This Ancient Leveling Guide helps you make those choices without guessing. You’ll learn how Ancients work, which ones to level for idle or active play, and why some upgrades matter more than others. We’ll also cover a simple plan for your first Transcendence and show you how to use an Ancient calculator when the numbers get too large to track by hand.
In Clicker Heroes, earning Hero Souls feels great. Deciding how to spend them can be harder. Should you boost idle damage, buy more gold bonuses, or save your souls for later?
You don’t need a perfect build to make progress. You just need to spend Hero Souls on bonuses that solve your next problem.
What Are Ancients in Clicker Heroes?
Ancients are special upgrades that help you deal damage, earn gold, use skills, and clear zones. Unlike normal heroes, you don’t buy them with gold. You summon and level Ancients with Hero Souls.
How Ancients Work
Each Ancient improves a different part of the game. Siyalatas raises your idle damage. Mammon boosts gold from monsters. Juggernaut rewards a steady click combo.
The best results often come from bonuses that work together. More damage helps you defeat monsters, but extra gold helps you buy the hero levels needed to keep going. If one falls behind, your progress can slow.
How to Unlock and Summon Ancients
The Ancients tab becomes available after you hire Amenhotep. Once you have spendable Hero Souls, open the tab and select Summon Ancient. The game offers a choice of Ancients. You can also reroll the choices at a cost.
Summoning more Ancients costs more Hero Souls, so don’t rush to collect them all on your first few Ascensions. Buy the ones that support your build first.
How Ancient Levels Help You Progress
Leveling an Ancient makes its bonus stronger. The right upgrade can help when you can’t beat a boss, can’t afford your next hero, or spend too long clearing each zone. But Ancient levels have different costs. Buying the next level of one Ancient may help less than spending those souls elsewhere.
Ancients vs. Outsiders
| Feature | Ancients | Outsiders |
|---|---|---|
| Upgrade currency | Hero Souls | Ancient Souls |
| Main role | Damage, gold, skills, and zone progress | Long-term Transcendence bonuses |
| After Ascension | Levels stay | Levels stay |
| After Transcendence | Ancients are reset | Outsider levels stay |
For the second system, see our Outsider Leveling Guide.
How to Level Ancients in Clicker Heroes
This Ancient Leveling Guide starts with the upgrade process. Buying levels takes only a few clicks, but choosing when to spend Hero Souls takes more thought.
Step 1: Earn Hero Souls
You can also earn Hero Souls through mercenary quests. Open the Mercenaries tab, select Start Quest, and choose a quest that offers Hero Souls. Once the timer ends, collect your reward. The amount you earn depends on the quest.
Not every mercenary quest gives the same value. Some Hero Soul quests are short and give a smaller reward, while others take longer and give more. Compare the reward with the quest time so you can choose the option that fits your progress and play schedule.
Defeat Primal Bosses and build up Hero Souls for your next Ascension. Early in the game, your total hero levels also add some Hero Souls. When you Ascend, you collect the souls waiting for you and start a new run with your Ancients still in place.
Step 2: Open the Ancients Tab
Find an Ancient you own and check its next upgrade cost. If the bonus fits your build, buy a few levels and see how it affects your progress.
Step 3: Use Bulk Leveling When Needed
On supported PC versions, you can buy many levels at once. For a custom amount, hold V and click the Ancient’s level-up button. Enter the number of levels you want to add, then confirm. Check the total cost first, especially when working with large numbers.
Step 4: Keep an Eye on Unspent Hero Souls
Unspent Hero Souls also raise your damage. Each one adds a 10% bonus to DPS under the game’s standard Hero Soul mechanic. That means spending your whole balance may not be the best move early on.
For a pre-Transcendence idle build, a useful beginner rule is to keep unspent Hero Souls equal to the square of your main Ancients’ level. If your four main Ancients are around level 10, keep about 100 Hero Souls aside.
