Into The Depths Prestige Guide: How to Reset & Earn Rewards

What Is Prestige in Into The Depths?

Prestige is a core endgame mechanic in Into The Depths that allows you to reset your colony progress in exchange for powerful permanent bonuses. After reaching certain milestones — typically after establishing a stable settlement in the deeper caverns — you can trigger a prestige run. This resets your buildings, resources, and research, but you retain prestige points and select upgrades that carry over to your next attempt.

The system is designed to encourage replayability. Each prestige cycle makes your subsequent runs faster and more efficient, letting you push deeper into the underground world. Unlike a simple restart, prestige rewards you with unique currency and unlocks that are otherwise unobtainable in a single playthrough.

Prestige is not mandatory for completing the main story, but it is essential for players aiming to conquer the most challenging biomes and defeat late-game bosses. If you are looking to fully experience everything Into The Depths has to offer, understanding the prestige loop is critical.

For a refresher on core mechanics, check our Mechanics Guide.

How to Unlock Prestige

Before you can prestige, you must meet specific in-game requirements. These conditions ensure you have enough experience with the colony simulation to handle the reset.

• Reach Depth Level 10: You need to have explored and colonized at least down to Depth 10. This typically takes 8–12 hours of gameplay on a first run.
• Build a Prestige Altar: Craft the Prestige Altar in your settlement. The recipe requires 500 Stone, 200 Wood, and 50 Crystal Shards. The altar is found under the "Special" tab in the build menu.
• Complete the "Call of the Depths" Quest: This quest triggers automatically after Depth 10. It asks you to gather 1000 units of Dark Essence from elite enemies in the caverns. Once turned in at the altar, prestige becomes available.
• No Active Threats: Your colony must not be under attack. Clear all nearby enemy camps before activating the reset.

Once these are done, interact with the Prestige Altar and confirm your choice. You will see a summary of what carries over and what is lost.

What Carries Over and What Is Lost

Understanding the trade-off is crucial to planning your prestige strategy. Here is a clear breakdown:

Carries Over:

• Prestige Points (PP): The main currency earned from prestiging. Spend these in the Prestige Tree.
• Unlocked Prestige Upgrades: Any permanent upgrades you purchased with PP remain active.
• Character Cosmetics: Skins and titles earned during the run are kept.
• Achievement Progress: All achievements tied to your Steam account persist.

Lost on Reset:

• All buildings, resources, and stored items.
• Character levels and skill points (except those granted by prestige upgrades).
• Research progress and unlocked technologies.
• Map exploration data and discovered cave entrances.
• Active quests and story progress.

The loss may seem steep, but each prestige run becomes faster because of the permanent upgrades you buy. Most players find that by prestige 3, they can reach Depth 10 in under two hours.

Prestige Points and the Prestige Tree

Prestige Points (PP) are awarded based on the depth you reached and the total wealth of your colony at the time of reset. The formula is:

PP Earned = (Depth Reached × 10) + (Total Colony Value ÷ 1000)

For example, reaching Depth 15 with a colony value of 50,000 yields (15 × 10) + (50,000 ÷ 1000) = 150 + 50 = 200 PP.

Spend these points in the Prestige Tree, which offers the following permanent upgrades:

Upgrade Name	Cost (PP)	Effect
Deeper Roots I	50	Start with +10 max population
Efficient Mining I	75	All mining speed +15%
Sturdy Walls I	60	Building HP +20%
Dark Adaptation I	100	Reduce torch/light decay by 25%
Resourceful Start I	40	Begin each run with 100 extra wood and stone
Veteran Settlers I	120	Starting colonists have +1 to all stats

You can purchase each upgrade multiple times (up to tier 5), with costs increasing per tier. Prioritize Efficient Mining and Resourceful Start early, as they accelerate the early game significantly.

Tips for Efficient Prestige Runs

To maximize your prestige gains and minimize frustration, follow these strategies:

• Focus on Colony Value: Buildings, decorations, and high-tier resources all contribute to colony value. Before prestiging, spend excess resources on constructing value-generating structures like Crystal Refineries or Gold Statues.
• Use the Prestige Altar Early: Do not hoard PP. Spend them immediately on upgrades that shorten your next run. The faster you cycle, the more PP you accumulate over time.
• Plan Your Build Order: With Resourceful Start unlocked, you can skip gathering basic wood and stone. Rush a research bench and a barracks to defend against early threats.
• Save Dark Essence: Elite enemies drop Dark Essence, which is used for the prestige quest. If you kill them during exploration, store the essence at your base. This prevents a last-minute farming session.
• Check Enemy Spawns: After prestige, enemy camps respawn. Use the map to locate and clear them early. Refer to our Enemy Types guide for weaknesses.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I prestige more than once? Yes, you can prestige an unlimited number of times. Each cycle increases your permanent power, allowing you to reach deeper depths.

Is there a penalty for prestiging too early? No penalty, but you earn fewer PP. It is generally better to push at least one depth level beyond the unlock requirement.

Do prestige upgrades affect all future runs? Yes, all purchased upgrades are permanent and apply to every new colony you start.

Can I lose prestige points? No, PP are never lost. You keep all unspent points and can use them in subsequent runs.

What is the maximum prestige level? There is no hard cap. However, upgrade tiers stop at level 5, meaning the tree is fully maxed after around 15–20 prestige cycles.

For more advanced strategies, see our Progression Guide and Endgame Guide.