Hades: How to Get Permanent Upgrades & Unlocks

Known for releasing the hit indie games Bastion, Transistor, and Pyre, Supergiant Games has finally pushed Hades out of early access, and it’s now available on PC and the Nintendo Switch. Unlike those aforementioned games, though, this is an action roguelite with heavy story elements. Here’s how you can get permanent upgrades and unlocks in Hades.

Permanent Upgrades and Unlocks in Hades

If you’re just getting started in Hades, things can be a little confusing and it’s not always clear which unlocks are permanent, and which ones you can lose upon death. We’re here to clear that up.

Essentially, anything that you purchase with gold coins is temporary, and any boons you get during a run will also be lost during death. This includes attack upgrades that you get from talking to a god during a run, as well as items that you purchase at Charon’s store.

Below, we’ve listed the items and upgrades that are permanent and will stay with you throughout all your runs:

• Cthonic Keys
• Nectar
• Gemstones
• Darkness
• Keepsakes
• Renovations
• Weapons
• Skills unlocked via the Mirror of Night with Darkness

Essentially, anything and everything that you unlock in between your runs back at the house are considered permanent upgrades that will persist through your runs in that save slot. During your runs, the only things that are permanent are Keys, Nectar, Gemstones, and Darkness.

These are resources that you can stock up to purchase more permanent upgrades at the house, and will make your future runs easier as you keep playing. Unlike most other roguelite games, Hades is actually pretty generous with the amount of stuff you get to keep when Zagreus dies, so you should be able to get through the game fairly easily the more you play.

That’s all you need to know about what the permanent upgrades and unlocks are in Hades. Be sure to search for Twinfinite for more tips and information on the game.