Documentation
DEPTH Protocol
A soulbound NFT vault emission protocol on Abstract. No presale. No team allocation. Fair launch. Every user earns real, tradeable $DEPTH tokens from day one.
1. Overview
DEPTH is a soulbound NFT vault protocol on Abstract (zkSync L2). Every user receives a non-transferable NFT vault that continuously generates $DEPTH tokens — tradeable on Aborean DEX from day one.
The economic engine rewards reinvestment over selling. Users who go faster and deeper burn more tokens, generate more protocol revenue, and earn higher returns than users who simply dump. Speed is the revenue engine.
Part of the BLUE Protocol ecosystem. BLUE has a whale. Whales dive deep. "How deep do you go?"
2. $DEPTH Token
Tokenomics
Initial Allocation
No tokens were allocated to the team, investors, or any presale. 100% of the initial supply was deployed into liquidity and protocol reserves.
Transfer Tax
Every $DEPTH transfer incurs a 5% tax:
4% of every transfer is permanently removed from circulation. Protocol contracts (EmissionController, DepthSoul) are tax-whitelisted to prevent double taxation on internal operations like claiming and sacrificing.
3. DEPTH SOUL NFT
Your DEPTH SOUL is a soulbound (non-transferable) NFT (ERC-721 + ERC-5192) that serves as your vault. It tracks your tier, emission progress, sacrifices, streaks, and cycle data — all on-chain. One per wallet. Cannot be transferred or sold.
The NFT artwork is fully dynamic — it updates automatically to reflect your current tier, showing ocean-themed visuals with live vault statistics.
How to Get One
Free
Abstract Global Wallet
Gold tier or higher qualifies for a free vault mint.
Free
Telegram Mini App
One free mint per Telegram account. Sybil-resistant via account age checks.
125 DEPTH
Website Mint
80% burned, 20% to treasury. Open to anyone.
4. Ocean Tiers & Upgrades
DEPTH features 10 ocean-themed tiers. Each tier increases your emission cap — the maximum $DEPTH your vault generates per cycle. Upgrade by spending $DEPTH (80% burned / 20% treasury). Upgrades are sequential — no skipping tiers.
| Tier | Name | Emission Cap | Upgrade Cost |
|---|---|---|---|
| 0 | Shallows | 500 | — |
| 1 | Reef | 1,000 | 125 |
| 2 | Sunlit | 2,500 | 375 |
| 3 | Twilight | 7,500 | 1,250 |
| 4 | Midnight | 15,000 | 1,875 |
| 5 | Bathyal | 30,000 | 3,750 |
| 6 | Abyssal | 60,000 | 7,500 |
| 7 | Hadal | 150,000 | 22,500 |
| 8 | Trench | 250,000 | 25,000 |
| 9 | Mariana | 500,000 | 62,500 |
Shallows (Tier 0) — Special Rules
• 1x speed only — no sacrifices, no streak bonuses
• No recharge — once you hit the 500 cap, vault goes dormant permanently
• Must upgrade to Reef (Tier 1) to unlock all protocol mechanics
• Upgrading to Reef costs 125 DEPTH (80% burned)
5. How Earning Works
Emission Cycle
Your vault emits $DEPTH continuously over a 2-year base cycle. The emission rate depends on your tier (cap), speed multiplier, and the global health score. At 1x speed, it takes the full 2 years to fill your cap. At 4x, you fill in ~6 months.
Claiming Rewards
Unclaimed rewards are not lost — they just stop growing after 7 days. Claim regularly to maximize earnings.
Streaks
Claiming builds a streak. Miss 48 hours without claiming and your streak resets. Available at Tier 1 (Reef) and above only.
Bonuses are tiered (not cumulative) — you get the highest milestone you qualify for. Streak resets on recharge.
6. Speed & Sacrifices
Tier upgrades increase how much you earn (cap). Sacrifices increase how fast you earn it (speed). Two sacrifice categories, 5 levels each, +30% speed per level.
