Arcana Cards are one of the most important power systems from Hades 2’s growing power of Melinoë. The cards are unlockable and wearable from the Altar of Ashes at the Crossroads, and all of them provide unique bonuses that set your playstyle per run. From buffing Magick recovery and sprint speed to providing Death Defiance or making Boons more rare, Arcana Cards set your playstyle.
Cards must be unlocked utilising resources such as Ash, Moon Dust, Pearls, Cinder, Wool, Tears, and other rare materials, and each card possesses a Grasp cost. Along the way, while you progress deeper into the Underworld, you will also unlock Awakening effects that allow you to link multiple cards together to create more complex builds.
Below is a full list of all Arcana Cards that can currently be found in Hades 2, including their description, effect, unlock requirement, and price.
Early Arcana Cards (I – VI)
The initial set of cards targets improving your fundamental combat skills and offering survivability in the early game.
- The Sorceress (I): Speeds up your Ω Moves by 35% or more at higher ranks. If you’re a heavy-charged attack user, it’s a must-choose.
- The Wayward Son (II): Refills Life when you exit an area, at first a small amount but growing to a maximum of 6 HP. This card carries you through longer sessions.
- The Huntress (III): Increases Attack and Special damage when Magick is not fully charged, a reward for playing aggressively.
- Eternity (IV): Gives you a brief delay to perform Ω Moves, offering greater control in tough fights.
- The Moon (V): Fills your Hex charge as if you were constantly using Magick once per second, ultimately causing cards nearby when Awakened.
- The Furies (VI): Boosts damage against barricaded foes in your Casts, making projectile builds more viable.
Utility and Survivability Cards (VII – XII)
This is a good mix of maximum resource increases, defensive elements, and movement enhancements.
Persistence (VII): Awards you both Max Life and Max Magick, with progressive upgrades as you rank it up.
- The Messenger (VIII): Increases your Casts and briefly makes you invulnerable, perfect for elusive players.
- The Unseen (IX): Refills a constant flow of Magick with the passage of time, up to 12 per second at max rank.
- Night (X): Provides a critical chance to Ω Combos, reaching an 18% chance for game-breaking burst potential.
- The Swift Runner (XI): Provides you with faster Sprint speed and the ability to phase through enemies, a great mobility option.
- Death (XII): Provides you with extra Death Defiance charges, up to +4, one of the best defensive cards in the game.
Growth and Progression Cards (XIII – XVIII)
They correspond more with long-term scaling up between runs and area progress.
- The Centaur (XIII): Grants bonus Max Life and Magick after traversing five areas, scaling decently in long runs. Its Awakening skill also corresponds with low Grasp cost cards.
- Origination (XIV): Boosts damage taken by enemies afflicted with at least two different Olympian curses, corresponding to boon-mixing builds.
- The Lovers (XV): Cancels damage that is coming in a specific number of times during Guardian fights, effectively a boss shield.
- The Enchantress (XVI): Grants Change of Fate, which can be used to reroll location rewards. Later ranks allow you to reroll more often.
- The Boatman (XVII): Provides extra Gold Crowns at the start of a run, helping with early shopping opportunities.
- The Artificer (XVIII): Enables you to upgrade minor breakthroughs to great ones, granting random but often very useful returns.
Boon-Focused Cards (XIX – XXIV)
These Arcana are meant to increase Boon quality and variety.
- Excellence (XIX): Increases the probability that Boons are Rare or better with escalating Legendary possibility at higher levels.
- The Queen (XX): Increases the probability of encountering Duo Boons, though it requires accurate deck-building because of its Awakening cap.
- The Fates (XXI): Provides some rerolls (Change of Fate) and has the ability to trigger all surrounding cards upon Awakening.
- The Champions (XXII): Similar to The Enchantress but dedicated to rerolling Boons and other important choices.
- Strength (XXIII): When you exhaust Death Defiance, you take reduced damage but deal more damage in return, promoting risk–reward play.
- Divinity (XXIV): Increases the chances of finding Epic Boons and can Awaken entire rows or columns of cards.
Late-Game and High-End Cards (XXV and onwards)
Judgment (XXV): Awakens a fixed number of randomly dormant Arcana Cards after defeating Guardians, essentially renewing your arsenal in the middle of a run. Under its cap, it can awaken six cards, but it possesses tight Awakening restrictions.
