This guide offers the fastest ways to fulfill the requirements for the three ascensions, and a unique method for the Sensation ascension involving the sacrifice of your lover.

As a "speedrun" guide, the content below has many spoilers and nooks and crannies in the game, requiring our reader to know the mechanics reasonably well. New players please check the other guides around here before consulting this guide.

An Example: Power Ascension with its 36 Forge requirement

The endgame condition for the base game Cultist Simulator is to ascend as an immortal, and the paths of ascension correspond to three Temptations/Desires, namely Enlightenment, Power, and Sensation, basically three routes to finish the game.
Each of the Desires also has a corresponding aspect - Lantern for Enlightenment, Forge for Power, and Grail for Sensation.
In order to ascend, you need to perform a Rite with your Desire slotted, and to make sure everything else slotted for the Rite has a total of 36 corresponding aspects.

Upgrading the Temptations to Desires is pretty straightforward: Enlightenment and Sensation require prisoners, and Power requires Funds.
Therefore, our goal for the ascension is to gather everything that can reach 36 Forge, Grail, or Lantern in the fastest ways possible.

Let us work backward from 36:

• Most of the Rites have three slots, picking three from the following five: Assistant, Ingredient, Influence, Lore, and Tool. This means we need to reach 36 aspects within three slots.
  
  • The only exception is Rite Intercalate, which has five slots for all five. However, this Rite can only come online in the very late game (hidden in level 14 Secret History Vaults), so we will not consider it here.
• Simple mathematics tells us 36/3=12. Then the key to our solution is to collect Assistant, Ingredient, Influence, Lore, or Tool of at least level 12 Forge, Grail, or Lantern.
  
• The first issue is Influence. There is no level 12 Influence, only level 15; and level 15 Grail and Lantern Influences are locked behind the Peacock Door. Level 15 Forge Influence can be found at the Spider's Door, which is much more accessible.
  
  • There are only two ways to open the Peacock Door and farm the Influences - 1. open the Door with the Wildering Mirror/Watchman's Glass, which needs to be repaired after each use; and 2. with the Frangiclave, which can open the Door repeatedly, but you need to pick it up from a level 14 Vault. The latter is known as the Frangiclave Grind or Christabel Grind and the process can be frustrating.
    
  • As a result, we cannot really consider getting level 15 Grail/Lantern Influences for reaching the 36.
• High-level Tools suffer the same problem as Influence. Most of the level 12+ Tools are located in level 12+ Vaults.
  
• Luckily, level 12 Lores and Ingredients are much easier to find. They will be our primary components for a fast run.
  
• The Rites that accept Ingredients, the Rite of the Crow's Quenching and the Rite of the Mother's Mercy, can also be found in mid-level Vaults.
  
• Level 12 Assistants are also easy to come by - the three high-level summons in the game, King Crucible, Ezeem, and Teresa, have 12 Forge, 12 Grail, and 12 Lantern, respectively. Just summon them.

Now we have the answer: To plan a fast run, we need to find the shortest path to get level 12 Lores, Ingredients, and summons.


As for the cult, the founding aspect of your cult does not need to march the aspect of your ascending Desire.
To support our ascension, these cults are recommended:

• Unflinching Order (Forge). Their Exalted Followers can earn Funds through Cult Business, and are very effective in expeditions.
  
• Order of the Bloody Cup (Grail). Their Exalted Followers can kidnap prisoners, which synergizes well with the Enlightenment/Sensation ascension.
  
• Church of the Bright Edge (Edge). Their Exalted Followers can deal with police and enemies effectively.
  
• Society of St Hydra (Secret Histories). Much easier to upgrade your Followers. This cult does not have Exalted Followers, but you are likely using summons to do the job anyway. Summons are much better than Followers.
  
• Society of the Holy Wound (Knock). Although summons are way better, there aren't any high-level Knock summons, and sometimes you do need Knock to deal with expeditions. This cult can provide level 10 Knock Exalted Followers.

Most of the other cults should also work.
Do NOT choose the Mirror of Glory (Lantern) cult. Lantern Followers are replaceable in almost every way.

The aim is to reach 36 Forge in the Rite of the Crow's Quenching - 10 Forge Lore, 15 Forge Influence, and 12 Forge Ingredient (a total of 37 Forge).

1. Preparation

• Learn Greek and Latin through buying books or learning from the Patrons.
  
• Buy "STUMM!" from Oriflamme's Auction House. Study it and get the Sunset Rite.
  
• Upgrade a 5 Knock Follower, using 2 Knock Lore + 6 Knock Influence (from exploring Streets Strange by Moonlight).
  
• Draw Secret Histories Lore from Mansus. Draw 2 SH and 6 SH Lores, and combine some of them into 8 SH Lores.

2. Vault Expedition

• Study SH Lores to find Vaults. Only these Vaults are needed: Strathcoyne's Residence (2 SH), the Vanderschaaf Collection (6 SH), and the Kusnetsov Endowment (8 SH).
  
