House Contractor | Hades Guide

The House Contractor is by far the most important and least important aspect of Hades, being that some of the purchases are cosmetic and others will actually change gameplay in Hades.

The House Contractor is located to the right of Lord Hades and will be an area that you want to visit regularly to see if it has been updated or if there are any purchases you want to make.

Players can make purchases by using Gemstones, Darkness or Diamonds, add as mentioned will either add cosmetic furnishings or changes to gameplay.

The following guide will take you through anything you can get with the House Contractor as well as what my thoughts are on each. I will not be going too into depth with the cosmetics players can purchase, however, will do my best to clarify what type of cosmetic they are so players don’t purchase duplicates of similar items.

Before we start, if players are curious how many Artifacts they will need in order to clear the entire House Contractor it is the following:

123 Diamonds

28,142 Darkness

32,585 Gemstones

HOW TO UNLOCK DIFFERENT TIERS OF CONTENT IN THE HOUSE CONTRACTOR

While not clearly stated, players will not have access to all the purchases available to them when at the House Contractor. Players will often passively unlock the extra purchases, however, I recommend that players be aware of these unlocks as it may help you understand what you need to focus on in order to unlock new items.

The following are all the tasks that need to be completed in order to get all of the purchases at the House Contractor:

Purchase all in-game run upgrades, which will be your primary focus anyways.

Spend at least 5,000 Gemstones in total.

Spend at least 30 Titan Blood on unlocks for your Weapon’s Aspects.

Get at least 15,000 Darkness in total. You can use this Darkness on your Mirror of Night or Resource Director as it is cumulative and not about how much you hoard. Players can check how much Darkness they’ve obtained total in their Main Menu.

GENERAL WORK ORDERS

General Work Orders tend to be the Work Orders you want to get immediately. Unfortunately, not all General Work Orders will be useful for players, meaning that players will want to set plans for which General Work Orders they want to focus on first.

The following section will take you through all of the Work Orders as well discuss which ones are more worth it than others:

FOUNTAIN CHAMBER, TARTARUS

The Fountain Chamber, Tartarus is a free upgrade that players can access immediately and will be a very important upgrade to get early as it will spawn in a chamber that has a Fountain in Tartarus.

Essentially midway through Tartarus players will locate an empty room with no mobs, but will have a fountain that players can utilize to heal.

While Fountains will only be able to heal a portion of a players missing health, players can use Poseidon Boons or various purchases from the Well of Charon to ensure that your health is as high as possible in an escape.

As there is no cost to the Fountain Chamber, Tartarus, I strongly recommend that players visit the House Contractor early in order to acquire it as soon as possible.

UNDERWORLD FOUNTAINS, PURIFIED

The Underworld Fountains, Purified costs 20 Gemstones and will be an upgrade players want to rush.

With the Underworld Fountains, Purified, players will receive 10% more health from any Fountain that they visit, essentially making it so all escape attempts are more accessible for players as they will have more health to make it through an escape.

Players will not be able to access this upgrade immediately and will need the following from the House Contractor:

Fountain Chamber, Tartarus

Fated List of Minor Prophecies

I would strongly rushing this as soon as you have access to it as Fountains are going to be a crux of your escape attempts, especially in harder Heats.

Depending on a player’s skills, players may want to unlock these in tandem as the upgrades that provide players with more Artifacts which I will cover shortly.

UNDERWORLD FOUNTAINS, HOLY

Underworld Fountains, Holy will cost 40 Gemstones. Similar to Underworld Fountains, Purified, I strongly recommend players rush this as it will make escape attempts significantly easier.

Players will receive 20% more healing from any fountains they visit.

Players will not be able to access this upgrade immediately and will need the following from the House Contractor:

Fountain Chamber, Tartarus

Fountain Chamber, Purified

FOUNTAIN CHAMBER, ASPHODEL

The Fountain Chamber, Asphodel is going to be another important upgrade as it will essentially make it so players have a midway point to heal in Asphodel.

Similar to the Fountain Chamber, Tartarus, midway through a player’s escape in Asphodel, players will be able to receive healing from a Fountain, essentially making it so a player has a higher chance of making it through their escape.

The Fountain Chamber, Asphodel may not be necessary immediately, however it can immensely help a player in more difficult Heats.

