Ethereum’s highly awaited merge is in its last leg following the completion of the third and final public testnets Goerli. The network transitioned to proof-of-stake [PoS] when the Terminal Total Difficulty [TTD] surpassed 10,790,000, which took place at 1:45 UTC.

It was the last and most significant dry run before the Ethereum blockchain moves to proof-of-stake from proof-of-work on the so-called mainnet ready to be used by everyone.

On July 27, Ethereum announced the Bellatrix upgrade to Goerli’s beacon chain, Prater, in preparation for the testnet merge. After the Bellatrix beacon chain went live on August 4, all that remained was for it to merge with Goerli, so the testnet could continue to run on the PoS chain.

The last testnet merge is one step closer to Ethereum’s mainnet upgrade later this year. The previous two testnet merges, Ropsten and Sepolia, were overall successful as well, boosting the Ethereum community’s confidence that the actual Merge should go as per the given time frame.

But now, with the successful completion of the Goerli testnet merge, Ethereum developers are in a much better position to estimate the probability of success for the mainnet upgrade. 

What’s Next For Ethereum?

The mainnet merge is slated to happen in September, depending on what developers find post-Goerli testnet merge, the dates might change. Developers may also discuss the Goerli testnet merge and fix a date for the mainnet merge later this week. 

For those new, ETH developers run merge rehearsal on multiple testnets prior to Goerli. These testnets such as Goerli are crucial for blockchains, as they act as an important tool for developers to test upgrades before being deployed on the mainnet.

The testnets working mechanisms are similar to their mainnet variants and allow developers to check for bugs or security loopholes, fixing those defects from affecting the main blockchain once enabled. 

On the price front, the value of Ether appreciated in response to the Goerli testnet merge on 10 August. Shortly after the merge activation, the world’s second-largest asset hit a 24-hour high of $1,912, according to Coin Gecko. The coin is currently trading at around $1,884, up by13% over the last day.