Thread by @Crypto_Texan

here are 8 misconceptions about "The Merge" on #Ethereum that you should know:

1. The Merge will reduce gas fees

false. The Merge changes the consensus mechanism, and does not expand network capacity

gas fees are a product of network demand relative to the capacity of the network

efforts are being focused on scaling user activity at layer 2

2. Running a node requires staking 32 $ETH

false. anyone can sync their own self-verified copy of Ethereum (i.e. run a node)

no $ETH is required. not before The Merge, not after The Merge

there are two types of Ethereum nodes: nodes that can propose blocks and nodes that don't

3. Transactions will be noticeably faster after The Merge

false. though some slight changes exist, transaction speed will mostly remain the same

"txn speed" can mean: time to be included in a block or time to finalization. both change slightly, but not in a noticeable way

4. You can withdraw staked #ETH after The Merge

false. staking withdrawals are not yet enabled w/ The Merge. the Shanghai upgrade will enable withdrawals

staked $ETH, rewards, & newly issued $ETH immediately after The Merge will still be locked w/o the ability to withdraw

5. Validators don't receive any liquid ETH til the Shanghai upgrade

false. fee tips/MEV will be credited to a validator's controlled Mainnet account, available immediately

withdrawals? not until the Shanghai upgrade, but validators WILL have access to fee tips/MEV earned

6. When withdrawals are enabled, stakers will all exit at once

false. validator exits are rate limited for security reasons

only six validators may exit per epoch (every 6.4 minutes, so 1,350 per day, or only ~43,200 $ETH per day out of over 10 million ETH staked)

7. Staking APR is expected to triple after The Merge

false. recent estimations predict closer to a
50% increase in APR post-merge, not 200%

this comes from a reallocation of transaction fees that will start going to validators instead of miners

not an increase in $ETH issuance

8. The Merge will result in downtime of the chain

false. The Merge upgrade is designed to transition to proof-of-stake with zero downtime

an immense amount of work has been put into making sure the transition to proof-of-stake does not disrupt the network or its users

how do i know all of this information?

i literally got it from the Ethereum dot org website

but degens like CT better