> For the complete documentation index, see [llms.txt](https://the-heist-1.gitbook.io/the-heist-docs/llms.txt). Markdown versions of documentation pages are available by appending `.md` to page URLs; this page is available as [Markdown](https://the-heist-1.gitbook.io/the-heist-docs/how-it-works/genesis.md).

# Phase 1 — Genesis

Every protocol needs a starting point. The Heist's is a single, fixed, 72-hour window called **Genesis**. Once it closes, it's closed forever, and normal trading takes over from there.

## How it works

```mermaid
flowchart LR
    A[You show up\nwithin the 72h window] --> B{Pick an asset}
    B -->|USDG| C1[USDG pool]
    B -->|WETH| C2[WETH pool]
    C1 & C2 --> D[1% fee, split between\nthe dev and the Treasury]
    D --> E{Pick a lock length}
    E -->|No lock, 1.0x share| F[LOOT streams to you\nover 72 hours]
    E -->|30 days, 2.0x share| F
    E -->|90 days, 3.5x share| F
    F --> G[Get your original deposit\nback once your lock ends]
```

## The rules, plainly

* **Two assets accepted: USDG and WETH.** Each one has its **own separate pot of LOOT** set aside for it, fixed before the window even opens. If you deposit USDG, you're only ever splitting USDG's pot with other USDG depositors — never competing against WETH depositors, and there's no conversion rate or price feed involved anywhere in this step at all.
* **Locking longer gets you a bigger slice, not a bigger principal.** Everyone's original deposit is exactly what they get back — locking just changes how much of that asset's LOOT pot you're entitled to:

  | Lock length | Your share weight |
  | ----------- | ----------------- |
  | No lock     | 1.0×              |
  | 30 days     | 2.0×              |
  | 90 days     | 3.5×              |
* **A 1% fee**, split evenly between the dev and the Treasury. That's the only fee Genesis ever charges — there's no fee to withdraw, ever.
* **Your deposit always comes back.** This is enforced directly by the contract, not a policy that could change — once your chosen lock period ends, your original deposit is yours, in full, and nothing (not even the team) can intercept it.
* **What you see before it opens is what you get.** Every accepted asset and its exact LOOT pot are locked in before the window opens. Nothing gets added mid-window, and nothing gets repriced. A future asset gets its own separate, later launch — never a live change to one that's already open.

## Why it's built this way

Sharing one pot of LOOT across two different assets would need some way to compare a USDG deposit to a WETH deposit — which means a price feed, which is exactly the kind of outside dependency this protocol avoids everywhere else. Giving each asset its own separate pot sidesteps the problem completely: there's nothing to compare against anything else.

The lock system exists to reward people willing to commit, without punishing anyone who'd rather stay flexible — a no-lock deposit still earns a real share of the pot, just a smaller one than a 90-day commitment would.

## What happens next

Once the 72-hour window closes, it's done — there's no reopening it. The very next thing that can happen is the Printer's first-ever check (see [The Peg & The Printer](/the-heist-docs/how-it-works/the-peg-and-the-printer.md)), which is deliberately delayed until *after* Genesis closes — so its first real read on price reflects actual post-launch trading, not a thin, half-distributed market still settling in.


---

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