# Airdrops are harder but still worth it.

**Published by:** [nanobro](https://paragraph.com/@nanobro/)
**Published on:** 2024-06-29
**URL:** https://paragraph.com/@nanobro/airdrops-are-harder-but-still-worth-it

## Content

❌ Getting airdrops used to be easy in the early days: using Uniswap 2-3 times and registering an ENS domain could earn you hundreds of thousands of baht (I wasn't around for that era). As more people saw the opportunity, they got more serious about it, leading to the term "airdrop hunting." When users evolved, projects also evolved to avoid airdrop hunters because they want to make the most out of their funds, leading to a cycle of trying to outsmart each other 🔃. Therefore: ❌ Airdrops are no longer easy free money. ✅ They have become much harder to get. We need to be very diligent, but they still offer higher returns compared to other assets (just like Justin Sun, who never stops attacking airdrop pools). This article focuses on adjusting your mindset. It was written out of regret that many friends missed out on airdrops. Many of these points might already be known but are often forgotten. A clear example is the Arbitrum airdrop criteria, which did not involve providing liquidity at all. They only counted transactions. 🫠 The whole market then adopted this criterion and applied it to every project, including Starknet and zkSync, leading to disappointment. Truth be told, Arbitrum's criteria were quite easy for Sybil attacks. We likely won't see criteria like this again. At the very least, future criteria will likely include liquidity provisions.💡 Some people, being clever, make transactions and then move their money out to pursue other opportunities. This group might have many transactions and high volume but a low average balance on any given chain. ✅ This approach, however, trades off with the potential to receive other airdrops like eigen, blast, manta, mode, and base. By locking funds in one project, like Linea, it reduces the chance of getting an airdrop from Base. 👉 Moving money around constantly is essentially buying chances but it can backfire. The more you divide, the higher the risk. High risk, high return. As projects evolve, hunters like us must also adapt. Keep some liquidity staked. 👉 If you're worried it's not enough, it probably isn't. Some people manage multiple wallets, but make sure your budget can handle it. Personally, I keep at least 0.1 ETH staked. 🙏 A sad truth is that every airdrop will leave someone disappointed. Whether it's whales, small users, bots, or the team, different groups win depending on the project's criteria and their efforts. Because of the prevalence of Sybil attacks, projects need to filter out bots to avoid ending up distributing primarily to bots. Long-duration projects that don’t filter out Sybil attackers end up diluted, with only Sybil attackers profiting. Staking liquidity is one of the best defenses against Sybil attacks, which is why many chains use the blast model. Some chains still keep their criteria secret, which often results in high risk-high return situations 👀. Some projects distribute rewards in unusual, easy ways. 💸 But I think they aren't just being generous—they're finding ways to keep their coins within their control. For example:Stake a little TIA to get DYMStake a little DYM to get token XXXWhile some people get rich quickly, the biggest winners are usually the distributors themselves.3000 Sei from staking 42 Sei + NFT 👉 But if you stake 3000 Sei, you might only get 3000 Sei, so having multiple wallets can yield better returns than a single one.Considering a more cynical view: LayerZero can:Generate its own transactions, collecting fees in its own wallet.Use the metrics to raise more funds from VCs and stimulate fees from retail users like us.Announce Sybil detection measures.Identify its own Sybil accounts and claim 15% of the tokens.Let hunters compete against each other, staying above the fray.Finally, it can dump the self-allocated airdrop tokens on the market. Each airdrop effort involves both time and money. If you're going to do it, go all in to maximize your chances of success. Finally, good luck to all in every game you play (even without knowing the rules). Enjoy this? follow for more at @gadgeteerth @0x_nanobroSubscribe

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