33 Immortals Progression Guide: Best Unlock Order 2026

This 33 Immortals progression guide is for players who've spent five or more runs confused about what's actually getting better. Runs feel similarly hard. The Dark Woods hub has upgrade buttons, but the right order isn't obvious. The answer is a specific sequence that starts with Dust, moves to slot expansion, and only then branches into combat-focused perks.

This 33 Immortals progression guide covers the hub's two-currency economy (Eternal Shards and Paragons), the exact costs for perk upgrades and slot unlocks, and the order that experienced players have found most efficient since the 1.0 launch in June 2026.

TL;DR: 33 Immortals progression runs in two layers: temporary (relics, Co-Op Powers, Dust per run) and permanent (Dark Woods hub upgrades that carry forever). Priority order: Renewal of Dust first, unlock slot 2, get Rejuvenated Vigor, unlock slot 3, then fill Empyreal Deceptiveness and Astute Erudite. Push Feat 6 and 8 early for critical unlocks. Paragons are rare; don't spend them before rank IV/V perk upgrades become available.

33 Immortals progression guide: how does hub progression work? (quick answer)

The Dark Woods hub is where your permanent account upgrades live. Dante manages perk upgrades and loadout configuration here. Anything you buy in the hub carries into every future run regardless of how the run ends. Anything you pick up during a run (relics, Co-Op Powers, mid-run Dust choices) is temporary and resets at the end of the session.

That distinction matters early. It's easy to attribute run-to-run improvement to temporary factors (better relic RNG, a stronger lobby) when the real driver is usually a recent hub unlock. Getting Renewal of Dust to rank III or IV will visibly change how much power you accumulate per encounter, and that compounds across every run you do afterward.

Key takeaways

• Progression splits into two layers: in-run (temporary) and Dark Woods hub (permanent)
• Eternal Shards are the primary upgrade currency; Paragons are rare and needed for ranks IV-V
• Renewal of Dust is the highest-priority first perk. Dust economy drives in-run power scaling
• Unlock perk slot 2 before maxing any single perk; breadth outweighs depth early
• Feat 6 and 8 gate critical progression milestones; advance them intentionally
• Total cost to max all six perk slots: 3,400 Eternal Shards + 18 Paragons
• Once Ascension begins, stop greedy farming; side room value drops sharply

The two progression layers

Every run in 33 Immortals has two overlapping progression systems that players sometimes conflate.

In-run progression is what you build during a session. Relics drop from chests and certain enemies and give passive bonuses that stack as you collect more of them. Co-Op Powers are shared abilities that activate when team conditions are met (coordinated strikes, simultaneous revives, combo chains). Dust is the in-run currency for stat upgrades between encounters. None of it carries over when the run ends.

Permanent progression is what you build in the Dark Woods hub between runs. Perks bought here affect your loadout in every subsequent session. Weapon unlocks expand your starting options. Feat level milestones gate access to higher-tier hub options. Cosmetics don't affect gameplay but track time investment. This layer is what makes each run incrementally easier as your account matures.

The practical implication: early runs feel uniformly difficult because you have almost no permanent upgrades yet. Once you have Renewal of Dust at rank III, Rejuvenated Vigor unlocked, and two to three perk slots filled, the power floor per run is noticeably higher.

GODEEPER: For the co-op mechanics that work alongside hub upgrades, the 33 Immortals co-op guide covers team positioning, rescue timing, and Ascension coordination. 33 Immortals Co-op Guide: 8 Tips for Better Team Play →

Eternal Shards and Paragons: the two currencies

Eternal Shards are earned through run completions, boss kills, feat progress, and daily/weekly objectives. They're spent on almost everything in the hub: perk unlocks, perk upgrades through rank III, and perk slot expansions through slot IV. Early in the game you earn Shards fast relative to what you can spend them on.

Paragons are rarer. They come from advanced run milestones, specific feat completions, and higher-tier boss kills. You'll see your first few Paragons around the time you're clearing Inferno reliably. They're required for perk rank IV (1 Paragon per perk) and rank V (3 Paragons per perk), plus the final two perk slot expansions.

