint using ever widening circles. While roads are important and can guide newcomers, once you have a good grasp of the Somnium map, you can reach your destination in a straight line, even if there is water between you and your destination. This means for example that the islands are very easy to reach and therefore very attractive from a distance perspective.

For each circle in the above illustration add another 1-1.5 minutes of walking time and you will have an idea. Naturally, if using teleportation hubs one can speed it up quite significantly.

Suffice to say that the center area (circle in the middle) is most attractive from a distance perspective. This is the area newcomers will be seeing and exploring first before heading to locations further away.

View from parcels

People want homes with awesome views. This applies to the real world and it definitely also applies to Somnium Space. This is not a given (for virtual worlds in general), but the level of immersion in Somnium Space is second to none. Your brain believes you are actually there. You will be genuinely in awe with Somnium’s beautiful scenery, whether you stand on top of one of the mountains or get your feet wet in Deep Oasis Lake.

This makes any waterfront parcel exclusive by definition and most profoundly those located on one of the islands. Actually, any parcel on the islands is considered super exclusive due to the combination of close proximity to Somnium Waypoint and the phenomenal vistas.

Have a look at the bidding, offering and selling for parcel #521, an XL parcel on the main island (prices in Ether).

The above means that one XL parcel was sold for more than USD 3.000 (using the exchange rate at time of writing).

Does this mean that all parcels with great views are already gone? By no means. While it is true that there are hardly any waterfront parcels left for sale (you can still find them on the secondary market on OpenSea, meaning Somnium Space members selling them), there are great parcels close to the water (second row) and also close to the mountains.

Parcel area

Some areas in Somnium will be busy, with a lot of (building) activity, and others will be quiet, with less activity and less people visiting.

Some of the quietest areas will be those close to and beyond the mountains. So if you want to build yourself a quiet little (or big) cabin where you can enjoy life and relax, you should focus on those places.

Somnium Waypoint and the area bordering it, including the islands, will be the most urbanized in Somnium. So if you enjoy inner-city life or want to setup a shop and get as many people to visit you as possible, this is the area you would want for your parcel(s).

The same applies, perhaps to a lesser degree, to any area bordering Deep Oasis Lake. People who visit Somnium will almost per definition be drawn to the water and follow the lake’s shoreline. In other words, get yourself a waterfront parcel and people are bound to find you. Some waterfront parcels, however, are quite far away from Somnium Waypoint, especially those that are situated beyond the bridges that are part of the main route around the lake. But such parcels, a bit away from the main track, can be great if you are looking to build a waterfront home where you can relax and enjoy life (in VR). Imagine having a little kayak or boat and row/sail on the lake while the sun is setting. It doesn’t get much better than that!

Any roadside parcel is also bound to get visitors. Obviously, how many people organically find you depends on how close your stretch is to Somnium Waypoint. We say organically, because with proper marketing you can get people to visit you regardless where your parcel is.

The same applies to inland parcels that are neither roadside nor waterfront. The proximity to Somnium Waypoint is the key parameter, but promote your parcel and explain how people can find you and you will get visitors, guaranteed.

Future development

The entire world of Somnium Space will be booming in the months and years to come. From that perspective, any parcel you get will be a good one. But there is no doubt that the closer to Somnium Waypoint the more immediate benefit you will see from the organic growth of the platform.

But parcels further away from the city have benefits that parcels close to Somnium Waypoint do not have. They will be close to the mountains and in quieter areas with great views. This offers some unique (outdoor) possibilities. For instance, did you know you can climb and slide down the mountains? Setup a nice little bar, shop or gallery nearby and you’ll have people visiting you after their climbing and sliding adventures.

Parcel prices

The closer to Somnium Waypoint the more expensive parcels are. The same applies to the correlation between the proximity to the waterfront and parcel price. And it seems that island parcels are the most exclusive ones to date.

Also, across the board, the value of parcels has increased significantly since the Initial Land Offering last year. What is important as well is that the outlook hasn’t changed and parcel prices are expected to keep climbing in the months to come.

In other words, from an investment perspective it is a good time to get yourself some parcels. But as with any investments, do your own research. What we are writing here is for informational purposes only.

Useful links

Somnium Space

Somnium Space VR on OpenSea

Road to Secondary Land Offering (Road to SLO).