What Was Ethereum 2.0? The Merge, Staking and Ethereum’s Roadmap Explained

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Quick answer: “Ethereum 2.0” was the old name for Ethereum’s switch from mining (proof of work) to staking (proof of stake). That switch, called the Merge, happened on September 15, 2022. There is no separate “ETH2” coin to buy or swap. If you hold ETH, you already hold the upgraded Ethereum, and nothing needs to be done.

What was Ethereum 2.0?

Ethereum 2.0 (also called “Eth2” or “Serenity”) described a multi-year plan to make Ethereum more energy-efficient, secure and scalable. In early 2022 the Ethereum Foundation retired the “Eth2” name because it confused people into thinking a new coin was coming. Today the network is simply Ethereum, made up of an execution layer (where transactions and smart contracts run) and a consensus layer (the proof-of-stake system that secures it).

The Merge: from mining to staking

Before the Merge, Ethereum used proof of work, like Bitcoin: miners competed with powerful hardware to add new blocks. The Merge joined the original Ethereum chain with the Beacon Chain, a proof-of-stake chain that had been running since December 1, 2020.

• Mining ended: Ethereum can no longer be mined. Blocks are now proposed and confirmed by validators who lock up (stake) ETH.
• Energy use dropped by about 99.9%, removing Ethereum’s biggest environmental criticism.
• Your ETH didn’t change: balances, addresses and apps carried over automatically.

What happened after the Merge

Ethereum has kept upgrading in named stages:

• Shapella (April 2023): let stakers withdraw staked ETH and rewards for the first time.
• Dencun (March 2024): introduced “blobs” (proto-danksharding), which cut transaction fees on layer-2 networks like Base, Arbitrum and Optimism dramatically.
• Pectra (May 2025): raised the maximum stake per validator to 2,048 ETH and added smart-account features that make wallets easier to use.
• Fusaka (December 2025): added PeerDAS, which lets the network handle much more layer-2 data without overloading individual nodes.
• Glamsterdam (next): the next planned upgrade focuses on speeding up and parallelizing how blocks are built and executed.

What happened to sharding?

The original plan split Ethereum into 64 “shard chains.” Developers replaced that plan with a rollup-centric roadmap: most everyday transactions now happen on layer-2 networks that bundle activity and settle it on Ethereum. Upgrades like Dencun and Fusaka make that cheaper over time.

Did the Merge lower gas fees?

Not directly. The Merge changed how Ethereum is secured, not how much block space it has. Lower fees came later, mostly from layer-2 networks and the Dencun and Fusaka upgrades. For small transactions, using a layer-2 network is usually the cheapest option.

How to earn rewards on Ethereum today

Since there’s no mining, the way to earn ETH from the network is staking:

1. Solo staking: run your own validator with 32 ETH. This is the most decentralized option but needs technical skill and an always-on computer.
2. Pooled or liquid staking: services like Lido or Rocket Pool let you stake any amount and receive a token (such as stETH or rETH) that represents your staked ETH.
3. Exchange staking: platforms like Coinbase and Kraken stake for you in a few taps, for a commission. Availability depends on where you live.

Learn more in our guides to what staking is, whether staking is safe and the best staking platforms.

Watch out for “ETH2” scams

Because the old name suggested a new token, scammers still advertise “ETH2 upgrades,” “ETH2 swaps” and “ETH2 airdrops.” You never need to upgrade, swap or send ETH anywhere because of the Merge. Anyone asking you to is trying to steal your funds. See our guide to common crypto scams.

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