Primordial Tap: All 18 Evolution Stages
Energy targets, trivia rewards and lore, from Primordial Ooze to Time-Traveler.
Primordial Tap is a ladder of 18 evolution stages. Each one opens when your total energy earned in the current run reaches its threshold. Spending energy on upgrades never sets you back, because the target counts everything you have earned rather than what you are holding. When you reach the next threshold, income pauses at the gate and the Evolve button appears. A short science trivia question then confirms the evolution.
The table below lists every stage with the energy it needs and how much bigger that target is than the one before it. Use it to plan how far your current upgrades will carry you. The numbers come straight from the game's balance data, so they match what you see in play.
Stage thresholds
| # | Stage | Energy to reach | vs. previous | Trivia auto-tap |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Primordial Ooze | Start | ||
| 2 | Protocell | 31.0K | +0.3/s | |
| 3 | Prokaryote | 740.0K | ×23.9 | +0.3/s |
| 4 | Eukaryote | 22.0M | ×29.7 | +0.3/s |
| 5 | Colonial Organism | 260.0M | ×11.8 | +0.3/s |
| 6 | Pre-Emergence | 2.6B | ×10.0 | +0.4/s |
| 7 | Aquatic Pioneer | 23.9B | ×9.2 | +0.4/s |
| 8 | Amphibian Ancestor | 220.1B | ×9.2 | +0.4/s |
| 9 | Terrestrial Explorer | 2.0T | ×9.2 | +0.4/s |
| 10 | Apex Lifeform | 18.6T | ×9.2 | +0.4/s |
| 11 | Pack Hunter | 171.3T | ×9.2 | +0.4/s |
| 12 | Clever Primate | 1.6Q | ×9.2 | +0.4/s |
| 13 | Tool-Maker | 14.5Q | ×9.2 | +0.4/s |
| 14 | Agrarian | 133.4Q | ×9.2 | +0.4/s |
| 15 | Industrial Revolution | 1.2Qi | ×9.2 | +0.4/s |
| 16 | Digital Age | 11.3Qi | ×9.2 | +0.4/s |
| 17 | Spacefarer | 103.9Qi | ×9.2 | +0.2/s |
| 18 | Time-Traveler | 955.9Qi | ×9.2 | +0.2/s |
| ✦ | Extinction (prestige) | 9.6Sx | ×10 |
Reading the ladder
- From Stage 7 on, each target is about ×9.2 the last. The first few jumps are bigger, but income grows fastest early on. Your income has to grow by the same factor every stage, and that growth comes from buying the new upgrades each stage unlocks. Evolving gives no free income boost on its own.
- The early stages are deliberately quick. Stage 2 needs only 31.0K energy. That gives you a first evolution within minutes and introduces the trivia gate early.
- Every correct gate adds permanent auto-taps. The rewards in the last column add up to 6.0 automatic taps per second by Stage 18. Your tap upgrades keep working even when you are not clicking.
- Extinction is the final target. After Stage 18, the run ends at 9.6Sx energy, ten times the last stage. Triggering Extinction converts the run into Evolutionary Echoes for the permanent Genetic Memory upgrades.
- Time away counts, within limits. If you close the game, it credits up to 4 hours at 50% of your passive and auto-tap income when you come back. That credit never carries you past an evolution gate.
Stage by stage
The lore line is what the game shows when you reach the stage. The fact is one of the “Did you know?” notes that rotate while you play it.
- 1. Primordial Ooze
- The beginning of all things. Raw energy swirls in the cosmic soup. The first organic molecules may have formed near volcanic vents. Talk about a hot start to life!
- 2. Protocell
- A membrane forms, separating self from other. Protocells are like bubbles with ambition – they're not quite alive, but they're trying!
- 3. Prokaryote
- Simple but resilient. The foundation of all complex life. Bacteria can survive in space, radiation, and even inside nuclear reactors. Ultimate survivors!
- 4. Eukaryote
- Complexity emerges. Organelles dance within. Mitochondria were once free-living bacteria that got 'eaten' but decided to stay. Best roommate ever!
- 5. Colonial Organism
- Cells unite with common purpose. Strength in numbers. Colonial organisms are basically cells that realized teamwork makes the dream work!
- 6. Pre-Emergence
- On the precipice of transformation. The water beckons. Before complex life emerged, Earth had its first mass extinction – the Great Oxygenation Event!
- 7. Aquatic Pioneer
- First true swimmer. The ocean is your domain. Fish have been around for about 500 million years. They've seen some serious stuff!
- 8. Amphibian Ancestor
- Between worlds. Both water and shore call to you. The first land-walking fish used their fins like legs. Tiktaalik was doing pushups 375 million years ago!
- 9. Terrestrial Explorer
- The land stretches endlessly. A new frontier awaits. The first limbs evolved not for walking, but for pushing through underwater vegetation!
- 10. Apex Lifeform
- Evolution's masterpiece. You stand at the pinnacle of life. Warm-bloodedness lets you be active at any temperature, but costs 10x more food. Expensive upgrade!
- 11. Pack Hunter
- Strength in unity. The pack moves as one mind, one purpose. Wolves can communicate with over 10 different vocalizations. They practically have their own language!
- 12. Clever Primate
- Curiosity awakens. Hands reach for understanding. Chimpanzees can learn sign language and communicate with humans. They've got about 350 words!
- 13. Tool-Maker
- Stone becomes extension of will. The first technology. The oldest known stone tools are 3.3 million years old. That's older than our genus Homo!
- 14. Agrarian
- Seeds of civilization planted. From wanderer to settler. Agriculture started independently in at least 11 different places worldwide. Great minds think alike!
- 15. Industrial Revolution
- Steam and steel reshape the world. The machine age dawns. The steam engine was so revolutionary that we measure car power in 'horsepower' to this day!
- 16. Digital Age
- Information flows like light. The world connects as one. The first computer bug was an actual bug - a moth stuck in a relay in 1947!
- 17. Spacefarer
- The stars beckon. Humanity reaches beyond its cradle. Voyager 1 is over 14 billion miles from Earth and still sending data. The ultimate road trip!
- 18. Time-Traveler
- Past, present, future - all are one. You have transcended time itself. Time actually moves slower near massive objects. GPS satellites have to account for this!
Tips for the trivia gates
The questions follow the science of the stage you are leaving. Reading the stage's facts while you play is the best preparation. A wrong answer does not end your run, because you simply try again. It does cost the 2-Echo bonus for a run with no wrong answers. The Genetic Memory upgrade Evolutionary Intuition removes one wrong option from every question in later runs. We don't publish the answers here, because the gates are part of the game.
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