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Do You Lose Everything if You Give Up in Hades? A Deep Dive into Rogue-lite Persistence

So, you’re battling through the fiery depths, facing down fury sisters and bone hydras, and you’re just… done. You’ve hit a wall, the runs are failing, and you’re staring at that ominous “Give Up” button in Hades. The question burns: Do you lose everything if you give up in Hades?

The short answer is no, you don’t lose everything. Hades employs a rogue-lite structure, not a traditional rogue-like. This distinction is crucial. In rogue-lites, certain elements persist between runs, allowing you to slowly but surely progress even when individual attempts end in failure. Giving up is just another form of failure, with specific consequences. You will return to the House of Hades, stripped of certain boons and blessings obtained during that run, but you will retain progress towards meta-progression systems.

Let’s break down exactly what you keep and what you lose.

What You Lose When You Give Up

When you choose to give up on a run in Hades, the following items and progress are lost:

Boons: All boons granted by the Olympian Gods (Zeus, Poseidon, Athena, etc.) are lost. These are temporary power-ups specific to that run.
Daedalus Hammer Upgrades: Upgrades from the Daedalus Hammer, which significantly alter your weapon’s attack style, disappear.
Pom of Power Levels: Levels gained from Poms of Power, which boost the potency of your boons, vanish.
Charon’s Obol: Any Charon’s Obol (currency) you possess at the time is lost. Think of it as pocket change that disappears between realms.
Well of Charon Items: Items purchased from the Well of Charon, offering temporary buffs and effects, are gone.
Specific Room Rewards: The specific rewards and perks you earned in individual chambers during the run are forfeit.

Essentially, anything directly related to enhancing your power within that specific escape attempt is gone when you give up. You are resetting to the starting point of a new run.

What You Keep When You Give Up

Here’s the good news! Despite losing the temporary power-ups, significant progress does carry over between runs in Hades. This is what makes it so addictive.

Darkness: This is a primary currency used to upgrade Zagreus’s abilities in the Mirror of Night. Darkness is almost always worth grinding for.
Keys: Keys unlock new weapon aspects and gates to other areas of the House of Hades.
Gems: Used to purchase cosmetic and functional upgrades for the House of Hades from the House Contractor.
Nectar: Used to give gifts to characters, increasing your relationship with them and unlocking keepsakes.
Diamonds: Used to purchase specific upgrades from the House Contractor.
Titan Blood: Used to unlock and upgrade weapon aspects, significantly enhancing their power. This is one of the most important resources.
Ambrosia: Used to further improve relationships with characters after reaching maximum affinity.
Weapon Aspects Unlocked: Unlocked weapon aspects remain unlocked, providing different playstyles for each weapon.
Mirror of Night Upgrades: Upgrades purchased in the Mirror of Night are permanent and apply to all future runs.
Keepsakes: Keepsakes gifted by characters remain available for use on future runs.
Fated List Prophecies: Progress towards completing prophecies on the Fated List continues.
Character Relationships: Your relationship levels with other characters do not reset. Gifting Nectar and Ambrosia has lasting effects.
Codex Entries: Information and lore entries unlocked in the Codex remain available.

The persistent elements are crucial for long-term progression. By collecting Darkness, Gems, Titan Blood, and Nectar, you steadily improve Zagreus’s abilities, unlock new weapons and aspects, and forge relationships with other characters. This meta-progression makes each run meaningful, even if you don’t reach the surface. Even when you “give up,” you are still moving forward.

Strategic Surrender: When Giving Up is a Good Idea

While the ideal scenario is always to complete a run, there are times when giving up is actually the most strategic decision. Consider these scenarios:

Unwinnable Situations: If you’re severely underpowered, low on health, and facing a difficult boss with no healing options available, giving up might save you time and frustration.
Experimentation: Sometimes, you want to quickly test out a specific build or weapon aspect without committing to a full run. Giving up allows you to reset and try again faster.
Resource Optimization: If you’ve cleared most of a region but are struggling to survive the final boss, and the potential rewards are minimal, giving up and starting a new run might be more efficient for farming Darkness or other resources.
Personal Frustration: Let’s be real – sometimes you just need to step away from the game. Giving up allows you to do so without feeling obligated to push through a run you’re no longer enjoying.

