diff --git a/beacon_chain/eth2_network.nim b/beacon_chain/eth2_network.nim
index 962e5fae5..3d251114f 100644
--- a/beacon_chain/eth2_network.nim
+++ b/beacon_chain/eth2_network.nim
@@ -1554,21 +1554,36 @@ proc createEth2Node*(rng: ref BrHmacDrbgContext,
   var switch = newBeaconSwitch(conf, netKeys.seckey, hostAddress, rng)
 
   let
-    params =
-      block:
-        var p = GossipSubParams.init()
-        # https://github.com/ethereum/eth2.0-specs/blob/v1.0.0/specs/phase0/p2p-interface.md#the-gossip-domain-gossipsub
-        p.d = 8
-        p.dLow = 6
-        p.dHigh = 12
-        p.dLazy = 6
-        p.heartbeatInterval = 700.milliseconds
-        p.fanoutTTL = 60.seconds
-        p.historyLength = 6
-        p.historyGossip = 3
-        p.seenTTL = 385.seconds
-        p.gossipFactor = 0.05
-        p
+    params = GossipSubParams(
+      explicit: true,
+      pruneBackoff: 1.minutes,
+      floodPublish: true,
+      gossipFactor: 0.05,
+      d: 8,
+      dLow: 6,
+      dHigh: 12,
+      dScore: 6,
+      dOut: 6 div 2, # less than dlow and no more than dlow/2
+      dLazy: 6,
+      heartbeatInterval: 700.milliseconds,
+      historyLength: 6,
+      historyGossip: 3,
+      fanoutTTL: 60.seconds,
+      seenTTL: 385.seconds,
+      gossipThreshold: -4000,
+      publishThreshold: -8000,
+      graylistThreshold: -16000, # also disconnect threshold
+      opportunisticGraftThreshold: 0,
+      decayInterval: 12.seconds,
+      decayToZero: 0.01,
+      retainScore: 385.seconds,
+      appSpecificWeight: 0.0,
+      ipColocationFactorWeight: -53.75,
+      ipColocationFactorThreshold: 3.0,
+      behaviourPenaltyWeight: -15.9,
+      behaviourPenaltyDecay: 0.986,
+      disconnectBadPeers: true
+    )
     pubsub = GossipSub.init(
       switch = switch,
       msgIdProvider = msgIdProvider,
@@ -1578,14 +1593,6 @@ proc createEth2Node*(rng: ref BrHmacDrbgContext,
       anonymize = true,
       parameters = params)
 
-  # disable any extra scoring weight
-  # do this after validation (done inside init())
-  # this is a scoring violation for validation
-  # but we don't want to use scores for now
-  pubsub.parameters.behaviourPenaltyWeight = 0.0
-  pubsub.parameters.appSpecificWeight = 0.0
-  pubsub.parameters.ipColocationFactorWeight = 0.0
-
   switch.mount(pubsub)
 
   result = Eth2Node.init(conf, enrForkId, switch, pubsub,
@@ -1601,7 +1608,7 @@ proc announcedENR*(node: Eth2Node): enr.Record =
 proc shortForm*(id: KeyPair): string =
   $PeerID.init(id.pubkey)
 
-proc subscribe*(node: Eth2Node, topic: string, enableTopicMetrics: bool = false) =
+proc subscribe*(node: Eth2Node, topic: string, topicParams: TopicParams, enableTopicMetrics: bool = false) =
   proc dummyMsgHandler(topic: string, data: seq[byte]) {.async.} =
     discard
 
@@ -1611,6 +1618,7 @@ proc subscribe*(node: Eth2Node, topic: string, enableTopicMetrics: bool = false)
   if enableTopicMetrics:
     node.pubsub.knownTopics.incl(topicName)
 
+  node.pubsub.topicParams[topicName] = topicParams
   node.pubsub.subscribe(topicName, dummyMsgHandler)
 
 proc setValidTopics*(node: Eth2Node, topics: openArray[string]) =
diff --git a/beacon_chain/nimbus_beacon_node.nim b/beacon_chain/nimbus_beacon_node.nim
index 07828ef93..f6d91376f 100644
--- a/beacon_chain/nimbus_beacon_node.nim
+++ b/beacon_chain/nimbus_beacon_node.nim
@@ -42,6 +42,11 @@ import
 
 from eth/common/eth_types import BlockHashOrNumber
 
+from
+  libp2p/protocols/pubsub/gossipsub
+import
+  TopicParams, validateParameters, init
+
 const
   hasPrompt = not defined(withoutPrompt)
 
