Hades II has debuted in Steam Early Access, and it is. Sports Informer‘s next cover story (debuting on May 14). Whether you’re a returning fan or a newcomer, it may take a few runs to get your bearings as Heads II sports a new progression system, resources and new layers to existing mechanics. There can be a lot to dig into, given that the game more or less throws you into the deep end with no context for how things work, at least initially. Instead of spending several runs figuring things out, here’s a short, spoiler-free primer that explains some of the basic new features to get you off on the right foot.
What are ashes?
Ashes are the currency used to unlock Arcana cards. They serve the same purpose as the darkness from the first game. They often appear as a reward for completing a room, but you can also buy more from the Wretched Broker’s Shop.
What Are Arcana Cards, Gratitude, and Psychics?
These are unlocked character perks found at the Altar of Ashes in The Crossroads. Fans can match the Night Mirror from Hades 1. Examples of Arcana card effects include gaining two health points every time you exit a location or starting each race with 200 gold. Arcana cards require a certain amount of Ashes to be spent to obtain them (and some require additional resources). Cards use parts of your grip.
Grace of the Arcana (or grip for short) is a meter that tells how many Arcana cards a player can have active at once. Each Arcana card uses a certain number of Grasp bars. If the gross meter has 10 bars, equipping cards that use 5, 3, and 2 bars will max it out. If you are a fan of Transistor, this system is similar to managing functions in this game.
By spending a large amount of Psyche, another currency earned by completing rooms, you can increase your capture range. For example, instead of having only 10 bars, it might have 12 or 16. This way, you can activate more cards or use more powerful cards that consume a larger portion of Grasp.
What are purple bones?
This is another resource/currency called Ancient Bones. This is a reward for completing competitions and is primarily used to purchase resources from the Reached Broker shop.
How do I mine ore, fish, and forced colors?
During the run, you will find metal ores that will lead you to the mine. For example in the first area, Erebus, you will find stacks of silver crescent moons. Additionally, some shades prompt you to “force” them, and you’ll also encounter fishing holes.
In these situations one of the Hades II collective devices is required. Mining requires a pickaxe, fishing holes requires a corresponding wand, and great shades require a magic bullet. You get collectible tools in the Cauldron, but you’ll still need to trade certain resources to fully unlock them.
How does Calderon work?
There is a giant embroidery located in front of Hackett in Crossroads. This is where you’ll bring in the resources/currencies you collect during the run to perform “surprises” that are permanent upgrades to The Crossroads and general quality of life benefits.
For example, one inducement summons the evil broker, allowing him to set up shop permanently at the crossroads. Another opens the collective tools mentioned above. An anthem even allows you to see recipes for other tricks in the menu (before opening it, you can only see those recipes in the cauldron). One particular anthem is called Fated Intervention. Without spoiling, prefer opening it. It probably won’t have an immediate effect, so be patient.
A spell that becomes available early (that you should unlock as soon as possible) is called Inspiration of the Elements. This allows Melino to understand the underlying implications of the Olympian Prizes.
What are elemental associations?
Olympian bones now have one of the four elemental qualities associated with them: fire, water, air, and earth. After unlocking Divination of the Elements, you’ll see little icons that indicate each element on every blessing you come across. Demeter’s frost-based boons are usually (but not always) water types, while Hestia’s is fire.
Elemental affinity matters because there are now blessings that can only be used if you have enough bones of a certain elemental type. For example, you might need to get three wind-based bones in exchange for a powerful ability. This adds another layer of strategy to choosing rewards, as you’ll be torn between long-term investment or short-term power gains.
Hades II is available now in Early Access on Steam and in the Epic Games Store. Be sure to check out our Cover Story Hub below for exclusive Heads II stories and videos throughout the month.