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What Happens to Ethereum Layer 2 Chains After the Merge?

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Which Layer 2 solutions for Ethereum will survive?

Every day that passes is one step closer to the Ethereum merge, which will disable Proof of Work consensus and enable Proof of Stake consensus. With a tentative date set for September to complete the main net merge, we are already seeing a positive impact on the price of ETH. The switch from Proof of Work to Proof of Stake is something we've been hearing about since the early days in 2016/2017 and it is finally about to become a reality. A couple weeks ago, I wrote about the most recent update on the merge roadmap.

Yesterday, we saw the final merge test net activate on Goerli, which marks the final test net before the main net merge. This puts us at the edge of one of the most awaited events in cryptocurrency history. Obviously, we are talking about some very complicated stuff going on here, and I'm not a Solidity dev by any means, so I won't try to explain how amazing it will be to see it come to life. Literally anything could happen, and the Ethereum developers have been rigorously testing what could happen with the merge.

As exciting as it is to see this thing finally coming to fruition, it also raises a little bit of concern in my opinion. Over the past few years, we've seen the emergence of numerous scaling solutions for Ethereum in the form of layer 2 blockchains like Polygon and Arbitrum. These chains were specifically created to provide the security and benefits of the Ethereum chain without the high gas fees and slow transactions.

My concern is this... What happens when these chains become redundant? Will we need scaling solutions when Ethereum is free from the confines of Proof of Work consensus?


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What happens when people realize that they are able to do start using the Ethereum main net for their DeFi and NFT stuff again? Will we start to see a decline in the use of layer 2 scaling solutions? Obviously Polygon has a very large user base so I think if they pivot away from calling their chain a scaling solution for Ethereum... I think it has a chance to stand the test of time and survive right along side the new Ethereum. I'm more talking about the smaller scaling solutions like Arbitrum, Loopring, and Optimism.

I don't support the death of these chains by any means, I'm just sitting here thinking to myself... What is the purpose that they serve if their main reason for being created is no longer relevant. Why do we need a scaling solution when the Ethereum main net is able to scale itself and process tons of transactions for pennies? I think solutions like Immutable X will be fine because they serve a specific purpose like making NFTs more friendly. I just don't know that the more general purpose layer 2 solutions will have a place in the future.

Vitalik Butern, co-creator of Ethereum, said at the Blockchain Futurist Conference we could see gas fees for transactions hit numbers as low as less than 1 cent. I doubt this will be the case based on the sheer volume of transactions that will resume on the main net... But it's a great thought and it's absolutely possible. After seeing gas fees run into the hundreds and thousands of dollars per transaction... This is definitely welcome.

Low transactions fees can be a gift and a curse, but I think Ethereum will be able to handle the volume once there's no mining. I had completely stopped using the main net for over a year due to the fees, and started using Polygon on a regular basis. I've used a number of different chains like Gnosis Chain (formerly xDai) and it feels great to be able to actually use the main net again. I've been doing a little bit of degen shit on there as of late and the fees are a blast from the past.

I've been able to send transactions on Ethereum for about 50 cents or less some days lately, likely due to the market lull... But it's been incredibly refreshing to say the least. I spent $400 to mint a worthless NFT not too long ago, so you know. Degens gunna degen. My point is, once people start to realize they can afford to use the Ethereum main net again, why would they continue to use the often less-secure alternatives? In my opinion a lot of them become redundant.

I do and always will support having different blockchains that are capable of doing similar things because I believe in freedom of choice. I don't support the continuance of the stigma that Ethereum needs layer 2 scaling solutions though. I stand with the main net. When the merge happens, we will see how others feel. We are at the front line of a revolution. How will you participate?

Do you think all of the layer 2 solutions will survive?

Article written by: @l337m45732 AKA 0xNifty.nft

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