This is a starting rule, not a rule for every stage of the game. After Transcendence, calculators can give better advice based on your build and Outsider bonuses.
Step 5: Upgrade the Bonus You Need
Ask one question before each large purchase:
What’s stopping me from reaching the next zone?
- If bosses are too strong, improve damage.
- If heroes cost too much, raise gold income.
- If zones take too long to clear, look at support Ancients.
Spending with a goal beats leveling an Ancient just because you can.
Best Ancients to Level First in Clicker Heroes
The best Clicker Heroes Ancients depend on how you play. This Ancient Leveling Guide groups early picks by playstyle, so you can focus on bonuses you’ll use.
Best Early Ancients for Idle Play
- Siyalatas boosts DPS while you’re idle. This helps your heroes defeat monsters without constant clicks.
- Libertas raises gold earned while idle. Pair it with Siyalatas so your damage and income grow together.
- Mammon increases gold from monsters. It helps both idle and active builds buy hero upgrades.
- Mimzee increases the gold you get from Treasure Chests. This adds another source of income as you move through zones.
For a new idle player, these four make a clear starting group. You can add more Ancients after your first Transcendence.
Best Ancients for Active Clicking
Fragsworth boosts click damage. Bhaal improves critical click damage. Juggernaut boosts damage as you build a click combo.
These Ancients work best when you click often or use the game’s Auto Clickers to keep a combo going. If you rarely click monsters, don’t make them your main investment.
Useful Ancients for Faster Progress
Atman raises the chance of finding Primal Bosses, which can help you earn Hero Souls. Kumawakamaru lowers the number of monsters you need to defeat per zone. Both become useful as you push farther.
Here’s a quick way to compare them:
| Ancient | What it improves | Best fit |
|---|---|---|
| Siyalatas | Idle DPS | Idle, hybrid |
| Libertas | Idle gold | Idle, hybrid |
| Mammon | Gold income | All builds |
| Mimzee | Treasure Chest gold | All builds |
| Fragsworth | Click damage | Active, hybrid |
| Bhaal | Critical click damage | Active, hybrid |
| Juggernaut | Click combo damage | Active, hybrid |
| Atman | Primal Boss chance | Progression support |
| Kumawakamaru | Monsters needed per zone | Progression support |
This is a playstyle guide, not a fixed Ancient tier list. The best order changes as you earn more Hero Souls.
Ancient Leveling Guide for Beginners
If you haven’t Transcended yet, keep your plan simple. You don’t need every Ancient to reach your first major reset.
Which Ancient Should You Summon First?
For idle play, aim to get Siyalatas, Libertas, Mammon, and Mimzee. Siyalatas helps with damage, while the other three support your gold income. You may need to choose from the Ancients offered or pay to reroll them.
How High Should You Level Them?
Try to keep those four Ancients at about the same level. You don’t need an exact target like level 20 or 50. Instead, add levels as you gain Hero Souls and check whether you can reach new zones.
For example, if all four are level 10, the beginner square rule suggests keeping around 100 Hero Souls unspent. When they’re around level 20, that becomes roughly 400.
When Should You Buy More Ancients?
Before your first Transcendence, four well-leveled Ancients are usually enough for a basic idle strategy. Buying many others can leave you short on souls for the bonuses you use most.
When Should You Transcend?
Your first Transcendence unlocks at zone 300. Once you reach it, moving into Transcendence is usually better than spending a long time trying to perfect your first Ancient setup.
The key lesson: build for the stage you’re in. Your Ancient plan will change after that reset.
Best Ancient Leveling Strategy for Idle Builds
The idle strategy in this Ancient Leveling Guide is built around steady damage and gold. It works best when you don’t click monsters, since clicking can turn off idle bonuses until the idle state returns.
Focus on Damage and Gold Together
Start with Siyalatas for damage and Libertas for idle gold. Then level Mammon and Mimzee so you can afford stronger heroes. A big damage bonus won’t help much if you can’t buy the next useful upgrade.
