The Underworld awaits you as you take on the role of Melinoë to fight your adversaries in Hades 2. The game’s world is filled with hostile enemies and dangerous elements that will give you a hard time. So, you must be strong enough to brave through these adversities and complete your objectives in the game. The best way to become stronger is by activating Arcana cards. These cards can be unlocked after completing your first run in the game. However, there is a particular method for unlocking these cards.

Players will have to use the Altar of Ashes to unlock the Arcana, which appears as Tarot Cards and acts as upgrades that you can activate or deactivate accordingly. In this guide, we will talk about the Altar of Ashes and its importance in Hades 2.

Altar of Ashes: The Site for Gaining Strength

In the game, you will be able to recognize the Altar of Ashes by its distinct architecture. After entering the second area of the Crossroads, you will find an archway with which you will be able to interact. Look no further because you have reached the Altar of Ashes, where you will be able to become stronger to face the toughest of obstacles. To open the Tarot menu, interact with the Altar of Ashes.

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The Altar of Ashes as seen in Hades 2.

In the original game, there was a location called the Mirror of Night, which had similar functionality to the Altar of Ashes in Hades 2. Remember that this place is the key to strengthening Melinoë for the fight ahead. Arcana Cards are the essential items required for upgrading Melinoe’s strength. These Arcana Cards also require upgrades, which you can do after you upgrade the Altar of Ashes in Hades 2.

How to Use the Altar of Ashes in Hades 2 (and Why It’s Super Important)

The Altar of Ashes is an altar for meditation in Hades 2 and is very important for players to strengthen their in-game character. This is an altar that can be interacted with and used to open up the Arcana that can be equipped in the game. As mentioned above, this place can be encountered during your first visit to The Crossroads, which will happen right after your first death in the game.

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As players keep progressing with their objectives, they will realize that this Altar holds immense value and paramount importance when it comes to survival in Hades 2. Unlocking a Tarot Card will allow you to use its designated ability. The cost of each Tarot Card depends on the ability it offers to aid in your progression.

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An action sequence from the game.

Players will be able to unlock fifteen Tarot cards in the Altar of Ashes. Unlocking each card will cost players a different amount of Ashes and/or boss loot. It is worth mentioning that every card has a different Grasp rating. Grasp is the psychological cost borne by Melinoë once a card is used. You can see how much Grasp Melinoë has by checking the arch above her head on the right. The required Grasp for a particular card can be seen in the top right corner of the card.

The game also allows players to upgrade the Altar of Ashes. To upgrade the Altar of Ashes in Hades 2, you should first expand your Arcana selection. This can be done by heading down to the Altar that sits between the upper and lower levels of the Crossroads. Players can unlock more Arcana Cards by spending Ashes on cards near the edges of the board. Continue to unlock those cards to reveal more rows and columns of new cards. Keep doing this until you reach the maximum of 25.

Players will need to unlock more cards as they progress through the game. Continue this process until you see the Incantation Consecration of Ashes appear in the Cauldron menu at the Crossroads. To upgrade the Altar of Ashes, the main thing you will need is the Incantation. However, there is a little trick you need to know before getting the Incantation: certain Reagents are required to get it.

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The following Reagents are required to upgrade the Altar of Ashes: 6 Ash, 1 Cinder, and 6 Fate Fabric. After casting the incantation, you will unlock a new resource: Moon Dust. Moon Dust is used to upgrade Arcana Cards. To upgrade the cards, you will have to go to the Altar of Ashes. Most of the cards take a certain amount of Moon Dust, while others take the Dust in combination with another Reagent.

Upgrading cards makes them more powerful, which helps in completing your objective easily. The Eternity card, for example, will go from offering 1 Death Defiance to 2 Death Defiance per run after you spend 6 Moon Dust. Some of the upgrades do not help much in the beginning but become significant as you power them up. Each card can be upgraded twice.

Players will be able to check the number of upgrades at the top-left corner of the card. The first upgrade adds two blue arrows pointing up at the top-left corner of the card, while three pink arrows indicate the card has reached its maximum upgrade.

These are all the things that players can do by accessing the Altar of Ashes. Therefore, it goes without saying that the Altar has a special significance in Hades 2 in terms of functionality and features. By using this Altar, players will have to decide their destiny in the Underworld. The inclusion of the Altar of Ashes in the game takes it to another level by making the experience more interactive and immersive for the players.

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