Charon’s shop, the Well of Charon, and power-ups
A full run in Hades usually requires as few as 45 rooms getting cleared and as many as 70. Along the way, you’ll likely encounter a peculiar symbol: a satchel with a skull. This means the next room will take you to Charon’s shop.
Charon’s shop is guaranteed to be one of the rooms just prior to the boss fight in Hades’ first three regions (Tartarus, Asphodel, and Elysium). In a few cases, you might even spot Charon’s room while you’re just halfway through any of the first three regions.
Charon’s shop is quite different in the Temple of Styx region. Rather than randomly finding him in certain chambers, he’s found in the main room of the area and he sells six items.
In very rare instances, it’s also possible for Charon to have the same “satchel with skull” symbol near him which allows you to “borrow” a lot of gold. Beware because this will actually lead to a secret boss fight against the vendor. Achieving victory here will net you a “Valued Customer” codex that gives you a 20% discount on shop items throughout that run.
Note: The opportunity to “borrow” gold and initiate the Charon boss fight won’t be possible at all if the Charon room you enter is just before the boss fight for the first three regions. The boss fights will be in rooms 14, 24, and 36 respectively.
In any case, this discount also applies to the Well of Charon, an object that can be found randomly in rooms or in transition areas between Hades‘Â zones.
The Well of Charon doesn’t sell artifacts. Instead, it only provides you temporary power-ups in exchange for gold. Some of these have an instant effect (ie. healing) while a majority give certain effects that can last for a number of rooms. You can extend the duration of power-ups by six rooms if you equip the Bone Hourglass Keepsake.
Here are some examples of useful power-ups:
| Well of Charon Power-Up | Cost | Duration | Effect | Notes |
| Prometheus Stone | 50 gold | 6 rooms | +1 casting skill ammo | Extremely useful especially if you’re focusing on casting skills like Slicing Shot or Ice Wine. |
| Braid of Atlas | 20 gold | 6 rooms | +50% cast skill damage | Same as above. |
| Yarn of Ariadne | 70 gold | Once obtained | The next boon you find has higher rarity | When combined with an Olympian’s Keepsake that guarantees the next boon, you can get an Epic or Heroic skill. |
| Life Essence | Variable | Once obtained | Restores up to 30% of your health. | It’s a quick heal and it’s cheap to boot. |
| Centaur Soul | 100 gold | Once obtained | +25 max health; does not restore HP | If you have the extra gold and in need of max HP, go ahead and grab this before restoring your health at a fountain. |
| Kiss of Styx | 200 gold | Once obtained | +1 replenishment of Death Defiance charge | Assuming you already triggered one of your Death Defiance charges, then this can be very helpful. |
Hades is available via Steam’s early access program. For more information, check out our guides and features hub.
