One of the most unique aspects of Hades 2 is the Arcana Cards, and players will want to unlock as many of them as possible while increasing their Grasp to use them.
Arcana Cards are a novel way of introducing unique modifiers to each run in Hades 2. They’re also yet another thing to strive toward completing throughout the game’s already ludicrously long runtime. Fortunately, Arcana Cards are fairly straightforward and easy to unlock once you’ve mastered them. Below, we explain everything you need to know about them to get you started.
How to Unlock Arcana Cards in Hades 2
To unlock Arcana Cards, you must spend Ash at the Altar of Ashes in the Crossroads. You can earn Ash by clearing encounters that are marked by a gray tuft of sand. Alternatively, you can buy Ash from the Wretched Broker or from Charon’s shop.
Once you have enough Ash (and occasionally one other material), you can unlock the Arcana Card of your choice. After unlocking an Arcana Card, it will reveal the cards next to it, thus increasing your options of which to unlock next.
Image Credit – Destructoid
How to Increase Grasp in Hades 2
To increase your Grasp meter, you need to spend Psyche at the Altar of Ashes in the Crossroads. Click on the green wheel on the right-hand side to increase your Grasp. The first upgrade from 10 Grasp to 12 will cost 40 Psyche. Every upgrade after will cost an increasing amount. You’ll start with just 10 Grasp, which will allow you to use just a few Arcana cards. However, you can disable any you’re not fond of using to start using other ones if you keep running out of Grasp.
You can get more Psyche by completing encounters that have a green flame on the door. You can also get it by purchasing it from the Wretched Broker or by using the Tablet of Peace Gathering Tool on Lost Shades in certain locations. It’s worth noting that some Arcana Cards do not have a Grasp cost. Instead, they are activated by an “awakening”, which requires you to meet certain conditions in order to do. We’ve listed all of these in the table below.
All Arcana Cards in Hades 2
You can unlock 25 Arcana Cards in Hades 2. Each card has a corresponding Roman numeral from I to XXV. You can see a full list of the Arcana Cards on the Arcana Card Board. It is split into 5 rows with 5 cards per row. We’ve listed every card, its effect, unlock cost, and Grasp cost to use below.
| Arcana Card number | Arcana Card name | Effect | Cost to Unlock | Grasp Cost |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| I | The Sorceress | Time is slowed for 2 seconds while you channel Omega moves. | 1 Ash | 1 Grasp |
| II | The Wayward Son | You restore 2 health when leaving a chamber, or 4 if you are below 30% health. | 3 Ash | 1 Grasp |
| III | The Huntress | If your magick meter isn’t full, your attacks and specials deal +30% damage. | 10 Ash | 3 Grasp |
| IV | Death | Increases the chance your Omega moves deal critical damage by +3%. | 15 Ash | 3 Grasp |
| V | The Messenger | Increases your chance to dodge by +6%. | 20 Ash, 1 Pearl | Must be Awakened by activating at least 3 cards that use the same amount of magick |
| VI | The Furies | You will deal 20% more damage to foes with your cast. | 3 Ash | 2 Grasp |
| VII | The Titan | Increases your max health by 20 and your max magick by 20. | 7 Ash | 2 Grasp |
| VIII | The Unseen | You restore 2 magick every second. | 20 Ash | 5 Grasp |
| IX | Night | Your Hex will charge automatically as if you’ve used 2 magick every second. | 25 Ash | 4 Grasp |
| X | The Lovers | In fights against bosses, the first hit you take deals 0 damage. | 30 Ash | 2 Grasp |
| XI | The Swift Runner | Increases your sprint speed by 20%. | 10 Ash | 1 Grasp |
| XII | Eternity | You’ll start every run with one Death Defiance (a revive). | 20 Ash | 4 Grasp |
| XIII | The Centaur | After every five chambers, you gain 3 max health and 3 max magick. | 25 Ash, 1 Cinder | Must be Awakened by activating Cards that use 1 grasp through 5 Grasp |
| XIV | The Moon | Increases your Omega cast power by 50 when it detonates. | 30 Ash | 3 Grasp |
| XV | Strength | If your health is 30% or lower, you take 30% less damage and deal 30% more damage. | 35 Ash | 5 Grasp |
| XVI | The Fates | You start every run with +1 Change of Fate. | 15 Ash | 3 Grasp |
| XVII | The Boatman | You start every run with 200 gold. | 25 Ash | 5 Grasp |
| XVIII | Origination | You will deal 25% more damage to foes who are afflicted with at least 2 curse effects. | 30 Ash | 3 Grasp |
| XIX | Excellence | Increases the chance of getting a rare Boon by 30%. | 35 Ash | 5 Grasp |
| XX | The Queen | Increases the chance of getting a Duo Boon by 6%. | 40 Ash, 1 Tear | Must be Awakened by activating no more than 2 cards that use the same amount of Grasp |
| XXI | The Seer | You start every night with 2 Change of Fate. | 20 Ash, 1 Wool | Must be Awakened by activating each surrounding card |
| XXII | The Champions | You start every run with +1 Change of Fate. | 30 Ash | 4 Grasp |
| XXIII | The Artificer | You start every run with a chance to turn a Minor Find into a Major one. | 35 Ash | 6 Grasp |
| XXIV | Divinity | Increases the chance of getting an Epic Boon by 10%. | 40 Ash, 1 Golden Apple | Must be Awakened by activating all 5 cards in any other row |
| XXV | Judgement | After you defeat a boss, it will activate three inactive Arcana Cards. | 50 Ash, 1 Zodiac Sand | Must be Awakened by activating no more than 3 cards. |
That’s everything you need to know about Arcana Cards and increasing your Grasp in Hades 2. For more guides just like this one, be sure to check out our Guide Hub.