Hey everyone,
If you’ve been in the crypto space for a while, you know the magic word: Airdrop.
We all remember the legendary drops like Uniswap and ENS. More recently, the massive Layer 2 airdrops of 2024 (Starknet, zkSync) created a new wave of crypto-rich users overnight. Airdrops are crypto’s way of rewarding early users, decentralizing governance, and kickstarting a new ecosystem—and 2025 is shaping up to have its own slate of game-changing opportunities.
“Airdrop farming,” or interacting with tokenless protocols in the hopes of qualifying for a future reward, has become a core activity in Web3. But with so many projects, where should you focus your precious time and gas fees?
I’ve been digging deep, and here are the top tokenless protocols that are heavily rumoured to be launching a token in the second half of 2025.
🚨 A CRUCIAL DISCLAIMER FIRST: This is not financial advice. Airdrops are never guaranteed. The strategies below are based on speculation and observation of past events. Interacting with protocols involves significant risk. Never, ever risk funds you cannot afford to lose completely. Do Your Own Research (DYOR).
Now, let’s get into the alpha.
1. Linea: The Consensys-Backed L2 Powerhouse
- What it is: A Layer 2 scaling solution for Ethereum, developed by Consensys—the same company behind MetaMask and Infura. It doesn’t get more blue-chip than this.
- Why it’s a Top Candidate: After the major L2s of 2024 launched their tokens, Linea is arguably the biggest one left. Its backing by Consensys and its massive ecosystem of dApps make a token almost inevitable for decentralizing governance. The wildly successful “Linea Park” campaigns have essentially been a public airdrop farming event.
- Potential Farming Strategy:
- Bridge Funds: Use the official Linea bridge and third-party bridges like Orbiter Finance to move ETH and stablecoins onto the network.
- DeFi Activity: Swap tokens and provide liquidity on Linea-native DEXs like Lynex and SyncSwap.
- NFTs & dApps: Mint NFTs on platforms like Zonic and interact with the various gaming and social dApps in their ecosystem.
- Show Loyalty: Consistent, regular activity is likely more valuable than one large transaction.
2. Scroll: The Community-First ZK-EVM
- What it is: A Layer 2 network that uses ZK-rollup technology. Scroll’s main focus is on being the most Ethereum-equivalent and developer-friendly ZK-EVM.
- Why it’s a Top Candidate: Scroll has raised significant funding and has cultivated a strong, developer-focused community. Like Linea, it’s one of the last major L2s without a token. The precedent has been set: to compete, L2s need a token to incentivize users and developers.
- Potential Farming Strategy:
- Use the Official Bridge: Bridging ETH from the Ethereum mainnet using the official Scroll bridge is often a key criterion.
- Volume & Transactions: Engage with DeFi protocols. Aim for significant total volume through swapping on DEXs like Skydome and KyberSwap.
- Deploy a Contract: For the more technically inclined, deploying a simple smart contract on Scroll has been a rumoured multiplier for past airdrops.
- Contribute to the Ecosystem: Participate in their Guild or Zealy campaigns if available.
3. Monad: The High-Performance L1 Beast
- What it is: A brand new, high-performance Layer 1 blockchain designed for parallel execution. In simple terms, it aims to be significantly faster and cheaper than existing L1s, including Solana.
- Why it’s a Top Candidate: Monad has generated an insane amount of hype and raised over $200 million in funding from top-tier VCs like Paradigm. Its mainnet launch is one of the most anticipated events of late 2025. A token is not just likely; it’s essential to the network’s security and operation.
- Potential Farming Strategy:
- Engage with the Testnet: Since the mainnet is still upcoming, the primary way to engage is through the public testnet. Follow their official channels for instructions on getting testnet funds.
- Community Roles: Be an active, helpful member of their Discord. Early communities are often rewarded.
- Run a Node: For advanced users, participating as a node operator during the testnet phases could be a golden ticket.
- Follow Announcements: Be ready to bridge and interact with the first dApps as soon as the mainnet goes live. Early users are often rewarded the most.
4. Berachain: The Meme-Wrapped DeFi Protocol
- What it is: An L1 blockchain with a unique “Proof-of-Liquidity” consensus mechanism and a three-token system ($BERA, $BGT, $HONEY). It has a cult-like community and a fun, meme-heavy culture.
- Why it’s a Top Candidate: Don’t let the memes fool you; the technology is serious. “Bera” has built one of the most passionate communities in crypto purely on its testnet. A mainnet launch without a massive airdrop to its loyal “ooga booga” army is unthinkable.
- Potential Farming Strategy:
- Use the Testnet Faucet: Get testnet $BERA from their official faucet.
- Interact with Native dApps: Swap tokens on the BEX (their DEX), lend/borrow on Bend, and mint the $HONEY stablecoin.
- Delegate $BGT: Once you earn BGT (the governance token) from providing liquidity, delegate it to validators. This is a core part of their network design.
- Mint NFTs: Engage with the “Ooga Booga” NFT collections and other projects on the testnet.
5. Zora: The Creator Economy Hub
- What it is: An efficient and cheap Layer 2 network built specifically for creators to mint NFTs. It started as a protocol and has evolved into its own full-fledged L2.
- Why it’s a Top Candidate: Zora has been a cornerstone of the NFT space for years, has significant funding, and has facilitated millions of mints. A token to govern the Zora Network and reward its millions of users and creators makes perfect sense.
- Potential Farming Strategy:
- Bridge to Zora: Use the official bridge to move ETH onto the Zora Network.
- Mint, Mint, Mint: The core action on Zora is minting. Mint NFTs from various creators. The more unique collections you mint from, the better.
- Create Your Own Collection: Deploy your own NFT collection on Zora. This shows a deeper level of engagement.
- Interact Across Chains: Zora’s protocol is also deployed on other chains like Base and Optimism. Interacting with it there could also be a factor.
Final Checklist & The Golden Rule
Airdrop farming can feel like a dark art, but patterns emerge. For any tokenless chain, a good checklist is:
- ✅ Did I bridge funds to the network?
- ✅ Did I swap tokens on at least 2-3 native DEXs?
- ✅ Did I provide liquidity or stake assets?
- ✅ Did I mint an NFT or interact with a creative dApp?
- ✅ Did I make transactions in multiple different weeks/months?
And now for the most important part. The Golden Rule: Never farm with money you can’t afford to set on fire. Gas fees are sunk costs. Protocols can get hacked. And after all your hard work, the airdrop might never happen, or you might not qualify. This is high-risk, high-reward. Be careful, stay safe, and don’t get scammed by fake links.
2025 is far from over, and the opportunity to position yourself for the next wave of airdrops is right now.
Which of these protocols are you most bullish on? Did I miss a big one you’re farming? Let me know in the comments!
