Post
The layer that lets death feed the next run instead of only deleting the last one.
Meta-progression is permanent progress that survives a failed run: new weapons, stats, characters, cards, rooms, or options. It softens permadeath by giving players a sense that even a disaster produced account-level motion.
Example
Hades uses the Mirror of Night, weapon aspects, keepsakes, and house upgrades to make repeated deaths feel productive. Rogue Legacy uses manor upgrades so one heir's failure funds the next heir's odds.
Why it matters
Meta-progression is powerful because it widens the audience for run-based games, but too much of it can make mastery feel secondary to grinding.
Related concepts