Here are the exact costs for maxing one perk from rank I to rank V:

• Rank II: 75 Eternal Shards
• Rank III: 200 Eternal Shards
• Rank IV: 350 Shards + 1 Paragon
• Rank V: 550 Shards + 3 Paragons
• Total to max one perk: 1,175 Shards + 4 Paragons

And perk slot unlock costs:

• Slot 2: 100 Shards
• Slot 3: 300 Shards
• Slot 4: 500 Shards + 3 Paragons
• Slot 5: 1,000 Shards + 5 Paragons
• Slot 6: 1,500 Shards + 10 Paragons
• Total for all six slots: 3,400 Shards + 18 Paragons

The takeaway from these numbers: perk slot expansion becomes the real long-term investment, not individual perk ranks. Players who rush to max one perk to rank V before unlocking additional slots end up with a narrow loadout for a long stretch of runs.

Reaching Paradiso is the milestone that makes Paragon-tier perks worthwhile: the third realm's encounter difficulty is where rank IV and V upgrades pay off against the harder enemy compositions.

Best perk unlock order

The community consensus after the 1.0 launch converges on a priority sequence that front-loads economy before combat:

Step 1: Renewal of Dust first. Dust is the in-run currency for stat upgrades. Renewal of Dust increases Dust acquisition from defeated enemies, and at maximum rank the bonus is large enough to meaningfully change how many upgrades you get per encounter chain. Getting this to rank II or III early makes every run from that point on better. The perk pays for itself quickly.

Step 2: Unlock slot 2. Before maxing Renewal of Dust, spend the 100 Shards to open slot 2. Two mediocre perks give more options during a run than one maxed perk. Breadth first.

Step 3: Rejuvenated Vigor. This perk improves your chance of finding Rare and Epic relics. Relics are the primary source of run-to-run power variance; getting better relic drops means more consistent strong runs. Unlock it in slot 2 and level it alongside Renewal of Dust.

Step 4: Unlock slot 3, then add Empyreal Deceptiveness. Slot 3 costs 300 Shards, which is relatively cheap at this stage. Empyreal Deceptiveness (critical damage enhancement) becomes the natural third perk once your Dust economy and relic quality are both improving.

Step 5: Astute Erudite in slot 4. Co-Op Power generation has compound effects in a 33-player lobby. Astute Erudite boosts Co-Op Power generation, which means more frequent shared ability activations. At this point you have the four core perks that most high-run-count players use.

Merciful Contemplation is worth adding after the four above. It provides survivability buffs during the late-run crunch and is particularly valuable in Purgatorio and Paradiso.

Feat levels: how to advance them efficiently

Feats track specific achievements and unlock hub options when they reach certain levels. The actions that advance feat levels:

• Weapon mastery: kills with a specific weapon type
• Boss kills: defeating Inferno, Purgatorio, or Paradiso's final bosses
• Elite enemy defeats: distinct from standard enemies, elites are the named mid-encounter threats
• Cooperative actions: revives and co-op strike contributions
• Chest openings: found throughout the world
• Exploration: covering ground in each realm

The guide's key advice: push Feat 6 and 8 actively. Those specific milestones gate perk slot access and hub options that are meaningfully better than what you have at Feat 4 or 5. The fastest path to Feat 6 combines intentional boss kills with consistent co-op action tracking. Players who only focus on kills miss the cooperative action credit.

GODEEPER: For what the three realm structures look like and how 1.0 changed the endgame, the 33 Immortals 1.0 launch guide covers all three realms and the new final boss. 33 Immortals 1.0: Three Realms, Final Boss, Now on Steam →

Dust economy: shaping your in-run power

Dust is earned from defeated enemies and spent at upgrade stations between encounters. Co-Strikes generate more Dust than solo kills. That's the single most important mechanical fact for Dust economy: coordinated play isn't just good for the run, it directly funds more upgrade choices per session.

Renewal of Dust amplifies this. Once the perk is at rank III, the Dust-per-kill rate is high enough that you can reliably hit two or three upgrade stations per encounter chain rather than one. That difference compounds over a full Inferno run.

The practical implication for team composition: if you're running with a premade group, coordinate fights around Co-Strike windows. If you're in a random lobby, position for the most likely Co-Strike opportunities (same targets, synchronized burst windows) rather than spreading across the room independently.

A Co-Strike x28 activation: multiple Immortals hitting the same target simultaneously triggers the critical chance bonus and generates more Dust than individual kills.

Step-by-Step: the first 10 runs

Here's how to think about permanent progression across your first ten runs:

Runs 1-3: Focus on learning encounter patterns and Inferno layout. Don't worry about hub optimization yet. You won't have enough Shards to make meaningful decisions until run 3 or 4.

