Hades II News

Supergiant Games have released the latest big patch for Hades 2 today, The Unseen Update, bringing in a number of changes so big I won't be able to tell you about them all here, but I'll pick out a few good ones. First of all, and perhaps most importantly, Narcissus finally has character art and, oh no, he's hot! I'm not going to embed any pictures of him here just in case you want to witness him in game for yourself, but here's a little tweet for those that can't wait. Very much a "why does he have to be obsessed with himself and be attractive enough for that to be understandable" kind of vibe.

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[p]Our third Major Update for Hades II is finally here, focused on expanding core combat, Guardian encounters, and character relationships, with lots of new visual flair![/p][previewyoutube][/previewyoutube][p][/p][p]With The Unseen Update, expect Hades II to be bigger and better than before: [/p]

• [p]Discover the Hidden Aspects of the Nocturnal Arms! Each main weapon has an all-new new fighting style to unlock. [/p]
• [p]Speak the Vow of Rivals at the Oath of the Unseen to take on stronger-than-ever Guardians, each with unique surprises![/p]
• [p]Unleash Godsent Hexes on your foes, dazzling Moon magick upgraded with the power of the Olympians.[/p]
• [p]Forge Bonds with a variety of characters in many new optional story events that bring you closer than before.[/p]
• [p]Harness the revamped Umbral Flames, now offering a snappier fighting style for keeping your foes at bay.[/p]

[p]This update also features lots of new artwork and visual flourishes, exciting new music tracks such as the one in our new trailer, new Warden encounters, many new story events, and more. We're excited to hear what you think of it all![/p][p][/p][p]The Unseen Update is a free, automatic download as part of the Early Access development of Hades II. If you've come directly to this post, check out the game here: [dynamiclink][/dynamiclink]You may need to restart your Steam client to initiate the download. If you run into any technical issues with the update or the game in general, please check our Technical Support FAQ for solutions.[/p][p]As always, the complete Patch Notes are available here on Steam, in the game client, in the form of a dramatic reading (see below), and in our official Discord, where you can join a welcoming community of Hades II players and Supergiant fans.[/p][previewyoutube][/previewyoutube][p][/p][p]After more than a year of Early Access development, we're now starting to prepare for our v1.0 launch! We're heading into the final phase of Hades II development, which involves adding the story's true ending and other finishing touches. Please note we do not yet have a v1.0 launch date, though we'll share more as soon as we can. We really appreciate your patience on this![/p][p][/p][p]In terms of what we're working on, after any follow-up patches to The Unseen Update that smooth out any issues, we'll focus on these major initiatives: [/p]

• [p]The True Ending: The conclusion of Princess Melinoë's story is the main addition we're planning for our v1.0 launch. We have no plans for additional regions, encounters, abilities, and so on.[/p]
• [p]Achievements: With the game structure fully intact, we'll be adding Achievements in the lead-up to launch. Note you will not need to start from the beginning to earn any Achievements.[/p]
• [p]Finishing Touches: We're continuing to polish and refine all the content we've introduced in Hades II, from Boons and powers to artwork and story events.[/p]

[p]Sometimes the last stretch of development on a game can make all the difference, so we have always taken this phase seriously and appreciate your continued support.[/p][p][/p][p]As we wind down our Early Access phase, our goal remains ensuring we've created our biggest, most replayable, most feature-rich game yet, and — most importantly — a worthy successor to the original Hades.[/p][p]We have a big game to wrap up! While we can't yet say when our v1.0 launch will be, we're very excited to be getting close, and to share the complete experience with you. This also means some of the most important work on Hades II is still to come, so may moonlight guide us! And to all our Early Access players, thank you for being here, and sharing your impressions of The Unseen Update with us.[/p]

[p]Our third Major Update in Early Access is now available, featuring an all-new Hidden Aspect for each of the Nocturnal Arms, a unique new variation of each Guardian Encounter, and plenty of new story events, artwork, music, and more! Please check our Development Roadmap for important details about our eventual v1.0 launch, and we'll be keeping a close eye on your feedback as we continue on!

Note: 📢 indicates changes inspired by community feedback!


