UNDERWORLD NOTE
Start with a reason for the first god
An Olympian Keepsake can steer you toward a god that supports your planned main action. Choose the action first. A Staff Special run, a Pan Special run and a Charon Cast run should not automatically ask for the same first offering.
It is still a random run with offering rules. Decide which alternative lets the plan function if the ideal Boon is not offered. Having a fallback saves you from spending every early decision trying to recreate one screenshot. You can improve a practical first piece later.
UNDERWORLD NOTE
Use the between-region swap as a review point
Kindred Keepsakes unlocks the between-region display. Changing a Keepsake commits the choice when you close that display, and you cannot simply cycle back into a removed Keepsake later in the same night. Read the choice before closing the menu.
At that point, ask three questions: Is the main damage source online? Does the sequence still have a working Magick economy? What is most likely to end the next part of the run? Choose the missing support rather than the most dramatic theoretical damage increase.
UNDERWORLD NOTE
Give the Keepsake one clear job
These are examples of roles, not a compulsory four-region shopping list. Each Keepsake has its own duration, trigger and persistence rules. Read the current in-game description, especially before assuming an unequipped effect will stay or be refreshed.
| Job | Example to evaluate | The question to ask |
|---|---|---|
| More usable reserve | Silver Wheel | Does more maximum Magick solve a shortage, or do I really need a repeatable Gain effect? |
| A Guardian safety margin | Knuckle Bones | Is the next Guardian my main obstacle, and is the effect still available for it? |
| Another recovery opportunity | Luckier Tooth | Am I intentionally using Death Defiance, or would this switch off a planned Strength state? |
| Conditional damage | Evil Eye | Is the tracked last enemy that defeated me actually relevant to this attempt? |
UNDERWORLD NOTE
A familiar is part of the loadout
Choose based on the job you want, not only the portrait. In a Circe Staff run, the familiar’s position matters because of the duplicate Cast and Psychic Leash. In a survival plan, another defensive effect can change your assumptions about how the run recovers.
Keep conditional systems together in your review. An extra Death Defiance from a familiar belongs in the same check as Strength and the Keepsake. A familiar does not read the tier list for you: its useful behaviour depends on the aspect, the route and how you move.
UNDERWORLD NOTE
Separate learning, gathering and a clear attempt
A route choice is easier to judge when the night has a purpose. On a learning run, favour a plan that lets you see and practise the difficult encounter. On a gathering run, decide what resource progress you want to bring back. On a clear attempt, preserve the setup that already works.
Do not add several unfamiliar variables at once. A new weapon, an unfamiliar route and extra Fear can make a failure difficult to diagnose. Keep two of those stable while testing the third. When you reach a new encounter, first learn the space and the safe recovery windows; the fastest possible clear can wait.
THE SOURCE DESK
What this guide is built on.
Reviewed . Latest gameplay note found: Post-Launch Patch 2 · Hotfix 5, published . The newer September publisher post covers the documentary and concert.
Our routes, comparisons and first-clear recommendations are editorial synthesis from the references below. They are not a claimed Cobalt playthrough or a measured damage simulation.
- Supergiant Games · official Steam announcements ↗Post-Launch Patch 2 and Hotfix 5; checked 3 November 2026.
- Mobalytics · Keepsake reference ↗Keepsake names and effects.
- Hades Wiki · Keepsakes ↗Swap restrictions, acquisition and conditional effects.
