The first time I tried to swap a token across two different blockchains, I thought I had everything figured out. I had my MetaMask wallet set up, knew which bridges to use, and had enough gas fees to cover the transaction. Or at least I thought I did.
Fast forward 20 minutes, and I was knee-deep in browser tabs, Reddit forums, Discord troubleshooting channels, and YouTube tutorials, trying to figure out why my transaction was stuck.
That was my first real experience with multichain chaos, and if you’ve spent any time in Web3, you’ve probably been there too.
The Multichain Reality: Fragmentation, Frustration, and Fees
Web3 is supposed to be the future of a decentralized internet, but right now, it feels like a messy collection of isolated islands. Each blockchain has its own rules, fees, and tools, forcing users to constantly switch between networks, bridges, and wallets.
Some common pain points that multichain users face:
- Gas Fees Everywhere: Every time you switch chains, you need a new set of gas tokens. If you’re moving from Ethereum to Solana to Cosmos, that means holding ETH, SOL, and ATOM just to pay transaction fees.
- Endless Wallets & Extensions: A user managing assets across Ethereum, Solana, and Cosmos might need three different wallets, each with its own setup process and security risks.
- Bridging Nightmares: Moving tokens between chains requires using bridges, which sometimes take 30 minutes or more, with some transactions getting stuck entirely.
- Lost Private Keys & Recovery Hassles: With so many wallets, one mistake, like losing access to a seed phrase, can mean losing funds forever.
Fragmentation is a big problem for adoption. New users give up because they don’t want to deal with this complexity. Even experienced users find themselves spending more time troubleshooting than actually using Web3 products.
Orchestration: Making Web3 Feel Like One System
One of the biggest breakthroughs in simplifying Web3 interactions is the concept of orchestration. Instead of users manually bridging, swapping, and jumping between networks, orchestration enables seamless automated workflows across chains.
Think of orchestration as a universal translator for blockchains, a backend system that lets different chains talk to each other without requiring users to do all the heavy lifting.
It improves the multichain experience with:
- Automated Transactions: Instead of manually swapping tokens and bridging them to another network, orchestration automates these steps in the background.
- Gas Abstraction: Some solutions allow users to pay gas fees in one token, rather than juggling multiple assets for different chains.
- One Wallet, Multiple Chains: Rather than switching between wallets, orchestration enables seamless interaction across different blockchains from a single interface.
- Simplified Smart Contract Execution: Developers can build cross-chain applications without needing users to sign multiple transactions manually.
Agoric is one of several projects working on cross-chain orchestration to make Web3 easier to use. They approach it with a developer-friendly model, using Hardened JavaScript for secure and composable smart contracts. By focusing on orchestration and automation, Agoric enables applications to interact with multiple blockchains without forcing users to handle every technical step manually. Agoric’s economic model is powered by its native BLD token, which secures the network through staking and governs key protocol decisions. Together with Inter Protocol’s IST stable token, BLD forms the backbone of Agoric’s multi-chain DeFi ecosystem, balancing security and usability.
Agoric isn’t the only one working on this problem. Projects like LayerZero, Cosmos IBC, and Chainlink CCIP also tackle cross-chain usability, but with different approaches. LayerZero focuses on cross-chain messaging, Cosmos IBC, provides a framework for native blockchain communication, and Chainlink CCIP is a cross-chain interoperability protocol designed for DeFi. Agoric, on the other hand, uses Cosmos IBC for native blockchain communication and automation using Hardened JavaScript. This approach allows Agoric to deliver secure, composable cross-chain applications with a developer-friendly model
Each of these solutions takes a different approach, but the end goal is the same: Make Web3 feel like a single, unified system instead of a collection of disconnected chains.
The Future of Web3: A Seamless Experience
Imagine a Web3 where you don’t need to manually bridge assets between chains, transactions happen automatically. Where you don’t have to manage multiple wallets, one interface gives access to everything. Where you don’t worry about different gas fees, transactions are processed efficiently in the background.
That’s the vision orchestration is pushing toward, and once it becomes standard, using blockchain technology will be as simple as using an app on your phone.
Right now, the Web3 experience is still clunky, but that’s exactly how early Web2 felt, too. Before Stripe simplified payments for millions of businesses, online payments were complicated. Before cloud storage, managing files was stressful. Eventually, tools came along that made everything effortless, and that’s where Web3 is headed next.
Until then, I’ll keep clicking through endless bridges, managing 5+ wallets, and hoping I don’t mess up a transaction. But hopefully, not for much longer.
Final Thoughts: Will Orchestration Change Web3?
Web3 users are tired of complexity, and the future of innovation isn’t about more chains or faster transactions, it’s about making everything simpler.
Orchestration is one very good solution for helping blockchain go from a technical playground to mainstream adoption. With the help of ecosystems like Agoric and as more projects integrate cross-chain automation, we’ll finally move past the frustrating multichain experience and toward something that just works.
Until then, keep your wallets backed up, your gas fees ready, and your bridges bookmarked.