Rebirth, Stardust and upgrades
Plan the next cycle with the exact keep/reset rules, practical upgrade choices and the difference between permanent power and temporary boosts.
Developer-maintained game guide · Reviewed
Campaign Rebirth unlocks after clearing Levels 1 and 2 in the current cycle. It awards Stardust, restarts at Level 1, sets coins to 100 and removes your three coin upgrades. Guns and campaign records stay. Each Stardust adds 8% permanent damage; read the full keep/reset table before confirming.
How Rebirth and Stardust work
This guide covers progression in the original Idle Cheeky Cat browser game. Open the Rebirth option from the battle upgrade area and read its confirmation panel. Rebirth is voluntary: reaching its requirement does not force a reset or prevent you from continuing the campaign.
The Campaign reward counts consecutive levels cleared from Level 1 during this Rebirth cycle. Once that count reaches two, the reward is the count multiplied by 1.5, rounded down. An unlocked late level is not proof that the earlier levels were cleared in this cycle. Replaying the same completed level several times also does not count it several times.
| Consecutive cycle clears | Stardust awarded | Added permanent damage |
|---|---|---|
| 2 | 3 | 24% |
| 3 | 4 | 32% |
| 4 | 6 | 48% |
| 5 | 7 | 56% |
| 10 | 15 | 120% |
| 27 | 40 | 320% |
For example, clearing Levels 1, 2 and 4 this cycle gives the same Rebirth reward as clearing only 1 and 2: Level 3 is the missing link. Clear it and the consecutive count becomes four. Your World map and the level reference help you plan the next run.
Endless has a different requirement: reach Area 3. Its reward is the current area minus one, multiplied by 1.5 and rounded down. Campaign and Endless retain separate run progress, but coins, upgrades, weapons and Stardust are shared. Check the active mode before confirming a reset.
Rebirth: what you keep and what resets
A reset removes the current mode’s run progress and its temporary buying power. It is not a complete save deletion. These are the specific changes made by the current Rebirth action.
| Progress | After Rebirth |
|---|---|
| Current run | Campaign returns to a fresh Level 1 run; Endless returns to Area 1. |
| Coins and coin upgrades | Coins become 100. Damage, Fire Rate and Coin Boost return to Level 0. The random-weapon purchase count resets. |
| Arsenal and automatic evolution | Weapons, their refinements, wreck score and claimed evolution milestones stay. Already-earned score rewards do not restart. |
| Stardust and lifetime totals | Existing Stardust stays and the new reward is added. Lifetime coins and the Rebirth count are retained; the latter increases by one. |
| Campaign history | Unlocked levels, clear records, best times and claimed first-clear/challenge rewards stay. The current-cycle clear list resets only when rebirthing in Campaign. |
| Medals and wardrobe | Medals remain supported by the retained campaign records. Your selected outfit stays. |
| Postcards | The separate postcard album is not changed by the Rebirth action. Its browser-storage limits still apply. |
Retained records also mean that already-paid first-clear and challenge rewards do not become payable again. Replays still earn ordinary destruction coins and can improve a best time. Your medal titles follow your historical clears, while Rebirth rewards follow the new cycle’s clears.
Which coin upgrade should you buy?
The three Boosts have different jobs. Start with the problem you can see in the next fight. Coins spent here are temporary across Rebirth, while a stronger Arsenal weapon is retained.
| Upgrade | First price | Effect | Practical use |
|---|---|---|---|
| Damage | 20 coins | +25% of base damage per level | Useful when targets take too long to break; also increases offline income. |
| Fire Rate | 35 coins | +8% of base core fire rate per level; the core rate caps at 35 bursts per second | Improves core power and firing cadence; each battle role has its own cadence cap. |
| Coin Boost | 25 coins | +15% of base breakable-object coin payout per level | Useful when you plan to keep smashing objects before the next reset. |
The core rate cap is separate from battle cadence: Spray fires at most 35 shots per second, Close at most 7 bursts, and Far at most 6 shots. Bomb keeps its six-second recharge. A Fire Rate boost can still improve shared core power even when a role has reached its cadence cap.
Later prices rise with each level, and each upgrade stops at Level 100. Damage bonuses add within their category: four Damage levels give a 2× damage multiplier, not four successive 25% multiplications. Stardust has its own multiplier. Three Stardust gives 1.24× damage; together with four Damage levels, that becomes 2 × 1.24 = 2.48× base damage before item-specific refinements.
Coin Boost applies to breakable-object payouts. It does not increase the fixed first-clear and challenge rewards, and it is absent from the offline-income formula. Buying it immediately before Rebirth gives little opportunity to earn back the cost unless more object smashing remains in your plan.
Before buying several boosts to solve awkward aim or poor range, check the four weapon loadouts. A different firing role may suit the formation. For permanent weapon progression, use the Arsenal merge and evolution guide; buying a weapon, merging and purchasing a coin upgrade are separate actions. The Legendary refinement ladder shows how many unrefined copies a same-core route takes from +1 to +5.
When is Rebirth worth doing?
There is no universal best level. Rebirth trades the coin upgrades you already bought for a permanent damage bonus. A small Stardust reward can still leave your immediate damage lower after expensive Damage and Fire Rate levels disappear. Read the offered reward, compare your current stats, and allow room to rebuild the temporary upgrades.
- Continue when the next level feels manageable. One more consecutive clear may raise the reward, unlock a new map and advance a medal target.
- Consider Rebirth when progress has slowed. Retained weapons help with early levels, and Stardust supports later cycles.
- Finish a nearly complete attempt first. Rebirth restarts that mode’s current run; it is not a way to heal while keeping its destroyed objects.
- Use the normal continue action after a defeat when appropriate. The defeat guide explains how that preserves the attempt, including elapsed challenge time.
A backup can preserve your game state before an intentional reset. Use Settings → Download save and the backup and restore page. The restore checklist explains how replacing a save affects later progress. A game backup does not include the separate postcard album. Browser storage and backups have specific limits, so “kept by Rebirth” does not mean “protected against clearing site data.”
Offline coins: the eight-hour cap
Offline income starts after at least one minute away and uses at most eight hours for each absence. The current calculation is elapsed seconds × 0.12 × (1 + Damage level × 0.25) × (1 + Stardust × 0.08), rounded down. With zero Damage upgrades and zero Stardust, one hour gives 432 coins and eight hours gives 3,456.
This is a coin reward, not simulated combat. Waiting does not clear campaign maps, defeat bosses or open the daily postcard. Check the welcome-back reward when you return. Because Damage upgrades reset during Rebirth, the offline rate can change even though your total Stardust increased.
Rebirth and upgrade FAQ
Can I keep repeating Level 2 for more Stardust?
Each level counts once within the cycle. Extend the consecutive sequence from Level 1 to increase the offered reward, or begin another cycle through Rebirth.
Does Rebirth erase my best times or medals?
The Rebirth action retains campaign records and unlocked levels. Medals are derived from those records, so their earned titles remain available.
Does each Stardust multiply damage by another 1.08?
No. The Stardust damage multiplier is 1 + total Stardust × 0.08. Ten Stardust means an 80% bonus, or 1.8×, before other damage modifiers.