Heroes of Hammerwatch II: Complete Guide

This covers Heroes of Hammerwatch II from your first Dark Citadel run through New Game+ and the Celestial Ruins expansion: classes, town building, gear and enchanting, run strategy, co-op, and what the 2026 patches changed.

Researched September 2026, current as of Celestial Ruins Hotfix 3 (20 August 2026), following the Celestial Ruins expansion and free update (28 July 2026). Live games change; check the linked sources if something differs.

Quick Start

1. It's a rogue-lite with permanent gear. Unlike most rogue-lites, the weapons and armor you equip carry over between runs. Runs also give temporary, run-defining rewards on top.
2. Start with Warrior, Paladin, Ranger or Wizard. Rogue, Warlock and Sorcerer unlock through play. The Priest comes with the Celestial Ruins DLC.
3. Spend on the town between runs. Upgrading buildings unlocks NPCs, services and permanent power. It's the backbone of your progression.
4. Enchant and attune your gear. Blueprints found in runs unlock new enchants and attunements. Your gear is how you shape a build.
5. Every class has three specializations. Each one adds new abilities and passives, so try them all before settling.
6. The goal is the Dark Citadel. Clear it, then move on to New Game+ for tougher enemies and better rewards, with no cap on leveling.
7. Co-op supports up to 4 players online. Support classes (Paladin, Priest) shine in groups.
8. Drinks modify runs. Unlock them via blueprints and order them at the Tavern for run-wide bonuses.

Classes

Each class has three specializations (subclasses) that add abilities and passives. You also earn titles as you progress, which give small permanent stat bonuses. For example, a Celestial Ruins hotfix doubled the Priest title bonus from 0.025 to 0.050 health regeneration.

Priest (Celestial Ruins)

The Priest returns from the first Heroes of Hammerwatch with a greatly expanded moveset. The official subclasses:

Priest abilities named in the patch notes include Holy Banner, Celestial Orbs, Holy Blast, Inner Light (orbs), Divine Favor, Divine Endurance, Divine Intervention, Divine Sustain, Flagellate, Call Crusaders and Consecrated Ground. Hotfix 3 gave Flagellate, Consecrated Ground and Scepter attacks the physical tag, so physical-damage boons now scale them. The expansion also adds two new weapons:

• Scepter: attacks with Smite for big holy damage.
• Lantern: fires a beam that damages enemies and heals other heroes. Hotfix 3 fixed it sometimes not healing other players in multiplayer.

The Town

Between runs you return to town to spend what you've earned. Buildings and services named in official posts:

Build order advice: put early resources into whatever gives permanent run power first (gear services, then trainers), then into quality-of-life NPCs. The Chapel is late-game but is where the expansion starts.

Currencies and materials

You collect gold and crafting materials (such as ore, dust and crystals) in runs. Gold pays for most town upgrades. Materials go into gear and enchanting. Check a building's upgrade requirements before a run so you know what to farm.

Gear, Enchanting and Attunement

• Weapons and armor are permanent. Upgrade and enchant the pieces you actually use.
• Blueprints found in runs unlock new enchants for equipment, attunements that permanently upgrade trinkets, and drinks.
• Attunement turns trinkets you find in runs into lasting power. Prioritize trinkets that fit your class's damage type.
• Epic gear: Epic Armour arrived with the Epic Missions update (October 2025): bosses can drop maps that lead to short missions in the Spider Caves, Bandit Keep and a Ghostly Crypt. Epic Weapons with upgraded attacks followed in the Epic Weapons update (December 2025) as map rewards.
• Sets: trinket and gear sets give bonuses when combined. Recent additions include Thorny Carapace, Bloodletter's Tools and Emblems of Hermes (free update, July 2026).

Drinks (Tavern)

Drinks give run-wide effects. Examples named in patch notes include Burning Force, Icy Touch, Electric Sting and Prospector's Pride. Match elemental drinks to your class's damage type, and use Prospector's Pride-style economy drinks on runs where you're farming.

The Dark Citadel: Runs and Floors

Runs take you up through randomly generated floors. The store lists 8 distinct floor types, each with its own enemies, traps and challenges. Areas named in official patch notes include the Temple, Crypt, Dungeon, Courts, Barracks, Dark Caves, Dark Halls and the Dark Citadel itself. Named bosses in the notes include Avatar and Shadow Face, and the notes also mention a Shadow Citadel.

Run tips

• Clear floors fully early on. Gold, materials and blueprints add up. Speed comes later, once your gear is strong.
• Pick run rewards that fit your build. Skill orbs and temporary upgrades scale best when they stack on your main damage type.
• Use the Citadel shortcut once it's unlocked, to skip content you've outgrown.
• Watch for curses. Patches reworked the curse system into a risk/reward option. Take curses only when your build can handle the penalty.