@@ -370,8 +375,9 @@ func verifyFinalization(node: BeaconNode, slot: Slot) =
 
 proc installAttestationSubnetHandlers(node: BeaconNode, subnets: set[uint8]) =
   # https://github.com/ethereum/eth2.0-specs/blob/v1.0.0/specs/phase0/p2p-interface.md#attestations-and-aggregation
+  # nimbus won't score attestation subnets for now, we just rely on block and aggregate which are more stabe and reliable
   for subnet in subnets:
-    node.network.subscribe(getAttestationTopic(node.forkDigest, subnet))
+    node.network.subscribe(getAttestationTopic(node.forkDigest, subnet), TopicParams.init()) # don't score attestation subnets for now
 
 proc updateStabilitySubnetMetadata(
     node: BeaconNode, stabilitySubnets: set[uint8]) =
@@ -671,11 +677,60 @@ proc getAttestationSubnetHandlers(node: BeaconNode) =
     node.attestationSubnets.subscribedSubnets + initialStabilitySubnets)
 
 proc addMessageHandlers(node: BeaconNode) =
-  node.network.subscribe(node.topicBeaconBlocks, enableTopicMetrics = true)
-  node.network.subscribe(getAttesterSlashingsTopic(node.forkDigest))
-  node.network.subscribe(getProposerSlashingsTopic(node.forkDigest))
-  node.network.subscribe(getVoluntaryExitsTopic(node.forkDigest))
-  node.network.subscribe(getAggregateAndProofsTopic(node.forkDigest), enableTopicMetrics = true)
+  # inspired by lighthouse research here
+  # https://gist.github.com/blacktemplar/5c1862cb3f0e32a1a7fb0b25e79e6e2c#file-generate-scoring-params-py
+  const
+    blocksTopicParams = TopicParams(
+      topicWeight: 0.5,
+      timeInMeshWeight: 0.03333333333333333,
+      timeInMeshQuantum: chronos.seconds(12),
+      timeInMeshCap: 300,
+      firstMessageDeliveriesWeight: 1.1471603557060206,
+      firstMessageDeliveriesDecay: 0.9928302477768374,
+      firstMessageDeliveriesCap: 34.86870846001471,
+      meshMessageDeliveriesWeight: -458.31054878249114,
+      meshMessageDeliveriesDecay: 0.9716279515771061,
+      meshMessageDeliveriesThreshold: 0.6849191409056553,
+      meshMessageDeliveriesCap: 2.054757422716966,
+      meshMessageDeliveriesActivation: chronos.seconds(384),
+      meshMessageDeliveriesWindow: chronos.seconds(2),
+      meshFailurePenaltyWeight: -458.31054878249114 ,
+      meshFailurePenaltyDecay: 0.9716279515771061,
+      invalidMessageDeliveriesWeight: -214.99999999999994,
+      invalidMessageDeliveriesDecay: 0.9971259067705325
+    )
+    aggregateTopicParams = TopicParams(
+      topicWeight: 0.5,
+      timeInMeshWeight: 0.03333333333333333,
+      timeInMeshQuantum: chronos.seconds(12),
+      timeInMeshCap: 300,
+      firstMessageDeliveriesWeight: 0.10764904539552399,
+      firstMessageDeliveriesDecay: 0.8659643233600653,
+      firstMessageDeliveriesCap: 371.5778421725158,
+      meshMessageDeliveriesWeight: -0.07538533073670682,
+      meshMessageDeliveriesDecay: 0.930572040929699,
+      meshMessageDeliveriesThreshold: 53.404248450179836,
+      meshMessageDeliveriesCap: 213.61699380071934,
+      meshMessageDeliveriesActivation: chronos.seconds(384),
+      meshMessageDeliveriesWindow: chronos.seconds(2),
+      meshFailurePenaltyWeight: -0.07538533073670682 ,
+      meshFailurePenaltyDecay: 0.930572040929699,
+      invalidMessageDeliveriesWeight: -214.99999999999994,
+      invalidMessageDeliveriesDecay: 0.9971259067705325
+    )
+    basicParams = TopicParams.init()
+
+  static:
+    # compile time validation
+    blocksTopicParams.validateParameters().tryGet()
+    aggregateTopicParams.validateParameters().tryGet()
+    basicParams.validateParameters.tryGet()
+
+  node.network.subscribe(node.topicBeaconBlocks, blocksTopicParams, enableTopicMetrics = true)
+  node.network.subscribe(getAttesterSlashingsTopic(node.forkDigest), basicParams)
+  node.network.subscribe(getProposerSlashingsTopic(node.forkDigest), basicParams)
+  node.network.subscribe(getVoluntaryExitsTopic(node.forkDigest), basicParams)
+  node.network.subscribe(getAggregateAndProofsTopic(node.forkDigest), aggregateTopicParams, enableTopicMetrics = true)
   node.getAttestationSubnetHandlers()
 
 func getTopicSubscriptionEnabled(node: BeaconNode): bool =