· Hidden Aspects: Each of the Nocturnal Arms now has a secret, final form to discover...
· Vow of Rivals: Reveal this in the Oath of the Unseen for all-new challenges from each Guardian
· Revamped Umbral Flames: The Flames of Ygnium now offer a smoother, snappier fighting style
· Godsent Hexes: The Path of Stars now can infuse each Selene Hex with a new Olympian power
· Forge Bonds: Grow closer than ever to a variety of characters in numerous new optional events
· New Wardens: Watch out for powerful new foes in Erebus and the City of Ephyra
· Shinier Artwork: Look for new visual flourishes such as ambient effects on character portraits
· New Music: Listen for new pieces including a hot new single from a certain band...


· In standard Encounters, new waves of foes now spawn slightly sooner, reducing downtime
· Your melee strikes are no longer negated by certain obstacles (foes behind them now get hit)
· Many attacks that briefly stunned you now slow you instead, reducing cases of being 'stun-locked'
· You now may exit Locations slightly sooner than before, right after collecting Rewards
· Melinoë's Olympic Slam entrances on Olympus are faster and hit a slightly wider area
· Removed the infrequent second stage of Rod of Fishing sequences; the initial interaction is unchanged


· Sister Blades: increased Omega Special damage
· Umbral Flames: reworked — adjusted properties of Attacks and Specials for improved flow and feel
· Black Coat: increased Attack, Omega Attack, and Omega Special damage


· Witch's Staff (Anubis): new! Create damage fields, draw foes in, and use Lone Shades to aid you
· Sister Blades (Morrigan): new! Perform the devastating Blood Triad after your other moves
· Umbral Flames (Supay): new! Fire on foes automatically, supercharging shots when necessary
· Moonstone Axe (Nergal): new! Obliterate foes with heavy strikes, and go berserk to restore Life
· Argent Skull (Hel): new! Fire continually without the need for Shells
· Black Coat (Shiva): new! Absorb Omega Special blasts to destroy foes when their Life runs low
· Witch's Staff (Melinoë): reworked — now raises Magick and adds Power to your Specials
· Witch's Staff (Circe): reworked — whenever you use Casts, so does your Animal Familiar; this creates a Psychic Leash between you that damages foes
· Sister Blades (Pan): Omega Special recovery time now scales with the number of blades thrown
· Umbral Flames (Melinoë): reworked — now adds Critical damage chance to Attacks and Specials
· Moonstone Axe (Charon): no longer increases duration of your Casts
· Argent Skull (Persephone): bonus Omega Special duration now charges from Olympian damage; reworked passive benefit now automatically raises Boon Lv.
· Black Coat (Nyx): Nightspawn hits now also activate Olympian effects from the strike you used


· Excellence: now also increases the chance of finding Legendary Boons
· Strength: reduced damage resistance and bonus damage
· Divinity: reduced chance of improved Rarity
· The Unseen: improved Magick restoration
· While in Insights mode, you now can Inspect max-rank Arcana Cards for a closer look
· Adjusted upgrade costs of some Arcana Cards


· Vow of Rivals: new! Makes each Guardian more challenging in unique ways; the first Rank affects the first Guardian of both the Underworld and Surface routes; prevail against both to reveal the next Rank, and so on
· Reduced Fear required for Surface victories to become Night's Champion according to Schelemeus
📢 Added contextual feedback when Life restoration effects are being reduced by the Vow of Scars
📢 The stasis effect from the Stopper Perk from the Vow of Fangs now is easier to anticipate