Here’s a simple test. If monsters fall quickly but your next hero level is too expensive, add gold upgrades. If you have plenty of gold but can’t defeat the boss, focus on damage.
Should You Level Nogardnit?
Nogardnit gives an idle DPS bonus for each unassigned in-game Auto Clicker you own. It’s not a general bonus for everyone.
If you don’t own in-game Auto Clickers, Nogardnit gives you no useful benefit from that effect. If you own several and leave some unassigned, it becomes a more interesting choice. Don’t confuse these with a separate clicking app.
When Should You Try Hybrid Play?
Once you have a larger Hero Soul budget and some Auto Clickers, a hybrid build may help you push farther. It lets you use idle bonuses during quiet periods and switch to active clicking when needed.
Until then, a focused idle build is often easier to manage.
Best Ancient Leveling Strategy for Active Builds
The active strategy in this Ancient Leveling Guide focuses on click damage, critical hits, and combos. It can be strong, but it needs steady clicks to get full value.
Start With Fragsworth, Bhaal, and Juggernaut
Fragsworth boosts each click. Bhaal makes critical clicks hit harder. Juggernaut rewards a long chain of clicks. These effects support one another instead of doing the same job.
If you use in-game Auto Clickers on monsters, they can help you keep a combo going. If you click by hand, your results depend more on how often you play.
Don’t Forget Gold
More click damage won’t fix a lack of gold. Mammon and Mimzee still help you afford heroes and keep your run moving.
Also, active clicking and idle bonuses don’t run at full strength together. If you’re clicking monsters often, don’t count on Siyalatas or Libertas to carry your active damage and income.
Add Skill Ancients Later
Skill Ancients can help once your main build is in good shape. For example, Vaagur reduces skill cooldowns, while Chawedo extends Clickstorm. These can be helpful, but they shouldn’t replace your core damage and gold upgrades.
Hybrid Ancient Leveling Guide
A hybrid build mixes idle and active play. You might leave the game idle for a while, then return to click through a tough boss.
Which Ancients Work in a Hybrid Build?
A hybrid setup uses Siyalatas and Libertas for idle periods, plus Fragsworth, Bhaal, and Juggernaut for active play. Mammon and Mimzee support both sides with more gold.
You don’t have to split Hero Souls evenly. If you spend most of your time idle, give that side more attention. If you often push zones with clicks, spend more on active damage.
When Is Hybrid Worth It?
Hybrid play becomes easier to fund after Transcendence, when you can earn far more Hero Souls. You can then support both sets of Ancients without spreading a small budget too thin.
| Playstyle | Main strength | Main trade-off |
|---|---|---|
| Idle | Easy to manage with little clicking | Monster clicks can stop idle bonuses |
| Active | Strong click damage and combos | Needs clicks or in-game Auto Clickers |
| Hybrid | Lets you switch between both | Costs more Hero Souls to support both |
When you use a calculator, choose Hybrid only if it matches the way you play. Some tools let you adjust the balance between click and idle damage.
Ancient Leveling Costs and Hero Soul Formulas
This Ancient Leveling Guide also covers upgrade costs. Ancients follow different cost patterns, so equal levels aren’t always the best goal.
Three Common Cost Patterns
The cost of the next Ancient level can follow rules like these:
| Cost pattern | Example | What it means |
|---|---|---|
| Linear: n | Siyalatas, Libertas | The cost rises with the next level number |
| Power: n1.5 | Juggernaut, Nogardnit | Costs rise faster than a straight line |
| Exponential: 2n | Atman | Costs rise sharply with each added level |
Here, n means the level you’re buying. For instance, under a linear n cost, buying level 10 costs 10 Hero Souls before any applicable discounts. This is the cost of one level, not the total spent to reach level 10.
