What Is Elysium? Hyperliquid’s L2, Explained for Users and Builders

Elysium is a Layer 2 for Hyperliquid built by Kinetiq. It settles to HyperEVM, uses HYPE for gas, and produces blocks every 100 milliseconds. Elysium mainnet launches on November 9, 2026, giving the Hyperliquid ecosystem an even faster environment.

Zerion will support Elysium from day one, bringing the network into the wallet and API alongside other chains.

What is Elysium?

Kinetiq, the team behind the kHYPE liquid staking protocol, built Elysium as a general-purpose, EVM-compatible execution layer.

The network uses Arbitrum Orbit technology with Conduit as an infrastructure partner.

But unlike other Arbitrum-based chains, it does not settle to Ethereum mainnet. Its parent chain is HyperEVM. Elysium adds execution capacity while remaining connected to the wider Hyperliquid ecosystem.

Be careful when adding the network manually: other, unrelated chains also use the name “Elysium,” including chains with IDs 1338 and 1339. Those are not Kinetiq’s Elysium.

Why Hyperliquid needs an L2

HyperEVM has a deliberate block structure: small blocks approximately every second with a 3 million gas limit, and larger blocks approximately every 60 seconds with a 30 million gas limit.

This design serves use cases like lending and vaults. But it is less suited to applications that update many times per second.

Consider a market maker adjusting quotes repeatedly, or a token launch drawing a burst of trades. Those activities need substantial execution throughput, not just an EVM runtime. Elysium targets 300 million gas per second, roughly two orders of magnitude more gas throughput than HyperEVM.

It’s not trying to replace HyperEVM or HyperCore. It aims to give applications a faster place to execute while keeping asset movement and settlement within the Hyperliquid ecosystem.

How Elysium works

• HYPE is the gas token. Elysium uses native HYPE for transaction fees. HYPE moves from HyperEVM to Elysium at a 1:1 ratio and becomes the gas asset on the destination chain. You do not need a separate Elysium gas token.
• 100 ms blocks and fast receipts. Elysium produces canonical blocks every 100 milliseconds, with a perceived transaction receipt around 300 milliseconds. That makes interfaces feel responsive, although a quick receipt is not the same thing as final settlement.
• Settlement and finality. Elysium posts batches to HyperEVM. An Elysium receipt is an early confirmation; finality follows when the relevant batch lands on the parent chain. Data availability uses an AnyTrust committee, with full-data fallback to HyperEVM.
• Three layers. HyperCore runs native order books. HyperEVM provides the contract environment and Elysium settlement layer. Elysium provides high-throughput EVM execution. The layers work together rather than replacing each other.
• Native HyperCore access is phased. An ArbOS upgrade planned for about four weeks after mainnet would let contracts read HyperCore order-book depth through a precompile and place orders via a fast-write path targeting about 100 ms, while users retain custody.

What ships when

At mainnet launch (November 9, 2026): native HYPE gas, 100 ms blocks, AnyTrust data availability, settlement on HyperEVM, canonical and mirror bridges, and a path for tokens to graduate toward HyperCore markets.

About four weeks after mainnet: planned HyperCore read access and a fast-write lane for contracts.

Later upgrades: planned work includes Timeboost and MEV telemetry, block-time tuning, permissionless proving through Arbitrum BoLD, and additional audits. These features are planned for after launch.

Elysium for users

For traders and other users, Elysium is another place to trade tokens and interact with DeFi apps while using HYPE as the native gas asset.

Elysium also offers a path for price discovery of new assets. A token might start trading in an Elysium AMM and build liquidity in professional market-making markets before graduating to a HyperCore spot order book. It could eventually become a perpetual market through HIP-3.

That progression is the larger idea behind Elysium: activity can begin in a flexible EVM environment with links to Hyperliquid’s trading infrastructure.

Along with Zerion, the mainnet will launch with support from protocols and apps such as Pump.fun, fomo, Uniswap, 0x, KyberSwap, Derive V3, Enso and Markets.xyz.

How to get started

1. Use a wallet with Elysium support, such as Zerion.
2. Bridge HYPE from HyperEVM.
3. Explore available assets and try swapping on Elysium.

As with any newly launched network, verify token contract addresses and bridge destinations before approving transactions. Similar tickers and imitation bridge sites can mislead users.

Elysium for builders

Elysium is EVM-compatible, so teams can work with Solidity or Vyper and familiar tooling such as Foundry, Hardhat, viem and ethers.

The proposed sequencer revenue split allocates:

• 25% to builders,
• 50% to KNTQ buybacks and burns,
• 25% to protocol operations.

So Elysium can potentially be a great place for new protocols to launch and gain additional revenue.

Regardless of the use case, any Elysium app will likely need onchain data.

For example, when a user connects a wallet, they expect balances, token prices, portfolio positions and transaction history to appear immediately. Zerion API will support Elysium from day one through the same wallet endpoints used across other supported chains.

For endpoint examples, chain filters, transaction history and app-facing data flows, explore a guide to building on Elysium with Zerion API.

Risks and trade-offs to know

Elysium begins with a single sequencer and priority-fee transaction ordering, without privileged lanes. A delayed inbox on HyperEVM provides a mechanism for users to force inclusion if needed.

Withdrawals back to HyperEVM involve a challenge period, so the time required to exit is not the same as the time required to receive an Elysium transaction receipt. Validation and proving are permissioned at launch, with permissionless proving planned for a later phase.

HyperCore read and write capabilities will arrive in phases. At launch, Elysium provides fast EVM execution, with further HyperCore integrations planned for later.

Use Elysium in Zerion

Zerion will support Elysium mainnet from day one, so you can use it alongside other networks.

The launch of a new network is often the best time to both find interesting opportunities and launch products. To capture those, download Zerion Wallet or get a free Zerion API key.

FAQ

What is Elysium in crypto?

Elysium is Kinetiq’s EVM-compatible Layer 2 for Hyperliquid, designed for high-throughput applications and settling to HyperEVM.

Who built Elysium?

Elysium was built by Kinetiq, the team behind the kHYPE liquid staking protocol.

When does Elysium mainnet launch?

Elysium mainnet launches on November 9, 2026.

Is Elysium the same as HyperEVM?

No. HyperEVM is Elysium’s parent settlement chain. Elysium provides a separate, faster EVM execution environment.

What is the gas token on Elysium?

HYPE is the native gas token on Elysium.

Does Elysium have its own token?

Elysium does not require a separate gas token. HYPE pays fees; KNTQ is associated with Kinetiq and its proposed buyback mechanism.

Can I use Elysium in Zerion?

Zerion will support Elysium from launch. Available features and routes may vary.