Hades 2 brings a charming and charismatic new protagonist to its expansive world in the form of Melinoë, Hades’ daughter. With her grandfather Chronos creating a lot of drama within the family, she sets out from the Underworld to put an end to his antics once and for all.

Melinoë has a variety of ways by which she takes on her task. As the Princess of the Underworld, she is a capable fighter as well as a mage, being able to bring a host of special abilities with her in battle. These abilities can be upgraded and new ones unlocked as she makes her way to Olympus.

However, the number of abilities she can bring along to each run is determined by a new stat called Grasp.

It’s All in the Mind

Melinoë’s skills in Hades 2 come from Arcana Cards. There are a ton of them to choose from in the game but she can only bring a few of them with her depending on her Grasp stat. She begins the game with only 10 Grasp, allowing her to equip only a few Arcana Cards, which require anything between 1-5 Graps per card.

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Moreover, the game does not explicitly inform players about increasing their Grasp stat until they try to equip more Arcana Cards than their Grasp limit. But increasing Melinoë’s Grasp stat is fairly straightforward and simple, only requiring that she farm a resource called Psyche.

How to Increase Grasp in Hades 2

Melinoë acquires Psyche through various means. She can gather it during runs through the world by clearing encounter rooms, ferrying restless Shades or just buying it outright from either Charon or the Wretched Broker.

Encounter rooms are ones with enemies in them for Melinoë to defeat. This is among the easiest ways to earn Psyche in Hades 2. You could also look for chambers marked with grey sand that reward Ashes upon completion, which Melinoë can use to upgrade individual Arcana Cards. Talk about two birds with one stone.

Ferrying restless Shades is as easy as equipping the Tablet of Peace before your next run and finding them out in the world. Interacting with them to guide them back to the Crossroads rewards Melinoë with some Psyche.

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Next, performing the Summoning of Mercantile Fortune Incantation makes the Wretched Broker a vendor at the Crossroads with whom you could trade Bones for Psyche. Charon performs the same function once you have him unlocked as well.

Tasks on the Fated List of Minor Prophecies have a chance to reward Fated List of Minor Prophecies with extra Psyche similar to specific interactions with characters and the effects of Boons. For instance, one of Poseidon’s Boons provides a chance that any rewards earned may be duplicated, which could double the amount of Psyche you earn with some luck.

Remember that Psyche is a fairly common resource and is required for a number of other activities in Hades 2. Remember to track how much of it you need and try to hold on to some in reserve at any given time.

With enough Psyche under her belt, Melinoë can permanently increase her Grasp Meter. This is done by heading to the Altar of Ashes at the Crossroads and meditating at it to open up the Arcana menu. Navigate to the portrait of Melinoë and take note of the meter circling it. That is the amount of Grasp she has at the moment.

Simply press the Action button to add a notch to the Grasp Meter and increase the number of abilities Melinoë can bring to battle. She is certain to need all the skill she can muster against some of the game’s harder battles.

With managing your Grasp stat under your belt, you may want to begin collecting important items and resources to further improve Melinoë’s abilities. For anything else you may need in Hades 2 be sure to check out our guides and give Chronos a reason to fear the Princess of the Underworld.