• Strathcoyne's Residence (needs Moth/Grail/Edge) = "Journal of Alessandro LaCroce" (in Latin) = Scholar: Fu cine
  
• Vanderschaaf Collection (needs Forge/Knock, Winter/Heart) = "The Geminiad" (in Fu cine) = 8 Grail Lore, Rite of the Crow's Quenching
  
• Kusnetsov Endowment (needs Lantern/Forge, Lantern/Knock, Moth/Grail/Edge) = "The Burning Woman" (in Phrygian)

3. 10 Forge Lore

• Summon Ezeem
  
• Sunset Rite: 5 Knock Follower + 8 Grail Lore + Restlessness = Ezeem
  
• Learn Phrygian from Ezeem
  
• Study "The Burning Woman" = 10 Forge Lore

4. Upgrade the Desire

5. 12 Forge Ingredient

• Spider's Door + prisoner = Malleary
  
• Repeat, try draw Iotic Essence (12 Forege Ingredient) from Malleary
  
• Malleary has a 4 cards draw pile, you are guaranteed to get it within 4 tries (before the pile refreshes)

6. 15 Forge Influence

• Spider's Door + prisoner = Malleary
  
• Repeat, try draw 15 Forge Influence
  
• Malleary has a 4 cards draw pile, you are guaranteed to get it within 4 tries (before the pile refreshes)

7. Ascend

• Rite of the Crow's Quenching: 10 Forge Lore + 15 Forge Influence + Iotic Essence + Desire

This run is based on the easy access to Iotic Essence and 15 Forge Influence (aka farming the Spider's Door).
This run has very low randomness, and does not require much time management. The only downside is expedition hazards.
It is also the overall fastest and easiest run for the base game, due to the Power Desire only requires Funds to upgrade, rather than prisoners.
If you summoned King Crucible (12 Forge), you can also use Rite of the Mother's Mercy (12 Forge Lore + King Crucible + Iotic Essence) to ascend.

The aim is to reach 36 Grail in the Rite of the Mother's Mercy - 12 Grail Assistant, 12 Grail Lore, and 12 Grail Ingredient (a total of 36 Grail).

1. Preparation

• Learn Greek and Latin through buying books or learning from the Patrons.
  
• (Optional) Buy "STUMM!" from Oriflamme's Auction House. Study it and get the Sunset Rite.
  
• Upgrade a 5 Knock Follower, using 2 Knock Lore + 6 Knock Influence (from exploring Streets Strange by Moonlight).
  
• Draw Secret Histories Lore from Mansus. Draw 2 SH and 6 SH Lores, and combine some of them into 8 SH Lores.

2. Vault Expedition

• Study SH Lores to find Vaults. Only these Vaults are needed: Strathcoyne's Residence (2 SH), Grunewald's Permanent Circus (8 SH), and Voivode's Citadel (8 SH).
  
• Strathcoyne's Residence (needs Moth/Grail/Edge) = "Journal of Alessandro LaCroce" (in Latin) = Scholar: Fu cine
  
• Grunewald's Permanent Circus (needs Moth/Grail/Edge, Lantern/Moth) = Writhing Caul (12 Grail Ingredient)
  
• Voivode's Citadel (needs Lantern/Knock, Edge/Winter) = "Twenty-Six Enticements, Seven Torments" (in Fu cine) - 10 Grail Lore; "The Gospel of Zacchaeus" (in Greek) - Rite of the Mother's Mercy; "A Catalogue of Uncharted Pleasures" (in Phrygian)

3. Upgrade the Desire

4. Summon Ezeem (12 Grail)

• Rite of the Mother's Mercy: 5 Knock Follower + 10 Grail Lore + Bronze Spintria (4 Forge)
  
• Or use Sunset Rite as above

5. 12 Grail Lore

• Learn Phrygian from Ezeem
  
• Study "A Catalogue of Uncharted Pleasures" = 10 Grail Lore
  
• 10 Grail Lore + 10 Grail Lore = 12 Grail Lore

6. Ascend

• Rite of the Mother's Mercy: Ezeem + 12 Grail Lore + Writhing Caul + Desire

This run is based on the easy access to Writhing Caul.
It is among the few Sensation Ascension paths that do not require the Frangiclave Grind.
The downside is that upgrading the Desire requires prisoners, and the overall process needs proper time management - once you combine the 10 Grail Lores into 12, it would be much harder to summon Ezeem again, unless going on further expeditions.

The aim is to reach 36 Lantern in the Rite of the Mother's Mercy - 12 Lantern Assistant, 12 Lantern Lore, and 12 Lantern Ingredient (a total of 36 Grail).

1. Preparation

• Learn Greek and Latin through buying books or learning from the Patrons.
  
• Buy "STUMM!" from Oriflamme's Auction House. Study it and get the Sunset Rite.
  
• Upgrade a 5 Knock Follower, using 2 Knock Lore + 6 Knock Influence (from exploring Streets Strange by Moonlight).
  
• Draw Secret Histories Lore from Mansus. Draw 2 SH and 6 SH Lores, and combine some of them into 8 SH Lores.
  
• Spend 1 Iron Spintria and learn Aramaic from Dr. Ibn al-Adim.

