How to Maximize Aster S2 Airdrop Rewards: Strategies & Risks

Aster’s Season 2 (S2) airdrop is making waves across DeFi, with over $700 million in airdrop value on the line. In this article, we explore how users are “brushing” performance (刷分) to boost their Aster rewards, highlight main strategies like hedged arbitrage and rate capturing, and outline the risks and trade-offs involved. Whether you’re a DeFi trader or airdrop hunter, this guide helps you navigate Aster S2’s opportunities.

What Is Aster S2 Airdrop & Its Scale

Aster’s S2 airdrop has allocated 4% of total supply (~320 million ASTER) to the reward pool, with estimated market value exceeding $700 million USD (based on ASTER ≈ $2.3). The campaign has already driven explosive growth: within one week, Aster onboarded over 710,000 new users, and its perpetual trading volume hit $21.1 billion, surpassing legacy platforms like Hyperliquid. The current TVL is about $1.744 billion, and daily revenue is around $7.12 million.

Core Strategies to Earn More

Participants aiming to maximize rewards are using several advanced strategies:

• Backpack × Aster hedged arbitrage: Users place limit orders (maker) in Backpack while executing market orders (taker) on Aster to capture both trading fee arbitrage and reward points. Aster counts taker (eating order) transactions double for reward scoring.
• Cross-platform funding rate capture: By leveraging differences in perpetual swap funding rates between exchanges, users may profit from rate differentials, adding an extra income stream on top of airdrop points.
• USDF / asBNB “Trade & Earn” model: For more passive or moderate risk, users can deposit USDF (≈ 16.7% APY) or asBNB (≈ 9.1% APY) and earn rewards through trading quotas and minimum activity thresholds. These assets also offer double points multipliers in the airdrop system.
• Team / referral bonuses : Users build a “team” through invitations. You earn points from your referrals (10% for direct, 5% for indirect), and team points boost your airdrop ranking. However, designs include “fairness adjustments” to curb whale dominance.

Risks, Considerations & Best Practices

While the reward potential is high, many pitfalls exist:

• Scripts (automated bots) and high-frequency patterns are rampant; using repetitive, predictable strategies may trigger anti-bot or anti-sybil filters.
• Slippage, fees, and transaction latency can erode gains, especially when executing hedged arbitrage across platforms.
• The airdrop rules or parameters may change, especially as the campaign evolves beyond S2.
• Reward value is tied to ASTER’s price; depreciation can turn paper gains into losses.
• Experts and professional market makers are excluded from reward eligibility to level the playing field.

Conclusion & Suggestions

Aster’s S2 airdrop presents a rare, high-stakes opportunity. Deploying hybrid strategies—such as combining arbitrage, rate capture, and passive staking—may maximize yields. But success demands risk control, agility, and monitoring official updates. If you're getting started, begin small, test strategies, and avoid overcommitting before the campaign rules stabilize.