Whilst Eternal used to be the only Sticker in Balatro, the launch of 1.0.1f has introduced two more Stickers in the form of Perishable and Rental. All three Stickers are powerful modifiers that largely create new gameplay opportunities through negative traits. However, all of them have hidden benefits and combos if you go looking.
We have already done guides on Perishable and Rental, so it would be remiss of us to turn our noses up at Eternal. We are going to go through how to unlock Eternal, what the Sticker does, whether it stacks, and how it impacts the game on a wider level. Let’s dive right in.
More Balatro content:
Deck Unlock Guide | Planet Card Guide | Tarot Card Guide | Spectral Card Guide | Legendary Joker Guide | Modifier Guide | Blank Voucher Guide | Best Legendary Jokers | Tag Guide | How To Unlock Cavendish
How To Unlock Eternal Stickered Jokers In Balatro
The Eternal Sticker will only be found in runs of Balatro that are done on the Black Stake or higher. Stakes in Balatro are cumulative difficulty modifiers that unlock sequentially when you win a run of Balatro. You start with the White Stake and work your way through to Gold. Black Stake is one of the earlier Stakes, coming in after 3 wins on a particular deck.
This makes Eternal the easiest of the three Stickers to unlock – it’s also one of the most impactful. Just be aware that if you go back to a lower Stake after unlocking Eternal, you will not see any Jokers with the Sticker. You must continue to play one Black Stake and above.
What Does Eternal Do?
Eternal Jokers are as the name implies – eternal. These jokers can never be sold once bought and they can never be destroyed. When we say never, we mean it. Once you have an Eternal Joker, it is with you until the end. You can still move them around your Joker bar, but they are completely immune to being removed.
Not all Jokers can have Eternal, however. The most notable exceptions are destructible Jokers. These are things like Gros Michel and Cavendish – both of which have a chance to be destroyed. Other Jokers like Popcorn and Ice Cream that automatically destroy after several Rounds/Hands are also unable to gain the Eternal sticker.
Eternal Jokers have a 30% chance to spawn.
Does Eternal Stack With Other Stickers?
Eternal stacks with Rental, however, it will never stack with Perishable. Eternal will also stack with any Joker Edition.
How Does Eternal Impact The Game?
Eternal Jokers are largely a negative to your game plan. Not all Jokers are great at all stages of the game, which makes buying them as a permanent fixture to your build a very hard sell. Once Eternal Jokers are in the game, you are weighing up whether or not you can afford to lug potential deadweight later to survive now. It’s an interesting design process that impacts that game heavily.
Certain Jokers become nearly worthless, however. Any Joker that requires Selling to gain a benefit springs to mind.
Where Eternal Joker shines is in how it interacts with other mechanics. Certain builds and interactions are completely impossible without Eternal. Because Eternal Jokers can never be destroyed, Spectral Cards that grant powerful effects like duplication in exchange for destruction have no adverse effects. This also applies to Jokers like Madness which destroy Jokers to gain power. Madness can never destroy an Eternal Joker but it will still gain the buff.
That’s all we have on Balatro for now. Be sure to check back for more tips, tricks, and guides.
