Synergism Beginner Guide: Mastering the Incremental Journey

Introduction to Synergism

Synergism is a deep and strategic idle/incremental game where the main goal is to achieve the largest possible numbers through exponential growth [2, 4]. Developed since July 2019 and publicly released on May 1, 2020, it features a highly layered system with multiple currencies, prestige mechanics, challenges, and complex resource management [4, 10, 13]. The game emphasizes the interaction and synergy between its numerous resources and mechanics, steadily unfolding new content as players progress [4, 10, 13].

The First Steps: Coins, Accelerators, and Multipliers

Your journey in Synergism begins with a modest 100 coins [13, 14]. The initial gameplay loop is straightforward: you use coins to buy buildings, which in turn generate more coins [2, 7]. You can hire your first worker for 100 coins [13, 14]. As you accumulate coins, you will gain access to Accelerators and Multipliers [10]. Accelerators function by adding to coin production, while Multipliers boost coin production multiplicatively [7]. Upgrades can enhance production speed, multiplier strength, or unlock entirely new mechanics [4].

Prestige: Unlocking Diamonds and Crystals

Prestige marks the first major reset tier in Synergism [1, 7]. You can perform a Prestige once you have accumulated 1e16 coins [1, 7]. This action resets your Coin Producers/Upgrades, Crystals, and Diamonds, but in return, you gain Diamonds and unlock features associated with them [1, 7]. Diamonds are then used to purchase Diamond buildings, which constitute the second tier of upgrades [1]. These Diamond buildings produce Crystals, a resource that provides a multiplicative boost to your coin production [1, 7]. Crystals can also be spent on Crystal upgrades to further enhance their effects [1, 7].

Accelerator Boosts and Runes

Accelerator boosts serve as an intermediate progression tier between Prestige and Transcension [1]. Performing an Accelerator Boost resets Coin Producers/Upgrades, Crystals, and Diamonds to increase the power of your accelerators [1]. Each subsequent Accelerator Boost requires you to have reached a higher amount of diamonds than the previous one [1].

Runes are another feature unlocked upon your first Prestige [1]. They consume Offerings, a currency you will acquire from every reset tier leading up to Ascension [1]. The initial rune available is the Speed Rune, which provides bonuses to Accelerators and Accelerator Boosts [1].

Transcension: Introducing Mythos and Challenges

Transcension is the second major reset layer in Synergism [7]. You can proceed with a Transcendence after collecting 1e100 coins [7]. This reset is more significant, as it clears not only coin resources but also diamond resources [7]. In exchange, you gain a new resource called "Mythos" [7]. Mythos allows you to purchase Mythos buildings that generate Mythos Shards, which in turn boost your accelerators [7]. Several upgrades can also be bought with Mythos [7]. Transcension also unlocks Challenges 1-5 [7].

Reincarnation: Particles, Obtainium, and Research

Reincarnation is the third major reset layer, becoming available after you collect 1e300 Mythos Shards [7]. This action resets all resources from previous layers and grants you Particles and Obtainium [7]. Particles are used to buy particle buildings and upgrades [7]. Particle buildings produce atoms, which then boost coin, diamond, and mythical buildings [7]. Obtainium is a crucial resource for purchasing "research" upgrades [7]. Research upgrades with a white border are reset with each higher reincarnation, while those with a red border are permanently maintained [7].

Understanding Challenges

Challenges are a core gameplay mechanic that introduces specific restrictions or altered rules to a run [4, 6]. Successfully completing a challenge provides a permanent boost to your main game progression [6]. Challenges are unlocked progressively with different prestige layers: Challenges 1-5 unlock shards, Challenges 6-10 unlock particles, and Challenges 11-14 unlock ants [7]. Completing Challenge 10 each ascension is necessary to gain Wow! Tesseracts [14, 16].

Advanced Mechanics: Corruptions

Corruptions are a later-game mechanic that act as challenge run selectors, allowing players to increase the difficulty of the game [6, 12]. They introduce nerfs to the scaling of various gameplay elements, such as multiplier/accelerator effects or rune experience gain [6]. While making the game harder, Corruptions provide stacking multipliers to your Ascension Score, which ultimately leads to more Ascension resources per reset [6]. The effects of Corruptions start small but become increasingly detrimental at higher levels [6]. Some corruptions, like "Viscosity" and "Dough," have particularly extreme scaling [7, 12]. Notably, the corruption that nerfs coins is considered one of the weakest due to the game's layered bonus system, whereas nerfing diamonds (the next layer up) can have a much more significant impact on coin production [12]. Corruptions affecting runes, obtainium, and ants can influence many aspects of the game simultaneously [12]. It's often recommended to consult guides or Discord communities for basic builds when dealing with Corruptions due to their complexity [12, 8].

Essential Tips for New Players

Strategic Resets: Timing your resets strategically is crucial for maximizing long-term growth and efficiency [4]. Each reset layer offers stronger permanent bonuses that accelerate future runs [4].

Layered Progression: Focus on unlocking and developing multiple tiers of currencies and upgrades, as they build upon one another to create exponential growth [4].

Achievements: Earn achievements, as they provide valuable multipliers, bonuses, and long-term benefits to your progression [4, 6].

Explore Challenges: Engage with the challenge system early, as completing these special runs provides significant rewards and helps master game systems [4, 10].

Daily Quarks: Utilize daily actions to gain Quarks, a resource that can be spent on various upgrades [6, 14].

Embrace Exploration: Synergism's progression system heavily favors exploration and experimentation, so don't feel pressured to find a