How it works
Obols buy temporary services and vanish between runs. Darkness, Keys, Gems and other materials support persistent upgrades and social progression. Confusing these systems leads to poor priorities.
Practical strategy
A fight can be worth doing for practice, dialogue or a prophecy even when its bounty is exhausted. Plan your next run around a mix of narrative, experience and resource needs.
Common mistake to avoid
Do not treat one particular boon or drop as guaranteed; adapt the guide to the run you receive.
Resources and Contractor Priority Guide
Separate run and permanent currencies
Obols buy temporary services and vanish between runs. Darkness, Keys, Gems and other materials support persistent upgrades and social progression. Confusing these systems leads to poor priorities. Practical check: before the next escape, identify the one action or resource that will make this step easier. The best guide is one you can test room by room, rather than a fixed sequence that depends on random rewards.
Spend Keys for foundational unlocks
Keys open new Infernal Arms and Mirror rows. When a new movement or survival talent is available, it may offer better value than trading Keys for optional items. In a real run, watch for the exact moment when this plan stops being comfortable: an enemy projectile, an unfavorable chamber reward or a poor health total. That point tells you whether to change positioning or build direction.
Prioritize practical Contractor orders
Some work orders make future runs more convenient, while many decorations change only the House presentation. Buy functional additions before large cosmetic expenses if you want faster progress. Try this deliberately on your next attempt, without also changing weapon and Mirror setup at the same time. Keeping other variables stable makes the result easier to judge and helps you learn what worked.
Reserve rare resources
Titan Blood improves weapon Aspects; Diamonds support special Contractor purchases; Ambrosia supports advanced relationships and Companion upgrades. Identify a specific goal before spending these. If the encounter becomes risky, first preserve an open path to safety. There is rarely a reason to sacrifice an entire Death Defiance just to complete one more attack animation during a dangerous telegraph.
Avoid resource tunnel vision
A fight can be worth doing for practice, dialogue or a prophecy even when its bounty is exhausted. Plan your next run around a mix of narrative, experience and resource needs. Before leaving the region, ask whether you gained combat consistency, permanent resources or useful narrative progress. Any of those makes the next run stronger, even when this particular escape does not succeed.