The adoption of Flashbots helped move much of the "bidding" for transaction priority off-chain.

Lower demand for decentralized exchanges (DEXs) and NFT minting meant less competition for block space.

In 2022, Ethereum transaction fees (gas) experienced a significant and sustained drop, reaching their lowest levels in years. Contrary to popular belief, Why the Merge Didn't Lower Fees The Merge was a consensus change. It replaced miners with validators to secure the network.

Since the Merge didn't change the block size or the speed of block production significantly, it had no direct impact on gas prices. The Real Reasons Fees Plummeted

2022---ethereum--transaction-fees--finally--plummeting---the-merge-has-nothing-to-do-with-it May 2026