2. Vault Expedition

• Study SH Lores to find Vaults. Only these Vaults are needed: Strathcoyne's Residence (2 SH), Chateau Raveline (6 SH), Cave of Candles (8 SH), and Voivode's Citadel (8 SH).
  
• Strathcoyne's Residence (needs Moth/Grail/Edge) = "Journal of Alessandro LaCroce" (in Latin) = Scholar: Fu cine
  
• Chateau Raveline (needs Lantern/Knock, Lantern/Heart) = "The High Mysteries of the Innermost..." (in Fu cine) = 10 Lantern Lore
  
• Cave of Candles (needs Winter/Forge, Edge/Knock) = Ichor Vitreous (12 Lantern Ingredient); "The Sky, the Soul" (in Aramaic) - 10 Lantern Lore
  
• Voivode's Citadel (needs Lantern/Knock, Edge/Winter) = "The Gospel of Zacchaeus" (in Greek) = Rite of the Mother's Mercy

3. Upgrade the Desire

4. Summon Teresa (12 Lantern)

• Sunset Rite: 5 Knock Follower + 10 Lantern Lore + Fleeting Reminiscence
  
• You can reliably get Fleeting Reminiscence by putting Dread and Contentment into Dreaming

5. 12 Lantern Lore

• 10 Lantern Lore + 10 Lantern Lore = 12 Lantern Lore

6. Ascend

• Rite of the Mother's Mercy: Teresa + 12 Lantern Lore + Ichor Vitreous + Desire

This run is based on the easy access to Ichor Vitreous.
It is among the few Enlightenment Ascension paths that do not require the Frangiclave Grind.
The downside is that upgrading the Desire requires prisoners, a bit more expedition hazards, and the overall process needs proper time management - once you combine the 10 Lantern Lores into 12, it would be much harder to summon Teresa again, unless going on further expeditions.

An Example: Sensation Ascension with a Lover and 27 Grail requirement

You can slot your Lover as Assistant or Victim when ascending with the Sensation Desire. By doing this, the ascension requirement will be lowered from 36 to 27.

• This is because the corresponding Hour, the Red Grail, also sacrificed her lover (the Thunderskin) once.
  
• If your cult is the Order of the Bloody Cup (Grail) and your lover is an Exalted, the Lover will have 11 Grail, thus further lowering the requirement to 16.
  
• The Assistant for the ascension will always be consumed, even if the Rite does not normally sacrifice them. As a result, you cannot get Lover-related achievements when doing this run.

16 Grail requirement means we need to have a 10+6 or 8+8 combination. The process will be as below:

• Done basic preparations
  
• Found Order of the Bloody Cup (Grail) as your cult
  
• 6 Grail Ingredient
  
  • The Silver Spintria has 6 Grail
• 8 Grail Tool
  
  • Expedition: Cater & Hero Limited (1 SH, needs Lantern/Forge) = Vital Pigment (4 Grail Ingredient)
    
  • Paint with Passion, Grail Lore, and Vital Pigment, will create an artwork named "The Red Grail", which has 8 Grail
• 8 Grail Lore
  
  • Learn Latin
    
  • Expedition: Strathcoyne's Residence (2 SH, needs Moth/Grail/Edge) = "Journal of Alessandro LaCroce" (in Latin) = Scholar: Fu cine
    
  • Expedition: Vanderschaaf Collection (6 SH, needs Forge/Knock, Winter/Heart) = "The Geminiad" (in Fu cine) = 8 Grail Lore
• 10 Grail Lore
  
  • Expedition: Voivode's Citadel (needs Lantern/Knock, Edge/Winter) = "Twenty-Six Enticements, Seven Torments" (in Fu cine) = 10 Grail Lore
• 8 Grail Influence
  
  • Stag Door = Ascent of Knives = 6 Grail Influence
    
  • 6 Grail Influence + 6 Grail Influence = 8 Grail Influence
• 10 Grail Influence
  
  • Spider's Door = 10 Grail Influence
• 11 Grail Lover
  
  • Talk: Believer Lover (3 Grail) + 4 Grail Lore + Restlessness = Disciple Lover (5 Grail)
    
  • Talk: Disciple Lover + 8 Grail Lore + 8 Grail Influence/Tool = Exalted Lover (11 Grail)

Several ascension ritual examples

• Sunset Rite: 8 Grail Influence + 11 Grail Lover + 8 Grail Lore + Desire
  
• Rite of the Mother's Mercy: 11 Grail Lover + 10 Grail Lore + Silver Spintria + Desire
  
• Rite of the Crucible Soul: 8 Grail Lore + 11 Grail Lover + Painting "The Red Grail" + Desire
  
• etc.

Sacrificing your Lover can lower the ascension requirement significantly, at the cost of farming Influence and abandon the Lover-related achievements. This run is not that a "speed"run, but it is still miles better than the Peacock Door grinds.

This guide is a translation of my other guide on the same "speedrun" topic but written in Chinese.
When researching for my other guide, I consulted a lot of English resources, so eventually I decided to share the same guide with the English community as well.
In case you would like to see the original guide, please check below:
https://steamproxy.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3027552390