By Jason Rodriguez on
GameSpot may receive revenue from affiliate and advertising partnerships for sharing this content and from purchases through links.
You’ll likely experience failures in Hades 2. After all, a roguelike game is about going through multiple unsuccessful runs until you finally have the right build to take out your foes. Still, there’s one particular facet that should help keep Melinoe alive. Here’s our guide on how to get extra lives and Death Defiance in Hades 2.
Hades 2 Death Defiance guide: How to get more extra lives
The Hades 2 Death Defiance mechanic allows Melinoe to continue fighting. If ever her health is depleted, a Death Defiance token is consumed instead, restoring some of her HP. Here’s a quick summary:
- With all functions unlocked and upgraded, you can have +5 Death Defiance at the start of your run.
- Boons from various deities and NPCs can also increase or replenish your tokens.
- Some characters also have boons that cause effects depending on how many Death Defiance tokens have been consumed already.
Arcana Card: Eternity
The Eternity Arcana Card is your primary means of getting extra lives in Hades 2. By default, the card grants +1 Death Defiance. It can then be upgraded further to give +3 Death Defiance at max rank. You can learn more about this in our best Arcana Cards guide.
Schelemeus Keepsake: Luckier Tooth
Keepsakes are obtained by giving various NPCs Nectar gifts. One of these NPCs is Schelemeus, the skeletal fella in the training room. His Keepsake, the Luckier Tooth, grants one Death Defiance token, which also heals for a huge amount once triggered. You can learn more about the Luckier Tooth, as well as other accessories, in our Keepsakes guide.
Moros Keepsake: Engraved Pin
Another viable Keepsake is the Engraved Pin, which comes from Moros. It’s basically like Schelemeus’ Luckier Tooth, but there are some caveats:
- Each time Melinoe’s HP drops to zero, the Engraved Pin effect will trigger and you restore +30 HP. Moros will start counting down your doom via a 10-second timer.
- If you can defeat all enemies in a room, including additional spawns, then Melinoe gets to stay alive.
- However, if you fail to do this, then Melinoe will perish. If you have a Death Defiance token, then that token will get consumed first.
The Engraved Pin Keepsake is a high-risk, high-reward accessory, since it technically means you have unlimited lives in Hades 2 (i.e. it triggers before all other Death Defiance tokens). Unfortunately, it only grants a small amount of health. If it procs at the wrong time and you’re unable to defeat your foes, then you’d end up with a failed run or you’ll keep wasting Death Defiance tokens.
Hermes Boon: Close Call
You can get a Hades 2 Death Defiance token if you come across Hermes’ legendary boon: Close Call. It grants one token and, once it’s triggered, it causes all enemies to move 90% slower for eight seconds.
Note that Chronos, the game’s final boss, has a nifty mechanic where he practically ignores slowing effects (i.e. Sorceress Arcana Card). We’ve yet to see if Hermes’ own token affects him. Lastly, we have a best boons guide in case you’d like to see which deities offer ideal perks and skills.
Chaos Boon: Defiance
Primordial Chaos has their own legendary boon called Defiance, which simply grants +1 Death Defiance for that particular run. However, each Chaos blessing has a randomized curse. Survive this debilitating effect for multiple encounters, and you should gain a blessing’s full benefit. You can learn more in our Primordial Chaos boons guide.
Narcissus Gift: Life Savings
Narcissus can be found randomly in the Oceanus region (i.e. second zone). One particular gift that’s part of the selection pool is called Life Savings, which provides +1 Death Defiance and +1 Deathcap (i.e. a mushroom resource).
Echo Gift: Survive Survive Survive
Echo can be found randomly in the Fields of Mourning region (i.e. third zone). Her Survive Survive Survive gift is one of the most useful in the game, since it replenishes all spent Death Defiance tokens since you started your run.
Animal Familiar: Toula the Cat
Toula the Cat is an unlockable Animal Familiar/Pet. She provides a means of getting another Death Defiance in Hades 2. Furthermore, you can give her another Witch’s Delight treat to unlock her Heart Bond passive. This increases the amount of HP healed by her Death Defiance token.
Perks affected by Death Defiance
Some supporting characters offer perks that are affected by your Death Defiance tokens:
- Hades: Last Gasp – Deal +10% damage for each spent/consumed Death Defiance token.
- Medea: Malice in Kind – Whenever a foe makes you use Death Defiance (i.e. kills Melinoe), it loses 15% HP. Note that this might be viable against bosses (i.e. five Death Defiance tokens would mean losing 75% HP), though we’ve rarely seen Medea or this boon in our runs.
That does it for our guide on how to get more extra lives and Death Defiance in Hades 2. If you’re keen on surviving your treks to the deepest dungeons, then you might want to know how to heal and increase your max HP.
Hades 2 stars Melinoe, the Princess of the Underworld. This roguelike game promises challenging encounters as you keep retrying until you can have the perfect run. If you want more tips and tactics, you can head over to our guides hub.