Clicker Heroes: Complete Guide

A guide to Clicker Heroes from your first click to Transcendence: heroes and gilding, when to Ascend, which Ancients to level for idle, active, or hybrid play, Outsiders, Rubies, Mercenaries, and Clans.

Researched September 2026 — current as of the June 22, 2026 gamepad/Steam Deck update on the modern (non-Flash) engine. Balance systems date from the 1.0e10 and 1.0e11 patches. Check the linked sources if something differs.

Quick Start

1. Click early, idle later. In your first run, clicking and hiring heroes is fast. Once you've unlocked Ancients, you decide between idle and active builds.
2. Always level the hero with the best damage for your gold. Don't spread gold evenly. Newer heroes quickly outscale older ones.
3. Buy hero upgrades. The upgrade buttons under each hero are some of the best value in the game early on.
4. Use skills in combos. Clickstorm, Powersurge, Lucky Strikes, Metal Detector, Golden Clicks, Dark Ritual, Super Clicks, Energize, and Reload combine for huge bursts.
5. Ascend when progress slows. Ascension resets your run for Hero Souls, which make every future run faster.
6. Primal bosses give Hero Souls. From the zone-100+ range, some bosses are "primal" and drop souls on Ascension.
7. Spend souls on Ancients. Pick an idle, active, or hybrid set and level those Ancients rather than buying everything.
8. Don't waste Rubies. Early on, spend them on Quick Ascension or Auto Clickers depending on your play style (see below).
9. Send Mercenaries on quests. They bring gold, souls, and Rubies while you're away.
10. Controllers now work. Since June 22, 2026, the Steam version has full controller support, remapping, and Steam Deck support.

Core Loop

1. Click monsters and earn gold.
2. Hire and level heroes, who deal automatic damage (DPS).
3. Progress through zones. Each zone needs a number of kills. Every fifth zone has a boss with a time limit.
4. When progress slows, Ascend: reset gold, heroes, and zones in exchange for Hero Souls.
5. Spend Hero Souls on Ancients (permanent upgrades) and keep the leftover souls, which also boost DPS.
6. Much later, Transcend: reset Ancients and Hero Souls for Ancient Souls, which buy Outsiders.

Heroes

• Heroes are hired and leveled with gold. Every so many levels unlock multipliers.
• Cid, the Helpful Adventurer is your first hero and boosts click damage.
• The roster runs into the 35+ range. Later heroes cost much more but deal far more damage.
• In early runs, keep leveling the newest hero you can afford and use older ones only for their upgrades.

Gilding

After certain progress, you earn gilds, which add a large permanent damage bonus to a hero. You can move gilds between heroes (for a Hero Soul cost). Put your gilds on the hero you'll use for the rest of the run. Late-game heroes are the usual targets.

Skills

Combos: Energize + Dark Ritual, then Reload to use Dark Ritual again, is a classic permanent-DPS combo. For active play, stack Clickstorm, Powersurge, Lucky Strikes, and Super Clicks.

Note from 1.0e11: activating a skill while idle doesn't break idle, but clicks (including Clickstorm clicks) do.

Ascension

• You unlock Ascension once you've pushed far enough (the game will show you when it's available).
• Hero Souls come mostly from primal bosses plus hero levels.
• Unspent Hero Souls add a percentage DPS bonus, but Ancients are almost always better value.

When to Ascend

Early rule of thumb: Ascend when a new run's progress becomes slow and your pending Hero Souls would noticeably increase your Ancients. Your first few Ascensions will be quick. Later ones will be longer.

Quick Ascension (bought with Rubies) gives the Hero Souls from your current highest zone without making you play. It's strong but expensive.

Ancients

Ancients are bought and leveled with Hero Souls. Choose a play style.

Idle build

For players who leave the game running:

Active (clicking) build

Hybrid

Mix the two: level idle Ancients for the time you're away, and active ones for bursts when you're playing.

