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Exploring Apps on the New Shape L2
Creative opportunities abound on Ethereum's newest rollup
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🎨 Shape's art-centric Ethereum Layer 2 just went live—you in?
- For context, Shape is a new L2 designed specifically for creators, built by the team behind the Deca NFT curation platform.
- The newest member of Optimism’s Superchain ecosystem, the network features a Gasback program where artists and apps can claim 80% of the sequencer fees generated by people who use their smart contracts.
- With its Sept. 30th launch behind us, it’s now possible to bridge ETH into Shape and try the first live apps on the network.
- For early bridging options here, the Shape team recommends Superbridge, a frontend for native Superchain bridges, or Relay, a fast bridge created by Reservoir. If at any point you want to withdraw back to Ethereum, opt for Relay, which will take a few seconds compared to the ~7 days enforced by the native bridging system Superbridge is built on.
- Once you’re on the network, next up you’ll want to mint your Stack. This is a dynamic NFT that evolves in line with your onchain achievements on Shape, with these achievements tracked by “medals” you can collect.
- The Stack drop is also a free mint; you’ll only need to cover the gas fee, which will cost less than a cent. Additionally, collecting medals will move you up the Shape leaderboard, with the top spots offering rewards like free NFTs.
- At this point, you’re ready to start diving into the Shape scene. An easy place to begin is with Shape’s Drops page, which features live and upcoming NFT drops of note on the network.
- You can also check out the Platform & Apps directory to see which projects you can currently try on the L2. Some I recommend starting with include…
🪪 Passport — Also known as Gitcoin Passport, this platform is a decentralized identity system that serves as a Proof of Personhood solution for the onchain world. Minting your Passport NFT on Shape is an easy way to rack up some of your first medals in your Stack.
🎴 Deca — I used to contribute to an NFT curation project, JPG, so I’ve long respected Deca in knowing the kind of hard work that goes into their NFT curation platform. That said, the Deca team built Shape, so Deca’s another natural starting point in the network’s app scene. To track the new NFTs you collect on Shape, sign in to Deca with your wallet and press the “Wallet” tab in your profile.
🎨 Highlight — I’m a big fan of Highlight, as I think it’s one of the best and easiest places to DIY your own NFT drops, whether that’s onchain 1/1s or a PFP collection you want to release with your own custom mint site. The platform supports a growing stable of L2s, now including Shape, so it’s a great app to check out if you’re a creator.
📺 White Walls — Most people still don’t have great ways to view their NFTs in real life. White Walls is setting out to change that by making it easy to stream your favorite NFTs to the smart TV in your living room. Apple TVs are supported for now, with more integrations on the way. That said, this app is one way to check out your new Shape NFTs in style.