Players will need the following in order to unlock the Fountain Chamber, Asphodel:

A player must have entered Asphodel at least once

A player needs to have unlocked Fountain Chamber, Tartarus

A player needs to unlock Keepsake Collection, Regional

FOUNTAIN CHAMBER, ELYSIUM

The Fountain Chamber, Elysium is going to be another important upgrade as it will essentially make it so players have a midway point to heal in Elysium.

Similar to the Fountain Chamber, Tartarus, midway through a player’s escape in Elysium, players will be able to receive healing from a Fountain, essentially making it so a player has a higher chance of making it through their escape.

The Fountain Chamber, Elysium may not be necessary immediately, however it can immensely help a player in more difficult Heats.

Players will need the following in order to unlock the Fountain Chamber, Elysium:

A player must have entered Elysium at least once

A player needs to have unlocked Fountain Chamber, Tartarus

A player needs to unlock Keepsake Collection, Regional

As this has the same unlocks as the Fountain Chamber, Asphodel, players can make a decision of which Fountain they would prefer, often based on difficulty or if a player cannot progress one.

PLUNDER, LESSER

The Plunders are admittedly one of my favourite parts of Hades. Plunders are essentially Chests that can appear during a player’s escape attempt.

Players will be able to interact with these Plunders in order to spawn a swarm of mobs that they need to kill in a set amount of time in order to get the maximum amount of loot.

For the cost of 10 Gemstones players will have the chance to obtain the following rewards if they complete a Plunder quickly enough (as the amount reduces the longer the Plunder takes):

100 Charon’s Obol

100 Health

100 Darkness

50 Gemstones

Players do not need to rush purchasing the Plunder and I would actually strongly recommend a player feel successful about making their way through an Escape before they purchase a Plunder as completing them can prove to be difficult. I wouldn’t wait too long to purchase the Plunder as it can help you grab a good deal of Artifacts, however, due to their difficulty, they can also leave a player dead midway through an escape attempt.

It’s always worth getting at least the first tier and players can make the choice to advance depending on how well they handle this tier.

PLUNDER, GREATER

Plunder, Greater acts very similar to Plunder, Lesser, though it will provide players with more loot if completed quickly.

Players will need the following to unlock Plunder, Greater and will need to pay 150 Gemstones:

Plunder, Lesser

Keepsake Collection Regional

Fountain Chamber, Tartarus

Fountain Chamber, Asphodel

Fountain Chamber, Elysium

Players will receive the following loot at maximum speed:

125 Charon’s Obol

125 Health

100 Darkness

50 Gemstones

PLUNDER, SUPERIOR

Plunder, Superior acts very similar to Plunder, Greater, though it will provide players with more loot if completed quickly.

Players will need the following to unlock Plunder, Superior and will need to pay 500 Gemstones:

Plunder, Greater

Keepsake Collection Regional

Fountain Chamber, Tartarus

Fountain Chamber, Asphodel

Fountain Chamber, Elysium

Contractor’s Desk, Deluxe

Players will receive the following loot at maximum speed:

150 Charon’s Obol

150 Health

150 Darkness

75 Gemstones

URNS OF WEALTH, LESSER

Urns of Wealth are a bit of a hit and miss upgrade. While admittedly, Urns of Wealth can be useful, especially for getting Charon’s Obol to purchase Greater Artifacts, the reality is that players will not be able to rely on them for the majority of the Charon’s Obol that they need.

In my opinion, Urns of Wealth can be left aside for a while and don’t need to be a quick purchase, especially due to their cost and the fact that a players will not be ready to farm Artifacts well enough until the mid-to-late game.

Urns of Wealth, Lesser will cost a player 40 Gemstones and will need the following to unlock:

Fountain Chamber, Tartarus

URNS OF WEALTH, GREATER

Urns of Wealth, Greater helps players gain more Charon’s Obol, though can still be unreliable for players to purchase the highest tier of Artifacts as they still spawn fairly rarely.

Much like the Urns of Wealth, Lesser; I recommend that players wait a bit before they purchase the Urns of Wealth, Greater as they cost 80 Gemstones which can be used on upgrades that can be used immediately.

Players will however gain 10 Charon’s Obol every time they open an Urn of Wealth at this point, making it substantial if players find a good number of them in a Chamber. At this point, if you have Urns of Wealth, Greater, I strongly recommend making sure that you always check your Chambers so you don’t miss one as 10 Charon’s Obol can be quite substantial to your income for your run.

