On June 6, 2025, Ethos announced that the first XP distribution for Season 1 would go live on Friday, June 13, with XP handed out weekly on Fridays for the rest of the season. Over the following seven weeks, Ethos posted about its distributions, added invites for active users and repeatedly changed the algorithm that decided who earned what.
This article records how Season 1 XP worked at the time, between June and July 2025.
The announcement: weekly XP on Fridays
Ethos laid out the plan in its June 6 post:
- The first Season 1 distribution was scheduled for Friday, June 13, and would start Week 1.
- Week 1 rewards would include all activity since the end of pre-season.
- After that, XP would be distributed weekly on Fridays throughout the entire season.
Ethos pointed logged-in users to app.ethos.network/contribute to see how XP would be distributed.
June 13: 66.6 million XP for “Week 0”
On June 13, 2025, Ethos announced that the first XP rewards for Season 1 were live. In that post the first distribution was labeled “Week 0”. Ethos reported:
- 66.6 million XP distributed for Week 0
- 4,000 invites added to 2,600 accounts
- A planned total of 420 million XP for Season 1, spread over 26 weeks
Ethos noted that this was the first time it had distributed XP this way and that there might have been hiccups. Anyone who received 0 XP was told the result might be incorrect and that the team was looking into it.
Ethos also made clear that the formula would not stay fixed. As the team put it, how XP was rewarded that week would not be how it was distributed the next week: “We like to keep things fresh & keep you on your toes.”
June 20: a tweaked algorithm and an activity requirement
On June 20, 2025, Ethos distributed that week’s XP and said the algorithm had been tweaked. It also explained why the first payout had been so large: the June 13 distribution was four weeks of XP bundled into one.
The same day, Ethos added an eligibility rule. To qualify for XP, an account had to have been active onchain in the last 7 days.
July 11: Week 4, more invites and a nerf to R4R
On July 11, 2025, Ethos distributed 17 million XP for Week 4. Alongside it, 4,000 invites went to that week’s active users who didn’t already have invites to give.
The algorithm changed again. Ethos said it had been tweaked to nerf R4R (review-for-review) and inorganic content, and that some multipliers had been adjusted as well.
There was a short delay in the new invites appearing in profiles. Ethos explained that users had the invites onchain but that they weren’t yet showing in the app, and said this would be resolved shortly.
July 18: Week 5 and the top 10
On July 18, 2025, Ethos distributed Week 5 XP and said the algorithm had been modified further, sharing an image of the changes. It repeated the rule that accounts had to be active onchain in the last 7 days to qualify.
Ethos named the top 10 accounts for the week:
- @0xJohannes_
- @eskachie
- @dragossden
- validanon.eth
- @0xGeeGee
- @irmelvin
- @yueya_eth
- @porkbus
- @0xak_
- @0xAbhiP
July 25: 16.5 million XP and a shift toward vouches and markets
On July 25, 2025, Ethos distributed 16,500,000 XP. This time the algorithm was refined to favor active participation in vouches and markets.
Ethos published the week’s top 15 with their XP totals:
- @0xJohannes_: 285k
- @dragossden: 251k
- @0xGeeGee: 142k
- @eskacie: 128k
- @Ethos_Enforcer: 110k
- @DeanoXBT: 96k
- @peceka: 73k
- @quadwitch: 70k
- @0xGedis: 68k
- @porkbus: 66k
- @MutantMatt0x: 64k
- @stellarobject1: 61k
- @0xsammy: 61k
- @Yueya: 59k
- @0xPiracyData: 58k
What the first weeks showed
Across these posts, a few patterns held. XP went out on Fridays, eligibility depended on recent onchain activity, and the algorithm changed almost every week. The stated direction of those changes was consistent: less reward for reciprocal reviewing and inorganic content, and more for active participation in vouches and markets. Invites were also used to bring active users into a position where they could invite others.
This story first appeared on X.
