If you’re ready to slash, blast, and bind your way through the Underworld (and Overworld) as Melinoë, you’ve come to the right place.
Hades II builds on its predecessor with a dizzying array of new systems, resources, and challenges.
To help you get your footing on the path to Chronos, here are eight essential tips we wish we’d known from our very first run.
Our top tips to get started in Hades II
1. When in doubt, prioritise health
As you dive into each run, your primary goal in Hades II is to keep Melinoë in fighting shape for as long as possible. While a powerful attack boon is tempting, it’s useless if you’re dead.
Especially in the early game, always invest in your lifespan.
This means:
- Choosing the Centaur Heart (health upgrade) room when it’s an option.
- Buying health or health upgrades from Charon.
- Picking boons that increase your max health or offer healing.
A larger health pool gives you more room for error as you learn enemy patterns, especially if you’re new to Hades II.
2. Boon rarity isn’t everything
In Hades II, you’ll be offered boons from the Gods of Olympus in different rarities: Common, Rare, Epic, and Heroic. It’s easy to assume that a “Rare” or “Epic” boon is always the best choice. This is a trap.
Always consider the build you are trying to achieve. A “Common” boon that perfectly synergises with your weapon and other boons is always a better choice than an “Epic” one that does nothing for your strategy. A focused build beats a high-rarity mess every time.
3. Build your relationships
Hades II is as much about building relationships as it is about building your strength. When you interact with characters at the Crossroads and beyond, you’ll sometimes have the chance to “Salute” them or, more importantly, offer them a gift (like Nectar).
These interactions might not seem to do much at first, but strengthening your connections over time is crucial. It unlocks new narrative threads, provides powerful new tools (like Keepsakes), and can even offer help during your runs. Don’t just rush to the next fight—talk to your friends!
4. Understand your run’s limits
Each run in Hades II has a limited pool of gods. Typically, only four main Olympians will appear during a single descent. This means you can’t just hope for Zeus to show up if he’s not in the pool for that run. (Note: You can use a Keepsake to force a fifth god to appear, even if they aren’t in the random pool).
Similarly, Daedalus Hammer upgrades (which modify your weapon’s attacks) are limited. You’ll traditionally only be offered two per run. There are ways to get more, but you should prioritise grabbing these first two whenever you see them.
Knowing these limits helps you make smarter decisions in the early stages of Hades II.
5. Master the Underworld before the Surface
Unlike the first game, Hades II has two distinct paths: the route down toward Chronos in the Underworld and, after unlocking it via Incantations, the route up to Mount Olympus on the surface.
You might be tempted to bang your head against the surface path in defiance. We recommend against this. The surface is significantly more challenging, especially early on. Focus on the Underworld run first. Defeat Chronos a few times, build up your weapon upgrades and Arcana cards, and then take on the challenge of the surface. It will save you a lot of frustration.
6. The Arcana Altar is your most important upgrade
If we had to pick the single most important meta-progression system, it’s the Arcana Cards. These are permanent, powerful modifiers that you can equip before every run.
You’ll need two key resources for this:
- Ash: Unlocks new cards.
- Psyche: Increases your “Grasp,” allowing you to equip more cards at once.
Later, you’ll use Moon Dust to upgrade them. In the early hours of the game, focus on acquiring as much Ash and Psyche as you can.
7. Always check the cauldron for incantations
That bubbling cauldron in the centre of the Crossroads is your key to permanently changing the game.
Incantations unlock vital new tools, allies, powers, gathering spots, and even new paths (like the one to the surface).
The cauldron handily marks Incantations in green if you have the resources and red if you don’t. While your main mission is to get deeper into each run, it’s just as important to keep an eye out for the specific resources needed for these game-changing spells. (Pro-tip: Items like Nectar have multiple uses, so check your Incantation recipes before gifting them all away!)
8. Don’t underestimate your cast (Bind)
Once you get into the thick of the game, rooms will be filled with enemies, all trying to kill you in different ways. The real trick is learning how to deal with all of them at once.
This is where your Cast comes in. Melinoë’s basic Cast (Bind) locks enemies in place, which is an incredibly powerful crowd-control tool. Don’t just forget about it. Some of the best builds in the game are focused on weaponising this move, trapping and dealing massive damage to enemies caught in its grip. Use it often!
Go have fun
Hades II is a game of trial and error. You can have super tough runs where nothing clicks. You can have runs that seem like they’re going perfectly, only to end abruptly.
You have to breathe, enjoy it and just soak in all the charm, lore and style that comes with it. If it’s getting a bit frustrating, take a break. If you hit a metaphorical brick wall, stop just running into it. Step back, re-assess and approach differently.
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