WTF am I doing wrong!

[moldorm]

I have been playing this game for about a week now. I have only ascended two times, and as soon as I was able to. So I only made a total of two prestige levels, which only got me two upgrades. I then see that the rest of the upgrades are HUNDREDS of chips, some even thousands. This seems absurd? I have only been able to purchase a Portal ONE time, on my second run. I am currently on my third run and it seems x5 harder and slower than the first two. I buy the better buildings as soon as I can, buy the upgrades, click golden cookies, I even leave my mouse macro on when I walk away to click a bunch. I'm just not making ♥♥♥♥ for cookies. What am I doing wrong? I use the garden but only have the wheat and corn ones, I use the wizard towers, I use the temple runes. HOW am I just not making anything at all?

[ItIsZach]

At any point of the game going for golden cookie combos increases your amount of cookies hundredfold. For early game I suggest an easy Frenzy + Click Frenzy combo. To get this get the frenzy from a naturally spawning golden cookie then spawn a Click Frenzy using Force the Hand of Fate from the wizard tower minigame. This last part is optional but does increase amount of cookies gained. For the last part, use the pantheon Godzamok and sell all of one specific building other than cursors or grandmas as they make a good portion of your CPS. Doing this beginner combo early game should result in 100-200 prestige levels.

The link I'll be posting below goes into more detail about early game combos and how to do them.
https://pastebin.com/C5QuLWKA

P.S I recommend joining the discord as you'll get answers to your questions faster plus there is over 30 guides on optimal strategies.

[Fire Angel]

I have trillions of prestige points right now waiting to be cashed.

Part of the reason that is is because I have never presided as soon as I got the first prestige point even though it was tempting at first. It’s better to wait until you have many points before you prestige because then you have to start all over less times.

[The Radiance]

The main problem I see here is ascending right when you're able to, that's not what you're supposed to do. Take a look at this ascenscion guide, it'll help you:

https://pastebin.com/PutF8qFd

On the method you're using, it is normal for the runs to feel slower and slower each time, since each prestige point requires more cookies than the previous one, on the late game this won't make much of a difference, but on the early game, it really does.

And yes, I understand that getting 404 prestige points might sound impossible on your first playthrough. But there's some strategies you can use to speed up your gains by a lot.

Since you're at the very early-game yet, using some of the most sophisticated strategies like the garden or the pantheon might not be very effective, there are two things you should pay attention to: Wizard Towers and Grandmas.

The wizard towers are specially powerful because of one particular spell: Force The Hand of Fate, which allows you to instantly summon a golden cookie, this spell allows you to create "Golden Cookie Combos". Sure, a frenzy is nice, but how about a Frenzy + Click Frenzy? Getting the right combos will drastically increase your gains.

(This section might contain some minor spoilers)
Grandmas are also very useful. Once you have at least 7 different types of grandma (A.K.A. the "Elder" achievement), you'll unlock an upgrade called Bingo/Research Facility, which is an upgrade that unlocks other upgrades over time. The upgrades that are unlocked from the Bingo/Research Facility can trigger the so called "Grandmapocalypse", which is extemely useful for one reason: Wrinklers.
Wrinklers are very weird creatures that gather around the big cookie and start eating it, you can have up to 10 wrinklers at a time and each one of them will decrease your CPS by 5%, resulting in a 50% decrease once you have a full circle. This might sound bad, and it is, but here's the deal: Popping a Wrinkler will make it give you 110% the amount of cookies every single Wrinkler ate while the Wrinkler that was popped was there.

To make it easier to understand how wrinklers work, here's the explanation on the Cookie Clicker Wiki:

Here's a grossly oversimplified example. Let's assume you make exactly 10 trillion cookies per second. Since each wrinkler will eat 5% of your CpS, 10 wrinklers will halve your CpS, lowering it to 5 trillion cookies. After 10 seconds, those 10 wrinklers have eaten a total of 50 trillion cookies, so each wrinkler will give you 1.1x those 50 trillion cookies when popped. Multiplying that 55 trillion cookies by 10 wrinklers gives a total yield of 550 trillion. Adding in the 50 trillion cookies from your unwithered production gives a grand total of 600 trillion cookies, exactly 6x the amount of cookies you'd otherwise get. However, you have to actually pop the wrinklers before getting those bonus cookies, but doing so will force you to wait for more wrinklers to spawn, which can take a while. (Wrinklers can also be spawned manually by the "Resurrect Abomination" spell from the Grimoire, which can significantly speed up the process.)

