Even after several playthroughs, Hades 2 continues to intrigue with its storyline. However, in the early stages, the game can seem challenging due to the difficulty of the available bosses. In this guide, we will reveal the secrets of special opponents and share effective tactics for successful battles with them.
Before seriously taking on the bosses in Hades 2, we recommend upgrading your character first. This can be done using arcana cards, souvenirs, spells in Hecate's cauldron, and by acquiring allies in the form of familiar animals. To do this, you will have to go through many repetitive locations, gather a large number of resources, and in the process, you will get to know the inhabitants of different biomes and study their attacks, strengths, and weaknesses.
We also recommend paying attention to the boons of the gods. Of course, we cannot recommend a specific playstyle: in Hades 2, there are over 100 types of boons for any style, so you are free to experiment. Moreover, not all desired boosts will appear in every run, so focus on the bonuses you receive and choose your tactics accordingly. To do this, be sure to unlock as many types of weapons as possible and choose your favorite. For example, we managed to defeat all the bosses even with the starting staff. However, after obtaining Hecate's wands, it became much easier to balance between boons and deal maximum damage.
In short, what you need to do before defeating all the bosses in Hades 2:
Everything else is just a matter of technique. If you have sufficiently upgraded the heroine and can dodge in time, it won't be difficult. However, for those tired of dying every night, the game has a special God Mode.
Initially, this mode does not make the heroine invulnerable: after each loss, damage resistance will increase by only 2%, starting from 18%. Thus, to completely eliminate damage and become invulnerable, you will need to go through at least 40 runs. To activate God Mode, simply go to the game menu and check the corresponding box in the Game tab.
The first boss, which will seem simple even in the first runs. He has a number of primitive attacks that are very easy to dodge, but difficulties may still arise.
After talking with the Mentor, she will activate a magical ring. If you get inside, you will take damage, so avoid it.
After this, approach closely if your build is designed for quick close-range strikes to attack the boss. In the next few seconds, Hecate will attack the area twice (sometimes three times). Before the swing, dash to the side of the enemy or down/up. Do not run away, as the magical cloud will catch up with you and deal damage.
Next, she will summon two clones. You can try to find the real Hecate to deal some damage, but it is not rational. It's better to step aside and wait for the attack to end.
In the next moment, the boss will run towards the heroine and repeat the second attack with magical clouds. Dodge and deal as much damage to her back as possible.
If your attacks are not powerful enough, you will have to repeat the above actions until Hecate has just over half of her health left. We have fought this boss more than 20 times and can note that the next attack may appear randomly with a certain chance. Its essence is simple: magical two-dimensional shapes appear on the ground, expanding over time. If you do not move away in time, the heroine will take damage. At this moment, regular monsters — Hecate's minions — will appear. As long as they are alive, it will be impossible to harm the boss, so get rid of them as quickly as possible.
As soon as the boss's protective dome disappears, she will release the magical circle again. Stay aside and hit with ranged attacks. The next segment is similar to the third one when Hecate summons two clones. But this time, they release a large number of magical orbs. You can dodge them with a dash or use special boons that allow blocking ranged attacks or create a shield around Melinoe.
The next attack repeats the fourth one when the boss closes in and tries to deal several blows with the magical cloud. Now she will occasionally stop and release a purple circle, from which you need to escape in time.
When Hecate has less than half of her health left, she will use a spell that turns the heroine into a sheep, and standard enemies will appear in the arena. At this moment, it is important not to stay in one place and dodge ranged attacks and two-dimensional drawings on the ground.
If you managed to survive this segment, the Mentor will summon clones again, but this time they will not throw spheres but use magical rings. This attack will repeat until the enemy is completely destroyed.
The only additional attack at the end will be an area attack directed towards Melinoe. Just dash towards the boss to avoid it. Continue hitting the enemy until they beg for mercy.
The next boss is much harder than the previous one mainly because there are three enemies. However, at a high level of heroine development, this will not be so noticeable. So, we have three enemies, each with their own abilities. Individually, dodging them is not difficult, but together they can quickly deal with Melinoe.
First of all, we recommend getting rid of the drummer, as her attacks hit the area. You will notice red circles on the ground: staying in the marked area is not allowed, you will take damage. From time to time, she will create a large circle directed inward or outward — this determines where you need to go to avoid damage. Use omega abilities to quickly deal with the drummer, then take care of the other enemies.
Next in line is the guitarist. Scylla is quite slow and is unlikely to be able to damage you with ranged attacks, as they are also not very fast. Therefore, it is best to get rid of the siren with the guitar that is looming near you.
Her first attack pushes and stuns the heroine, it is enough to make a timely dash to avoid it. She also throws red balls that bounce off various objects. Just keep this in mind and don't collide with them.
The most dangerous attack of the guitarist is the dash and collision with Melinoe. If you fail to dodge, you will take serious damage. Keep in mind that as soon as the boss stops, it will release a red cloud that deals area damage.
So, we have dealt with two enemies. Scylla is left. First of all, note that attacking her from behind will not work, as there is an open shell protecting the boss. Her first attack is similar to the attacks of spirits and Erebus when they try to get close to Melinoe and start screaming loudly, dealing damage. Fortunately, unlike the spirits, Scylla is very slow.
