TL;DR

Saros has six main resources: Lucenite, Halcyon, Aether, Acolyte’s Wager, Integrity Augments, and Carcosan Keys.
Lucenite is your main currency — collect it fast, it disappears after a short time.
Halcyon is rare and permanent — never lose it on death, use it for the best Armor Matrix upgrades.
Aether heals you — pick it up even at full health to convert it into Lucenite.
Acolyte’s Wager lets you reroll weapons and artifacts.
Integrity Augments permanently boost your stats.
Carcosan Keys open locked doors and yellow chests.

Table of Contents

Saros: All Resources and Currencies

Saros is the new PS5-exclusive action roguelite from Housemarque. It is the spiritual successor to Returnal and sends you into the alien world of Carcosa as Arjun Devraj. Like any good roguelite, the game has a set of resources and currencies you need to understand early. Once you know what each one does, your runs become much smoother and your progression speeds up fast.

This guide covers every resource in Saros, what it does, where to find it, and how to use it wisely. For more help, check out our Saros Beginner Tips guide.

Lucenite

Lucenite is the most common resource in the game. It appears as small yellow crystal shards scattered across every biome. Enemies also drop it when you defeat them.

Collecting Lucenite raises your Proficiency Level during a run. The higher your Proficiency, the stronger the weapons you find will be. This makes Lucenite directly tied to how powerful your run feels from start to finish.

There is a catch though — Lucenite that drops from enemies disappears after a short time. You need to move through the arena after fights and collect it quickly before it vanishes. Do not snipe from a distance and leave drops behind.

Back at the Passage (the hub area), Lucenite is used to unlock upgrades in the Armor Matrix. Most nodes on the skill tree cost Lucenite, so keeping a steady supply is important for permanent progression. Check out our Saros Armor Matrix Upgrades guide to know which ones to unlock first.

If you die during a run, you do not lose all of your Lucenite — but you do lose a significant chunk. So staying alive matters. The Drive attribute also affects how much Proficiency you gain from each Lucenite pickup. Upgrading Drive early is one of the best decisions you can make.

Tip: If you find Aether (the healing item) and your health is already full, press Triangle to collect it anyway. It will convert into Lucenite instead of going to waste.

Where to Find Lucenite

Dropped by enemies after defeating them
Scattered throughout the environment in every biome
Hidden on side paths and in optional rooms
Converted from Aether when health is full

Halcyon

Halcyon is the second and rarer currency in Saros. It glows with a pink-purple color and is much harder to come by than Lucenite. However, it is arguably more valuable in the long run.

Unlike Lucenite, Halcyon does not disappear if you die. Once you pick it up, it is stored permanently. This makes it one of the safest resources to chase. There is also a finite amount of Halcyon in each biome. Once you have collected all of it from a given area, it will no longer appear there.

Halcyon is used at the Armor Matrix to unlock the most important upgrades in the game — the purple nodes. These include powerful permanent abilities like Second Chance, which gives you a full revival once per run. These upgrades carry across every run you do, making each attempt easier and more sustainable.

When you are given a choice between Halcyon and something else in a container, always take the Halcyon. Weapons and Aether can be found again. Halcyon is limited per biome and too valuable to skip.

You can track how much Halcyon remains in each biome by talking to Primary in the Passage and hovering over a biome on the World Dial. For a deeper look at how to use it, read our what to do with Halcyon in Saros guide.

Where to Find Halcyon

Floating on side paths throughout every biome
Inside red containers (often as one of two reward choices)
Dropped by some Alpha hostiles
As rewards from completing Nightmare Gates
Enemy drops in later biomes like Yellow Shore

Aether

Aether is the only healing item in Saros. It glows bright green, making it easy to spot while clearing rooms. Aether can be found lying on the ground, dropped by enemies, or found inside red chests.

It comes in three sizes: small, medium, and large. The size determines how much health you restore when you pick it up.

The key thing to know is this — even if you are at full health, always pick up Aether. Pressing Triangle on it when your health is full will convert it into Lucenite. It is not a huge amount, but it is much better than leaving it on the floor.

Aether does not carry over between runs. It is a temporary resource used only during an active run.

Acolyte’s Wager

Acolyte’s Wager is a reroll token. It does not appear right at the start of the game but becomes available as you progress deeper into the biomes. When it shows up, you will usually find it inside white containers.

This item lets you reroll a main weapon, power weapon, or artifact that you find in chests. It is extremely useful when you want a specific weapon type or are chasing particular attributes on an artifact. You can also use it to remove an existing artifact from your inventory to free up a slot before equipping something better.

You can unlock certain nodes in the Armor Matrix that allow you to start every run with Acolyte’s Wagers already in your inventory. This number can go up to five with the right upgrades. Rerolls refresh each run, so use them freely — especially before entering a boss room to try for your favourite weapon.

For more on how weapons and power weapons work, see our guide on all Saros Main and Power Weapons.

Integrity Augments

Integrity Augments are yellow-green coloured items you will come across during your runs. They permanently upgrade your stats, making each future run start in a stronger position.

These are found mainly on the main path through each biome, but some are hidden on side paths and in areas that require specific permanent abilities to access. They are also rewarded for completing Nightmare Gates, which are optional high-difficulty combat encounters found in each of the first seven biomes.

There are more than 20 Integrity Augments available in the game. Collecting them contributes to building a stronger Arjun across the board. For more on the hardest content in the game, check our Saros Nightmare Strand explained guide.

Where to Find Integrity Augments

Along the main path in each biome
On optional side paths (marked with a white flag on the mini-map)
As rewards for completing Nightmare Gates
In areas unlocked by later permanent abilities

Carcosan Keys

Carcosan Keys are found while exploring the biomes. You will also be able to unlock Armor Matrix nodes that allow you to start runs with keys already in your inventory, which is very useful for later content.

Keys are used to open two things: locked doors and yellow chests. Locked doors tend to contain much better loot and are almost always worth spending a key on. Yellow chests, on the other hand, tend to offer slightly weaker rewards.

A good strategy is to save at least one key for a locked door and only spend extra keys on yellow chests later in a run. Do not open yellow chests early — wait until you are further into a level before committing.

For more on containers and what is inside them, see our Saros locked containers and Carcosan Keys guide.

How Resources Work Together

Understanding how these resources connect to each other is what separates a good run from a great one.

Lucenite powers your short-term progression during each run by raising your Proficiency and funding most of your Armor Matrix upgrades. Halcyon is your long-term investment, unlocking the rare upgrades that change how your entire game feels. Aether keeps you alive long enough to collect both. Acolyte’s Wager gives you control over RNG to build the loadout you want. Integrity Augments give you a permanent stat foundation. And Carcosan Keys gate access to bonus loot rooms.

Balancing your attention across all six is the key to strong, consistent runs in Saros.

Tips for Managing Resources in Saros

Always take Halcyon when given a choice between Halcyon and another reward.
Collect Lucenite immediately after fights — it disappears quickly.
Pick up Aether even at full health to convert it to Lucenite via Triangle.
Spend Acolyte’s Wagers before boss rooms to maximise your build going into tough fights.
Save keys for locked doors rather than yellow chests when possible.
Upgrade Drive early so each Lucenite pickup gives more Proficiency gain.
Check the World Dial to see how many Halcyon remain in each biome.

More Saros Guides

Now that you know how all the resources work, here are more guides to help you get the most out of Saros:

You can buy Saros directly from the PlayStation Store.

Saros: All Resources and Currencies – Complete Guide

Saros: All Resources and Currencies