How Does Changing the Era (Prestige) Work in Idle Games?

Changing the era is TapDynasty's name for what idle games usually call prestige: you voluntarily reset your whole civilisation — Manpower, buildings and dynasty all back to zero — and in return you keep a permanent reward that makes every future run stronger. It sounds counter-intuitive to throw away progress, but it's the mechanic that gives idle games their long tail.

In TapDynasty the permanent reward is Mandate (天命). The number you earn follows a square-root curve: doubling your Mandate takes roughly four times the Manpower, so spamming quick resets is a bad deal and a single bigger run is always the smarter play. Each Mandate adds a permanent +2% to your global output, so after a few change-eras your early game flies by.

When should you change the era? The rule of thumb is: when progress stalls — the next upgrade is minutes away instead of seconds — and you'd gain a meaningful amount of Mandate. Early on, your first change-era tends to land around the 30–40 minute mark; after that, each run gets noticeably shorter because your permanent multiplier compounds.

Changing the era also unlocks a permanent upgrade tree ("Statecraft" 治国之道) where you spend Mandate on lasting perks: stronger taps (劝课农桑), more global output (富国强兵), a bigger offline cap (仓廪充盈), or starting a fresh run with the first few dynasties already unlocked (承前启后). That meta-layer is what turns a single clicker session into a game you come back to for days.

Quick tips

Don't change the era the instant you can — wait until your run stalls and you'd bank a worthwhile amount of Mandate.
Because Mandate scales with the square root of Manpower, one big run beats several small ones.
Spend early Mandate on permanent output and cheaper-building upgrades to speed up every future run.
The "start with N dynasties unlocked" (承前启后) upgrade is great for players who like fast restarts.

Frequently asked questions

What does changing the era do in TapDynasty?

It resets your current run (Manpower, buildings, dynasty) in exchange for permanent Mandate that boosts the output of every future run.

When should I change the era for the first time?

Change the era when your run stalls — when the next upgrade is minutes rather than seconds away — and you'd earn a meaningful amount of Mandate. The first change-era typically lands around 30–40 minutes in.

Do I lose my Mandate when I change the era again?

No. Mandate and the permanent Statecraft upgrades you buy with it are kept forever. Only the current run's Manpower, buildings and dynasty reset.

Change your first era in TapDynasty →