Useful utility Ancients

How much to level

The community uses ratio rules of thumb (for example, keeping key Ancients at set ratios to your main DPS Ancient) and online calculators. Early on, just level Argaiv, Morgulis, and your main DPS Ancient (Siyalatas or Fragsworth) the most, and put smaller amounts into Libertas/Mammon/Mimzee and Solomon.

Transcendence and Outsiders

Transcendence resets Ancients and Hero Souls for Ancient Souls and gives Transcendent Power, which boosts primal Hero Souls as you progress. It's the long-term reset of the game.

Ancient Souls buy Outsiders:

Since patch 1.0e10, most Outsiders cost 1 Ancient Soul for the first level and 1 more per level after that. Phandoryss always costs 1.

Priorities vary by stage. A common early pattern is to put points into Xyliqil (if idle), Chor'gorloth, Phandoryss, Ponyboy, and Borb, then spread into the others as your Ancient Soul count grows.

Rubies

Rubies are the premium currency. You can earn them free from clickable fish, Mercenary quests, Clan raids, and achievements.

What to spend on:

For most free players, Auto Clickers are the best long-term purchase.

Mercenaries

Hire Mercenaries and send them on quests:

• Quests reward gold, Hero Souls, Rubies, and other bonuses depending on the quest type.
• Mercenaries level up and can die on quests. Higher-level mercenaries are worth reviving.
• The modern engine version lets you reroll mercenary quests.

Clans and Immortal Raids

Since the Clans 2.0 update (2020):

• Clans fight daily Immortals in raids.
• Choose a class: Rogue, Mage, or Priest. Immortals are weak to a different class each day.
• Raids reward Rubies and Immortal Souls, which level your raid damage.
• Clans can buy a bonus fight once per day for Rubies. One member pays for the whole clan.
• Clan masters can lock progression on an Immortal they can beat.

Joining an active clan is one of the best free sources of Rubies.

Platforms and Saves

• The Steam version was moved from Flash to a new engine in December 2023.
• As of June 22, 2026, you can share cloud saves between Steam and web through a Playsaurus account.
• A free Nintendo Switch version launched in October 2025.
• Always export your save (Import/Export uses the clipboard) before major changes.

Common Mistakes to Avoid

• Leveling all heroes evenly. Focus on the best damage per gold.
• Ascending too late. If progress is crawling, Ascend.
• Buying every Ancient. Focus on your build's core Ancients.
• Mixing idle and active by accident. Clicking breaks idle bonuses.
• Spending Rubies on cosmetics or random boosts early. Save for Auto Clickers or Quick Ascension.
• Ignoring Mercenaries. They're free rewards.
• Not backing up saves. Export before changing platforms or versions.

Advanced Tips

• Use Energize + Dark Ritual + Reload for permanent DPS growth every run.
• Use a calculator for Ancient levels once you have many souls. Community calculators take your save and suggest levels.
• Let idle runs run overnight and do active bursts in the morning.
• Plan your Transcensions. Transcend when your next Transcendence would give a meaningful Ancient Soul gain.
• Gild your late-game carry hero. Move gilds when you unlock a better hero.
• Keep Kumawakamaru and Atman as priority utility Ancients for faster progress and more primal bosses.

FAQ

Is Clicker Heroes free? Yes. It's free to play on Steam, and Rubies are optional.

What's better, idle or active? Idle is best if you leave the game running. Active is faster when you're playing. Hybrid is common.

When should I Ascend for the first time? When your run slows down and the Hero Souls on offer would noticeably boost your Ancients.

What should I spend Rubies on? Auto Clickers for long-term value, or Quick Ascension once you're farming Rubies.

Can I play Clicker Heroes with a controller? Yes. Full controller support and Steam Deck support arrived on June 22, 2026.

Can I move my save between web and Steam? Yes, through Playsaurus account cloud saves (added June 2026). Export a backup first.

Is Clicker Heroes 2 the same game? No. Clicker Heroes 2 is a separate paid sequel.

Sources

• Clicker Heroes on Steam
• Clicker Heroes Steam news — June 2026 gamepad update, 2023 engine update, Clans 2.0, patches 1.0e10 and 1.0e11
• Clicker Heroes on Wikipedia