Eldritch Idol Powers & Dark Arts

Each recovered Eldritch Idol grants an active dive power and a permanent Dark Arts settlement bonus that scales with Altar investment (Patch #1 fixed Dark Arts IV soft-locks on dive return). Collecting all eight is still the campaign win condition — the powers are why the order you recover them changes the rest of the run.

Priority for a first timed campaign: Severance (speed), Respite (oxygen), and Judgment (ten-second rewind) make unfamiliar biomes survivable. Ruin helps against unkillables. The rest are situational but every Dark Arts rank still pays the camp.

• Idol of Betrayal — Pacify (120s cooldown). Calms nearby small enemies for 15 seconds so you can cross a crowded corridor without spending ammo. Dark Arts: survivors recover 3 / 5 / 7 / 10 Sanity each day at ranks I–IV.
• Idol of Loss — Disincarnate (once per dive). Instant surface return. You drop every droppable item and lose half of current Health and Sanity. Dark Arts: Lighthouse Expeditions gain +1% / +2% / +3% / +4% success per dead survivor, capped at +8% / +16% / +24% / +32%.
• Idol of Severance — Farewell (120s). Eldritch burst: double move speed and immunity to slows for 10 seconds. One of the strongest exploration tools against vents, blooms, and chase rooms. Dark Arts: +3% / +6% / +9% / +12% swim speed.
• Idol of Respite — Haven (once per dive). Restores 35% of maximum oxygen without a consumable or a surface trip. Dark Arts: −1 / −2 / −3 / −4 Nutrition and Morale camp upkeep.

• Idol of Ruin — Ruin (120s). Destroys nearby enemies and resource nodes in a small radius. Unkillables survive but are interrupted and pacified for 3 seconds — enough to leave a Stalker or Faceless Shark lane. Dark Arts: survivors gain +20% / +30% / +40% / +50% experience per negative condition they currently have.
• Idol of Drowning — Last Breath (once per dive). Freezes Health, Sanity, and oxygen for 45 seconds, then kills the diver. Use only when those 45 seconds buy an Idol or a warp you cannot reach any other way. Dark Arts: +10% / +15% / +20% / +25% oxygen capacity.
• Idol of Worship — Hear Our Prayer (once per dive). Summons one to three random Boon Fish. Dark Arts: Worship gauge +20% / +40% / +60% / +80%, and burning tributes grants +50% / +75% / +100% / +125% experience.
• Idol of Judgment — Tides of Time (300s). Records position, Health, Sanity, and status, then rewinds you there after 10 seconds. Rush a dangerous grab and snap back. Dark Arts: new recruits start +1 / +2 / +3 / +4 levels higher.

New serpents spawn after each Idol — read Rain Serpents before you spend a day hunting a mouth that is not in the world yet.