· Air Quality (Zeus): increased damage minimum
· Poseidon: Slip Curse replaced with Froth, which can make foes take a burst of damage when struck
· Tidal Ring (Poseidon): now hits foes in the binding circle instead of ahead, and inflicts Froth
· Breaker Rush (Poseidon): now deals more damage, and in an area around you
· Fluid Gain (Poseidon): cut from game; replaced with...
· Flood Gain (Poseidon): your Omega Moves briefly restore any Magick used, repeatable after a delay
· Sea Star (Poseidon): increased effect chance
· High Surf (Poseidon): increased damage
· Depth Charge (Poseidon): cut from game; replaced with...
· Ocean Swell (Poseidon): new! Your Omega Moves also launch a damaging wave, but use more Magick
· Slippery Slope (Poseidon): now also makes Froth deal more damage
· Prominence Flare (Apollo): increased damage
· Tranquil Gain (Demeter): Magick restoration effect starts sooner and is faster
· Frosty Veneer (Demeter): now reduces heavy damage above a certain threshold rather than capping it
· Aphrodite: reduced duration of her Weak Curse
· Life Affirmation (Aphrodite): cut from game (sort of); replaced with...
· Spiritual Affirmation (Aphrodite): new! Gain max Life and Magick, and future increases are worth more
· Shameless Attitude (Aphrodite): reduced bonus damage
· Hephaestus: Vent Curse replaced with Glow, which makes foes take bonus damage
· Volcanic Strike (Hephaestus): increased damage
· Volcanic Flourish (Hephaestus): slightly reduced recharge time
· Uncanny Fortitude (Hephaestus): reduced Life gain
· Mint Condition (Hephaestus): cut from game (sort of); replaced with...
· Security System (Hephaestus): new! At the start of each Encounter, gain a lot of Armor, but only briefly
· Heavy Metal (Hephaestus): reworked — gain Armor and deal more weapon damage based on it
· Hestia: Increased damage rate of her Scorch Curse; fixed Scorch not counting as a damaging effect from Olympians, for interactions with Boons such as Rallying Cry (Ares)
· Flame Flourish (Hestia): increased Scorch damage
· Heat Rush (Hestia): reworked — now leaves a damaging trail, and reduces damage you take from burning
· Burnt Offering (Hestia): cut from game; replaced with...
· Snuffed Candle (Hestia): new! Deal bonus damage to isolated foes; previously Single Elimination (Ares)
· Fire Walk (Hestia): cut from game; replaced with...
· Fire Away (Hestia): new Legendary! Your Casts destroy many foes' ranged shots and inflict Scorch
· Ares: Improved visual clarity of Blood Drops, now called Plasma
· Mortal Gain (Ares): cut from game; replaced with...
· Grisly Gain (Ares): new! Striking foes may spill Plasma, which also restores Magick when collected
· Single Elimination (Ares): cut from game; this effect now is on a new Hestia Boon, Snuffed Candle
· Mean Streak (Hermes): increased duration of stacking damage bonus
· Easy Shot (Artemis): increased damage
· Shadow Pounce (Artemis): now gives Omega Moves a chance to deal Critical damage after you Dash
· Whispered Prayer (Artemis): new! Your Hex may deal Critical damage
· Divine Dash (Athena): reduced Deflect duration to match the original game
· Task Force (Athena): new! Your Godsent Hexes can be used more times per Encounter
· Worry Free (Dionysus): now gives a random amount of bonus Life within a range, rather than a set amount
· Personal Loan (Dionysus): new! Give up all your Gold; after the next Guardian, gain it back, with interest!
· Reckless Abandon (Dionysus): new! Your Attacks deal random damage from a set range of values
· Cinerary Circle (Hades): now spawns fewer, stronger Soul Urns that hit a wider area
· Gigaros Dash (Hades): new! Your Dash damages surrounding foes and briefly makes them take more damage from your Attack and Special
· Unseen Ire (Hades): no longer one of his initial offerings, but is offered after a certain point
· Moonlight Dress (Arachne): reworked — Outfit makes your Hexes charge using less Magick than before; the previous effect is now called Gilded Dress
· Crimson Dress (Arachne): new! Outfit makes you deal more damage after each Encounter
· Gold Gold Gold (Echo): new! After your next purchase from Charon, gain another at no extra charge
· Gift Gift Gift (Echo): new! In the next Region, gain the basic effect of your current Keepsake
· Harm for the Afflicted (Medea): new! Inflicting Curses also deals damage to unafflicted foes
· Word of Greater Girth (Circe): now also raises your max Life
· Hymn to the Eye of Night (Circe): new! Your Hex deals bonus damage
· Turning to a Simple Form (Circe): new! Your Omega Moves have a chance to inflict Morph
· Ingenious Strike (Icarus): reworked — now gives bonus Lv. to your Attack Boon
· Ingenious Flourish (Icarus): reworked — now gives bonus Lv. to your Special Boon
· Full Service (Icarus): new! One of your Hammer enchantments is upgraded to Rank II
· Note: Several of the new blessings noted above require first having reached a certain point in your relationship with the corresponding character
· Also adjusted power levels of various Duo Boons, including...
· Thermal Dynamics (Zeus x Hestia): increased Scorch damage
· Golden Rule (Hera x Poseidon): increased bonus damage from Gold
· Brave Face (Hera x Hephaestus): reduced damage resistance from Magick
· Incandescent Aura (Hera x Hestia): increased damage
· Natural Selection (Poseidon x Demeter): increased chance of improved Rarity
· Scalding Vapor (Poseidon x Hestia): adjusted to work with the new Froth Curse
· Love Handles (Aphrodite x Hephaestus): reduced Heartthrob damage
· Carnal Pleasure (Aphrodite x Ares): now has a chance of creating a Heartthrob instead of guaranteeing one
· Chain Reaction (Hephaestus x Hestia): reduced timing window for the effect
· Removed several cases where Boons affecting your Cast prevented other such Boons from being offered
· Additional adjustments to some Boon bonuses from Rarity and Poms of Power
· Further clarifications to descriptions for various Boons
· Various other minor fixes and adjustments