Some Ancients also have bonus limits or special rules. Chor’gorloth, an Outsider, can lower Ancient upgrade costs after Transcendence. That’s why a simple formula may not match your actual in-game price later on.
How to Compare Upgrades
Ask how much progress the next purchase gives you for its price. A small gold boost may be better than a costly damage level if gold is your main problem. At a different stage, the reverse may be true.
You can read the exact Ancient effects and cost patterns on the Clicker Heroes Wiki’s Ancients page. For a full build, a calculator is easier than doing every cost by hand.
How to Use a Clicker Heroes Ancient Calculator
As Hero Soul totals grow, it gets harder to compare upgrades on your own. Use an Ancient calculator alongside this Ancient Leveling Guide to see which levels may be worth buying next.
Choose a Calculator That Fits Your Version
The Clicker Heroes Ancients Calculator at clickerheroes.dev lets you import a save and choose a build. It shows current levels, target levels, changes, and Hero Soul costs. It also has settings for your best hero and reserved souls.
The GraceofLives Ancient Calculator is another known community tool. Its site identifies it as a v1.0e10 calculator and advises using it after Transcendence. Check its version support before relying on it for a newer save.
Follow These Steps
- Back up your save using the game’s export or save option.
- Open your chosen calculator and paste or upload the save in its input area.
- Pick Idle, Active, or Hybrid to match your actual playstyle.
- Check the Hero Soul budget and any settings for your hero, Outsiders, or reserved souls.
- Read the suggested changes, not just the final Ancient levels.
- Apply upgrades carefully in the game, using the V-click shortcut if supported.
Don’t import a modified save without understanding what changed. A backup is especially important if a tool offers an automatic leveling or save-editing feature.
Ancient Leveling Before and After Transcendence
Your best Ancient strategy changes once you reach zone 300 and unlock Transcendence.
Before Your First Transcendence
Keep the four early idle Ancients—Siyalatas, Libertas, Mammon, and Mimzee—close in level. Use the square-of-level Hero Soul reserve as a simple beginner guide. Your goal is to reach the Transcendence milestone, not build a perfect set of Ancients.
After Your First Transcendence
Transcending removes your Ancients and Hero Souls, but gives you access to Ancient Souls and Outsiders for long-term gains. You’ll rebuild your Ancient setup in later Ascensions.
At this stage, your build can become more specialized. Idle players may prioritize Libertas, Siyalatas, and Nogardnit if they own Auto Clickers. Active players may start with Juggernaut, Bhaal, and Fragsworth.
As your budget grows, Atman, Kumawakamaru, and other support Ancients become easier to afford. A calculator becomes useful here because your Outsider bonuses can change which upgrades offer the best value.
Learn more in How to Spend Ancient Souls in Clicker Heroes and our Outsider Leveling Guide.
When Should You Recalculate?
Check your build after a new Transcendence, a big increase in Hero Souls, a change in playstyle, or the purchase of in-game Auto Clickers. You don’t need a new calculation after every small upgrade.
Common Ancient Leveling Mistakes to Avoid
Most Ancient mistakes come from spending without a clear goal. Here’s what to watch for:
| Mistake | Why it slows you down | Better approach |
|---|---|---|
| Spending everything on one Ancient | Damage or gold falls behind | Build around a few useful bonuses |
| Ignoring gold Ancients | You can’t afford hero upgrades | Balance damage with gold income |
| Using idle bonuses for constant clicking | Idle effects turn off | Match Ancients to how you play |
| Leveling Nogardnit without Auto Clickers | Its special bonus won’t help | Buy it when you can use its effect |
| Following an old tier list exactly | Your game stage may be different | Check your version and build |
| Using the wrong calculator settings | Suggested levels may not fit | Check the save, build, and soul budget |
One more mistake is using Ancient Respec for a small error. A normal Ancient respec returns only 75% of the Hero Souls you spent on Ancients. If you only bought a few wrong levels, earning more souls is often easier. Read our Ancient Respec guide before resetting your build.
