How to Maximize Astar Staking Rewards with Triple Benefits | A Step-by-Step Guide

"Astar Dapp Staking" was upgraded to version V3 earlier this year, introducing significant changes to the staking reward rules.

The first staking period has now ended, and the "voting" sub-period of the second staking period has just begun. To receive the "bonus rewards," you must act during this critical window (expected to last until June 26; less than 5 days remain).

I’ll break down Astar staking rewards in detail, showing you how to earn up to 32% total APR (annual percentage rate, not including compound interest) plus potential airdrops from ecosystem projects.

How Astar Dapp Staking Works

Before we begin, let’s explain how Astar Dapp Staking works.

"Dapp Staking" is an incentive mechanism introduced by Astar for its ecosystem projects. It allows users to allocate part of their staking rewards to dApp developers through their voting choices.

For users, when staking ASTR(), they must choose to stake (vote) for one or more dApps within the Astar ecosystem to earn rewards. Importantly, regardless of which dApp you select, your base reward yield remains the same.

For dApps, the more user stakes they receive, the higher their tier level, and thus the greater share of staking rewards they earn. This incentivizes dApps to attract user stakes—often through airdrop incentives.

Astar Portal (staking interface): https://portal.astar.network/astar/dapp-staking/discover

Breakdown of Staking Rewards

Source: Polkadot Insider

Under the current "Dapp Staking V3" rules, staking rewards = base reward + bonus reward + potential airdrops.

How do you earn them?

Don’t worry—we first need to understand the concept of “periods” on Astar.

On Astar, one period lasts approximately 122 days, roughly four months.

Each period consists of two sub-periods:

• "Voting" sub-period (~11 days)

• "Build & Earn" sub-period (~111 days)

Now back to the rewards.

• Base Reward: You earn this simply by staking ASTR, with an APR of around 22%. Rewards are calculated daily, starting the day after you stake. Importantly, at the end of each period, all dApp stakes are automatically unstaked. Therefore, users must re-stake at the beginning of every new period.

• Bonus Reward: Tied to staking loyalty, with an APR of about 10%. To qualify, you must select a dApp during the "Voting" sub-period and either maintain or increase your stake amount on that dApp throughout the entire "Build & Earn" sub-period. If you unstake, reduce your stake, or switch dApps during the "Build & Earn" phase, your bonus reward for that dApp will be reset to zero.

• Potential Airdrops: Some dApps offer airdrops to incentivize users to vote for them. These rewards are distributed by the dApps themselves (unlike the previous two, which come from Astar), and eligibility and distribution rules are determined independently by each dApp team.

As you can see, the Dapp Staking V3 rules reshuffle approximately every four months, preventing dominant dApps from accumulating ever-increasing stakes. This gives newer projects a fairer chance while rewarding active participants with higher returns.

Promising Airdrop Projects

Astar dApp Staking Leaderboard, Source: Astar Portal

Below are some ecosystem projects that have committed to offering airdrops or other rewards to dApp stakers.

Algem

• Liquid staking protocol on the Astar ecosystem.

• Its tokenomics state that 2% of ALGM tokens will be airdropped to "testnet participants, early members, and dApp stakers": https://docs.algem.io/algem-protocol/algm-token/tokenomics.

Neurolanche

• AI + blockchain project.

• Plans to airdrop 100,000 NEROX tokens (worth approximately $100,000 based on last round valuation) to Dapp Staking V3 users. The airdrop allocation will be calculated based on the amount and duration of ASTR staked: https://grillapp.net/29665/neurolanche-astar-d-app-portal-launched-to-track-your-180536.

• Launched a dedicated portal where stakers can track accumulated airdrop points, which will later be converted into NEROX tokens. The exact conversion ratio has not yet been announced: https://portal.neurolanche.com/.

Healthree

• Move-to-Earn project.

• Healthree will redistribute 25%-45% of its received staking rewards back to stakers. The exact percentage depends on Healthree’s achieved staking tier level: https://x.com/Heal3official/status/1801550021999136995.

Astar Degens DAO

• DAO based on Astar Degens NFTs.

• Currently running an AirLyft campaign where stakers accumulate tiered points based on staked amounts. Top-ranking users on the leaderboard will share 15 Astar Degens NFTs, 25,000 ASTR, and 500 billion HaHa tokens: https://airlyft.one/astardegensdao/june-dapp-staking-campaign-1717965594130.

• Astar Degens will return 20% of its earned staking rewards to stakers. Users must connect their EVM address via AstarPASS to claim.

Very Long Swap

• DEX and Launchpad on Astar zkEVM.

• Currently running a staking incentive campaign: stakers earn double VLS() points and meme airdrops (previously airdropped $NINJA). If Very Long Swap reaches Tier 2 in dApp staking volume, additional user subsidies will be issued (ratio unspecified): https://x.com/VeryLong_Swap/status/1801827554036486376.

Staking Strategy & Steps

Based on the above, to maximize all reward components, the optimal staking strategy is:

• Base Reward:

  • If planning long-term staking, you can stake or unstake at any time—the impact on rewards is minimal since they are calculated daily.

• Bonus Reward:

  • Complete your stake before June 26, i.e., during the current "Voting" sub-period.

  • Carefully choose your dApp(s); once selected, avoid unstaking, reducing stakes, or switching dApps during the upcoming "Build & Earn" sub-period (you may select multiple dApps at once).

  • Stay aware of the dApp staking schedule and ensure you re-stake during the "Voting" sub-period at the start of each new cycle.

• Potential Airdrops:

  • Prioritize dApps that have announced plans to airdrop rewards to stakers.

For detailed step-by-step instructions on staking, unstaking, and claiming rewards, please refer to our previous article: Astar Dapp Staking V3 User Guide | How to Stake, Claim Rewards, Unstake, etc.