Progression

Three nested progression layers, similar to other modern roguelites:

1. In-run

Per-descent state, lost on death (mostly):

• Backpack contents — what you've picked up.
• Map perks chosen this run.
• HP / shields.

Note: some loot is preserved on death by being in the backpack at exit; the rest is left behind. This is friendlier than full permadeath and similar to Sparklite's "permalife" framing — but Moonlighter 2 doesn't fully commit to permalife. Death has real cost.

2. Per-day meta

Persists across runs but resets daily:

• Themed-day bonuses (popularity boosts).
• Perks chosen during shop setup.
• Display layout (until you choose to rearrange).

3. Permanent meta

The village investment loop. Persists forever:

• Blacksmith — armor & weapon upgrades. Spend gold + relics for stat bumps + new sets.
• Recipe vendors — unlocks new craftable items.
• Other NPC establishments — alchemist, etc., each unlock more perks for runs.
• Shop tier — better display cases, more slots, decoration options.
• Recipes & blueprints — found in dungeons, redeemed in town.

The Blacksmith. Pick armor sets and upgrade them with gold + materials. Each set has both stats and a unique trait (Nimbus Regalia: shields, damage boost on shield break). Source: Steam.

Variety vs. power

Moonlighter 2 sits between the Spire ("variety only, no power") and Hades ("variety + persistent power") models. Permanent upgrades do make Will stronger over time — armor sets have real stat bumps. But the bulk of "what changes between runs" is variety:

• New perks unlocked from village NPC investments.
• New recipes for backpack-puzzle synergies.
• New display cases that change shop math.

Compare with Spire's meta-as-variety-not-power — Mega Crit explicitly rejects permanent power gains. Digital Sun is more relaxed: permanent power is fine, variety is what scales.

Critique

• Reviewers note that progression in the EA build feels slowed rather than gated. The original Moonlighter had clean progression beats (each new dungeon was a real escalation); the sequel has more options to grind for, less clear milestones.
• This may iron out before 1.0 — Early Access game, content roadmap published.

Patterns this exemplifies

• meta-as-variety-not-power — but only partially; permanent stat upgrades exist alongside variety unlocks.