· Melting Swipe (Staff): reworked — Your Dash-Strike now deals heavy damage to Armor, instead of destroying a percentage of the total; adjusted Melting upgrades for other weapons accordingly
· Hidden Helix (Flames): reworked — Your Specials create a bonus projectile; formerly Triple Helix
· Enduring Coil (Flames): new! Your Omega Special lasts longer
· Possessed Array (Skull): losing Magick from retrieving Shells no longer charges your Hex
· Added unique enchantments for Hidden Aspects, replacing ones that do not work with them, including:
· Mirrored Ankh (Staff): new! Your Omega Attack creates another damage field ahead of the first
· Soulfilled Ankh (Staff): new! Your Attacks gain Power and hit a larger area
· Scarab Etchings (Staff): new! Your Lone Shades deal bonus damage and may reappear after they hit
· Phantom Etchings (Blades): new! Your Blood Triad combo deals even more damage
· Banshee Brand (Blades): new! Your Blood Triad combo has a chance to strike once more
· Demonic Cell (Flames): new! As long as you Sprint, your Attacks and Specials have bonus Power
· Heaven Splitter (Axe): new! Your Attack hits multiple times, but you can only perform the first slam
· Iron Core (Axe): new! Your Berserk effect lasts longer and restores more Life per foe struck
· Garmr Gaze (Skull): new! Your Attacks shoot farther and deal bonus damage
· Leering Glance (Skull): new! Your Attack shots bounce to one more foe and deal bonus damage on that hit
· Runic Driver (Skull): new! Your Specials fly faster and deal more damage for each foe struck
· Venerated Relic (Skull): new! Your Valkyrie effect lasts longer
· Nirvana Engine (Coat): new! During your Destructive effect, you can destroy foes with more Life
· Elephant Rockets (Coat): new! Your Specials have more Power and fly straight ahead
· Counter Supreme (Coat): new! After blocking with your Omega Attack, become Destructive
· Awakened Rockets (Coat): new! Absorbing blasts from your Omega Special also fires your Special
· Mooncrest Riser (Coat): new! Your Dash-Strike hits a larger area and deals bonus damage
· Adjusted names and descriptions for several Daedalus Hammer upgrades


