The Ascension feature sparked plenty of debate within the Cookie Run: Kingdom community before its official release, considering that many players felt it would give those who can afford to make in-app purchases an unfair advantage. It has been some time since then, and Ascension has become a mandatory requirement to get your team ready for the high ranks.
Soul Essence is a resource that players require to promote their Cookies beyond the 5 Star Soulstone Promotion, and this article lists several ways that the Cookie Run: Kingdom developers have provided to get it for free, making Ascension accessible to all.
Ascension is the final level of upgrades that you can perform on your Cookies. After a full 5 Star promotion is done for a particular character, you can use Soulcores and Soul Essence to Ascend your Cookies. Presently, there are five levels of Ascension, much like Soulstone Promotions. With each level, the Cookie's ATK, HP, and DEF is significantly boosted.
Soul Essence comes in four rarities, and you have to use the Essence of the same rarity as the Cookie that you want to ascend: Regular (for Common Cookies), Rare, Epic, and Legendary. The best and cheapest way to get your hands on different kinds of Soul Essence is through the World Exploration storyline in Cookie Run: Kingdom.
Completing certain stages in the Dark and Master mode will grant you an infinite free supply of Soul Essence, provided that you have an excess of Stamina Jellies. Stages in Dark mode will mostly offer Common and Rare Soul Essence, with a handful of stages offering Epic Soul Essence. The Master Mode rewards will exclusively contain Legendary Essence.
The gacha is also an avenue for Cookie Run: Kingdom players who already have 5 star promotions
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