Airdrop New Era: Migrating from Ethereum to Emerging Public Chains

Once upon a time, the Ethereum mainnet was a paradise for airdrop enthusiasts. However, over time, the airdrop landscape has quietly changed. By 2025, airdrop players have turned their attention to new areas: emerging public chains such as Base, BNB, Sui, and Berachain have become the new hotspots.

We conducted an in-depth analysis of the logic behind this trend and attempted to answer a key question: where should airdrop players go from here?

This article will discuss the following aspects:

1. The Ethereum airdrop frenzy has subsided, and the myth of easy profits is no more.
2. The rise of emerging public chains has become a new battlefield for Airdrops.
3. Features of new chain projects: strong financing capabilities, relatively mature gameplay.
4. Recommended Potential Projects and Low-Threshold Participation Strategies
5. The key to a successful Airdrop: Direction is more important than effort.

By analyzing the logic behind this migration trend, we can see more clearly where the next breakout point lies.

From "Noble Chain" to "Red Sea": The Decline of Ethereum Airdrops

In 2022, Jason, who had just entered the crypto space, spent a huge amount on Gas fees to interact with a certain NFT trading platform, hoping to gain substantial returns from future Airdrops. However, by 2025, he had been away from the crypto world for nearly a year. "I didn't make any money at all; all my accounts on some Layer 2 projects were deemed as witch accounts. Even after spending money on fingerprint browsers and independent IPs, I still don't know what went wrong, and I can only go back to work feeling dejected."

In February 2025, a certain NFT trading platform suddenly announced it would issue tokens. After work, Jason casually opened the official website, only to see the familiar routine: points, blind boxes, and experience points (XP).

Nowadays, you rarely hear about Airdrops from Ethereum ecosystem projects. Those "myths" of getting rich by farming have long disappeared from social media platforms, and the once-dominant farming opinion leaders have also transitioned. In 2025, a well-known Airdrop blogger even fought for rights multiple times for several projects, successfully opening up a new path of "rights protection persona."

Taking the airdrop projects during the relatively favorable market conditions in January 2025 as an example, among the 14 projects launched, the proportion of Ethereum ecosystem native projects is almost zero. Most public chain projects choose to directly launch their mainnet and airdrop tokens, while other projects tend to opt for emerging chains with lower Gas costs and greater support from exchanges.

Compared to the heyday of Ethereum in 2021, the current Ethereum ecosystem is vastly different. Although the Gas fees for Ethereum have dropped from dozens of dollars to a few dollars, and even below 1 dollar, the number of projects announced to be launched on the Ethereum mainnet has decreased rather than increased. This may be due to other public chains becoming playgrounds for new players, or certain chains serving as a stepping stone for projects to enter large exchanges. However, the more important reason is that the innovative and development activity that the Ethereum ecosystem once prided itself on has gradually declined, and dissatisfaction within the community towards the Ethereum Foundation is also increasing.

Emerging Public Chains: The New Frontier of Airdrops

A certain protocol is an airdrop project officially confirmed by the Sui Network. After a trading platform announced the launch of the contract on March 28, it undoubtedly became the most dazzling airdrop star of the first quarter. The airdrop criteria for this protocol are very simple; even with just the most basic "low guarantee number," depositing a minimum of 0.1 Sui can yield about 15 times the return.

At first glance, this project is indeed extraordinary: it has raised as much as 140 million USD, with a valuation of 2 billion USD, and has attracted several top-tier institutions as investors.

In the past, such backgrounds typically appeared only within the Ethereum ecosystem, but now, more and more star projects with similar backgrounds are beginning to take root in emerging public chains like Sui and Berachain.

These projects have several obvious commonalities: the teams are pragmatic, the token prices are steadily rising and attempting to break historical highs.

Characteristics of the Airdrop New World

In the business field, the blue ocean represents a market rich in opportunities and low in competition, while the red ocean symbolizes a market with fierce competition. In the past, Ethereum was always the "noble chain" in the airdrop circle, with new players flocking to Ethereum Layer 2 in search of opportunities, while experienced players steadily enjoyed generous airdrops on the Ethereum mainnet. However, the situation has changed; the market has gradually cooled down, and the airdrop sector has become fully competitive, making Ethereum seemingly a red ocean. To continue obtaining substantial airdrop rewards, one must board the new generation of the "Mayflower" and venture abroad to explore new territories.

So, where is the new land for airdrop players? Currently, it seems that Sui Network and Berachain have provided the answer. By closely observing the ecosystems of these two emerging public chains, it is not difficult to find that they share the following common characteristics:

1. High project valuation and large financing scale;
2. The native tokens of public chains have already been listed on mainstream exchanges.
3. The public chain itself provides ecological incentives and has strong financial support;
4. Projects within the ecosystem have generally completed quality financing;
5. Following the traditional Airdrop approach of "low threshold, high return", focusing on zero-cost mining, testnet, and simple staking activities.

Based on these features, we can focus on these popular projects on the chain:

• Berachain ecosystem core protocols: KodiakFi, InfraredFinance, Beraborrow, GummiFi, etc.;
• Popular protocols on Sui: HaedalProtocol, AftermathFi, etc.

Choose greater than effort, be a friend of cycles

A well-known crypto blogger commented on the power of cycles: "Those who can see through the essence of the market in one or two cycles are destined to have a completely different fate from those who will never understand the market even in a lifetime."

In the cyclical rhythm of the cryptocurrency market, both project teams and players experience ups and downs, hoping to gain wealth during rising cycles, but often misstep in the rapidly changing market rhythm. However, projects that truly transcend cycles often stage a perfect "deep V" in coin prices, providing stable returns to supporters in ecological construction. As an Airdrop player, what needs to be done from start to finish is actually the same thing:

Be patient and enjoy the game.