The Ethereum Berlin upgrade is officially on track for mainnet deployment on April 14, marking another significant milestone in the evolution of the world’s second-largest blockchain network. Lead developer Tim Beiko confirmed the timeline, signaling that the long-anticipated protocol update is entering its final stages before going live at block 12,244,000.
This upgrade follows previous major network enhancements such as Istanbul and Muir Glacier, continuing Ethereum’s roadmap toward improved scalability, security, and efficiency. Before the mainnet rollout, the code has already been deployed on Ethereum’s testnets, starting with Ropsten on March 10, allowing developers and node operators to validate functionality and ensure a smooth transition.
👉 Discover how blockchain upgrades shape the future of decentralized networks.
What Node Operators Need to Know
Node operators are required to update their Ethereum client software—such as Geth, OpenEthereum, or Nethermind—before the upgrade takes effect. Failure to do so may result in nodes becoming incompatible with the updated network, potentially leading to service disruptions or loss of synchronization.
However, ETH holders do not need to take any action. The upgrade is backward-compatible and does not require users to move funds, claim new tokens, or interact with any external services. This seamless transition helps maintain network stability and user confidence.
That said, past upgrades have often attracted malicious actors attempting to exploit confusion. Users are strongly advised to remain vigilant against scams targeting popular crypto wallets like MetaMask or Ledger. Phishing attempts, fake update notifications, and fraudulent support pages are common during major network events.
"🇩🇪 Berlin is coming 🇩🇪
The next @ethereum upgrade is going live soon – in two days on the first testnet, and April 14th on mainnet."
— Tim Beiko, Ethereum Core Developer
Core Features: Ethereum Improvement Proposals (EIPs) in Berlin
The Berlin upgrade introduces several Ethereum Improvement Proposals (EIPs) designed to refine transaction processing, optimize gas costs, and lay the groundwork for future scalability solutions.
EIP-2565: Reducing Cryptographic Gas Costs
EIP-2565 lowers the gas cost associated with the modular exponentiation (MODEXP) precompile—a cryptographic function used in certain privacy-preserving and scaling applications like zero-knowledge proofs. By reducing computational overhead, this change supports advanced use cases such as Layer 2 rollups and privacy protocols without overburdening users.
EIP-2929: Increasing Security Through Higher Gas Fees
Conversely, EIP-2929 increases gas costs for specific opcodes—low-level operations executed by the Ethereum Virtual Machine (EVM). This adjustment aims to mitigate potential Denial-of-Service (DoS) attack vectors by making it more expensive to spam the network with state-access-heavy transactions.
The Ethereum Cat Herders, a key community coordination group, explained:
“The rationale for raising these gas costs is mitigating the largest remaining DoS attack vector in Ethereum. It is also a stepping stone towards bounding witness sizes in the context of stateless Ethereum.”
This move strengthens network resilience and supports future upgrades focused on stateless client architectures.
EIP-2718: Introducing Typed Transaction Envelopes
EIP-2718 introduces a new typed transaction envelope format, enabling better support for multiple transaction types within the same network. This flexibility paves the way for innovative features such as:
- Sponsored transactions (where a third party pays gas fees)
- Batched multi-signature transactions
- Account abstraction (a precursor to more flexible wallet designs)
By standardizing how different transaction types are encoded, EIP-2718 future-proofs Ethereum’s transaction layer.
EIP-2930: Supporting Flexible Access Lists
Complementing EIP-2929, EIP-2930 introduces a new transaction type that allows senders to specify an access list—a list of addresses and storage keys the transaction intends to read or modify. This pre-declaration reduces gas costs for transactions interacting with newly accessed state elements, improving efficiency for smart contract interactions.
While optional, this feature benefits decentralized applications (dApps) that frequently interact with new contracts or user accounts.
What’s Not Included: EIP-1559 and the London Upgrade
Despite widespread anticipation, EIP-1559 is not part of the Berlin upgrade. This transformative proposal—aimed at overhauling Ethereum’s fee market by introducing a base fee that is burned rather than paid to miners—is expected to launch with the subsequent London upgrade, potentially as early as July 2025.
EIP-1559 promises to make transaction fees more predictable and reduce ETH inflation through token burning—a major shift that will impact both users and miners.
👉 Learn how next-gen blockchain upgrades influence crypto market dynamics.
Market Reaction and Ethereum Price Trends
Historically, Ethereum protocol upgrades have had limited immediate impact on ETH price, and Berlin is no exception. At the time of writing, ETH was trading at $1,806, down 3.5% from its daily open but reflecting a strong recovery from recent market volatility.
Over the past week, Ethereum has gained nearly 20%, rebounding from lows near $1,300 during a broader market correction. Key technical levels include:
- Support: $1,730
- Resistance: $1,850
With growing institutional adoption, expanding DeFi ecosystems, and ongoing network improvements, long-term sentiment remains bullish despite short-term fluctuations.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
Q: Do I need to do anything as an ETH holder before the Berlin upgrade?
A: No. The upgrade is automatic and non-disruptive for users. You do not need to update wallets or move funds.
Q: Will the Berlin upgrade affect gas fees significantly?
A: Not dramatically. While EIPs adjust certain gas costs, overall fee levels depend more on network congestion than protocol changes.
Q: Is EIP-1559 included in Berlin?
A: No. EIP-1559 is scheduled for the later London upgrade and will introduce fee burning and other economic changes.
Q: Could the upgrade cause network downtime?
A: Unlikely. Testnet deployments have been successful, and client teams have coordinated extensively to ensure stability.
Q: How do I verify my node is ready for Berlin?
A: Update your Ethereum client (Geth, Nethermind, etc.) to a version that supports the Berlin hard fork. Check official GitHub repositories for compatibility details.
Q: Are there known risks during the upgrade?
A: The main risk comes from user-side scams. Never share private keys or seed phrases, and only download software from official sources.
The Berlin upgrade may not bring flashy headlines or immediate user-facing changes, but it plays a crucial role in strengthening Ethereum’s foundation. By refining core mechanics and preparing for future innovations like stateless clients and account abstraction, Berlin ensures Ethereum remains adaptable in a rapidly evolving ecosystem.
As the network inches closer to Proof-of-Stake (PoS) and sharding under the broader Eth2 vision, incremental upgrades like Berlin are essential building blocks.
👉 Stay ahead of blockchain evolution with real-time insights and secure trading tools.