Ethereum upgrades can get technical, fast. With terms like PeerDAS, MODEXP, and “blob parameter forks,” it’s easy to get lost.

Below is an attempt to simplify it. For now, here’s what you need to keep in mind:

👉 Fusaka is one of the most important upgrades in years.
👉 If you hold any ETH, you don’t need to do anything, no need to convert your ETH, or migrate wallets.
👉 The upgrade for Ethereum is designed to make rollups (mainly L2 blockchains on Ethereum) cheaper, more efficient, and help future-proof the network

Let’s break it all down 

1. PeerDAS: Cheaper Rollups, Faster Ethereum

What is it? 

PeerDAS is a brand-new way for Ethereum to store and check samples of data (blobs). Blobs are the temporary data rollups publish from L2 (Base, Arbitrum, Polygon, etc...) to L1 after bundling transactions.

Today, every node must download every blob, which is like requiring every library in a country to store every book ever written. Completely unrealistic.

What Fusaka changes

With PeerDAS, each node only keeps a small random slice of the data instead of downloading everything.

This means:

• Nodes store far less
• Ethereum can safely support more blobs
• Rollups get a lot more space to publish their data

More blob space → more rollup transactions → cheaper L2 fees.

Ethereum L1 fees won’t drop much, but rollups get significantly cheaper — and since most activity is on L2 today, that’s what really matters.

🧠 Why it matters for everyday users

You’ll likely pay less to use Base, Arbitrum, Optimism, zkSync, Starknet, etc.

2. Blob-Parameter-Only (BPO) Forks: Faster Scaling Without Waiting for Full Hard Forks

Ethereum usually needs huge, coordinated upgrades (called “hard forks”) to change big network parameters.

Fusaka adds a new ability: Ethereum can now raise blob limits (like target blobs and max blobs) without doing a full hard fork.

It’s like increasing a hard drive’s storage capacity without swapping it out for a new one.

Why it matters:
• Ethereum can increase blob space more often and more safely, meaning rollups can scale without risking network stability.
• Rollups get more room for their data
• Fees can drop faster

It’s a small change on paper, but a very powerful scaling tool for Ethereum’s future.

3. Better Blob Fee Market = More Stability

Before Fusaka, blob fees could drop to almost zero (“1 wei”), causing unpredictable behavior during congestion.

Fusaka fixes this by keeping blob fees meaningful and responsive to demand.

In simple terms:
• Fees are more predictable
• L2s pay fairly for the space they use
• Blob fees stay stable even in unusual conditions

For users: more stability. For rollups: easier planning.

4. Stronger L1 Security & DoS Protection

5. Better UX: Things That Make Ethereum Feel Smoother

Ethereum now knows in advance which validator will propose each block.

Why it matters:
• Enables preconfirmations (instant commitments from the next proposer)
• Makes transactions more reliable
• Helps wallets provide a smoother experience

Think of it like scheduling who’s cooking dinner in advance—less chaos.

⚡ New CLZ Opcode (Count Leading Zeros)

This one’s for developers:

• Certain calculations are cheaper
• Gas usage is lower
• Smart contract logic is simpler

🔐 Native secp256r1 / P-256 Signature Support

This is a big UX win.

• Ethereum now supports the same signature format as:
  • Apple Secure Enclave
  • Android Keystore
  • WebAuthn
  • Hardware security modules
  • Most L2s

In plain English:

👉 Passkeys on Ethereum
👉 Better account recovery
👉 No seed phrases for many users

This is a huge step toward mainstream-friendly wallets.

6. What Users, Validators, and Developers Need To Do

For regular users:
• No need to convert, update, or upgrade your ETH
🚨 Anyone telling you to upgrade your ETH is trying to scam you.

For validators / node operators:
• Update to the latest Fusaka-supported clients
• Monitor bandwidth if running multiple validators
• Test on testnets if needed

For developers:
• Check if your contract uses MODEXP (it costs more now)
• Keep large transactions under 16.7M gas
• Explore P-256 signature support for better UX

_________________________________

References

• Ethereum Roadmap — https://ethereum.org/en/roadmap/
  
• Fusaka Meta-EIP — https://eips.ethereum.org/
  
• Bankless: Fusaka & Pectra — https://bankless.com/
  
• What is PeerDAS? — https://dapp.lion/peerdas