· Temper of Zeus: new! Godsent upgrade makes your Twilight Curse shot strike foes near it with lightning
· Nurture of Hera: new! Godsent upgrade makes your Night Bloom servant faster and stronger
· Prize of Poseidon: new! Godsent upgrade makes Moon Water also create several restorative items
· Squall of Demeter: new! Godsent upgrade makes all foes take damage during Phase Shift
· Shine of Apollo: new! Godsent upgrade makes Lunar Ray fire a bigger solar-infused beam
· Allure of Aphrodite: new! Godsent upgrade makes you keep spawning Heartthrobs during Dark Side
· Hand of Hephaestus: new! Godsent upgrade makes you deal a damaging blast after using Wolf Howl
· Hearth of Hestia: new! Godsent upgrade makes you rapidly inflict Scorch on all foes during Total Eclipse
· Lance of Ares: new! Godsent upgrade makes you inflict Wounds whenever Sky Fall hits
· Twilight Curse: now deals damage in addition to inflicting Morph
· Bearing (Lunar Ray): reworked — now grants Armor that lasts for the duration of the Hex
· Revulsion (Twilight Curse): cut from game; replaced with...
· Spread (Twilight Curse): new! Your Hex can bounce to more foes
· Infection (Twilight Curse): now inflicts any Curses you can inflict, not just ones currently active
· Finality (Night Bloom): cut from game; replaced with...
· Eruption (Night Bloom): new! Your raised servants deal bonus damage the first time they hit
· Saturation (Moon Water): your Omega Cast that fires automatically now can also deal Critical damage
· Tenacity (Wolf Howl): reworked — now grants Armor that lasts for a brief while
· Eminence (Total Eclipse): reworked — now grants Armor that lasts for the duration of the Hex


· Knuckle Bones (Odysseus): reduced damage resistance
· After you Forge Bonds with characters, their Keepsake spot now will have additional art and flavor text
· Swapped positions of the Eris and Charon Keepsakes for reasons known only to the chthonic gods...
· Apollo's Keepsake formerly known as Purest Hope now called Harmonic Photon
· Fig Leaf (Dionysus), Discordant Bell (Eris), and Lion Fang (Heracles) no longer activate in the optional sub-rooms of Ephyra


· Increased chance of finding corresponding resource type based on which Familiar is with you
· Frinos, Hecuba, and Gale perform their resource-gathering actions faster than before
· Adjusted requirements for recruiting Hecuba and Gale, which now can happen sooner than before
· Adjusted Gale spawn point on Olympus to make her easier to find


· Gemstones: new! Found in certain circumstances and mainly used in exchange for Prestige
· Finding reagents in Chaos no longer reduces the chance of finding other reagents soon after
📢 Lotus is used with fewer Incantations than before
· Resource formerly known as Plasma now called Flux


· Faint Flicker: reduced Gold cost and raised the average amount of Psyche gained


· Added a new variation of every Guardian Encounter when the new Vow of Rivals (Oath) is in effect
· Typhon: adjusted various behaviors, including Egg spawns; reduced damage of some moves
· Chronos: adjusted various behaviors, including summoned Tempus allies
· Prometheus: adjusted various behaviors; his landing spot is no longer as predictable after his Flame Strikes
· Headmistress Hecate: her Twilight Curse now can turn you into other types of critters after certain events
· Master-Slicer: new! Warden added to Erebus
· Lanthorn: new! Supporting foe added to the Master-Slicer Encounter
· Erymanthian Boar: new! Warden added to Ephyra
· Wringer: new! Supporting foe added to the final Vow of Rivals fight in the Underworld
· Eye of Typhon: new! Warden encounter added to the Summit
· King Vermin: adjusted various behaviors, becoming somewhat stronger than before
· The Verminancer: now spawns Crawlers continually, becoming somewhat stronger than before
· Talos: reduced damage of shield throw attack
· Auto-Forcer: slightly increased damage of swipe attack
· Auto-Watcher: reduced rate of fire
· Satyr Raider: slightly reduced damage
· Satyr Goldpike: reduced damage
· Satyr Sapper: reduced range of ranged attack; slightly reduced damage
· Satyr Supplicant: reworked — now has an all-new look and abilities
· Blasket: reduced rate of fire
· Various other minor changes to foes and combat encounters


· Most Guardian Encounters now have an all-new Location when the Vow of Rivals (Oath) is in effect
📢 Adjusted cases where Encounters on Olympus could sometimes have long delays between waves
📢 Adjusted the Rift of Thessaly Region to reduce cases where it could be too long or too short; special Locations now appear more consistently
· Rubble from ruined Pillars in Tartarus no longer stops you but is destroyed instead
· Added several new Locations to the Summit
· Various minor fixes and improvements to various Locations