Giving up should not be seen as a complete failure, but as a tactical retreat. It’s a way to reset, reassess, and return stronger.

The Psychological Impact of Rogue-lite Persistence

The clever design of Hades‘ rogue-lite system significantly reduces the feeling of loss when a run ends. Knowing that you retain valuable resources and progress makes even failed attempts feel worthwhile. This encourages experimentation, reduces frustration, and keeps players engaged for extended periods. It’s a brilliant example of how game design can positively influence player psychology. Consider exploring more on this topic through resources available at Games Learning Society or GamesLearningSociety.org.

Conclusion

So, the next time you’re tempted to throw in the towel in Hades, remember: you don’t lose everything. You retain the fruits of your labor in the form of permanent upgrades and resources. Giving up might be the most strategic option in certain situations, allowing you to optimize your progress and continue Zagreus’s relentless quest to escape the Underworld. Embrace the cycle of death and rebirth, learn from your mistakes, and become an unstoppable force in the realm of the dead.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

Here are 15 frequently asked questions to clarify the mechanics of “giving up” in Hades:

1. Does Giving Up Affect My Heat Level?

No. Giving up on a run does not affect your Heat level. Heat is a modifier that increases the difficulty and rewards of subsequent runs, and it’s set before you begin.

2. Can I Get My Charon’s Obol Back?

No. Charon’s Obol is lost when you give up. There’s no way to recover it. Spend it wisely during your run.

3. Do I Lose Progress Towards the Epilogue if I Give Up?

Yes and no. Progress on specific runs, such as delivering nectar, will be lost. However, the overall progress towards triggering the Epilogue, related to maxing relationship levels, is permanent.

4. Does Giving Up Affect My Pact of Punishment Settings?

No. The Pact of Punishment settings are independent of individual runs. They remain unchanged when you give up.

5. Can I Save My Run if I’m About to Give Up?

No, Hades doesn’t allow manual saving mid-run. The game autosaves between chambers, but you can’t create a save point to revert to before giving up.

6. Does Giving Up Affect My Achievements?

Potentially. If you were close to unlocking an achievement during the run, giving up will reset your progress towards that specific achievement for that run. However, your overall achievement progress across all runs remains intact.

7. If I Give Up in Asphodel, Do I Restart in Tartarus?

Yes. Regardless of where you give up, you always restart in the House of Hades, ready for a fresh attempt at escaping Tartarus.

8. Is There a Penalty for Giving Up Multiple Times in a Row?

No. There is no in-game penalty for giving up repeatedly. The game doesn’t track your surrender rate or punish you for it.

9. Does Giving Up Affect My Ranking on Any Leaderboards?

Hades is primarily a single-player game, so there are no official leaderboards affected by giving up.

10. Can I Give Up During a Boss Fight?

Yes, you can give up during a boss fight. The same rules apply: you lose all progress within that run but retain permanent upgrades.

11. If I Give Up Right Before Reaching the Final Boss, Do I Get Any Reward?

No, you receive no rewards for progress made within a specific zone (Tartarus, Asphodel, Elysium, Temple of Styx) if you give up before defeating the final boss of that zone. You only receive rewards for clearing an entire zone.

12. Does Using God Mode Affect What I Keep When I Give Up?

No. God Mode only increases Zagreus’s damage resistance. It does not change what you lose or keep when you give up.

13. Is It Better to Die Than to Give Up?

Strategically, sometimes it is better to die. Death rewards you with a bit of defiance which helps you get back on your feet faster to try again. Giving up does not reward you with defiance.

14. If I Find a Legendary Boon and Then Give Up, Is It Gone Forever?

The specific Legendary Boon will be lost for that run, but you can encounter it again in future runs if you meet the prerequisites. The game doesn’t remove boon possibilities from the pool based on previous runs.

15. Does Giving Up Affect My Resource Director Score?

There is no metric called “resource director score” in the game Hades.

Do you lose everything if you give up in Hades?