Summons and Tags

Summons are a real build path, especially after the 2026 hotfixes. Hotfix 3 gave the summon tag to Conjured Hydra, Conjured Sword, Fiends, Gargoyle, Wolf Companion, trinket Spiderlings, Ranger Traps, Primalist Totem and Inner Light orbs. Items and boons that scale "summons" now apply to all of them. The Hunter's Hound boon was changed to count only player units with the summon tag, after Caltrops builds reached thousands of Attack Power.

New Game+

• After clearing the Citadel, New Game+ raises difficulty (enemy armor, resistance and damage scale up each level) and improves rewards.
• Experience rewards from enemies rise by 33% per NG+ level, and so do enemy base armor and resistances (per the January 2025 notes).
• Leveling is unlimited in NG+, so you can keep growing a character indefinitely.
• Skill orb rerolling is available in NG+.

Celestial Ruins Expansion (July 2026)

Price: $6.99 / €6.99 / £5.99. Released: 28 July 2026.

• Access: build the Chapel, then interact with the statues at the altar. It's recommended for high-level characters.
• New mission set in the Chapel of the Celestial Ruins, with new bosses. You earn the favor of a pantheon of gods and come back for higher challenge levels.
• Spirit Trials (Survival mode): build up Spirit Favor to summon one of five new Spirit Bosses on new maps. Hotfix 3 made a boss's arrival kill nearby enemies and cleared up the trial maps.
• DLC content: Priest class, 7 trinkets (Spellslinger's Amulet, Spellslinger's Circlet, Ring of Avarice, Goldwarp, Bountiful Bracelet, Chicken Feet, Necromantic Focus), 2 sets (Spellsword's Insignia, Mark of Avarice) and 2 pets (Candle, Wisp).
• Free update (everyone): 5 trinkets (Spiked Collar, Razor Amulet, Rosethorn Wand, Vitaerium, Greater Ring of Alacrity), 3 sets (Thorny Carapace, Bloodletter's Tools, Emblems of Hermes) and 5 pets (Dog, Cat, Toucan, Raven, Scarab).

Co-op

• Up to 4 players online.
• Recent hotfixes fixed multiplayer issues with Holy Banner, the Lantern's healing and Accomplishment stats not syncing. Keep everyone on the latest version.
• Bring a mix: a frontliner (Warrior/Paladin), a damage dealer and a support (Priest) is a comfortable trio.

Common Mistakes to Avoid

• Treating it like a pure rogue-lite. Your gear persists. Invest in upgrading and enchanting it.
• Neglecting the town. Building upgrades are permanent power.
• Spreading enchants over gear you'll replace. Focus on your main pieces.
• Going into NG+ undergeared. Scaling armor and resistances punish weak builds.
• Entering Celestial Ruins too early. It's designed as post-game content.
• Mixing damage types. Drinks, trinkets and boons scale best when they all point the same way.

Advanced Tips

• Stack summon-tagged units with summon-scaling boons for a strong post-hotfix build.
• Farm the Epic Missions (Spider Caves, Bandit Keep, Ghostly Crypt) for Epic Armour while leveling.
• Match drinks to damage type (Burning Force for fire, Icy Touch for ice, Electric Sting for lightning).
• Pick up titles on every class. Small permanent bonuses add up.
• Plan NG+ levels around your gear upgrades rather than rushing them.

FAQ

How do I unlock Rogue, Warlock and Sorcerer? Through gameplay progression. The store says they unlock as you play.

How do I start the Celestial Ruins? Own the DLC, build the Chapel in town, then interact with the statues at the altar.

Is there an endgame? Yes. New Game+ offers endless scaling and leveling, plus Celestial Ruins and Spirit Trials for high-level players.

Can I play solo? Yes. Online co-op for up to 4 is optional.

Does gear carry over between runs? Yes. Equipment persists and can be enchanted. Run-specific boons and skill orbs don't.

What was the Epic Weapons update? It added Epic Weapons with upgraded attacks as rewards for completing maps.

Sources

• Steam store page: Heroes of Hammerwatch II
• Steam news: Celestial Ruins expansion out now
• Steam news: Celestial Ruins Hotfix 3
• Steam news: Celestial Ruins Hotfix 2
• Steam news: Celestial Ruins Hotfix 1
• Steam news: Celestial Ruins launches July 28th
• Steam news feed for Heroes of Hammerwatch II (older patch notes)