· Chaos Above: new! Battle through the Surface route with a fully randomized loadout
· Great Chaos Above: new! All-random Surface route, with random Oath Vows for good measure
· Chaos Below: new! Battle through the Underworld route with a fully randomized loadout
· Great Chaos Below: new! All-random Underworld route, with random Oath Vows for good measure
· Trial of the Maiden: new! Hecate-themed Trial set in Erebus with the Vow of Rivals in effect
· Trial of the Flock: new! Polyphemus-themed Trial set in Ephyra with the Vow of Rivals in effect
· Trial of the Drifter: new! Scylla-themed Trial set in Oceanus with the Vow of Rivals in effect
· Trial of the Fairest: new! Eris-themed Trial set in Thessaly with the Vow of Rivals in effect
· Trial of the Jackal: new! Wield the Hidden Aspect of the Witch's Staff through Ephyra
· Trial of the Banshee: new! Wield the Hidden Aspect of the Sister Blades through Oceanus
· Trial of the Daemon: new! Wield the Hidden Aspect of the Umbral Flames through the Mourning Fields
· Trial of the Marauder: new! Wield the Hidden Aspect of the Moonstone Axe through Thessaly
· Trial of the Outcast: new! Wield the Hidden Aspect of the Argent Skull through Erebus
· Trial of the Supreme: new! Wield the Hidden Aspect of the Black Coat through Olympus
· Adjusted several Trials based on changes to Aspects or other key details


· Added decorative Arcana Card Backs, for use with your Arcana layouts in the Altar of Ashes
· Adjusted visuals in some parts of the Crossroads, such as the Fishing Pier and the exit to the Tent
· Eris now will vandalize her corner of the Crossroads when she appears
· Adjusted Dora spawn point in the Taverna
· Adjusted Prestige costs of some cosmetic items; more are affordable early on
· It now is easier to navigate around the Soil Plots in the Crossroads


· Quickening of Sentimental Value: new! Accelerates the rate at which Keepsakes rank up
· Gathering of Subterranean Riches: new! Grave Thirst grants Gemstones when you vanquish a Guardian
· Revival of a Desecrating Pool: new! Restores the Pool of Purging in Tartarus (if you haven't already)
· Bounties of the Infinite Abyss: new! You may find an extra reward if you have enough active Oath Vows
· Green Hand of Gaia: new! Gain the ability to harvest all grown plants in your garden at once
· Greater Sowing of Gardens: new! Gain the ability to plant multiple seeds of the same type all at once
· Greatest Gift of Gaia: new! Very late-game ability to harvest resources automatically on exiting Locations
· Also look for several other new Incantations related to story progress...
· Adjusted costs and requirements of several Incantations, particularly ones discovered relatively early on


· Godsent Favor: new! Rewards you for choosing various Godsent Hex upgrades
· Soundest of Sleepers: new! Rewards you for waking Hypnos, though this cannot be done just yet...
· Haunted by the Past: new! Rewards you for helping Dora with her forgetfulness...
· Familiar Confidant: new! Rewards you for confiding in Frinos night after night
· Denizens of the Depths: new! Rewards you for catching a variety of water denizens
· Beyond Familiar: new! Rewards you for fully upgrading one of your Animal Familiars
· Breadth of Knowledge: new! Rewards you for unlocking every Arcana Card
· Born to Win: new! Rewards you for fulfilling a particular request from Primordial Chaos
· Improbable Outcomes: new! Rewards you for clearing any of the all-random Chaos Trials twice in a row
· Unrivaled Prowess: new! Rewards you for seeing every Guardian with the Vow of Rivals in effect
· Shadow of Doom: new! Rewards you for vanquishing each of the different Wardens on the Surface route
· The Jackal's Aspect: new! Rewards you for reaching Chronos with the Hidden Aspect of the Staff
· The Crow's Aspect: new! Rewards you for reaching Chronos with the Hidden Aspect of the Blades
· The Shadow's Aspect: new! Rewards you for reaching Chronos with the Hidden Aspect of the Flames
· The Warrior's Aspect: new! Rewards you for reaching Chronos with the Hidden Aspect of the Axe
· The Grave's Aspect: new! Rewards you for reaching Chronos with the Hidden Aspect of the Skull
· The Destroyer's Aspect: new! Rewards you for reaching Chronos with the Hidden Aspect of the Coat
· The Unseen Sentinel: new! Rewards you for unlocking all Aspects of the Nocturnal Arms
· Minor changes to requirements and rewards of several other Prophecies


