Ascend: Hand of Kul – Achievements Guide
Ascend: Hand of Kul contains 30 achievements for a total possible 400 Gamerscore. Fortunately, the vast majority of Ascend‘s achievements are attainable through intended gameplay, and should be unlocked gradually as you progress through the game’s story. While there are a few that require a deliberate effort to unlock, above and beyond natural gameplay, we’ve compiled every achievement below in alphabetical order with tips to help you along the way.
Please note that in some cases players’ achievement lists will be displayed slightly different as the “Dungeon Master” achievement was removed and replaced with the “Transcend” achievement after the initial closed beta.
[Note: Some information below contains story spoilers.]
A Fistful of Runes – 5 G
Slot 3 runes of any type into your armor or weapons
Find or purchase three runes of any type and equip them in any weapon or piece of armor; they do not need to be place in the same item.
Ascended – 5 G
Ascend your first Caos
This achievement unlocks after completing the tutorial, reaching a minimum of level 5 and ascending a Caos for the first time.
Battlemage – 10G
Cast 25 Crusade Spells
If you’re in a hurry to knock this one out, you can purchase Curse: Broodling spells for 500 souls a piece and cast them on other players. We recommend avoiding this tactic as you’ll likely find ample Crusade Spells over the course of the campaign, through intended play.
Blood Money – 10 G
Loot 30 items or purchase 10 spells
Another achievement that can be unlocked through intended play or rushed with the use of currency. Avoid spending unnecessary souls on spells and progress naturally through the game. This achievement unlocks very quickly as each item looted from a chest counts toward the total.
Bone Collector – 5G
Kill 25 Enemies
This achievement will be unlocked during normal play; just keep killing, there’s no wrong way to do it. This is the first of three achievements based on cumulative kills.
Caos Chaplain – 10G
Bless 20 players
This achievement can be expensive as Blessing Crusade spells are much more costly than their Curse counterparts. You should progress through the game naturally, casting the Blessings you loot from chests on other players as you go. In the unlikely event you’ve finished the game and have yet to unlock this achievement, farm blue chests or purchase the cheapest Blessing your aligned God offers.
Caos Supremacy – 25 G
Attain 2000 points of armor
This achievement should unlock naturally as you level your Caos and should be attainable around level 40. If you’re having trouble reaching the threshold, consider affixing Runes of Protection where applicable for the stackable 5% armor boost. Avoid using Runes of the Tower for this purpose unless you naturally find them through chests; its high cost can be better spent on newer equipment as you quickly level.
Caos Unleashed – 5G
Create your first Caos
The first unlockable and simplest achievement in Ascend: Hand of Kul. Create your Caos and bind it to a God to pop this achievement.
Carving a Path – 10G
Acquire a spell from each alignment
This achievement requires you to serve all three alignments for at least one Ascension, since you can only buy or earn a spell from an alignment God while in their service. You should unlock this achievement naturally as you progress from one alignment to another, however if you’re in a hurry you’ll need to Ascend twice and choose a new God to serve each time.
Cast Out – 10G
Banish 25 enemies into another player’s realm
Find or purchase a Banish Crusade spell, target another player, cast the spell when surrounded by a large pack of enemies. The Ring of Bones area compliments this achievement with its large pack of enemies and regular use for farming, ensuring there’s always a player to curse with a banish.
Champion of the Gods – 40G
Ascend 3 times
Fairly self-explanatory. Ascend, thrice.
Death of Kul – 30G
Highlands Titan defeated
Complete the story campaign and defeat the Highlands Titan in the final showdown.
Deep Pockets – 20G
Spend 30,000 souls or purchase a Soul Pack
This achievement will unlock quickly during natural gameplay progression. There is never a need to purchase Soul Packs in Ascend: Hand of Kul except to support the developer, Signal Studios, which isn’t a bad idea.
Transcend / Dungeon Master – 20G
Transcend
The most time-consuming achievement to unlock in Ascend: Hand of Kul. Originally, the achievement was for reaching Floor 50 of the Endless Dungeon, but as the Endless Dungeon was not available at release the achievement was changed to “Transcend”. For some players, the achievement might not have been updated, and will still display “Dungeon Master”. However, this achievement, regardless of what is displayed, will unlock when you Transcend for the first time. For more information on Transcending, visit the Ascension section of this guide.
Friend or Foe – 5G
Send a curse or blessing to another player
This achievement unlocks during the tutorial and is mandatory for progression. You cannot miss this achievement.
