Definitive Cookie Clicker Ascension Guide for All Skill Levels

It is hard to believe that Cookie Clicker launched 10 years ago. A game that defined idle-clickers for a long time, Cookie Clicker might seem look like a precursor to the countless mobile idle-clickers we see today, but it has a large and loyal fanbase. Natively released on Steam and Android, while being accessible on every platform via its original web version, Cookie Clicker is extremely addictive.

While Cookie Clicker may be an idle-clicker game, it does feature some complex mechanics that are a major reason as to why the game is so popular. Ascension is one such confusing mechanic, with many players wondering what it does and whether it is even worth it. Well, we’re here today to explain ascension in Cookie Clicker in the simplest terms possible.

What is Ascension in Cookie Clicker?

Ascension is essentially the New Game+ version of Cookie Clicker. When you decide to ascend, you forfeit all of your current progress to start a new game, but this time with new bonuses. While simple enough on paper, the perfect time to ascend has been a subject of debate among the players for many years.

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How Can I Ascend?

If you hover the cursor on the Legacy option, you’ll be able to see the bonuses you will be granted if you decide to ascend. If you click on the Legacy option, it will give you the option to ascend, while also informing you about the changes that will take place when you do so.

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What Happens When You Ascend?

When you ascend, you lose 3 things:

1. All of your cookies
2. All of your buildings
3. All of the upgrades you bought from the shop

However, all your sugar lumps and building levels remain intact and carry over to the new game, along with all of your achievements. When you ascend, 3 new mechanics will be introduced: Prestige Levels and Heavenly Chips, and Heavenly Upgrades.

1. Prestige Levels

Prestige Levels are bonuses that are unlocked when you ascend. Each Prestige Level adds 1% to you total cookie production per second (CPS). Therefore, if you have 10 Prestige Levels, that means you gain an extra 10% of cookies being produced per second. Prestige Levels are unlocked automatically when you ascend.

2. Heavenly Chips

Heavenly Chips are a form of currency made available when you decide to ascend. They are used to unlock bonuses like permanent upgrade slots. For your first ascension, 1 Heavenly Chip is equal to 1 trillion cookies forfeited. Heavenly Chips and Prestige levels are granted on 1:1 ratio when ascending.

3. Heavenly Upgrades

Heavenly Upgrades are the bonuses you unlock using Heavenly Chips. These are upgrades that carry over to your new game when you decide to ascend. As such, you should choose the ones that are going to be the most beneficial for you in the long run.

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When Can I Ascend?

You can ascend any time you want, although ascending before having a surplus of 1 trillion cookies is useless. That’s because ascending before obtaining the mentioned amount grants you no Prestige Levels and no Heavenly Chips, therefore resetting all your progress for nothing. Even if you have 1 trillion cookies, you shouldn’t ascend right away.

The more cookies you have, the more Heavenly Chips and Prestige Levels you gain when ascending, leading to more Heavenly Upgrades. Therefore, ascend only when you’re confident that you have enough Prestige Levels and Heavenly Chips. You can ascend as many times as you want so there’s no end to Cookie Clicker.

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What is The Perfect Time to Ascend?

The most contested topic between fans of Cookie Clicker, there are countless opinions on when a player should ascend. Ascending early, as we’ve already established, does more harm than good. So how far ahead should one be before ascending?

According to most veterans, for your first ascension, you should ascend after amassing 200 trillion cookies, which are the equivalent of 200 Prestige Levels and 200 Heavenly Chips. Most players aren’t keen on waiting this long and usually ascend after compiling 100 trillion cookies.

Any lower is fine too, but since the number of cookies required for gaining Prestige Levels and Heavenly Chips increases after each ascension, it is essential that you ascend with at least 100 trillion cookies. This will give you high amount of Prestige Levels so that you can amass cookies with ease, and, with a 100 Heavenly Chips, you can unlock several vital upgrades which will help you greatly in the next playthrough.

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Which Heavenly Upgrades Should I Get After Ascending?

After ascending, there are more than a 100 Heavenly Upgrades to choose from. Some of the best Upgrades, along with their cost in terms of Heavenly Chips include:

1. Legacy (1 Chip): Unlocks the Heavenly Chips and makes your Prestige Level bonus permanent (1% added to CPS per Prestige Level).
2. Heavenly Cookies (3 Chips): Permanent 10% cookie production multiplier.
3. How To Bake Your Dragon (9 Chips): Lets you buy a crumbly egg after baking 1 million cookies in an ascended state. A crumbly egg can boost your CPS by 100-250%.
4. Heavenly Luck (77 Chips): Golden Cookies appear 5% more frequently.
5. Permanent Upgrade Slot 1 (100 Chips): Unlocks a slot in which an upgrade can be placed. This upgrade will carry over through all your ascensions, as long as it remains in the slot.

If you decide to ascend further, these are the Heavenly Upgrades you should consider:

1. Tin of British Tea Biscuits (25 Chips): Increases cookie production by 12%
2. Tin of Butter Cookies (25 Chips): Increases cookie production by 21%
3. Box of Brand Biscuits (25 Chips): Increases cookie production by 26%
4. Box of Macarons (25 Chips): Increases cookie production by 26%

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Conclusion

Ascension is a very unique mechanic in idle games and it is one of the main reasons why Cookie Clicker is still going strong today. It adds to the replay-ability of the game and gives the player something to grind for. Well, it’s time to check up on how many cookies we’ve farmed while writing this.