Hell Maiden adds Lucanus and its third stage

Hell Maiden is adding a new poet, a new combat option and its third playable stage. AstralShift has announced that Lucanus will join the early-access deck-building roguelite alongside the upcoming Circle of Gluttony area. ¹

What is changing

The new stage follows Limbo and Lust as the third area planned for the game. The developer is testing the mid-boss attack patterns and tuning the stage boss, with the Circle of Gluttony update scheduled for later this year rather than given a firm release date. Seven new enemy types are planned, alongside a trap that will chase the player through the stage. ¹

Lucanus will arrive with the stage. The character is based on Marcus Annaeus Lucanus, the Roman poet who also appears among the poets of Limbo in Dante Alighieri's Divine Comedy. In Hell Maiden, Lucanus is presented as a figure shaped by regret and betrayal, and will bring a dedicated spell and Spirit Weapon. ¹

The spell is designed differently from the game's existing attacks: players can aim and control it freely, using it to pierce large groups of enemies. That should give the new poet a more active role in crowd control, although the announcement does not yet explain how the ability will fit into the wider deck-building system. ¹²

Early access context

Hell Maiden launched into Steam Early Access on 16 July 2026. The game turns Dante's journey through Hell into an action roguelite built around cards, weapons and repeat runs. Its store page describes a broader journey through the nine circles, while the current announcement specifically focuses on the third area and Lucanus. ²³

The game is currently available on Steam for ¥1,500 in the Japanese listing. That price and the Early Access status can change, so readers should check the store page before buying. ¹³

Our opinion

This is a meaningful early-access addition rather than a vague promise of more content. A new stage, enemy set and poet give Hell Maiden a clear expansion hook, while Lucanus's manually aimed spell could make him feel distinct from characters built around passive or fixed attacks. The important unknown is timing: AstralShift says the Circle of Gluttony is planned for later this year, but has not supplied a specific date or detailed the final boss. For now, the announcement is a useful look at the game's next milestone, not a finished-content guarantee.