The Well of Charon is essentially a pop-up shop for Charon that appears sporadically in Chambers of an escape.
Unlike Charon’s regular shop, players will only be able to buy buffs that help provide players with extra stats or more resources and does not provide players with any Boons
The Well of Charon can typically be avoided for the most part, though players will want to visit it whenever they do specific Artifact runs or are trying to progress and are struggling.
The benefit to visiting a Well of Charon is that players will not face any penalties, in essence meaning that players will not have to make a purchase just for clicking on the Well of Charon.
There is no downside to visiting any Well of Charon to see if there are any upgrades a player will want to purchase, though players may want to save their Charon’s Obol for rare Artifacts in the Temple of Styx.
Players will not be able to access any Wells of Charon in their first run of a new save, but after that Wells of Charon will begin appearing throughout escape attempts with some limitations.
Essentially players will not see a Well of Charon for the first four Chambers of Tartarus and will not spawn back to back. Wells can appear every other Chamber in every location but Tartarus, where they will spawn every 3 Chambers.
Players will also be guaranteed a Well every time they reach a Stairway, essentially always spawning after defeating a Boss.
Note: Watch me play Hades and similar games on Twitch! Always happy to answer questions there!
MAKING THE MOST USE OF WELLS OF CHARON
If players are using Wells of Charon strategically, especially for Artifact grinding, I strongly recommend getting the Bone Hourglass Keepsake.
The Bone Hourglass Keepsake will make it so players’ purchases at the Well of Charon last for more Chambers than before, essentially adding 4, 6 or 8 encounters to the list.
Players may not want to power up the Bone Hourglass at first, as there are more defensive Keepsakes that will help a player complete runs of Hades easier, however, it’s always a good idea to use it for an area to passively upgrade it when you don’t need other Keepsakes to protect you.
Players will also want to obtain a Loyalty Card from Charon, if they can, as this will make sure all Well items are 20% off.
WHAT ARE CHARON’S WARES IN THE WELL OF CHARON?
As mentioned, players will not be able to purchase any Boons at the Well of Charon, however, they will be able to buy other upgrades that will make their stats increase or will help provide them with Artifacts that they can use to passively upgrade Zagreus for future escapes.
As mentioned, the Wares in the Well of Charon are going to be useful for both mid-game Artifact grinding and for late-game progression content.
It’s no secret that I think that players should rush Artifacts as soon as possible to make late-game much more accessible, so I’d strongly recommend not wasting your Charon’s Obol in the early game to avoid being locked out of purchasing rare Artifacts in the Temple of Styx.
The following are all the Wares a player can purchase from the Well of Charon and my thoughts on them:
AETHER NET
The Aether Net costs players 15 Charon’s Obol and will make sure that for the next 6 Encounters a player’s God Gauge starts off with 15% of it full.
Truthfully, Aether Net isn’t the most helpful Ware, though if players know they are going to be up against a Boss soon it can be helpful.
I typically avoid it.
BRAID OF ATLAS
The Braid of Atlas costs players 20 Charon’s Obol and will last for 6 Encounters.
While the Braid of Atlas is active, players will deal 50% extra damage while using their Cast.
I strongly recommend the Braid of Atlas in the late game, especially if you have a Boon that increases your Cast damage.
CENTAUR SOUL
The Centaur’s Soul costs 100 Charon’s Obol and acts very much like a Centaur’s Heart.
Players will instantly gain 25 maximum Health, however, unlike a Centaur’s Heart they will not restore any Health.
In my opinion, the Centaur Soul can be useful for late-game, however, is not a necessary Ware to purchase, especially if you’re wanting to save your Charon’s Obol for better purchases.
In more difficult runs, I’ll always take it because any support will be helpful, however, this is the only case I take it.
CHIMAERA JERKY
Chimaera Jerky costs 35 Charon’s Obol and will increase a player’s Special by 40% damage.
Chimaera Jerky lasts for 6 Encounters and while in most situations players will not want to rely on Special damage, it can be useful in late-game content so players can effectively burst down enemies.
Due to it’s relatively low price, in progression content where I’m struggling I tend to take it to ensure I have enough damage to make it through.
CYCLOPS JERKY
Cyclops Jerky costs 40 Charon’s Obol and while it doesn’t provide players with the most damage, having a boosted Attack of any sort can be very beneficial as players will often be able to deal rapid damage using their Attack.
With Cyclops Jerky players will gain 30% extra Attack damage for the next 6 Encounters.
I strongly recommend taking the Cyclops Jerky in all situations as it is is one of the best ways to output damage for the cost and will help in most situations.
ERIS BANGLE
Eris Bangle costs 30 Charon’s Obol and at first I didn’t think I would be a big fan of it, but realistically I find it to be pretty useful stacked on with other damage.