Players will need the following to unlock Urns of Wealth, Greater:

Urns of Wealth, Lesser

URNS OF WEALTH, SUPERIOR

Urns of Wealth, Superior helps players gain more Charon’s Obol, though can still be unreliable for players to purchase the highest tier of Artifacts as they still spawn fairly rarely. Though this is true, before a player starts consistent Artifact Runs, I strongly recommend having this upgrade.

Players will gain 15 Charon’s Obol every time they open an Urn of Wealth at this point, making it substantial if players find a good number of them in a Chamber. While I would still recommend taking a look around every Chamber you clear to double check whether or not an Urn of Wealth has spawned, missing a few isn’t going to be the end of the world as the increase in Charon’s Obol should make up for it.

Players will have to sacrifice a whopping 120 Gemstones in order to purchase the Urns of Wealth, Superior, so I strongly recommend purchasing it when you’re prepared for Artifact runs or if you simply have too many Gemstones to keep track of!

Players will need the following to unlock Urns of Wealth, Superior:

Urns of Wealth, Greater

KEEPSAKE COLLECTION, REGIONAL

The Keepsake Collection, Regional is going to be a very important upgrade for players when they are trying to ensure that all of their Keepsakes are at max level.

While truly the Keepsake Collection, Regional isn’t important in early runs, it will make it easier for players to use multiple Keepsakes on a journey, whether that’s for getting specific Boons or for making sure that they are as safe as possible.

Essentially, with the Keepsake Collection, Regional, players will be able to switch which Keepsake they use in their escape attempt every time they complete an area of their Escape.

Players will be able to change to each Keepsake once during a journey, though players should note, once they choose a Keepsake at the Keepsake Collection, Regional, they will not be able to change their options.

I strongly recommend checking my Keepsake guide for what my typical rotation looks like in the late-game as I’ve found a way to successfully Artifact run while still able to push progression.

A player’s rotation will depend on what the player needs and will vary depending on how comfortable a player is or if they are looking for specific quests to complete in the Fated List of Minor Prophecies.

I would honestly purchase the Keepsakes Collection, Regional as soon as you can, as levelling up Keepsakes can feel daunting in harder runs.

Players must unlock the following in order to obtain the Keepsakes Collection, Regional:

Defeat the First Boss (Meg)

Purchase the Fountain Chamber, Tartarus

The Keepsakes Collection, Regional is fairly inexpensive, only coming at 10 Gemstones. Due to it’s low cost and small unlock requirements, I think it’s great to have immediately simply because it can help make sure your Keepsakes are ready for the late game.

FATED LIST OF MINOR PROPHECIES

The Fated List of Minor Prophecies is a bit difficult to summarize and I’ll have to write a longer guide on it to really give you a gist of what you can get out of it.

The best way to explain it is that the Fated List of Minor Prophecies is like a quest log that involves tasks that will provide players with mid-to-high tier rewards.

I honestly recommend that players unlock this early as it can take a player a good amount of time to unlock everything and if players are aware of the tasks at hand they can farm them faster or be able to consciously choose what to work on to get the resources they need.

Admittedly, the Fated List of Minor Prophecies isn’t going to carry a player as players will only get a small amount of resources for the amount of time spent farming for them, however it’s still nice to have, especially if a player is a completionist.

The Fated List of Minor Prophecies requires 20 Gemstones to purchase and will need players to unlock the following:

Fountain Chamber, Tartarus

CODEX INDEX

The Codex Index, in my opinion, isn’t the most important unlock to have as it is simply a catalogue of all the Boons a player has collected.

I personally don’t refer to the Codex Index often, though it can be handy for players who are grinding certain tasks in the Fated List of Minor Prophecies.

Players can get away with avoiding the Codex Index until they need it to double check what Boons they have and quite frankly I recommend it because it costs 50 Gemstones, which can be used for better upgrades.

Players will need the following in order to get the Codex Index:

Fated List of Minor Prophecies

EXTREMER MEASURES

Extremer Measures is an important upgrade for players to get if they have started ramping up the Heat in their Escape difficulty.

Players will be able to wait to make this purchase as there are a number of modifiers available to players immediately, meaning that players can save their 100 Gemstones for more pressing upgrades while they complete the earlier escape attempts.

Players will need to complete the game in order to unlock Extremer Measures, having to defeat Hades and unlock the end credits.

