Get the three confused and you'll either wipe yourself for nothing or sit on a stash the game is about to move for you. Here is what each one does, what resets, what stays, and when pulling the lever is worth it. Checked in the game on builds 0.4.0.148 and 0.4.0.156 (25 and 27 September 2026), against every developer Q&A Gaijin has published on the subject, and against the patch notes through 0.4.0.196 (16 October 2026).
So: you wipe yourself when you choose to, and the whole server moves together when Harmonization completes. Both keep more than a Tarkov wipe does.
It lives at the top of the Monolith. Gaijin's answer to "will you add a self-wipe" was "We already have a self-wipe option when you finish the Monolith progression." The door opens on what the September Q&A calls "the special Monolith scene," and you choose a permanent reward before you go through. That choice is final: "Not for now, so choose carefully before opening the door on the special Monolith scene itself!"
The two lists, from the Q&As, the FAQ and the 26 September patch notes.
Two things changed on 26 September. Update 0.4.0.156 "placed all equipped gear to a temporary stash after creating a new Personal Timeline," so what you're wearing survives the reset. And "items placed in the Shelter are kept in their original locations," so decorations stay put. The same note warns that weapons and equipment left there "could become just decorative items and unusable in loadouts," so wear what you want to fight with. Since 9 October the Personal Timeline creation window says so itself, and Gaijin's activity report from the same day adds that the list of starting Workshop recipes was expanded, so a fresh timeline can craft more from the start.
Because the game pays for it, four ways.
That percentage is Harmonization, and the April Q&A defines it: "Harmonization is a transformation" in which "the universe migrates from one phase to another." It rises as players create new timelines, and "When the bar hits 100%, the process completes and every player will be operating in the new universe." That is the community-wide wipe from the first quote, and it keeps the same list as a self-wipe: prestige, edition bonuses, CAM and what it bought.
The cadence, from the same Q&A: each cycle "is expected to last about three months," made up of "roughly one month of Harmonization followed by two months of stabilization," and "then the process repeats." Cycle 1 ended early because the system was reworked. Cycle 2, which the patch notes call the "250 Shades of Liberty" Cycle, began with the 15 September release, and our account read 21.7% on 27 September. It was still running on 9 October, when update 0.4.0.182 added a milestone reward for it: the AK-15SK's dedicated suppressor unlocks in the Monolith once the cycle reaches 80% Harmonization. So "about a month" is an estimate, not a timer.
Timing matters for rewards. "After Harmonization ends, the Agency will slightly reduce the rewards," the Q&A says, naming the Top Employee plaque and reduced Crystallised Active Matter amounts. Early harmonisers get more.
Merits are the seasonal currency, and the rules are strict.
What's in it: "consumables, unique decorations, Credits, and Monolith Tokens," which the notes call "everything you need to accelerate your push toward establishing your new Personal Timeline." The 9 October activity report lists Prime among the rewards too, and update 0.4.0.182 added three exclusive music tracks to it. Some of it is exclusive to the Protocol. In practice it's where leftover Merits go, and a reason to reach Delta before you wipe.