When the boss closes in her shell, she will soon release a cluster of dark pink balls. This is easy to predict, so we dodge them.
After the balls, another attack begins: the boss stands in the center of the location and releases four beams, rotating around the arena. To avoid damage, stay away from them or make a dash when they get close.
Scylla's last additional attack can be considered the release of large purple spheres that will chase the heroine until they disappear. Also, be careful if you want to get close and deal damage to the boss. At this moment, she will start hitting you with her microphone.
The enemies' attacks in the second phase depend on who is in the spotlight. The light will be focused on this character, and they will start the battle for the second time. For example, Scylla, during her standard rotating beam attack, will additionally release dark pink spheres.
The other attacks will remain unchanged. Decide for yourself who to kill first. When the drummer and guitarist are destroyed, Scylla will have about 15% health left. At this moment, it is crucial not to delay, as flying fish will start to appear from the water. Use the sigil to prevent them from attacking you and focus all your power on the main enemy.
After two or three runs, you will understand how all the mechanics work, and the boss will indeed seem very easy.
The Hellhound may seem even easier than the previous boss. There is only one of him, he has several main attacks that are quite easy to dodge, and you can and should attack him from behind. But let's go over everything in order.
The boss's main attacks are area-based. You will very often see red circles on the ground. The color alone should prompt you to get away from them, and you would be right to do so. If you stay in the marked area, Melinoë will take a lot of damage after a while.
Next, the Hellhound will start releasing fireballs. Simply dodging is not enough, as they will explode after a moment, dealing area damage. Run away from them as far as possible!
The most effective tactic for fighting the Hellhound is to get close to him and try to attack from behind. But there are a few nuances here as well. If you stay very close to him for too long, he will start pounding the ground with his paws. In any case, always find a way to get behind the enemy and land a few hits.
When the boss has about half of his health left, small standard enemies that you may have encountered in this location will start to appear in the arena. The Hellhound himself will disappear for a while and will not interfere with you dealing with them.
Now, another attack will be added to all the previously described ones: the enemy will start spewing fire from his mouth. Use a dash and run quickly around the puppy until the attack is over. The situation can be complicated by the appearance of red circles on the ground—you will have to maneuver.
Moreover, the number of fireballs will increase significantly, making them harder to dodge. Once the enemy has about 20% health left, the red circles on the ground will start moving, and the Hellhound will start attacking with his paws and trying to reach Melinoë.
In his death throes, the Hellhound will fill everything around him with red circles, very dangerous for the heroine. At this moment, you need to focus your attacks on him and try to finish him off as quickly as possible. If you fail, retreat to a safe distance.
Chronos is truly the strongest opponent in Hades 2. To defeat him, you will need not only regular boosters but also the gifts of Hades, whom you will meet in the last biome after several attempts. For example, we got a gift that takes away 20% of the boss's health at the start of the battle. You may receive other boosters.
In the first stage of the battle, area attack weapons or skills will come in handy. This makes it much easier to deal with the regular enemies on the arena, who will appear from time to time. If you use targeted weapons, you will have to retreat and eliminate them one by one.
The first and most dangerous attack of Chronos is the spinning scythe, which deals a lot of damage. He can use this attack several times in a row, so be on guard and dodge in time.
Immediately after this, he gathers strength and makes a wide swing with his scythe. We recommend stepping back in advance. At the spot where Chronos just swung his scythe, circles will appear that drain the heroine's HP.
Next, the Titan of Time will try to pull Melinoë towards him, as other enemies have done during the playthrough. Use dash and run to stay at a safe distance from the boss, otherwise, you will take damage after a while. At the end of the attack, the enemy will release a charge in the direction of the beam—be ready to dodge.
Then the enemy will create spheres around himself. Do not approach him at this moment. Step back and wait for a large sand dome to appear around him. If you enter it, the heroine will freeze for a few seconds.
When the boss has less than half of his health left, four steles will appear. They will release a shield for their master, so you need to get rid of them first.
If the previous stage seemed difficult to you, we regret to inform you that this one is even harder. The battle will take place on a giant clock: first of all, if the screen goes dark and only one number is highlighted, run to it and stop. If you fail to do this in time, you will take so much damage that Melinoë will likely not be able to continue the fight (in one battle, we took 660 damage points at once).
Next, a ring will appear that will shrink. You need to use the dash in time to avoid taking damage.
Here you will also encounter repeating attacks from the previous phase: Chronos will try to pull Melinoë towards him and then release an energy charge at her. The spinning scythe is also present, so keep these attacks under control.
After a while, the clock hands will light up. Use the dash to avoid taking damage when passing by them. Note that first, the long, minute hand will appear, and next time there will be two hands: the minute and the hour hand.
When you see red circles on the arena, try to stay between them, as large yellow spheres will appear in their place. You can briefly close in on Chronos, who will be standing in the center of the arena, to deal some damage.
When the boss has about half of his health left, regular monsters will start appearing on the arena. Destroy them first and immediately run away, as they leave behind a sand sphere that freezes the heroine upon death.
There will be no new attacks: all the ones described above will repeat until you defeat the Titan of Time.
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We hope this guide helps you defeat all the bosses in Hades 2, progress through the story, and learn the game's lore. If you find any inaccuracies or want to add to the guide, be sure to write about it in the comments.