Arcana Cards are a crucial component of Hades 2, which is befitting, seeing as the game casts you as a literal witch.
Like Keepsakes (accessories), Arcana Cards grant you passive perks, based on how much grasp you have. Some cards boost your stats. Some are even more helpful, going so far as to revive you from death. Unlike Keepsakes, though, think of Arcana Cards more like a skill tree. As you unlock more cards, you’ll get access to even better cards.
Here’s how to unlock Arcana Cards in Hades 2, plus a list of all Arcana Cards and their abilities, along details about how to get more grasp.
How to unlock Arcana Cards with grasp in Hades 2
You can unlock Arcana Cards by interacting with the stone slab at the entrance of the room right before you embark on a run.
The primary resource for unlocking new Arcana Cards is ashes, a resource most commonly found as a reward for clearing encounters (the chambers with combat). Look for chambers marked by a gray flourish of sand.
Unlocking an Arcana Card for the first time will unveil the cards adjacent to it, expanding the number of cards you can unlock.
How to increase grasp and equip more Arcana Cards in Hades 2
Your grasp meter determines how many Arcana Cards you can equip at once. Each Arcana Card comes with a grasp cost, ranging from one to five, with the better cards typically associated with a higher grasp cost.
You start Hades 2 with 10 grasp. You can increase your grasp limit by spending psyche, also a resource that’s earned by clearing encounters. Look for the chambers with the little green will-o-wisp as a reward.
Some cards have no grasp cost and are instead activated by an “awakening” — whether or not you’re able to equip it is contingent on whether or not you’ve met a certain set of pre-requisites. We’ve noted such “awakenings” in the table below.
All Arcana Cards and abilities in Hades 2
There are 25 Arcana Cards in Hades 2. Each card is associated with a roman numeral. There are five rows, with five Arcana Cards per row; refer to the image above to see each card’s placement on the Arcana Card board.
Full Arcana Cards list in Hades 2
| Card number | Card name | Effect | Unlock cost | Grasp cost |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Card number | Card name | Effect | Unlock cost | Grasp cost |
| I | The Sorceress | Slows down time for 2 seconds while you channel Omega moves. | 1 Ash | 1 |
| II | The Wayward Son | Restore 2 health when you exit a chamber, or twice that if you’re below 30% health. | 3 Ash | 1 |
| III | The Huntress | When your magick meter isn’t full, your attacks and specials deal +30% damage. | 10 Ash | 3 |
| IV | Death | Your Omega moves have +3% chance to deal critical damage. | 15 Ash | 3 |
| V | The Messenger | You have +6% chance to dodge. | 20 Ash, 1 Pearl | 0, Awakening: Activate at least 3 cards that use the same amount of magick |
| VI | The Furies | Deal 20% more damage to foes with your cast. | 3 Ash | 2 |
| VII | The Titan | Gain +20 max health and +20 max magick. | 7 Ash | 2 |
| VIII | The Unseen | Restore 2 magick every second. | 20 Ash | 5 |
| IX | Night | Your Hex charges up automatically as though you used 2 magick every second. | 25 Ash | 4 |
| X | The Lovers | In fights against Guardians (area bosses), you take 0 damage the first time you are hit | 30 Ash | 2 |
| XI | The Swift Runner | You sprint 20% faster. | 10 Ash | 1 |
| XII | Eternity | Start each run with one Death Defiance (automatic revive). | 20 Ash | 4 |
| XIII | The Centaur | Every five chambers, gain +3 max health and +3 magick. | 25 Ash, 1 Cinder | 0, Awakening: Activate Cards that use 1 grasp through 5 grasp |
| XIV | The Moon | Your Omega cast has +50 power whenever it detonates. | 30 Ash | 3 |
| XV | Strength | While you have no more than 30% health, you take -30% damage and deal +30%. | 35 Ash | 5 |
| XVI | The Fates | Start each run with +1 Change of Fate (which allows you to alter rewards from each chamber). | 15 Ash | 3 |
| XVII | The Boatman | Start each run with 200 gold. | 25 Ash | 5 |
| XVIII | Origination | Deal +25% damage to foes afflicted with at least 2 curse effects. | 30 Ash | 3 |
| XIX | Excellence | Any boons you are offered have a +30% chance to be rare. | 35 Ash | 5 |
| XX | The Queen | Any boons you’re offered have a 6% chance to be a duo boon (whenever possible). | 40 Ash, 1 Tear | 0, Awakening: Activate no more than 2 cards that use the same amount of grasp |
| XXI | The Seer | Start each night with two Changes of Fate. | 20 Ash, 1 Wool | 0, Awakening: Activate each surrounding card |
| XXII | The Champions | Start each run with +1 Change of Fate (which allows you to alter boons). | 30 Ash | 4 |
| XXIII | The Artificer | Start each run with one chance to turn any Minor Find into a random Major Find. | 35 Ash | 6 |
| XXIV | Divinity | Any boons you’re offered have +10% chance to be epic. | 40 Ash, 1 Golden Apple | 0, Awakening: Activate all 5 cards in any other row |
| XXV | Judgement | After you defeat a Guardian (region boss), activate three inactive Arcana Cards. | 50 Ash, 1 Zodiac Sand | 0, Awakening: Activate no more than 3 cards. |
