Sooner or later every idle game asks you to throw away your progress. It is called prestige, rebirth, ascension or reincarnation, and it is the single most important mechanic of the genre. Here is how it works, why it is there, and when to press the button.
What a prestige does
A prestige resets most of your run (level, gold, upgrades) in exchange for something permanent: a currency, a multiplier or new abilities. Your next run starts from zero but goes faster, gets further, and the cycle repeats.
Why games reset you
Without resets, numbers in an idle game grow until the next goal takes days. A prestige turns that slowdown into a choice: push a little further, or reset now and come back stronger. It also makes the early game, the fastest and most satisfying part, something you replay with new tools.
When to prestige
- When your progress per minute drops sharply and the next milestone is far away.
- When the permanent reward of resetting now is worth more than what you would gain by waiting.
- Early on, prestige often: the first permanent bonuses have the biggest effect.
What carries over
It depends on the game, which is why reading the reset screen matters. In Reincarnation 100, a rebirth sends you back to stage 1 and you lose your gold and upgrades. You keep your souls, which buy talents, powers and legacies at the Pantheon, and you choose one of three blessings from the goddess Lysandra for the new life. After you defeat the King, Ascension resets even further, keeps your gear and your purchases, and makes everything harder and more rewarding.
When the reset is the story
Most games present the prestige as a menu option. In Reincarnation 100 the rebirth is the story: the counter goes from 1 to 100, the goddess speaks to you as it climbs, your past lives come back as an army that fights at your side, and the final boss has a hundred reincarnations of his own. We explain that design in why the final boss has 100 lives.
You can try it for free on Reincarnation 100 on Google Play.