Ultimate Cookie Clicker Ascension Guide (When to Ascend)

Once you’ve clicked enough cookies, it’s time to deal with the rest of Cookie Clicker’s game mechanics. One of the most important ones is ascension. 

Cookie Clicker may be one of the best-known idle games, but it’s a surprisingly in-depth game too. One of the most critical and challenging mechanics is the ascension mechanic. 

What is Ascension?

Ascension in Cookie Clicker is like choosing to prestige in other games. You lose most of your progress, but you start over with specific beneficial bonuses. 

To ascend, click the “Legacy” button near the top of the screen. Once you’ve selected it, you’ll have to confirm to go through with the ascension. 

If you hover over “Legacy,” you can see how long you’ve been playing on this prestige level, how many prestige points you would get, and how many heavenly chips you’ll get for upgrading. 

When you ascend, you do lose a few things:

• Cookies
• Buildings
• Upgrades

Your achievements always stay with your account, though. You won’t have to earn them all again. 

What does it take to ascend?

You can ascend as soon as you’ve baked one trillion cookies. That is when the option will first appear. However, that doesn’t mean that you should ascend as quickly as you can.

Unlocking the ability to ascend doesn’t mean you should do it right away. Do it when it fits your Cookie Clicker game plan. 

How many times can I ascend?

You can ascend as many times as you have the cookies required for ascension. Cookie Clicker will never stop you from ascending as long as you meet the requirements.

Why Should I Ascend?

You should ascend for two reasons: prestige bonuses and heavenly chips. 

Each prestige level adds 1 percent to your total cookie production per second. So if you have 50 prestige levels, that’s a 50 percent bonus. Keep in mind that prestige bonuses must be unlocked via upgrades.

Heavenly chips are the currency you use to purchase upgrades like activating your prestige bonuses or golden cookie changes. There are dozens of potential upgrades that take millions of heavenly chips to buy in total. 

When Should I Ascend?

Deciding when to ascend is one of the most challenging decisions in Cookie Clicker. If you ascend early, you start accumulating prestige level bonuses and heavenly upgrades. Your CPS can rise a little quicker if you ascend early.

However, starting from scratch also immediately slows your cookie production. You’re a person with one cursor hoping to earn a grandma again. So it’s best to find a balance between your cookie production booming and not waiting so long that you miss out on bonuses.

Quick Ascension

Among Cookie Clicker players, 100 to 200 prestige levels are considered a quick and early ascension. At that point, you’ll have enough heavenly chips to choose a few different upgrades. These can help make your next run go faster, bringing you more prestige levels and heavenly chips. 

Waiting to Ascend

Many expert players wait a long time for their first ascension. One approach is to wait until you have 2337 prestige levels to ascend the first time. You can buy a dozen high-quality upgrades and see an even more significant boost.

People who first prestige at 2337 take their subsequent ascension at 115,307, and the third at 2,189,163. They follow the 2019 ascensions guide by Finkus and purchase the upgrades that he recommends. It’s considered a pro strategy in the Cookie Clicker community. 

The problem with waiting for later ascensions is that it can be frustrating to wait for enough cookies to bake. You can spend the time waiting by upgrading buildings, mastering the minigames, and keeping an eye out for golden cookies. 

Choosing Upgrades

Purchasing the right upgrades is an essential part of ascending. Aim to get heavenly upgrades like Heavenly Cookies, which increases your CPS by 10 percent. Early on, upgrades that boost your production will make it easier to reach late-game ascension levels. 

Cookie Clicker Ascension Guide

The best Cookie Clicker ascension strategy is one that helps you enjoy the game more. Consider creating one for yourself that respects the way you want to play. Try following these steps to create your ascension strategy.

1. Look for a list of heavenly upgrades. There are many of them, and you can find them on Wikis for the game or video guides.
2. Read through the options to determine what each upgrade provides. If you’re a first-time player, consider watching a pro’s explanation of heavenly upgrades on YouTube or another video site. It might help you determine which is right for you.
3. Write down the cost of each upgrade in heavenly chips. Keep a running total as you choose the ones you want the most.
4. Look for upgrades that will give a considerable boost to your CPS at the beginning of a new run. These are the ones that will help you reach later ascension levels more quickly. 
5. Decide which upgrades will work together so that you know which you should buy with each successful ascension. If you need five upgrades that cost 150 heavenly chips, then you know you need to wait for 150 levels before you ascend. 

Once you know which upgrades you want, you’ll have a personal ascension strategy that suits your style of Cookie Clicker play. 

Related Questions

Should I ascend as soon as possible in Cookie Clicker?

You shouldn’t ascend as soon as the option appears. You will completely restart your game with only a minor upgrade. The first upgrade, which costs one heavenly chip, will only let you keep making cookies at a lower rate while your game is closed. 

Though it can be hard to be patient, wait to ascend. The more heavenly chips you earn with the first ascension, the better upgrades you can afford. The better your upgrades, the quicker your CPS will increase in your new game. 

What do you keep when you ascend in Cookie Clicker?

You keep your prestige upgrades and the purchases you made with heavenly chips. You also keep your achievements. Everything else will be gone and not accessible in your new game. 

How many heavenly chips should I have before I ascend?

There is no perfect number of heavenly chips. The best way to decide is to plan out your upgrades in advance to know exactly how many chips you need.