Hi there fellow nauts'

So about prestige, I just unlocked the first rank (what an achievement, I know) and one thing it failed to mention anywhere that when you do so all your skill unlocks are wiped and you start at lvl1. Again, this is just a minor missfortune but I was somewhat * to start a new match and realise I have none of the skills unlocked. Meaby a notification on the option menu or something would be nice, also does the reset occur at every prestige lvl up?

Yes, for whatever reason it doesn't state this anywhere. But it should be pretty common knowledge what achieving a prestige level does.

It say's you'll lose item unlocks when you reach max level and have prestige turned on, it even gives you an option to opt out or accept...

It says you will very clearly right before you decide to prestige just pay attention. It's like signing a contract, anyone that isn't an idiot will read the fine print.

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R.I.P. Awesomenauts, 08/01/2012

For those new to Prestige it's why they ask you hold down the button so you don't press it by accident since it is not something you can go back on and, yes, losing your unlocks will happen every time.
It does say about the skills being locked again but you get to retain your characters and stages to practice on. If you're serious about getting to Prestige 10 I'd advise you stick on the default load-outs unless you really favor something later on if only for a limited time.
A lot of people will simply refuse Prestige because they do not want the challenge and/or favor the unlocked abilities and varieties too much to let them go.