CONTRACTOR’S DESK, DELUXE

The Contractor’s Desk, Deluxe is going to be the most important upgrade a player can get as it will unlock a great deal of upgrades that aren’t initially offered to a player.

Undeniably, these upgrades are going to be much better for a player as many of them will greatly increase the amount of Artifacts a player gets in an escape attempt.

I would honestly rush this upgrade as soon as possible as it will help you do mid-game progression runs that still farm a good amount of Artifacts.

Players will need a good amount of unlocks to get this so keep note of this as if you can rush it I would suggest it.

Players will need the following unlocks to obtain the Contractor’s Desk, Deluxe as well as 2 Diamonds:

Fountain Chamber, Elysium

Keepsake Collection, Regional

Fated List of Minor Prophecies

Plunder, Lesser

Urns of Wealth, Lesser

Court Musician’s Sentence

PITCH-BLACK DARKNESS

Pitch-Black Darkness is when upgrades start to become interesting as whenever a player receives Darkness as a Chamber Reward, they will also raise their maximum Health by 5.

Essentially, Pitch-Black Darkness allows players to Artifact grind in peace without having to worry about Centaur’s Heart, making the choice between Chambers a bit less difficult. Not only that, but players can rely on the upgrade from the Mirror of Night that hide certain room rewards or can feel more comfortable choosing the Chaos curse that hides room rewards as more outcomes are useful.

Pitch-Black Darkness requires players to turn in 3 Diamonds and will need the Contractor’s Desk, Deluxe.

FATED KEYS

The Fated Keys upgrade is a bit more niche than Pitch-Black Darkness as it will provide players with 1 Fated Authority charge or Fated Persuasion Charge, which as useful as they can be, don’t see much use in my runs.

I’ll be the first to admit that I should probably use either more often, but I haven’t actually hit a wall where too many charges are necessary.

Similar to Pitch-Black Darkness, Fated Keys requires players to turn in 3 Diamonds and will need the Contractor’s Desk, Deluxe.

BRILLIANT GEMSTONES

Brilliant Gemstones is admittedly my favourite upgrade of this type as both Gemstones and Charon’s Obol become important to grind in the mid-to-late game.

Although the Charon’s Obol amount is significantly less when received with Brilliant Gemstones, players will still receive a good amount of Charon’s Obol this way, even for Artifact grinds.

There comes a certain time where Gemstones become the more important resource, especially if players are trying to make purchases with the Wretched Broker or simply want to unlock everything at the House Contractor.

If players collect Gemstones as a Chamber reward players will get 20 Charon’s Obol.

Players will need to pay 3 Diamonds and will need to have the following to unlock:

Contractor’s Desk Deluxe

VINTAGE NECTAR

Vintage Nectar is actually an upgrade I don’t really care much for, though that’s simply because I don’t really need much Nectar, however, if players are still collecting a good amount of Nectar in their runs, this can be pretty powerful.

Essentially if players have Vintage Nectar they will be able to level up a random Boon by one level every time they pick up Nectar as a room reward.

I would recommend grabbing Vintage Nectar just in case, but it tends to be one of the last upgrades I’d grab unless you’re actively farming Nectar.

Players will need to pay 3 Diamonds and will need to have the following to unlock:

Contractor’s Desk Deluxe

DARKER THIRST

Darker Thirst is where things become very interesting as it will essentially allow players to passively collect more Gemstones.

Similar to Dark Thirst, plays will be able to collect 20% more Gemstones anytime they pick up Gemstones.

I would strongly recommend picking this up as soon as possible as it is one of the easiest ways to get more Gemstones at a time passively.

While 20% is not the highest amount it works really well in tandem with the Plunders, as these tend to drop more than typical room rewards.

Darker Thirst requires players to trade in 2 Diamonds and also needs players to unlock the following:

Contractor’s Desk Deluxe

VANQUISHER’S KEEP

Vanquisher’s Keep is another upgrade I would rush and admittedly I would get it before Darker Thirst, though the choice is yours which you choose first.

If you’re good at progressing to the end of an escape, Vanquisher’s Keep tends to be be better, but if you’re having to stop and restart midway through escape attempts, Darker Thirst is better.

Essentially with Vanquisher’s Keep players will allow players to get some extra Gemstones from defeating Bosses, even if they have already done them in that Heat.

