Pool of Madness powerups and how to unlock them

Pool of Madness powerups are unlocked by completing rituals and by reforging your cue with collected parts; the official Steam page bundles "unlock new powerups and haunted totems" with finishing the ritual and preparing for the next terror. The developer has not published a list of individual powerups or their exact effects, so what follows is everything the official material confirms about how they arrive and what they are tied to.

On the official Steam page, powerups sit inside the cue-upgrade loop rather than in a separate shop screen. The store text describes them as unlocks that come with ritual completion, and the same section lists quick cue upgrades from collected parts, synergies, multipliers and chain reactions as the combat payoff.

What the material confirms

• Powerups as ritual rewards. The developer pairs unlocking powerups and haunted totems with completing the ritual. Treat ritual completion as the main progression gate rather than a pickup you find lying on the table.
• Powerups as drops during play. The same page's chaos section pictures "powerups raining down" alongside exploding fish and premium pockets, so at least some powerups appear mid-run as part of the action, not only on a menu.
• Cue parts as a separate, confirmed unlock. Cue parts are collected by pocketing a special equipment ball that sometimes appears in rituals, then swapped across the cue's tip, shaft and wrap/handle. These change your cue's effects; they are a distinct system from powerups.
• Engine room additions. The September 11, 2026 developer update on the Steam store page says the new location brings new rituals, tables, powerups and a boss. It does not name the powerups.
• Community listing. The Indie Cup Europe participant page lists "unlock new powerups, balls and cue parts" among full-game features, consistent with powerups being one unlock track among several.

How to unlock them

1. Play rituals

   Powerups are tied to completing rituals. Run the procedural and custom rituals that lure out void horrors.

2. Collect cue parts

   Pocket the special equipment ball when it appears in a ritual to gain cue parts, then rebuild your cue on the Equipment screen using tip, shaft and wrap/handle slots.

3. Finish the ritual and move on

   The store text places the powerup unlock together with completing the ritual and preparing for the next terror, so treat each finished ritual as an unlock checkpoint rather than grinding a single table.

What is not confirmed

The developer has not listed powerup names, their individual effects, their rarity, or the exact number of rituals needed for each one. Any specific tier list or effect breakdown you see elsewhere is not backed by the official pages reviewed here. Once the Early Access build is live, the in-game Equipment screen is the place to confirm each item.

Next steps

• Pool of Madness cue upgrades explains the part-and-slot system that powerups sit next to, so you can tell the two unlock tracks apart.
• Pool of Madness haunted totems covers the second unlock named in the same sentence as powerups.
• Pool of Madness gun guide is the fallback the developer recommends when a ritual build fails.

FAQ

Where do Pool of Madness powerups come from?

From completing rituals and from the cue-building loop; the official Steam page ties unlocking powerups and haunted totems to finishing the ritual, and shows powerups dropping during chaotic play.

How do I get cue parts for the upgrade system?

Pocket the special equipment ball that sometimes appears during rituals, then assign the parts to your cue's tip, shaft and wrap/handle slots.

Does the full Pool of Madness powerups list exist yet?

No official list of individual powerups or their effects has been published as of 2026-11-11, and the game is still marked as coming soon to Early Access.

Is the game out yet?

As of 2026-11-11, the official Steam page lists the game as coming soon, with a planned Early Access release on Nov 13, 2026.

Checked against the official Steam store page for Pool of Madness, its Steam Community hub, the Steam app page with the developer's September 30, 2026 post on cue parts, and the Indie Cup participant listing. Individual powerup names and effects remain unconfirmed.