Hades 2 Arcana cards are your ticket to helpful extra perks that can make runs smoother and less likely to end in sorrow. They're an essential part of Supergiant's sequel, though Hades 2's early access version doesn't explain some of the system's intricacies.
Our Hades 2 Arcana cards guide lays out what each card does, how to increase Grasp, and how to unlock new Arcana cards.
How to unlock Arcana cards in Hades 2
You unlock Arcana cards in stages. The first round unlocks automatically after you complete your initial run through the Underworld - that's the tutorial run. Once you arrive back in the Crossroads, speak with everyone, and make your way out again. Melinoe's altar is just outside the Crossroads' main area and has a big exclamation mark floating above, so you literally can't miss it.
The first round of Arcana cards is unlocked for you, but the rest of the deck remains enshrouded in darkness until you unlock new cards. Every card you turn over reveals another two cards adjacent to it, and once you flip the first small set of cards, the area widens and reveals even more.
Don’t expect to unlock them all with speed, though. Flipping cards costs ashes, a Minor Reward you can earn in Erebus and the Underworld’s other regions. Ashes look like mounds of cobwebs, but however un-ashlike they appear, they are, indeed, ashes. You get roughly five or so in rooms with ashes as a reward. There’s no guarantee how many rooms with ashes you might run into during any run, but if you run into a progress block and think additional perks might help, you shouldn’t hesitate to unlock new Arcana cards with them. There's (usually) pretty much nothing else you need them for anyway.
You can also spend bones to buy ash bundles from the Wretched Broker, a vendor who sets up shop in the Crossroads after you invite him via the cauldron.
Unlocking an Arcana card is just the first step. You need to activate it to receive its effects, and that costs Grasp.
How to increase Grasp in Hades 2
Equipping cards costs Grasp, and Melinoe only starts with 10 Grasp. You can spend Psyche – the green, liquid-looking resource you can find during runs – to increase her Grasp total. Other items, including Incantations and some goods the Wretched Broker sells, also cost Psyche, so think carefully before throwing your Psyche around.
Arcana card unlock exceptions
A small number of Arcana cards don’t cost grasp, but they do have special requirements you have to meet.
- Messenger: Activate at least three cards with the same Grasp value.
- Centaur: Activate at least one card with each Grasp cost (so, a card that costs one Grasp, a card that costs two Grasp, and so on up to a card that costs five Grasp).
- Queen: Activate no more than two cards with the same Grasp value.
- Seer: Activate the Fates, Champions, and Boatman cards.
- Divinity: Activate all cards in a row that doesn’t include Divinity.
- Judgment: Activate no more than three cards.
All Hades 2 Arcana cards and what they do
Hades 2 has 25 Arcana cards in total, each with different effects. Some buff your stats, while others give you a chance to change a location's rewards to something that suits you better.
| Card Number | Card Name | Cost in Ashes | Cost in Grasp | Card Effect |
| I | The Sorceress | 1 | 1 | Slows time for two seconds when you charge Omega moves. |
| II | The Wayward Son | 4 | 1 | Restore 2 HP when you leave a location or double that amount if your current HP is less than 30 percent of its max value. |
| III | The Huntress | 10 | 3 | Attack and special deal 30 percent more damage when your magic is less than 100 percent. |
| IV | Death | 13 | 3 | Omega moves have a three percent chance of dealing critical hits. |
| V | The Messenger | 20 | 0 | Gain a six percent chance to dodge. |
| VI | The Furies | 3 | 2 | Enemies in your Cast take 20 percent more damage. |
| VII | The Titan | 7 | 2 | Gain 20 HP and 20 magic. |
| VIII |
The Unseen |
20 | 5 | Restore two magic every second. |
| IX |
Night |
25 | 4 | Charge your Hex by two points every second. |
| X | The Lovers | 30 | 2 | Immune to damage the first time you're hit during a Guardian fight. |
| XI | The Swift Runner | 10 | 1 | You move 20 percent faster while sprinting. |
| XII | Eternity | 20 | 4 | Begin a run with one charge of Death Defiance. |
| XIII | The Centaur | 25, 1 Cinder | 0 | Gain three health and three magic after every five locations. |
| XIV | The Moon | 30 | 3 | Omega cast has +50 power when it deals damage. |
| XV | Strength | 35 | 5 | Deal 30 percent more damage and take 30 percent less damage when your health is 30 percent or less of its max value. |
| XVI | The Fates | 15 | 3 | Begin a run with one charge of Change of Fate. Fate lets you change the reward of a location. |
| XVII | The Boatman | 25 | 5 | Begin a run with 200 gold. |
| XVIII | Origin | 30 | 3 | Deal 25 percent more damage to enemies with at least two curse effects. |
| XIX | Excellence | 35 | 5 | Boons have a 30 percent chance of being Rare. |
| XX | The Queen | 40, 1 Tear | 0 | Boons have a six percent chance of being Duo Boons. |
| XXI | The Seer | 20, 1 Wool | 0 | Begin a run with two charges of Change of Fate. |
| XXII | Champions | 30 | 4 | Begin a run with one charge of Change of Fate. This charge lets you alter Boons. |
| XXIII | The Artificer | 20 | 6 | Begin a run with one chance to change a Minor Find to a Major Find. |
| XIV | Divinity | 40, 1 Golden Apple | 0 | Boons have a 10 percent chance of being Epic. |
| XV | Judgment | 50, 1 Zodiac Sand | 0 | Activate three inactive Arcana cards after you defeat a Guardian. |
If you're after more Hades 2 help, check out our Hades 2 beginner guide for some handy tips and tricks.
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