$DEPTH Sacrifices
5 levels × +30% = up to +150%
80% burned / 20% treasury
gBLUE Sacrifices
5 levels × +30% = up to +150%
100% to treasury (converted via TWAP oracle)
Sacrifice Costs Per Tier (DEPTH, per level)
| Tier | Per Level | Full (5 levels) |
|---|---|---|
| Reef | 6.25 | 31.25 |
| Sunlit | 18.75 | 93.75 |
| Twilight | 62.5 | 312.5 |
| Midnight | 93.75 | 468.75 |
| Bathyal | 187.5 | 937.5 |
| Abyssal | 375 | 1,875 |
| Hadal | 1,125 | 5,625 |
| Trench | 1,250 | 6,250 |
| Mariana | 3,125 | 15,625 |
gBLUE sacrifice thresholds use the same DEPTH-equivalent value, converted via a 30-minute TWAP oracle from the Aborean pool at time of sacrifice.
gBLUE TWAP & Ratcheting
• You sacrifice raw gBLUE tokens. The contract converts to DEPTH-equivalent value using a 30-minute TWAP from the Aborean V2 pool.
• Ratcheting: Once a sacrifice level is reached, it's locked permanently for that cycle. If the gBLUE price drops, your level cannot decrease.
• On tier upgrade, gBLUE sacrifice is re-evaluated at current TWAP against the new (higher) thresholds. You may need additional gBLUE to maintain levels at higher tiers.
Max Speed
Speed is additive: base + sacrifice bonus + streak bonus. Capped at 4x regardless of inputs. Sacrifice credits reset on recharge — you must re-sacrifice each cycle.
7. Depth Resonance
When both sacrifice categories are fully maxed (5/5 DEPTH + 5/5 gBLUE), your vault activates Depth Resonance — earning +10% effective cap per cycle.
Resonance activates automatically when both categories hit level 5. Since sacrifice resets on recharge, you must re-max both categories each cycle to maintain resonance.
8. Recharge Cycles
When your vault hits its emission cap, it goes dormant. Recharge to start a new cycle. Cost = 10% of your tier's cap in DEPTH (80% burned / 20% treasury). Shallows cannot recharge.
| Tier | Recharge Cost |
|---|---|
| Reef | 100 DEPTH |
| Sunlit | 250 DEPTH |
| Twilight | 750 DEPTH |
| Midnight | 1,500 DEPTH |
| Bathyal | 3,000 DEPTH |
| Abyssal | 6,000 DEPTH |
| Hadal | 15,000 DEPTH |
| Trench | 25,000 DEPTH |
| Mariana | 50,000 DEPTH |
On recharge:
• All sacrifice credits reset to zero
• Streak bonus resets
• A new emission cycle begins at base speed
• Must re-sacrifice to rebuild speed each cycle
This creates recurring demand — the faster you go, the more often you recharge and re-sacrifice, generating more protocol revenue and burns.
9. The Burn Engine
DEPTH has aggressive, multi-layered deflation built into every user action:
Revenue Sources
| Source | Destination |
|---|---|
| Transfer tax (5%) | 40% burn, 40% perma-locked, 20% treasury |
| Tier upgrades | 80% burn, 20% treasury |
| Recharge fees | 80% burn, 20% treasury |
| DEPTH sacrifices | 80% burn, 20% treasury |
| gBLUE sacrifices | 100% treasury |
| Paid mints (125 DEPTH) | 80% burn, 20% treasury |
10. The Velocity Engine
At max speed, users complete cycles in ~6 months instead of 2 years. Each cycle requires re-sacrificing and recharging. More cycles = more burns = more protocol revenue. The protocol generates sustainable revenue from velocity, not deposits.
2-Year Comparison (same timeframe)
| Strategy | Cycles | Gross Earned |
|---|---|---|
| Free rider (1x) | ~1 | 100% |
| 1 category maxed (~2.5x) | ~2.5 | 250% |
| Both maxed (4x + resonance) | ~4 | 440%* |
*Includes 10% Depth Resonance bonus per cycle. Whales feed the protocol massively while earning the highest returns. Casual players aren't punished — they just earn slower.
11. Contracts
All contracts are deployed on Abstract Mainnet (Chain ID 2741) and verified on Abscan.
Integration Note
All reads and writes must use the EmissionController proxy address, not the implementation. The proxy is UUPS upgradeable — the implementation address may change on upgrade, but the proxy address is permanent.
Market
12. Links
"How deep do you go?"