Materials gathered in Hades 2 are used for witchy incantations, but it certainly can take a lot of time to gather and grow what you need. Your default Gathering Tools will only award you with so much in Hades 2, so you’ll need to upgrade them eventually.
You can upgrade your Gathering Tools in Hades 2 once you activate a certain Incantation late into the game. Yes, late. Unfortunately, you’ll need to dive through several hoops to make your resource-gathering expeditions feel more fruitful.
Hades 2: How to upgrade your Gathering Tools
To get the Incantation, you must first unlock the potential of the Silver Pool. By that, I mean getting your weapon Aspects unlocked, which requires the Incantation ‘Aspects of Light and Darkness’. Be sure to check out our full guide to learn more. Once you do, keep playing the game and making progress until the tools Incantation appears.
The Incantation needed to upgrade Gathering Tools in Hades 2 is called ‘Greater Favor of Gaia’. It didn’t show for me until I was fairly deep into the game.
The Incantation requires:
- 2 Marble
- 4 Bronze
- 4 Iron
Once it’s complete, you’ll be able to upgrade your weapons at the Silver Pool in the Crossroads Training Area. Enter the menu and scroll over to the new tab called ‘Tool Refinements’ — it should look like a letter with a heart sticker… for some reason. Like most things in Hades 2, upgrading tools requires even more materials. Yes, you have to gather before you gather. I don’t make the rules.
Every Gathering Tool has one upgrade to unlock. Here they all are:
| Tool | Required Materials | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Crescent Pick | 6 Glassrock, 4 Iron | Gather +1 from mineral deposits. |
| Tablet of Peace | 3 Marble, 50 Ash | Placated Shades yield +20% more Psyche. |
| Silver Spade | 2 Bronze, 2 Mandrake Root | Gain a chance to dig up more-valuable items. |
| Rod of Fishing | 2 Lures, 4 Driftwood | Gain a chance to capture additional types of river-denizens. |
Upgrading your tools turns them from a shiny silver to a striking gold color. They don’t become easier to use, at least not by my reckoning. But they’re certainly worth upgrading for the additional resources. You’ll need a lot to cast Incantations and grow plants. On that latter note, be sure to check out our plant and seed guide for more.
If you’re hunting down materials for upgrades, we have guides on how to find what you require:
The other materials are found elsewhere. Iron can be located in the Rift of Thessaly, while Lures can be purchased from the Wretched Broker. You can locate Marble in Tartarus.
