If you're one of the early adopters who deposited assets into Symbiotic's pre-deposit vaults, it's time to consider making a move. These pre-deposit vaults served an important purpose during Symbiotic's initial launch phase, but they were never intended to be the permanent home for your assets. In this guide, we'll walk you through why you should migrate and provide a simple step-by-step process to do so.

What Is Symbiotic?

Before jumping into migration details, let's look at what Symbiotic actually does and why it's different from traditional staking.

Think of Symbiotic as a marketplace where economic security is bought and sold. It creates a win-win situation:

Networks that need security can purchase it.
Asset holders (like you) can earn points by providing that security.

What makes this special is that your staked assets can secure multiple networks simultaneously. This means more efficient use of your capital and potentially better network rewards for you.

Symbiotic works through three main participants:

Stakers (you) - You provide assets through vault deposits and earn network rewards
Networks - These are blockchain projects that pay for security to operate safely
Operators - Companies like P2P.org that run the actual infrastructure and do the technical work

To keep everything honest, independent "Resolvers" monitor the system and protect against unfair penalties. They're like the referees making sure the rules are followed.

Why You Should Migrate From Pre-Deposit Vaults

Pre-deposit vaults were created as temporary holding solutions before Symbiotic's full functionality launched. Think of them as the waiting room before the main event. While your assets are safe in these vaults, they aren't working as efficiently as they could be.

Key limitations of pre-deposit vaults:

Lower point accrual rates compared to live vaults
Limited operator selection
No active participation in the network ecosystem
Reduced network reward potential

Benefits of Migrating to Live Vaults

Live vaults represent a significant upgrade for your assets. Here's why moving makes sense:

Enhanced Point Accrual
Pre-deposit vaults generate fewer Symbiotic points compared to live vaults. Points are crucial for potential future ecosystem benefits.
Active Ecosystem Participation
Live vaults are fully integrated into the Symbiotic ecosystem, allowing your assets to participate in securing networks and generating value.
Operator Quality
Live vaults are managed by reputable operators (including P2P.org) with proven track records in the staking ecosystem. This means your assets are being leveraged by experienced infrastructure providers who maintain high uptime, implement robust security practices, and optimize for performance.
Future-Proofing
As Symbiotic continues to evolve, live vaults will be first in line for new features, integrations, and opportunities.
Enhanced Capital Efficiency
Live vaults implement advanced strategies to improve your capital efficiency. By optimizing how your assets are deployed across different networks within the Symbiotic ecosystem, they aim to deliver improved performance while maintaining appropriate risk parameters.
Network Diversification
By moving to live vaults, your assets gain exposure to a wider range of networks within the Symbiotic ecosystem. This diversification helps spread risk while potentially increasing rewards through multiple revenue streams.

Step-by-Step Migration Guide

Migrating your assets is a straightforward process that takes just a few minutes. Follow these steps:

Step 1: Navigate to symbiotic.fi and click 'Restake'

Begin by visiting the official Symbiotic website and clicking on the 'Restake' button.

Step 2: Select the 'Deposit' tab in the top left corner

Once you're in the restaking section, find and click on the 'Deposit' tab located in the top left corner of the interface.

Step 3: Select the pre-deposit vault that contains your funds

Find and select the pre-deposit vault where your funds are currently sitting. For this guide, we're using the wBTC pre-deposit vault as an example, but the process is similar for other asset types.

Step 4: Select 'Migrate' to initiate the migration

Click the 'Migrate' button to begin the process of moving your funds from the pre-deposit vault to a live vault.

Note: As you'll see in the interface, pre-deposit vaults earn fewer points than live vaults, making migration a priority for maximizing your benefits!

Step 5: Review available live vaults

After selecting 'Migrate', Symbiotic's UI will display all the public/live vaults available for your specific asset. In our example, it will show the public wBTC vaults available for migration.

Step 6: Select your preferred vault

Choose the vault that best aligns with your preferences. If you're unsure, consider vaults with reputable operators like P2P.org for optimal performance.

Step 7: Connect your wallet

If you haven't connected your wallet already, you'll be prompted to do so at this stage.

Step 8: Select the 'Migrate' option

On the vault page, look for the 'Migrate' option (typically found alongside 'Deposit' and 'Withdraw' options) and select it.

Step 9: Enter migration amount and confirm

Input the amount you want to migrate, then click the green 'Migrate' button to initialize the transaction.

Step 10: Approve and finalize the transaction

Grant the necessary permissions in your wallet when prompted, and confirm the transaction to complete the migration process.

Congratulations! Your assets are now working more efficiently in a live vault.

Frequently Asked Questions

Q: Will I lose my accrued points when migrating? A: No, all points you've earned will remain associated with your wallet address.

Q: Are there fees for migration? A: You'll only pay standard network gas fees for the transaction.

Q: Can I migrate partial amounts? A: Yes, you can choose exactly how much you want to migrate.

Q: Is there a deadline for migration? A: While there's no hard deadline, migrating sooner means you'll start earning enhanced benefits faster.

Q: How does Symbiotic's architecture ensure security? A: Symbiotic utilizes a resolver system that monitors and validates activities across all connections. Resolvers have veto power over invalid slashing attempts, providing an additional layer of protection for your staked assets.

Third-Party Incentives

For additional details, visit Symbiotic.fi. Please note that P2P.org does not manage or take responsibility for these incentive programs.

Risks assessment

This information is provided for general purposes only and reflects P2P.org’s subjective view of the project. It is not professional financial advice. Before deciding to participate, you should carefully review all materials on the Mellow and Symbiotic websites, thoroughly evaluate the associated risks, and consult with appropriate legal, financial, and tax advisors. Failure to do so may result in significant financial losses, P2P.org will not be held liable for any decisions made based on the information provided. Proceed at your own risk.

Audited Smart Contracts: Symbiotic and Mellow smart contracts have been audited. The reports are available here and here.

Immutable Symbiotic Contracts: Symbiotic smart contracts cannot be changed by the Vault curator.

P2P.org is a leading node operator and early supporter of Symbiotic. While we believe migration to live vaults is beneficial for users, this article is provided for educational purposes only and should not be considered financial advice.