The Ethereum Foundation’s Tim Beiko called Dencun one of the most complex forks since the Merge, with most EIPs implemented.
Ethereum layer-2 (L2) protocols have seen a significant drop in transaction fees, with some protocols recording a reduction of up to 99% after the Dencun upgrade on Ethereum on March 13. Dencun is a scalability-focused upgrade on the Ethereum mainnet, with many touting it as one of the most significant upgrades since the Merge.
Starknet, a prominent Ethereum-based L2, has seen a 99% reduction in gas fees since the upgrade. The protocol shared a screenshot of its latest gas fee, which has come down to $0.04 compared to over $6 prior to the Dencun upgrade.
Several other L2 platforms, including Optimism, Base and Zora OP mainnet, registered a dramatic decline in gas fees after the Dencun upgrade. The average transaction fees for Optimism dropped to $0.05, $0.064 on Base, $0.5 on Arbitrum and $0.16 on zkSync Era. Within 24 hours of the upgrade, Optimism and chains based on Optimism’s tech stack, like Base, have seen the most critical gas fee reductions.
