The Genesis Pools
Ready To Get Started?
You might be a project looking for sustainable liquidity incentivization. You might be a user looking for real yield and revenue sharing. You might be an investor scouting innovative projects. You might be an always-on trader. Or maybe you’re just starting to learn DeFi.
With Hercules’ flexible, sustainable liquidity platform, the best time to get involved is the beginning–and that time is now.
Introducing our Genesis Pools, the initial core and partner liquidity pools. Genesis Pools will be incentivized over a four-month period. These pools give very attractive rewards to liquidity providers be they protocols or individual users in exchange for a time commitment on their liquidity, and, as a result, deepening the relationship between Hercules and its partners. As the four month period runs, APRs on these pools may actually rise as users exit their positions and especially if the TORCH token appreciates.
Below you’ll find the Genesis Pool schedule, where you’ll be able to deposit into and swap using our core and partner liquidity pools. We are grateful to have such an extensive list of partners at launch. These pools offer great opportunities to earn xMETIS, TORCH, xTORCH, and more.
TL;DR
Short on time? Just look down 👇
Important Dates
- April 1: Genesis Pools open to deposits (METIS-WETH, WETH-USDC, METIS-USDC, USDT-USDC plus many Partner Pools 👀).
- April 7: All Genesis Pools close to deposits.
- April 9: Genesis Pools rewards harvesting begins.
- July 29: Genesis Pools rewards end.
Important Notes
- Depositors can earn Whitelist spots during the TORCH token public sale.
- You can withdraw your position from Genesis Pools at any time, but you cannot redeposit into the Genesis Pools after they close on April 7.
- When other users withdraw from Genesis Pools, users remaining in these pools will begin earning a larger share of the rewards allocated to that Genesis Pool. This incentivizes both our earliest users and the stickiest liquidity providers at the same time.
- Not all Genesis Pools may be available on April 1.
What Are Genesis Pools? How Do I Use Them? 🙋
Baby Hercules had a bit of an uphill battle right from the start — his mother tried to kill him with snakes. Fortunately, Hercules DEX has a rather different relationship with its parent chain, Metis. And, for that reason, we are truly grateful and excited to introduce our Genesis Pools and Partners.
Genesis Pools are our initial core and partner liquidity pools, incentivized over a four-month period. These pools give very attractive rewards to liquidity providers be they protocols or individual users in exchange for a time commitment on their liquidity, and, as a result, deepening the relationship between Hercules and its partners.
Our Genesis Pools will open to depositors on April 1. Anyone can deposit. Genesis Pools include Hercules Alpha Pools, Launchpad Partner Pools, plus additional Partner LPs, as listed below.
Rewards will begin April 2 and claiming them will be available April 9 to July 29. Genesis Pools will close to deposits on April 7, so it’s best to get in there. Genesis Pools follow the Nitro Pools mechanic.
Genesis Pool(s) depositors can earn Whitelist spots for the upcoming TORCH token public sale. **The Whitelist allocation will depend in part upon the size and duration of the user’s Genesis Pool(s) position.
So We Heard You Like Game Theory ⏳
You are able to withdraw your position from Genesis Pools at any time. Once you do, after the deposit window closes on April 7, you cannot redeposit into the Genesis Pools. So, when other users withdraw from their positions, users remaining in the Genesis Pools will begin earning a larger share of the rewards allocated to that Genesis Pool. This is a way to incentivize both our earliest users and the stickiest liquidity providers at the same time.
Remember: As the four-month Genesis period unfolds, users leaving their Genesis Pool positions are driving APRs up for those who maintain their positions.
What Genesis Pools Will Be Available? 🔎
Below we provide a list of available Genesis pools. Follow Hercules and our partners’ socials and check the dApp for the most up-to-date list; DeFi moves quickly and so should you.
Hercules Core Genesis Pools
These are the Hercules protocol’s core liquidity pools and are deployed by the Hercules team. These pools were bootstrapped initially by the Alpha Pools.
- METIS/m.USDC (Core)
- METIS/WETH (Core)
- WETH/m.USDC (Core)
- m.USDC/m.USDT (Core)
- METIS/USDT (Core)
Partner Genesis Pools
These are our partner’s liquidity pools and are whitelisted by the Hercules team and deployed by our partners. With the exception of Artemis Finance, these did not have Alpha Pools.
We invite you to explore our partners’ protocols to learn what these innovative projects have on offer.
