Staking Lifecycle
Staking VET to Receive an NFT
Staking on Stargate begins when a user chooses to lock VET in the protocol by selecting a specific node tier. Each tier requires a fixed amount of VET. The user must provide the exact amount of VET needed for that tier; over-staking is not allowed. Once confirmed, the protocol locks the VET and mints an NFT that represents the user’s staking position.
At this stage, no rewards are earned yet. Every staking NFT is subject to a maturity period, which is determined by its node tier. During this time, the NFT cannot be delegated to a validator, and it does not accumulate rewards. When the maturity period concludes, the NFT becomes eligible for delegation, allowing the user to start earning VTHO.
Users who migrate legacy nodes to the new system bypass the maturity period and can delegate immediately.
At this point the user is not accumulating rewards yet. To earn rewards, user must wait the end of the maturity period and delegate to an active validator.
Maturity Period and Boost
To skip the waiting time of the maturity period, users can opt for the Boost feature. This functionality enables users to bypass the enforced maturity delay and immediately proceed to delegate their NFT to a validator.
The Boost fee is calculated based on the projected rewards that the NFT would have earned during the maturity period—using the bootstrapping phase rewards per tier. The calculation is as follows:
Boost Fee = (VTHO per day + Base Rewards per day) × Days of Maturity × 0.5
This approach anchors the fee to 50% of the total expected rewards during maturity, using the expected rewards simulated during the bootstrapping phase, ensuring fairness while encouraging early participation.
The fee must be paid in VTHO, and all of it is burned.
Boost can be used at any time during the maturity period, and is constantly adjusted to the time remaining to maturity end. If used during the staking phase, users can perform a full flow—stake, boost, and delegate—in a single transaction, allowing reward accumulation from the validator’s next period.
Mjolnir
60
1.034.400,00
1,99537037
Thunder
45
206.100,00
0,530092593
Strength
30
19.680,00
0,075925926
Flash
15
1.623,00
0,012523148
Lightning
5
124,00
0,00287037
Dawn
2
9,32
0,000539352
Validator Binding and Auto-Renew
Once the NFT is matured, the user selects a validator to delegate to. The validator’s validation period (7, 15, or 30 days) defines the reward and withdrawal schedule. Delegators are directly tied to the validator's period — they inherit the exact duration of the validator’s active period and follow it through auto-renewal, which is enabled by default.
A delegation becomes active when the validator either starts a new period or, if currently queued, transitions to active status. Once this happens, the NFT begins to accumulate rewards for every block processed by the validator. These rewards are locked until the period ends and become claimable afterward.
Delegators can select validators from the list of 101 active ones or from the queue. Validators that have exited or are in the process of exiting cannot be selected. If the validator exits, all associated delegations are exited automatically at the end of that period, and the NFT will stop generating rewards.
Unstaking VET
When the NFT is not delegated, the user can unstake VET at any time and with no cooldown period. To unstake VET when an NFT is delegated, the user must first exit delegation. Once undelegated, the staking NFT can be burned, which returns the locked VET to the user’s wallet.
For X Node holders, burning is irreversible and permanently reduces supply.
If rewards have been accumulated but not yet claimed, they will be automatically claimed during the unstake operation.
If the NFT is transferred before unstaking, any locked and unclaimed rewards are passed to the new owner.
While an NFT is still within its maturity period, the user cannot unstake the associated VET. To proceed with unstaking, they must either wait for the maturity period to end or use the Boost feature to instantly mature the NFT by paying a fee. This matures the NFT and allows immediate unstaking.
This ensures continuity and fairness in reward distribution while maintaining protocol integrity.
Last updated
Was this helpful?