Melinoë is at home with weaponry, but how about the blades of crafting? Gathering Tools are a major part of Hades 2 since they unlock resources your goddess needs to fight off Chronos. Let’s talk about Tools, how to get them, and what they do.
All Gathering Tools in Hades 2
There are currently four Gathering Tools in the early access build of Hades 2, including a Pick, a Tablet, a Spade, and a Fishing Rod. Melinoë can hold one of these at a time, and each has different uses. But to get them in the first place, you must get the Night’s Craftwork Incantation and then craft the Tools individually at the Silver Pool, where you collect Nocturnal Arms.
Night’s Craftwork is a very early-game Incantation that basically serves as a tutorial for the mechanic. It just costs one Moly, a flower from the first region of the game, so don’t expect it to be a massive journey. Once done, you can unlock and equip Tools in the same room as you swap out Nocturnal Arms—the room just before you start a new run.
The following are the costs to unlock and use each Tool in Hades 2.
| Tool name | Recipe | Use |
| Crescent Pick | One Ash | Mining ores, such as Silver, Limestone, Glassrock, Marble, Bronze, and Iron. You get three of each resource from each Mining node. |
| Tablet of Peace | Five Silver, Five Psyche | Rescuing lost souls for additional Psyche. Depending on the region, you receive between 30 and 45 Psyche from a Lost Soul. Additional upgrades to pickups, like from Poseidon, affect this Psyche. |
| Silver Spade | 10 Silver | Digging up plants, unique to each region. They include Nightshade Seeds, Cattail Seeds, Wheat Seeds, Poppy Seeds, Garlic Cloves, and Mandrake Seeds. |
| Rod of Fishing | One Bronze, One Fate Fabric | Catching fish from the various regions of the Underworld. Currently, fish are only used to sell to the Broker for Bones. Depending on the region you go to, you’ll have a timing minigame to catch a rarer fish. |
You will usually use the Crescent Pick or Silver Spade during early runs. These two gather upgrade materials for your Cauldron and Weapon Aspects. Make sure you have a good stockpile of plants and resources. Once you have a good stockpile, you probably want to use the Tablet of Peace to improve your Grasp. While there’s nothing wrong with getting a few extra Bones from the Rod of Fishing, there are plenty of additional ways to gather Bones in Hades 2. You don’t need to do a minigame for more.
You can’t hold more than one Tool at a time in Hades 2. Be sure to plan before heading out and remember to check your Reagent Sensor for extra goodies after a room completes so you don’t miss out on your Tool’s upside.
How to upgrade Gathering Tools in Hades 2
You can further upgrade your Gathering Tools through the Greater Fortune of Gaia Incantation. These upgrades improve the efficiency of each Gathering Tool in a unique way for each weapon. But the Reagent cost for each upgrade requires some work—usually, one or two runs per Tool upgrade.
Greater Fortune of Gaia requires two Marble, four Bronze, and four Iron. Once acquired, you upgrade all Gathering Tools where you crafted them in the first place. A new tab will open for you, containing the upgrades in question.
| Upgrade For? | Effect |
| Crescent Pick | You receive one additional material per node. |
| Tablet of Peace | When successfully pacifying a Shade, you gain 20 percent additional Psyche. |
| Silver Spade | You are more likely to receive valuable items when digging up spots, such as Food or Coin. |
| Rod of Fishing | You are more likely to fish up more valuable fish. |
Of these upgrades, the Pick and Tablet are the most impactful. The Silver Spade’s upgrades serve an interesting role because they help you sustain your economy better but don’t actually offer much in terms of bonus seeds or the like. The Rod of Fishing’s upgrade is essentially pointless, but it’s worthwhile if you really, really want Bones. Maybe for buying some Nectar and Ambrosia at the Broker?