Essentially Eris Bangle will help players deal 50% extra damage when players strike undamaged foes, meaning that players are going to want to initiate battle with any of their attacks (preferably the strongest) in order to deal the most damage to them immediately.
Eris Bangle is great for farming mobs, especially when being flooded, so I strongly recommend it for progression content in particular.
Eris Bangle lasts for 6 Encounters.
EYE OF LAMIA
The Eye of Lamia costs 25 Charon’s Obol and is one of the weaker Wares in my opinion.
Essentially with the Eye of Lamia players will have a 15% chance to obtain healing items from mobs anytime they are slain and this will last for 3 Encounters.
Admittedly, I don’t see much use for the Eye of Lamia, though if players are really struggling with Health this may actually be a good choice.
FATEFUL TWIST
Fateful Twist is really interesting and is admittedly a Ware I completely avoid because of it’s RNG.
I admittedly have only bought Fateful Twist once and don’t think that it’s worth the Charon’s Obol, costing 45 Charon’s Obol.
Essentially with Fateful Twist players will be looking forward to getting a random Ware when purchasing. This happens instantly and the amount of Encounters lasts will be the same as a normal Ware.
FLAME WHEELS RELEASE
The Flame Wheels Release is a pretty interesting Ware and essentially blocks any Flame Wheel Foes from appearing for the next 10 Encounters.
Admittedly, I really like this Ware, though it can feel quite costly, coming in at 75 Charon’s Obol.
If players are struggling to keep their Health up against the exploding Flame Wheels, I strongly recommend buying it. Otherwise, you can simply avoid it.
It’s long duration is definitely something you don’t want to look past though.
GAEA’S TREASURE
Gaea’s Treasure is going to be a Ware you buy anytime you do an Artifact run, though I will say it’s pretty expensive.
Essentially Gaea’s Treasure will provide players between 11-14 Gemstones though those Gemstones will cost 350% the cost in Charon’s Obol.
Gemstones aren’t the most valuable Artifact to collect, however, they can make some really good purchases with the Wretched Broker, making them appealing to have on hand at all times.
HYDRALITE
HydraLite is a great way to keep your Health up every time you complete a Chamber, essentially providing players with 10% Health anytime they enter one.
HydraLite only lasts for 3 Chambers, but only costs 45 Charon’s Obol, so if you’re really struggling with your Health, this may be the solution for you!
IGNITED ICHOR
Ignited Ichor is one of the cheapest Wares, only costing 10 Charon’s Obol and truthfully doesn’t see much use.
Ignited Ichor will provide a player with 20% movement speed, essentially making it easier for players to either dodge or damage enemies quickly.
I don’t usually recommend it, but admittedly it is one of the most well priced Wares as it will also last for a minimum of 8 Encounters.
KISS OF STYX
Kiss of the Styx is an amazing Ware, however, it tends to be a final option kind of Ware.
Kiss of Styx costs 200 Charon’s Obol and will replenish a single use of Death Defiance.
If I’m running low on Death Defiance, I always buy it, even if I’m doing an Artifact run, just to make sure I clear the escape that I’m currently doing.
At the end of the day, the most important thing to do is to clear a run as that will guarantee that you can move on in your escapes.
LIFE ESSENCE
Life Essence is another great way to get your Health up while you are planning an Escape.
Life Essence will provide players with 22-38% Health instantly and will cost 65-80% of the Health in Charon’s Obol.
Used as a precaution, players may not need Life Essence, though in late game content it can really be a life saver.
LIGHT OF IXION
The Light of Ixion costs 40 Charon’s Obol and can be really useful for players who like Chaos.
Chaos Portals can feel rare and with Light of Ixion, players will be able to ensure the spawn of a Chaos Portal in the next possible area.
Players will not have a limited amount of time before the Chaos Portal spawns, and the Ware will only disappear once Chaos has spawned.
In my opinion, it’s not the most worth it Ware, but can be useful if players are trying to get all of the Boons Chaos can provide.
NAIL OF TALOS
The Nail of Talos can be very useful, especially if players do not have any form of Armour shredding.
Admittedly, Armour is annoying to deal with in most cases and for the cost of 65 Charon’s Obol players will gain 50% Armour shred to all of their attacks.
Nail of Talos is one of the most versatile ways of using Armour shredding and in my opinion should not be looked past.
Nail of Talos may only last for 6 Encounters, but those Encounters will go by like a breeze, especially if you’re up against a number of enemies with Armour.
NEMESIS CREST
Nemesis Crest is a great Ware that costs 60 Charon’s Obol.
Players will want to make sure that they are good at dealing damage to enemies from behind as Nemesis Crest will raise the damage dealt to enemies from behind by 50%.
Admittedly this can be very powerful or very weak depending on how well a player can backstab.
Nemesis Crest will only last for 6 Encounters.
