Ember Knights is a Roguelite, so not everything is lost upon death. When players die, they lose a lot, so it feels like restarting the game from the beginning.
What do you lose when you die in Ember Knights?
After death, the only things you get to keep are the Relic Orbs you found, any slates you gained from bosses, some stat bonuses, and the ember you collected. There is no way to keep your gold, level progress, abilities, and relics.
Stat upgrades aren’t always permanent. There was a limit to how many times the same stat could be ranked up, and it fell when we didn’t upgrade it the next time. Over time, your stats may drop, or maybe death brings them down a bit. There’s no real confirmation yet since we’ve kept some stats and decreased others.
Death plays an important role in the game because it holds the areas where you upgrade your Ember Knights. Understandably, you need to restart your run from the first level, but the next run will be easier thanks to the upgrades you purchase with ember.
For more Ember Knights, why not check out Does Ember Knights have multiplayer? or When do I unlock the bow in Ember Knights? here on Pro Game Guides.
