> For the complete documentation index, see [llms.txt](https://countertrade.gitbook.io/docs/llms.txt). Markdown versions of documentation pages are available by appending `.md` to page URLs; this page is available as [Markdown](https://countertrade.gitbook.io/docs/start-here/quick-start.md).

# Quick start

Sign in, set a trader name, link a wallet, join a battle, and place your first paper trade.

Six steps take you from nothing to a position open in a live battle. The whole path takes a few minutes, and most of it is done once.

Before the steps, the one thing worth knowing: **the entry fee is real and the trading is not.** You deposit a real token on-chain to take a seat, and it sits in escrow until the battle settles. Inside the battle you trade a simulated paper balance against live market prices — those wins and losses are never withdrawable. See [Paper trading and real money](/docs/start-here/paper-trading-and-real-money.md).

## 1. Sign in with a wallet

Select **Sign in** in the header, connect your wallet, then select **Sign In** and approve the signature request. The signature costs no gas — it proves you hold the wallet, it doesn't move anything.

Sign in with the wallet you intend to play with. It becomes the wallet that pays entry fees and the only one that can claim your prizes.

You can also continue with Google. A Google account can explore battles, spectate, and chat right away; the first time you join, it asks you to link a wallet, with one signature and no gas. See [Account and wallet](/docs/account-and-profile/account-and-wallet.md#linking-a-wallet-to-a-google-account).

## 2. Set a trader name

Your trader name is what other players see. Until you set one you appear as **Unnamed Trader**; your wallet address is never shown as your name.

You'll be asked for a name the first time you try to create, join, trade, or chat. Names are 3–20 characters using letters, numbers, underscore, or hyphen, and have to be unused.

## 3. Fund that wallet

You need the entry-fee token in the wallet you signed in with — battles state their fee up front, and you pay it when you join.

Joining and claiming are the on-chain steps. Trading itself is not: there's no wallet confirmation and no gas for an order.

## 4. Pick a battle

Open **Battle Hub**. It lists what's running, what's opening, and what recently ended; rooms you can still enter are under **Starting Soon**. Each row shows the format, the entry fee, and the timing.

If you're new, a smaller field costs less to enter and is easier to read. See [Room formats](/docs/battles/room-formats.md) for what each one changes.

## 5. Join before it locks

Select **Join room**, then confirm in your wallet — first approving the entry-fee token, then the join itself. The button moves through **Approving…**, **Joining…**, and **Waiting for indexer confirmation…** before settling on **Joined ✓**.

Joins close one minute before the start time, so a battle that hasn't started is not necessarily still open.

If the button reads **Wallet mismatch**, the wallet connected in your browser isn't the one your account is signed in with. Switch to that wallet, since it's the one that will later claim any prize.

## 6. Trade when it goes live

When the battle starts, open the terminal. Choose a market, leave the order type on **Market**, enter a small **Size**, and select **Buy / Long** or **Sell / Short**.

Your fill appears as an open position with live PnL. Your paper balance and **Available** drop by the margin the position uses, and your place on the battle's leaderboard moves — it ranks on ROI, so a small good trade beats a large bad one.

Start small. Leverage multiplies losses as readily as gains, and a position can be liquidated well before the market moves as far as its full margin — see [Leverage](/docs/trading/leverage.md).

## Where to go next

* [Place an order](/docs/trading/place-an-order.md) — order types, size, and leverage in detail.
* [Join a room](/docs/battles/join-a-room.md) — private battles, team sides, and eligibility.
* [Claims and refunds](/docs/funds-and-settlement/claims-and-refunds.md) — how a prize reaches your wallet.