Arcana cards are one of the more important permanent progression features in Hades 2. There are a lot of ways that Melinoe gets stronger between each run, but the cards address some of her most basic stats like health and magic. You can only hold so many based on your Grasp, but there is a way to extend this.
How to expand your Grasp in Hades 2
To improve your Grasp you need Psyche, which is the green-blue splash that you get from certain encounters or buy from the merchant in the Crossroads. There are often times when you need to choose between Psyche and Ashes, so you have to consider when you need more Grasp and when you want to buy more Arcana.
To actually get more Grasp, you need to go to the Altar of Ashes, which is also where you buy more Arcana. This is the spot directly in the path between the two areas of the Crossroads. It’s an arch surrounded by candles with paper hanging from it.
When you’re in the Arcana menu, instead of simply choosing a card from the array offered, you need to move the cursor all the way to the right until you highlight the spot with Melinoe’s portrait. This will show you the cost of your next Grasp upgrade, as well as how much Grasp you have and how much is used by your hand of Arcana. This starts out rather cheap, but quickly grows in Psyche price as you rank up.
Even if you don’t prioritize it, Psyche will build up in your inventory simply because it’s sometimes the only available route. Keep checking the Altar of Ashes for when you can upgrade, and eventually, you’ll be able to hold a sizeable deck of Arcana.
