Practical advice for your first nights in the Underworld.
Early priorities
Spend Darkness in the Mirror of Night; Death Defiance and extra Dash are strong first picks.
Unlock all six Weapons with Chthonic Keys before deepening any single upgrade path.
Gift Nectar to characters you meet for keepsakes; equip a keepsake every run.
During a run
Doors show a reward preview - route toward what your build needs.
Prioritize survivability in Tartarus and Asphodel while you learn boss patterns.
Athena's dash (deflect) is one of the most forgiving defensive Boons for new players.
Losing is progress
Every death returns you to the House with your Darkness, Keys and story progress intact. Talk to everyone between attempts - dialogue and quests advance even when a run fails.