House of Hades – The House Contractor upgrades and cosmetics
The House Contractor is an NPC that serves as a one-stop-shop for all the upgrades you can unlock in the House of Hades. A majority of these will be cosmetic in nature and can be very costly (ie. some would require hundreds or thousands of gemstones). Since these are purely cosmetic changes, they won’t affect the gameplay.
Still, the more important ones are, indeed, gameplay-altering since they’d add additional mechanics and features. They can be found in the “Work Orders” tab.
Here are some examples of great picks:
| Work Order | Work Order Cost | Requirement | Effect |
| Keepsake Collection, Regional | 10x Gemstones | Defeat the first boss (Meg); unlock the Fountain Chamber (Tartarus) upgrade | Switch Keepsakes in transition areas between regions of the underworld. |
| Fountain Chamber | The Tartarus fountain is free; the rest have varied costs | The requirements to unlock fountains for a region tend to be (a) reaching that region, and (b) unlocking the fountain upgrade for the previous region. | Spawns a peaceful room in that region. The room will have a fountain that restores health and you won’t need to fight any baddies therein. |
| Fated List of Minor Prophecies | 20x Gemstones | Fountain Chamber (Tartarus) upgrade | This “achievement/bucket list” will show various deeds that you can complete during your adventures. Completing all the requirements will provide rewards such as Darkness Crystals, Ambrosia, Diamonds, and more. |
| Contractor’s Desk, Deluxe | 2x Diamonds | Fountain Chamber (Elysium), Keepsake Collection (Regional), Fated List of Minor Prophecies, Plunder and Urns of Wealth (Lesser), and Court Musician’s Sentence | Unlocks higher-tier work orders for the House Contractor. |
| Fated Keys | 3x Diamonds | Contractor’s Desk, Deluxe | Any Chthonic Keys you acquire during your dungeon runs will net you 1x Fated Authority (reroll dice). |
| Vintage Nectar | 3x Diamonds | Contractor’s Desk, Deluxe | Any Nectar you acquire during your dungeon runs will give a random boon/skill +1 level. |
| Alternate Exits | 2x Diamonds | Contractor’s Desk, Deluxe; defeat Hades | A floor panel with a skull symbol will sometimes be present in certain rooms. This will take you to an Infernal Gate of Erebus where you need to complete a “Perfect Clear” challenge. |
| Rod of Fishing | 1x Diamonds | Fountain Chamber (Tartarus), Fated List of Minor Prophecies; reach Temple of Styx region | Allows you to fish in various pools of water in the game’s regions. |
Additional Tips:
- “Keepsake Collection” lets you swap to a different relic in transition areas. If you have a Keepsake from an Olympian god which ensures that their boon comes up next, then you can get the skill that you want.
- “Fated Keys” helps you gain more reroll dice to, hopefully, get the skill or item that you need in the next room.
- “Vintage Nectar” will be one of the best upgrades throughout your Hades playthrough. Thanks to the associated boon level-up, it’s like also obtaining a Pom of Power for free.
- “Alternate Exits” take you to a small room in the Erebus zone to complete the “Perfect Clear” challenge.
- “Fountain Chambers” upgrades give you room to breathe (pun intended) since they offer free healing.
The Songs of Orpheus
The House Contractor not only has cosmetic and functional upgrades. You’ll also see different work orders pertaining to characters and even storyline progression. We won’t spoil everything here, but, sufficed to say, you can unlock one of these early on when you purchase the “Court Musician’s Sentence” for 1x Diamonds.
When you do so, Orpheus, a famous poet and musician in Greek Mythology, will appear in the House of Hades. You’ll then be able to give him gifts. As for the House Contractor, a new tab (Court Music) will become available, allowing you to purchase soundtracks/BGM using Diamonds.
Next up, let’s talk about another progression system in the game: the Mirror of Night.
Hades is available via Steam’s early access program. For more information, check out our guides and features hub.
Published: Jun 30, 2020 01:00 pm