In the previous article, we have discussed the second stage of the Ethereum upgrade — The Surge. We now know that this upgrade is focused on introducing systems that allow the creation of scaling solutions to achieve a more user-friendly environment.

We now proceed with The Scourge, the third stage of the Ethereum upgrade. We will discuss what it does, how it works, and what improvements we can expect.

The Scourge explained

The Scourge phase was not part of the initial road map of upgrades of the Ethereum network. It was only added recently and was announced by Ethereum co-founder Vitalik Buterin via Twitter on November 5, 2022.

According to the post that introduced The Scourge, its goal is to “ensure reliable and credibly neutral transaction inclusion and avoid centralization and other protocol risks from MEV.”

Maximal extracted value (MEV) is the ability for a validator to dictate how transactions are included in a block, and in what order, allowing them to front-run other participants on the network and extract value at their expense.

A rise in the prevalence of MEV has led many to associate the Ethereum network with a higher level of centralization, which Buterin seeks to rectify with The Scourge. According to the project’s cofounder, The Scourge will enable the creation of a more “credibly neutral” consensus layer by removing the ability for validators to exploit transactions that occur on the network in their favor. This may also include in-protocol pre-confirmations and frontrunning protections.

The scourge also includes PBS, or Proposer Builder Separation, which is the idea that constructing and proposing blocks in a blockchain should be delegated to different entities to increase network security and prevent MEV-related attacks.

How does it work?

As of this writing, the full details of the Scourge are still not out yet, but previous posts by Buterin hint at what it could include, such as a “Partial Block Auction” solution where ab block builder is only permitted to decide some of the contents of the block, decreasing their level of influence, according to Kitco.

Proposals designed to combat censorship at the consensus layer have also been submitted, including the Single Unifying Auctions for Value Expression (SUAVE) solution that was put forward by the Ethereum research and development company Flashbots.

Along with the addition of the Scourge, an update to the Verge was also confirmed in the post by Buterin, which detailed the integration of Succinct Non-Interactive Argument of Knowledge (SNARK) technology into the smart contract platform. SNARKs will bring privacy-preserving features to the Ethereum network that simultaneously allow anonymous transactions to be tracked.

According to Buterin, “The Verge is not just about “verkle trees,” it’s about “verification.” Endgame: fully SNARKed Ethereum.”

Initial Thoughts

A number of questions continue to arise that need to be addressed, including how will such feature be implemented, determining the best algorithm and concerns surrounding validators.

Adding this phase allows the network to be more user-friendly, faster and cheaper than ever before. For now, what we can do is wait for the Ethereum Foundation, especially its co-founder, to release the full details of The Scourge.

As Ethereum developers continue to update the network’s roadmap and explore potential upgrades, don’t be surprised if you hear more words that rhyme with “merge,” “surge,” “scourge,” “verge,” “purge,” “verge,” and “splurge” in the future.