Partner : LP Token Pair
- Althea Finance : THEA — METIS
- AraFi : ARA — METIS
- Artemis Finance : artMETIS — METIS
- Athena Finance : ATH — METIS
- Ceres Finance : CERES — METIS
- Cerus Vaults : CERUS — METIS
- DefiKingdoms : JEWEL — METIS
- Enki Protocol : ENKI — METIS
- Hera Finance : HERA — m.USDC
- Hummus Exchange : HUM — METIS
- Monkex Coffee Shop Club : Monkex — METIS
- Pumpkin Finance : PUMP — METIS
- Tethys Finance : TETHYS — METIS
- Vector Reserve : VEC — METIS
- Vector Reserve : vMETIS — METIS
- zkERA Finance : ZKE — METIS
On The Horizon
These are pools from partnerships under development. Needless to say, you may recognize some of these buildoors.
- Aave Labs : GHO — METIS
- Alchemix : alETH — alUSD
- Alchemix : alETH — ETH
- Alchemix : alUSD — m.USDC
- Ethena Labs : m.USDC — USDe
- Frax Finance : FRAX — sFRAX
- Frax Finance : frxETH — stETH
- Grail Inu : iGRAIL — METIS
- Gravita Protocol : GRAI — m.USDC
- PayPal : PYUSD — m.USDC
- Redacted : pxETH — ETH
Genesis Rewards: 90% of Life Is Just Showing Up 🫡
Depositors in these pools earn rewards in the form of xMETIS, TORCH/xTORCH, and Partner incentives, depending on the pool. On top of that, depositors will also earn farming emissions of TORCH and xTORCH, emitted in a 20/80 ratio, respectively. (That is, for every 20 TORCH tokens emitted, 80 xTORCH tokens are emitted.) Partner pools may be further incentivized by the partners with their own tokens on the Genesis Pools.
Note to Alpha Pool Users: If you intend to transition from the Alpha Pools to the Genesis Pools, you simply need to unstake your position from the Alpha Pool and restake it in the Genesis Pools.
xMETIS rewards are made possible thanks to the $1M Grant from the Metis Ecosystem Development Fund. The Hercules team deeply appreciates this generous support!
So… Which Pools Will Have the Highest Emissions?
We prioritize sticky liquidity by incentivizing your favorite project to move their project owned liquidity to Hercules. We then use our dynamic fee structure, swap fees, and tokenomics to create a sustainable ecosystem for everyone.
Think the rewards are too low or your favorite project isn’t listed? Reach out to the team and see if they are planning to move over or build their liquidity on Hercules!
So I Deposited in a Genesis Pool. What Next?
First, you’re now earning the following rewards:
- xMETIS
- TORCH
- xTORCH
- Partner tokens
- Chance for a TORCH sale Whitelist allocation
So, you’re off to a (really) good start. xMETIS is convertible to METIS over a vesting period and then flexibly useful across the entire METIS ecosystem, for example by staking in one of our partner dApps to decentralize the sequencer like Artemis and Enki. It can also be provided back into Hercules as a liquidity source.
TORCH is the native token of Hercules and is convertible into xTORCH, its utilitarian twin. The coveted xTORCH has a widely flexible utility on Hercules, from earning real yield to boosting yield to participating in launchpads and more. xTORCH is how users interact most productively with the Hercules ecosystem.
Partner Genesis Pools often provide their own incentives in addition to the above listed rewards. These are typically delivered in their own tokens and have multifarious utilities. Metis is an ever-developing blockchain and that’s why we love it. There is a truly incredible amount of innovation and we are delighted to host foresighted protocols on our dApp.
Back to Basics: How Do I Bridge to the Genesis Pools From Another Blockchain?
Want to bridge to Metis and get into the Genesis Pools? Hercules has integrated two top bridge providers into its UI: LI.FI and Synapse.
Next, choose LI.FI or Synapse as your bridge provider.
Once you’ve bridged over to Metis, select “Earn” in the top menu and then “Genesis Pools.” Then, simply follow the instructions to enter the Genesis Pool(s) of your choice.
If you’d like to find another route, the Metis website provides a handy list of other bridging options, such as Wanchain.
If you followed these steps, you’re now in the Genesis Pools. Thank you for using Hercules.
About Hercules
With a composable, efficient liquidity protocol featuring seamless swaps, staking, real yield, and a launchpad, Hercules aims to become the native liquidity layer for the Metis Andromeda network. Its flexible features are tailored to protocol-owned liquidity, allowing dynamic fees and customizable incentives packaged in a user-friendly interface.