NIGHT SPINDLE
Night Spindle is actually a pretty nice Ware to have, especially if players have some good Companions that they like using.
Admittedly, it’s not until the late-game where players will actually have to rely on Companions, so players may not want to pick this up early, but I do strongly recommend taking a peak to see if it’s available in harder Heats.
Essentially for the cost of 40 Charon’s Obol, players will be able to summon their Chthonic Companion an extra time.
This can also be useful for players who have not upgraded their Companion yet, due to a lack of Ambrosia.
PRICE OF MIDAS
The Price of Midas is a very interesting Ware as it is the only Ware that doesn’t cost Charon’s Obol and instead costs Health.
Players will be able to trade 10-50 Health for 1.1-1.8x the amount of Charon’s Obol, making it very good for Artifact grinding on reduced difficulties.
I would strongly recommend this one for Artifact runs, especially if you are worried you’re not going to have enough Charon’s Obol in order to buy rare Artifacts in the final area.
PROMETHEUS STONE
Prometheus Stone is a bit of a hit and a miss kind of Ware and will be helpful to players who use their Cast a lot.
Essentially players will be able to gain an extra Cast for the next 6 Encounters for the cost of 50 Charon’s Obol.
I’m actually a big fan of Prometheus Stone because I tend to weave my Casts in between attacks, but I can’t say that all players will have the patience to do so.
Nonetheless, I think it is well worth the Cost.
SKELETAL LURE
Skeletal Lure is another great Ware to use when players are doing Artifact runs as it will spawn a Fishing Point where possible.
Players will have to trade in 60 Charon’s Obol and this will make sure that they get some extra Artifacts from the Head Chef.
In my opinion, this is well worth the 60 Charon’s Obol.
STYGIAN SHARD
Stygian Shard is actually another one of my least favourite Wares to get as I feel like it’s use isn’t the most useful for me.
Essentially with Stygian Shard, players will be able to deal 500% damage to foes, which can be extremely helpful in one shotting enemies, but I’ll admit… I’m terrible at leading enemies to Traps.
If you’re someone who is good at kiting enemies into Traps, absolutely go for it, because it’s pretty inexpensive and can do a good amount of damage.
Stygian Shard costs 35 Charon’s Obol and lasts 6 Encounters.
TINGE OF EREBUS
Tinge of Erebus is another great Ware to get when you’re doing Artifact runs, though admittedly not a first choice for me.
Essentially Tinge of Erebus will provide players 12-26 Darkness for 75% in Charon’s Obol.
Admittedly, Darkness is not a hard thing to farm, though if players are simply trying to get as many Artifacts as they can, it may be a good choice for them.
TOUCH OF STYX
Touch of Styx is going to be an alternative to Kiss of Styx.
For the cost of 55 Charon’s Obol players will restore 10% of their Health with Stubborn Defiance for the next 15 Encounters.
This can be very useful for defense purposes, but I’m not someone who uses Stubborn Defiance admittedly.
TROVE TRACKER
Trove Tracker is a great Ware to use when players are doing Artifact runs, though admittedly it can shoot you in the foot.
For the cost of 50 Charon’s Obol, players will be able to ensure an Infernal Trove where next possible, which can provide players with a good amount of Artifacts, though this can also spawn an Infernal Trove with Health instead.
I strongly recommend hedging your bets when you’re doing Artifact runs, but overall you have to believe in the RNG gods.
YARN OF ARIADNE
Yarn of Ariadne can be very useful as it will raise the Rarity of the next found Boon.
Admittedly, I don’t really care for this Ware as it cannot ensure that you will actually like any of the Boons you come by next, but it is still a good way to guarantee at least a decent rarity.
Yarn of Ariadne costs 70 Charon’s Obol.
ACHIEVEMENTS PERTAINING TO THE WELL OF CHARON
Players have a few opportunities that will land them either Steam Achievements or in game achievements that will help them progress in the game.
Currently there are three that pertain to the Well of Charon being:
WELL STOCKED
The Well Stocked achievement can be unlocked when players buy at least 9 items in a single escape of Hades. Players will not acquire any in game bonuses from this, however, if they are achievement hunting on Steam it can be fairly easily done.
CUSTOMER LOYALTY
Customer Loyalty requires players to purchase every unique item at least once in their runs. Players don’t necessarily need to focus on this in order to acquire it as it can organically happen, though players will want to visit the Fated List of Minor Prophecies to ensure that they collect the Wares they haven’t acquired earlier.
Completing the Customer Loyalty at the Fated List of Minor Prophecies will provide a player with some extra resources to help them on their future runs.
This is definitely going to be an achievement players focus on.
YARN OF ARIADNE’S SECRET
If players are holding the Yarn of Ariadne they will be able to unlock new dialogue with Theseus and Asterius. This is more of an Easter Egg more than anything, but is definitely worth your time as it can be a guaranteed encounter.
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