Earn the tier that
puts you in their room.
Social proximity is a reward. Students begin in a small cluster of intellectual peers at their level. As mastery deepens, consistency compounds, and output demonstrates genuine excellence, their social reach expands. At the highest tiers, they are in contact with the most intellectually advanced students in the global cohort.
The apex is an address: a seat among the cohort's best.
Six tiers. One way up.
The cohort is organized into six Ascent Tiers. Within each tier, students are grouped into clusters of five, the primary unit of unrestricted social access. You climb by learning.
- 06
Apex
The global top tier; rarest skill combinations, highest sustained excellence.
Cluster of 5 · visible to all tiers as aspirational profiles
- 05
Vanguard
Exceptional and consistent; multiple Legendary nodes, high cognitive agility.
Free access to your cluster of 5
- 04
Trailblazers
Significant mastery depth; first Legendary node approaching.
Free access to your cluster of 5
- 03
Pathfinders
Aria is hereMultiple domains engaged; Consistency Index building.
Free access to your cluster of 5
Ascent Score 612 Trailblazers at 720 - 02
Scouts
Early mastery established; first Fortified nodes emerging.
Free access to your cluster of 5
- 01
Wayfarers
Opening tier; all new students begin here.
Free access to your cluster of 5
You may view the profile of any student up to two tiers above your own, at no cost.
You may open a message thread with a student one tier above, subject to their opt-in.
Contact stays closed at any Lumen balance. They must climb. “You're a Pathfinder. To reach Vanguard students directly, you need to become one.”
One number, four disciplines.
Every student has a continuously updated Ascent Score, a composite metric that determines their current tier placement. It is recalculated weekly and visible to the student and their parents.
Mastery Depth 35%
Weighted average of node levels; Legendary counts exponentially more than Claimed.
Cognitive Agility 25%
Cross-domain synthesis, belief revision, and novel hypotheses, evaluated monthly.
Consistency Index 25%
Streaks and session regularity over a rolling 90-day window.
Output Quality 15%
Dispatches, Conclave contributions and peer exchange depth.
Peers see only the resulting tier badge; the score itself, like Lumen balances, is private. What your peers see is the standing you have earned through your own work.
Consistency compounds.
The Consistency Index rewards sustained engagement over time rather than single bursts of effort. Aria is on day 34 of her current streak, with her grace day unused this week.
Each seven-day period includes one grace day: a missed session that leaves the streak intact. Grace days reset weekly and do not accumulate.
If a streak breaks beyond the grace day, the Consistency Index declines gradually; a week of absence leaves a year of consistency largely intact. The tutor acknowledges the return:
“You've been away. Let's not talk about that. Let's just go.”
The light that lifts the fog.
Lumens are the digital currency of MindMade, named for the light that lifts fog of war on the World Map. They are earned exclusively through learning activity. Aria holds 1,435 of them.
Lumens cannot be purchased with real money under any circumstances. This is a hard constraint built into the product itself. The meritocracy of curiosity requires that currency reflect effort alone.
Earning
| Event | Lumens |
|---|---|
| Session completed (any length) | 10 |
| Session exceeding 45 minutes | +5 |
| Mastery node unlocked · Claimed | 25 |
| Node advanced · Fortified | 60 |
| Node advanced · Legendary | 150 |
| 7-day streak milestone | 75 |
| 30-day streak milestone | 250 |
| 100-day streak milestone | 750 |
| 365-day streak milestone | 2,500 |
| Ascent Tier advancement | 200 |
| Dispatch posted to World View | 15 |
| Cohort challenge completed | 100 |
| Collaborative territory contribution | 80 |
| Seasonal Event participation | 120–300 |
Spending
World Map cosmetics
variesBiome themes, landmark skins for Legendary nodes, fog-of-war reveal animations.
Explorer's Journal styling
variesCovers and cosmetic personalisation of the Journal.
Tier Peek
50View the full profile of one student exactly one tier above you, on a view-only basis.
Conclave founding fee
100The founding fee marks the commitment that creating a new Conclave requires.
Dispatch Spotlight
30Feature a Dispatch more prominently for 24 hours.
Seasonal early access
200Enter a Seasonal territory 48 hours before the cohort.
Cross-tier message thread
150Open a thread with a student one tier above, subject to their opt-in.
Lumens do not expire, are never shared, and stay invisible to peers.
“Something happened this week. Your work has been seen. You've moved up.”
The tutor, in session: a genuine moment, delivered in person.
Advancement triggers when the Ascent Score crosses the next threshold. It is posted to the World View feed, opt-in, and earns 200 Lumens. Regression is possible but gradual: a 30-day grace window, one tier at a time.
“You're close to Vanguard. I've seen what it takes, and you have it.”
The ladder is architecture. The voice beside you on it is Maya.