Advanced Tips for Faster Ancient Leveling
Once your basic setup works, this Ancient Leveling Guide can help you improve each Ascension. Small changes to your routine can save time.
Ascend When Progress Slows
If bosses take too long and you’re far from your next useful hero upgrade, compare another long push with a fresh Ascension. A shorter run that earns a good amount of Hero Souls can be more useful than staying stuck.
Speed Up Zone Clearing
Kumawakamaru reduces the monsters needed per zone. That can save time on long runs. Atman helps with Primal Boss encounters, while gold Ancients help fund your hero levels. Their value rises or falls based on what’s holding you back.
Keep Gilds in Mind
Gilds raise the damage of selected heroes. As your strongest hero changes, the best place for your gilds may change too. Don’t spend a large part of your early Hero Soul budget moving them around, though. Focus on your main build first.
Make Large Upgrades Easier
Use bulk leveling or V-click rather than buying one level at a time. After a major Ascension, update your calculator settings and review the biggest suggested changes. There’s no need to adjust every Ancient after every zone.
Frequently Asked Questions About Ancient Leveling
What is the best Ancient to level first in Clicker Heroes?
For a new idle player, Siyalatas is a strong choice because it increases idle damage. Libertas is also useful for gold. For an active build, Fragsworth, Bhaal, and Juggernaut are more relevant.
How do you level Ancients quickly?
Earn Hero Souls through Ascensions, then spend them on Ancients that support your build. Use bulk leveling or V-click to save time. A calculator can help once your Hero Soul totals grow.
Should I spend all my Hero Souls on Ancients?
Not by default. Unspent Hero Souls add damage, so saving some is useful in early play. The best reserve changes after Transcendence, when your Ancient and Outsider bonuses become more complex.
What are the best Ancients for idle builds?
Start with Siyalatas, Libertas, Mammon, and Mimzee. Later, Nogardnit can help if you own unassigned in-game Auto Clickers. Keep damage and gold bonuses working together.
What are the best Ancients for active builds?
Fragsworth, Bhaal, and Juggernaut help with click damage, critical clicks, and combos. Mammon and Mimzee support gold income. Skill Ancients can be added after the main build is working.
Is there an Ancient leveling calculator for Clicker Heroes?
Yes. The clickerheroes.dev Ancient calculator can suggest levels using your save and playstyle. GraceofLives is another community option, but check its supported game version first.
Do Ancient levels reset after Transcendence?
Yes. Transcendence removes your Ancients and Hero Souls. You then earn Hero Souls and rebuild your Ancients through later Ascensions. Outsider levels are part of your longer-term progress.
How often should I upgrade my Ancients?
Usually after an Ascension gives you enough Hero Souls to make useful purchases. Review your build again when you hit a new wall, switch playstyles, or reach a major Transcendence milestone.
Should I level all Ancients equally?
No. Level the Ancients that matter to your build. Keeping four early idle Ancients near the same level is a beginner strategy, not a rule for every Ancient in the game.
What is the difference between Ancients and Outsiders?
Ancients use Hero Souls and boost your current build. Outsiders use Ancient Souls and improve long-term Transcendence progress. Ancients reset when you Transcend, but Outsider levels stay.
Conclusion: Spend Hero Souls With a Plan
The best Ancient setup isn’t the one with the most levels. As this Ancient Leveling Guide shows, it’s the one that helps you get past your next obstacle.
If you’re new to Clicker Heroes, start with a small idle build and keep damage and gold upgrades in balance. If you prefer clicking, focus on Fragsworth, Bhaal, and Juggernaut. After your first Transcendence, use a calculator to adjust your plan as your Hero Soul income grows.
Most of all, don’t buy levels just because they’re available. Check what slows you down, spend on the bonus that helps, and review your build as the game changes.
For more ideas, read our Top Ancients Picks in Clicker Heroes guide.
