As good as Hades 2’s story and premise is, underneath lies a devilishly difficult demon waiting to consume you. If you want any hope of prevailing, our best tips and tricks are vital.
The core gameplay loop of Hades 2 is refreshing and addictive. As soon as you fail a run, it’s almost mandatory to hop straight into the next one. It happens a lot, because you die a lot.
Despite its enchanting art style and charismatic characters, Supergiant Games’ Hades games are tough nuts to crack. This is why we’ve summoned power from the depths of the Underworld to give you six top tips that will help you succeed on your journey.
Best tips and tricks to survive in Hades 2
Constantly use Hex, Cast & Magic
Melinoë’s main weapon is the most important thing to master, but remember to regularly use her other abilities as well. Hexes are fantastic for ensnaring enemy groups and giving you space to hit them, and Magic makes your attacks lethal.
While your Cast may seem ineffective at first, the right Boons and upgrades can turn it into a potent weapon of its own. Given it’s free to use, you’d be silly to not use it. And, again, use Magic to make it more deadly.
Never be afraid to use Magic—you get more than enough of it throughout a playthrough. Sitting on Magic and waiting for the right moment to strike might condemn you to death.
Learn boss patterns
You aren’t supposed to beat new bosses on your first go in Hades 2, and the same was true for its predecessor. It wasn’t until my second run that I beat Hecate in Hades 2, whereas it might take newer players more goes—experience was fortunately on my side.
Hades’ mechanics are deep and refined, and a good understanding of how everything works is key to bringing bosses to their knees. Don’t rush in all guns blazing first time around. Study your opponent’s moves so you stand a better chance of defeating them on your next cycle.
Upgrade your main weapon
I strongly encourage you to use the full extent of Melinoë’s arsenal. Her main source of damage output is her primary weapon, and you’ll have an easier time if you upgrade it. On some of my best early Hades 2 runs, I massively increased the range of my Staff attacks, made them cause splash damage, and increased their radius.
If you don’t like using Magic or Hex and Cast attacks, upgrading your main weapon’s power is a winning strategy.
Focus on improving Boons
Certain Boons are better than others, and that’s a fact. It’s why some Boons are higher rarities, and the rarer ones are worth considering when they come up. Once you have good Boons, I prefer upgrading them rather than trying to acquire new ones.
If you have a Rare or Epic Boon greatly increasing attack power or one that makes your Cast OP, keep making it stronger to decimate enemies quickly.
Favor health wherever possible
A Centaur Heart should be your first port of call when one appears. Period. Unless you have Godly gaming powers that make Zagreus look like a baby, more health equals a better chance of survival. It’s all the more important when you consider enemies get stronger, hit harder, and get more HP, so if you’re not continually improving yourself, Hades 2 is a lot harder.
Attack is the best form of defense
Not everyone will agree with this philosophy, but in my experience, you should be aggressive as much as possible. The sooner you start wailing on an enemy, the quicker their health bar goes down. You can stunlock enemies, and they die faster than if you tiptoe around them. Having said that, you should still err on the side of caution when facing bosses. Keep your distance and learn their moveset before engaging.
For most dungeon floors, though, it pays to be decisive and direct. Always target weaker enemies first to reduce the group size, and for bigger foes, once you dodge their main attack, dash straight toward them and unleash a flurry of offense.
During your Hades 2 runs, be sure to look out for Myrtle, Pearl, Limestone, and Nectar.
