The Core blockchain is geared up for the activation of the Theseus Hardfork, a major protocol upgrade focused on enhancing transparency, revenue sharing, and developer tooling. Following rigorous internal testing, the upgrade will go live on Core Testnet2 on May 30, 2025 at 08:00 AM UTC.
Theseus Hardfork Timeline
Core Testnet2: May 30, 2025 at 08:00 AM UTC
Core Mainnet: To be announced
What's New in the Theseus Upgrade
The Theseus Hardfork introduces several key improvements to align incentives across stakeholders, increase protocol transparency, and support more sophisticated dApp models.
1. Protocol Level Fee-Sharing Model
The Theseus hardfork introduces an enhanced protocol-level fee-sharing mechanism that enables configurable revenue distribution directly to different stakeholders from transaction gas fees. Designed to accelerate stablecoin adoption, developer participation, and network activity, this mechanism provides enhanced incentives.
Key Capabilities
Protocol-native gas fee distribution triggered by contract events or functions
Governance-controlled configurable reward splits
Fully compatible with existing EVM contracts
Introduces no changes in the existing EVM execution layer
2. Live Chain Tracing with Hooks
With this hardfork, Core blockchain will now support native live tracing, allowing developers and monitoring systems to hook into transaction events in real-time. Ideal for advanced analytics, observability, and contract debugging.
3. Merged Up to Version v1.4.10
The Theseus hardfork also incorporates improvements and updates by merging versions up to v1.4.10 from BNB Smart Chain.
⚠️ Action Required
For Testnet Node Operators
The Theseus hardfork is a mandatory upgrade for all validators and full node operators, requiring all validators and full node operators on the Core Testnet2 to switch their software version to v1.0.16 before May 30, 2025, 08:00 AM UTC.
How to Upgrade:
Download the latest release from the official Core Releases GitHub repository.
Follow the upgrade instructions provided in the official documentation.
Verify that your node is fully synced and operational.
For Developers and dApp Teams
There are no breaking changes for most wallets or dApps.
Apps using
eth_estimateGasfor transactions will continue to work as expected.⚠️ Caution: For dApps/wallets with hardcoded gas values (common in frameworks like Foundry, Hardhat, or Brownie), the devs will need to increase gas limits when interacting with contracts enabled for Core’s new incentive mechanism.
If using Foundry, use
--gas-estimate-multiplierto increase the estimated gas limit. For scripts interacting with contracts configured for protocol-level incentives through this upgrade, a higher multiplier (200-500) may be needed.Always use
--legacyflag as Core uses legacy transactions.Test thoroughly with different gas values to ensure transaction success.
Note: At the time of the hardfork, no contracts will be configured for this upgrade, so most apps will not be affected immediately.
Testing on Testnet2 is encouraged if you're building with custom gas logic.
For General Users
For general users and wallet holders, no action is required. Transactions may incur slightly higher gas costs if interacting with the contracts configured for compatibility with this upgrade.
Why Upgrade?
Running the latest software ensures uninterrupted operation, access to new features, and alignment with the network’s latest protocols. Failing to upgrade may lead to syncing issues or node disconnection.
Resources
Looking Ahead
The Theseus hardfork is a significant milestone in Core’s roadmap toward a more modular, incentive-aligned blockchain ecosystem. Stay tuned for announcements regarding the Theseus hardfork activation on the Core Mainnet. If you have any questions or require further assistance, please reach out to the official Core Dev Forum or Discord for support.