So that's the strategy, allow the Wrinklers to eat your cookie for a few hours, then pop them.

These two strategies will really help you boost your cookie gains by a lot. I'm sorry for the massive text, but I really hope it helped you, good luck!

[moldorm]

Originally posted by The Radiance:

So that's the strategy, allow the Wrinklers to eat your cookie for a few hours, then pop them.

I've tried so many things with Wrinklers, since finally being able to get to that point yesterday. I tried leaving them for about a minute, leaving them for about an hour, and leaving them all day. They don't really seem to be giving my a lot? I'd be lucky to get enough for one upgrade or 5 buildings after popping them. And the amount seems close to what I had before they show up.

[The Radiance]

Originally posted by moldorm:

Originally posted by The Radiance:

So that's the strategy, allow the Wrinklers to eat your cookie for a few hours, then pop them.

I've tried so many things with Wrinklers, since finally being able to get to that point yesterday. I tried leaving them for about a minute, leaving them for about an hour, and leaving them all day. They don't really seem to be giving my a lot? I'd be lucky to get enough for one upgrade or 5 buildings after popping them. And the amount seems close to what I had before they show up.

If you realize the Wrinklers are not working very well, I recommend purchasing the Elder Covenant and ending the Grandmapocalypse so that you don't get Wrath Cookies anymore. Try to use the wizard tower strategy and some golden cookie combos

[ClassicGuy]

100% save lol
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%3D%3D%21END%21

[thepicgamer]

Originally posted by The Radiance:

The main problem I see here is ascending right when you're able to, that's not what you're supposed to do. Take a look at this ascenscion guide, it'll help you:

https://pastebin.com/PutF8qFd

On the method you're using, it is normal for the runs to feel slower and slower each time, since each prestige point requires more cookies than the previous one, on the late game this won't make much of a difference, but on the early game, it really does.

And yes, I understand that getting 404 prestige points might sound impossible on your first playthrough. But there's some strategies you can use to speed up your gains by a lot.

Since you're at the very early-game yet, using some of the most sophisticated strategies like the garden or the pantheon might not be very effective, there are two things you should pay attention to: Wizard Towers and Grandmas.

The wizard towers are specially powerful because of one particular spell: Force The Hand of Fate, which allows you to instantly summon a golden cookie, this spell allows you to create "Golden Cookie Combos". Sure, a frenzy is nice, but how about a Frenzy + Click Frenzy? Getting the right combos will drastically increase your gains.

(This section might contain some minor spoilers)
Grandmas are also very useful. Once you have at least 7 different types of grandma (A.K.A. the "Elder" achievement), you'll unlock an upgrade called Bingo/Research Facility, which is an upgrade that unlocks other upgrades over time. The upgrades that are unlocked from the Bingo/Research Facility can trigger the so called "Grandmapocalypse", which is extemely useful for one reason: Wrinklers.
Wrinklers are very weird creatures that gather around the big cookie and start eating it, you can have up to 10 wrinklers at a time and each one of them will decrease your CPS by 5%, resulting in a 50% decrease once you have a full circle. This might sound bad, and it is, but here's the deal: Popping a Wrinkler will make it give you 110% the amount of cookies every single Wrinkler ate while the Wrinkler that was popped was there.

To make it easier to understand how wrinklers work, here's the explanation on the Cookie Clicker Wiki:

Here's a grossly oversimplified example. Let's assume you make exactly 10 trillion cookies per second. Since each wrinkler will eat 5% of your CpS, 10 wrinklers will halve your CpS, lowering it to 5 trillion cookies. After 10 seconds, those 10 wrinklers have eaten a total of 50 trillion cookies, so each wrinkler will give you 1.1x those 50 trillion cookies when popped. Multiplying that 55 trillion cookies by 10 wrinklers gives a total yield of 550 trillion. Adding in the 50 trillion cookies from your unwithered production gives a grand total of 600 trillion cookies, exactly 6x the amount of cookies you'd otherwise get. However, you have to actually pop the wrinklers before getting those bonus cookies, but doing so will force you to wait for more wrinklers to spawn, which can take a while. (Wrinklers can also be spawned manually by the "Resurrect Abomination" spell from the Grimoire, which can significantly speed up the process.)

So that's the strategy, allow the Wrinklers to eat your cookie for a few hours, then pop them.

These two strategies will really help you boost your cookie gains by a lot. I'm sorry for the massive text, but I really hope it helped you, good luck!

I took your advice on the hand of fate spell for the first time and got a 777x along with a frenzy. Can attest that this method is very powerful.