So, currently we don't have to complete all levels to ascend. We just need to beat Europe Huge to ascend.

Today, I clicked ascend just before I finished the Afroeurasia level. After I actually finished the level, I realized that all levels up to Afroeurasia are unlocked, as if I've used a bunch of skip levels after ascension to play Afroeurasia directly.

So if your goal is to ascend as much as possible, maybe you can just restart Europe Huge each time before you click ascend. In that case you only need to play one level per ascension.

And if you have enough AP so that you can complete Europe Huge consistently within 24 hours, ascending once per day is totally possible!

Not sure if this works. I finished Europe Huge yesterday and ascended but all levels were locked again.

When the update was installed, I also suddenly had all levels unlocked (I was doing Scandinavia at this time and didn't use any skip level powers), so maybe it's a one time thing?

Edit: I just read that you restarted Europe Huge before clicking Ascend, will try this out

Edited 9/3/2021 10:43:46

what you are talking about is a game bug that was fixed.

Edited 9/3/2021 10:43:02

@Shin
Oh I see so it's a bug. Well, it wasn't fixed at the moment when I made the post, which was yesterday.

@Mathematician
i was talking about the other bug, which was that you got every level by updating.

@Shin

Ohhh you were replying to Olja. Sorry.

@Mathematician
You were right, if you restart Europe Huge before clicking Ascend, you can start there right again and have all levels unlocked (without any skip powers or advancements) - i.e. ascend again and again from this level without completing the other levels.

I tried the same with Hardened Europe Huge and it works similarly, i.e. you can resume this level after ascending, however, the other levels remain locked. So after completing Hardened EU, you have to start from scratch again / beat the other levels before ascension is possible.

The Hard levels don't really count towards any unlocks, they are effectively sideroads off the main path. So while HEH may appear to be the final level, it's actually just a sideroad off of EH which is the true final map on the main path, albeit finishing it unlocks HEH, making it the final level you can play.

So what is the optimal ascension? (note OPTIMAL, not quickest). I would certainly think skipping Trisk would be good since it is a righteous PITA b/c of the anti-JS factor, it always gives me more hassle than the other levels in the vicinity.

So maybe like this:
Ascend, pay 100AP
Play China, Afro, USA, EU
Play all Hard levels
Repeat?

Or is it even shorter than that?

Yeah Triskelion sucks. I'd say EU and EU Hardened currently give the best payoff (in terms of AP/active time) per ascension. But as I'll run out off powers soon (from the hardened EU level), I will probably replay the other hardened levels (but Trisk), too, before ascending.

Edited 9/11/2021 05:09:20

I'm still stuck in AD1045

I play basically any level with over 1400 AP (except the triskelions), restart Europe Huge, then ascend again when it's close to done. The skip levels are still nice but not necessary. I am about to ascend for the 9th time.

@ JZ braggart :)

just to clarify, the way i do this is to -

1. complete eu huge
2. start another level
3. ascend
4. finish that level
5. all levles up to that level will now be unlocked upon ascension

is this how it works?

Ascend while you're still playing EU Huge (i.e. don't finish it yet).

You can resume EU Huge at the same point where you left it before ascension. Once you complete EU Huge (after ascension), all other levels will unlock.

@riskboy
Yes this is how it works.

@Olja
There's no ascend button before completing EH though.

Oh right, you've got to start EUH a second time (after beating it before) to make it work like I described it.

Wait, i noticed in Mathematicians video

https://youtu.be/2dts87Xsa3w

he completed Scandinavia after finishing all levles, and all levels were unlocked. shouldnt levels up to scandinavia be unlocked rather than all?

@riskboy

I have the advancement Can Skipped Levels 10.

So after I completed Scandinavia, all levels before are unlocked, and the 11 levels after Scandinavia are unlocked as well (which happens to include all levels).