When to ascend in Cookie Clicker explained

The Grandmapocalypse only brings about an end to your measly cookies-per-second.

By Cole Luke

Published: Monday, 04 March 2024 at 11:26 AM

Coming out back in 2013, Cookie Clicker has stood the test of time, bringing in thousands of players to this day – so for any newcomers, we have when to ascend in Cookie Clicker explained to ensure your run isn’t half-baked.

While you may start out initially just clicking the big cookie, soon you will unlock upgrades and buildings that will passively generate cookies.

As you unlock more, your cookie output will continue to increase to the point where you are baking hundreds of thousands of cookies a second.

All these cookies can be cashed in for permanent buffs and upgrades, but it’s a delicate matter of timing to get the most out of it – and if you read on, we’ll guide you on when exactly to pull the cookie trigger.

Cookie Clicker ascension explained

Similarly to prestiging in games such as Call of Duty, ascension in Cookie Clicker lets players reset their level in order to unlock bonuses through reincarnation.

You will lose your cookies, grandmas, buildings and achievements, and depending on when you do trigger your ascension, all your past cookies will bring about certain bonuses, Heavenly Chips and the same amount of prestige levels.

You will, however, keep all your achievements.

At every prestige level, you also gain an additional 1 per cent CpS (cookies per second) increase. Heavenly Chips can be used to purchase Heavenly Upgrades, which also carry through each prestige level.

You can trigger the ascension process when you have baked at least 1 trillion cookies, but then it follows a cubic pattern from there on out, which is (X³ x 1 trillion).

This means that after your first trillion, it becomes (2³ x 1 trillion), which amounts to 8 trillion total cookies, then 27 trillion for the third prestige and so on.

To ascend, you need to click on the Legacy tab at the top right of the screen, where you have the option to ascend – if you’re ready, that is.

When to ascend in Cookie Clicker explained

The general rule of thumb is to wait until you have passed 440 prestige levels before ascension, which equates to 85.184 quintillion cookies.

While this sounds a lot – and it is – the benefits you reap from waiting until then are worth it.

As you gain 1 per cent CpS for every prestige level, you will be earning cookies 440 per cent faster than you were at the start, so the process does become quicker.

This will also mean you have 440 Heavenly Chips to spend, which can net you a lot of buffs that will considerably speed up the process.

On your first ascension, you will want to pick up these upgrades.

Beyond this, there is an excellent guide collated by Finnquaza on the Steam Forums that will help you beyond your first ascension.