Hex Master – 10G
Curse 20 players
You should progress through the game naturally, casting the Curses you acquire from chests on the other players you encounter. In the unlikely event you’ve finished the game and have yet to unlock this achievement, purchase your alignment-specific Curse: Broodling spells for 500 souls a piece and place them on other characters.
Highlands Scholar – 20G
All Highlands lore has been read
This achievement is unlocked after reading all 48 Lore Stones scattered throughout the world. For a complete list of Lore Stones, their locations and their content, visit the Lore Stones section of this guide.
Killing Fields – 30G
Kill 1000 enemies
This achievement will be unlocked during normal play; just keep killing, there’s no wrong way to do it. This is the third and final achievement based on cumulative kills.
Know thy Enemy – 5G
Defeat 3 player bosses
This achievement can be unlocked by defeating three enemy Ascended Champions that A) populate some dungeons or B) invade your captured shrines or altars.
Lord of War – 30G
Contribute 50,000 points to the Crusade
This achievement will be unlocked relatively quickly during natural and intended gameplay around your second or third Ascension.
Master and Commander – 5G
Defeat another player with one of your Ascended Champions
This achievement is merely a numbers game based on how well you built your champions at the time of Ascension. The achievement will unlock when one of your Ascended Champions kills another player during an invasion, which they will do randomly. You can also send specific champions to target dominion points you control through the Crusade menu. For tips on maxing out your champions before they ascend, go to the Ascension section of this guide.
Nuker – 10G
Kill 25 enemies with spells
This achievement should unlock quickly through natural gameplay progression as the god you serve will gift you free spells throughout the campaign. However, if you opt to fight primarily with melee attack, you might consider using your unlocked spells to finish Witch Doctors (which teleport backwards when struck) as a convenient means of unlocking this achievement.
Outfitted for War – 20G
Attain 200 points of physical damage
This achievement will unlock through natural gameplay progression when weapons with the required physical damage power begin to populate around level 40. If you’re having trouble reaching the threshold, consider affixing Runes of Strength where applicable for the stackable 3% melee damage boost. Avoid using Runes of the Titan for this purpose unless you naturally find them through chests; its high cost can be better spent on newer equipment as you quickly level.
Power Overwhelming – 20G
Fully upgrade a spell
This is one of the more difficult achievements to unlock given the sheer amount of souls required to fully upgrade a spell. Naturally, acquiring this achievement is easiest by fully upgrading one of the starting three spells: Ionized Bolt, Fireball or Seekers. For tips on farming the souls needed to fully upgrade your spells, visit the Farming section of this guide. For more information about God spells, visit the Spells section of this guide.
Shift of Power – 5G
Raise 3 shrines for your god
This achievement will be unlocked naturally through intended gameplay. Destroy three shrines and capture them for a single God.
Silence of the Trolls – 10G
Kill 200 enemies
This achievement will be unlocked during normal play; just keep killing, there’s no wrong way to do it. This is the second of three achievements based on cumulative kills.
Sticks and Stones – 10G
Allow human allies to kill 50 enemies
You may or may not unlock this achievement through natural gameplay. In many cases, human allies will not do enough damage to secure the required last hit on an enemy in order for it to count toward this achievement. To deliberately pursue this achievement, lure a pack of troll broodlings into a captured altar or any area where there are a number of humans allies. Whittle down the health of the broodlings using weak attacks until they’re on the verge of death, then block. The broodlings should continue to focus on you rather than the humans, while the humans fire arrows, eventually killing the trolls.
Tastes Like Chicken – 5G
Eat 20 humans
This achievement can be unlocked immediately after creating your Caos. In the Sanctum, when surrounded by the robed humans worshiping your Caos, press [LEFT] on the D-Pad to pick up and eat a human. Repeat 20 times to pop the achievement.
Total Control – 5G
Perform 20 10x combos
This will be unlocked through natural gameplay progression. Using fast attacks alternate swings in either direction when surrounded by enemies, making sure to block when you see an attack incoming. Repeat 20 times to acquire the achievement.
Uninvited – 5G
Use an Alignment Mask boost to enter a restricted alignment dungeon
To unlock this achievement, purchase a Mask Boost (Light/Dark/Void) for an alignment you do not currently serve and enter one of that God’s alignment-specific dungeons. For a complete list of alignment dungeons, visit the Dungeons section of this guide.