Players will receive 10 Gemstones for the first Boss, 20 for the second Boss, 30 for the third Boss and 50 for Hades.

Players will want to get Darker Thirst with this as soon as possible to make the most out of all of their runs.

In order to obtain Vanquisher’s Keep, players need to trade in 4 Diamonds and must have the following unlocked:

Contractor’s Desk, Deluxe

GATEWAYS, EREBUS

The Gateways, Erebus upgrade is one I recommend waiting for as players will not be able to use the Gateways, Erebus until they are at a minimum of 5 Heat.

The amount of Heat a player will need is increased by area, up to 15, meaning that players have to get through a good amount of Heats before they can always take an Infernal Gateway.

I strongly recommend players wait until Heat 10 to make the most use of this purchase, though if players feel like they are ready at Heat 5 they can pre-emptively purchase it, especially if they have a lot of Diamonds.

Players will need 5 Diamonds in order to unlock Gateway, Erebus as well as the following unlocked:

Defeat the Final Boss

Contractor’s Desk, Deluxe

ROD OF FISHING

The Rod of Fishing is going to be an item that players buy immediately as it will unlock Fishing and trades with the Head Chef.

While not the most interesting mechanic in the game, Fishing can really help put a player in a good place when it comes to Artifacts as a good Fishing pull can provide players with Rare Artifacts.

I will sat that the Rod of Fishing requires many unlocks, but balances it out with only costing 1 Diamond. Players will also need:

To reach the Temple of Styx

Fountain Chamber, Tartarus

Fated List of Minor Prophecies

COURT MUSIC STAND

The Court Music Stand may seem like it’s only for aesthetics, but the reality is that it will help a player progress the main story.,

Players are recommended to get this immediately, especially if they want to progress the main story.

Players will need to spend 1 Diamond to purchase the Court Music Stand and will need to do the following:

Meet Orpheus

Purchase Pool, Scrying

ADMINISTRATION PRIVELGE

The Administration Privilege is again a more story driven reward to purchase, though it can also be interesting for players who are interested in their statistics.

It will take players a good amount of time in order to unlock this, and quite frankly as soon as players do, they should unlock it as it gatekeeps a good amount of upgrades players can purchase from the House Contractor.

With the Administration Privilege, players will have access to the Administrative Chamber.

Players will hate to turn in 2 Diamonds in order to do this, but will have to have the following completed:

27 Escape Attempts

Play through the Administrative Chamber Flashback

COURT MUSICIAN’S SENTENCE

The Court Musician Sentence is another story focussed upgrade to purchase and will essentially free Orpheus from solitary confinement.

This is one of the most important upgrades to have as it will give players access to a new character to gain Favour with. This will also help players unlock a proper ending for the game.

Players will need 1 Diamond to purchase this and will need the following to unlock it:

Reach Asphodel

Purchase Fountain Chamber, Tartarus

Purchase the Fated List of Minor Prophecies

KNAVE-KING’S SENTENCE

The Knave-King’s Sentence is essentially the only way to gain favour with Sisyphus fully as purchasing it will release Sisyphus from his eternal sentence.

Players will need 4 Diamonds to unlock this and will need the following:

Sisyphus Favour Progression

Administrative Privilege

SINGER’S GAMBLE

The Singer’s Gamble is essentially the way that players finish up Orpheus’ favour, essentially being described as a permission to allow Orpheus to be reunited with his muse again.

Essentially if players are interested in story, this is going to be an upgrade you want as soon as possible, though this doesn’t really do much more than that.

Players will need to turn in 3 Diamonds to unlock Singer’s Gamble and will need to unlock the following:

Orpheus Favour Progression

Purchase Administrative Privilege

HERO’S SACRIFICE

Another story based upgrade players can purchase is Hero’s Sacrifice which allows Achilles to return to Elysium.

This is tied to Achilles’ Favour progression and will require players to turn in 5 Diamonds and will need the following unlocked:

Achilles Favour Progression

Purchase Administration Privilege

ELDEST SIGIL REESTORATION

The final story based upgrade players can purchase is the Eldest Sigil Restoration which helps Nyx by imbuing the Sigil in the Administration Chamber.

Unlike most other upgrades, players will have to turn in 3,142 Darkness.

Players will also need to unlock the following:

Nyx Favour Progression

Purchase Administration Privilege