Run 4: By now you should have 400-600 Eternal Shards. Buy Renewal of Dust and rank it to II. Buy slot 2.

Runs 5-7: Add Rejuvenated Vigor. Rank Renewal of Dust toward III. The runs should feel noticeably more Dust-rich.

Run 8: You should have enough for slot 3. Buy it and add Empyreal Deceptiveness.

Runs 9-10: The Paragon economy is starting to matter. Save Paragons; don't spend them yet. Focus on pushing Feat 6 through intentional boss kills and co-op actions.

After run 10, most players have the four core perks, three perk slots, and are approaching the point where the run-to-run variance starts to feel more like skill variance than upgrade variance.

Tips: common progression mistakes in 33 Immortals

Maxing one perk to rank V before unlocking additional slots. Rank V requires 3 Paragons, which are rare. Spending them early means a long stretch where you have one strong perk and empty slots. Three rank II perks outperform one rank V perk in most run scenarios because you get more active bonuses.

Spending Paragons before rank IV options are available. Some players spend Paragons on early hub purchases that don't require them, then are short when rank IV upgrades open up. Treat Paragons as reserved for rank IV and V perk upgrades specifically.

Ignoring cooperative actions for feat progress. Feat levels advance faster with intentional co-op behavior. Running solo-style in a multiplayer lobby leaves feat credit on the table, which delays hub milestone unlocks.

Going greedy on side rooms after Ascension begins. Once the team commits to Ascension, side room value drops fast. The Dust and relics you might get from an extra fight rarely outweigh the time and health cost. Enter Ascension with enough bones for at least one emergency decision; if you're below that, skip the next optional fight.

Trying to fill all six perk slots early. Slots 5 and 6 cost more than everything before them combined. The value-per-cost curve peaks around slots 3-4. Rushing to 6 slots with underpowered perks is less effective than having 4 well-chosen perks at higher ranks.

Related Reading

• 33 Immortals Beginner Guide: 9 Tips for Your First Runs: survival mechanics, Co-Strike timing, and the 9 first-run mistakes this guide covers
• 33 Immortals Co-op Guide: 8 Tips for Better Team Play: how coordinated play in a lobby multiplies the Dust gains and Ascension timing covered here
• 33 Immortals 1.0 Launch: All Three Realms: what the June 2026 1.0 release changed about the three-realm progression structure

Frequently Asked Questions

What are Eternal Shards in 33 Immortals? Eternal Shards are the primary Dark Woods hub currency earned from runs, boss kills, and feat completions. They cover most perk unlocks and upgrades through rank III, plus perk slot expansion through slot IV. Most early progression spending should go toward Renewal of Dust and a second perk slot before anything else.

What are Paragons used for? Paragons are the rare secondary currency required for perk ranks IV and V, and for perk slot expansions 5 and 6. Don't spend them before rank IV unlocks are available. Slot 5 costs 5 Paragons; slot 6 costs 10 Paragons.

What is the best first perk to unlock? Renewal of Dust. It increases Dust acquisition from enemies, and Dust is what funds your in-run stat upgrades. Getting this perk to rank II or III early makes every subsequent run better.

How do Feat levels work? Feat levels advance through specific tracked actions: weapon mastery, boss kills, elite enemy defeats, revives, co-op strikes, chest openings, and exploration. Push Feat 6 and 8 actively by combining boss kills with consistent co-op actions.

How much does maxing all perk slots cost? 3,400 Eternal Shards and 18 Paragons total. Slot 6 alone costs 1,500 Shards plus 10 Paragons, making it the most expensive single hub purchase. Don't rush it.

When should you stop farming and push Ascension? Once Ascension begins, side farm value drops sharply. Enter Ascension with enough bones for one emergency decision. If you're below that threshold, skip the next optional fight and regroup instead.

Is 33 Immortals worth playing at 1.0? Yes. The 1.0 release added all three realms and the final boss. The Mostly Positive Steam rating at $9.97 reflects a game that delivers on its co-op roguelite premise, though the experience is better in a coordinated group than in a random lobby.

References

• 33 Immortals on Steam: 1.0 launch page, $9.97, three realms, full feature list
• 33 Immortals official wiki: community-maintained perk database and feat milestone documentation
• r/33Immortals: active community with post-1.0 perk tier discussions and Ascension timing debates