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. Note that all card values in the following table show the card’s lowest rank, and don’t factor in upgrades.