· Added new entries for various foes added in this update
· Added more Empath's Intuition (Cauldron) hints about how to grow closer with various characters
· Added more Insight Into Offerings (Cauldron) details, such as which Daedalus Hammer enchantments do not work with others


· Updated Main Menu to reflect this Major Update
· Added animations to the Play screen
· Updated artwork and animations for the Options screen and various sub-screens
· Adjusted look of various combat UI elements
· Adjusted look of Objectives UI elements
· Adjusted look of the damage shroud that appears when you get hit and are at low Life
· Added unique artwork for many info banners, such as when entering new Regions
📢Past Deeds screen now will display Commendation messages from any future Victory Screens
· Updated layout, artwork, and animations for the Fated List screen
· Updated some animations for the Altar of Ashes screen
· Updated artwork and animations for the Silver Pool screen
· Updated artwork and animations for the Aspects of the Nocturnal Arms screens
· Updated layout, artwork, and animations for the Oath of the Unseen screen
· Updated artwork for the Familiar Bonds screen... for each different Familiar!
· Updated artwork for the Past Deeds screen
· Updated artwork for the Archived Trivia screen
· Updated formatting and animations for the Book of Shadows screen
· Updated artwork and added animations for the Gifts of the Moon screen
· Updated artwork and animations for the Path of Stars screen
· Updated artwork for the Victory Screen for both Underworld and Surface routes
· Updated layout and artwork for the Fair Trade screen when Nemesis has an exchange
· Updated artwork and animations for the Charon's Gold Rewards screen
· Updated artwork for the Well of Charon screen
· Updated artwork for the Pool of Purging screen
· Updated artwork for the Shrine of Hermes screen
· Updated artwork for the Keepsakes screen
· Updated background artwork for the Daedalus Hammer screen
· Updated icons for various types of Death Defiance effects
· Adjusted look of Keepsake Rank stars
· Adjusted look of Tablet of Peace UI elements
· Added a warning if you attempt to exit the Controls menu with any unmapped control inputs
· Various other minor fixes and improvements


· Updated artwork and animation for the intro when you first start a new game
· Added this artwork and animation to the narrated Homer outcomes after a successful clear
· Added new transition animations when leaving one Location and entering another
· Added ambient animations to many resource and reward items
· Added ambient visual FX to many character portraits
· Added new narrative background art to some regions
· Added visual FX and animations to some narrative background art
· Updated portrait art and added 3D model and animations for Narcissus
· Updated portrait art for Cerberus
· Updated portrait art for the Strange Rock in Tartarus
· Added Hot Springs portrait for Icarus
· Added portrait variation for Nemesis
· Added portrait variation for Moros
· Added portrait variation for Dora
· Added portrait variation for Arachne
· Added portrait variation for Scylla
· Added portrait variation for Prometheus for when he's defeated
· Added minor portrait variations for Melinoë
· Added minor portrait variations for Eris
· Added 3D model and animations for Echo
· Added 3D model and animations for Circe and her Piggies
· Added animations for various characters to go with the new Vow of Rivals battles
· Added alternate Return to Shadow animation for when Melinoë prevails on a given night
· Updated some animations for Prometheus
· Updated some animations for Typhon
· Updated visual FX for when various Olympians appear to offer their Boons
· Updated presentation when using Change of Fate effects to alter offered choices
· Updated Hecate pre-fight animation and presentation when vanquishing her
· Updated Scylla pre-fight animation and presentation when vanquishing her
· Updated presentation when vanquishing the Infernal Beast
· Updated presentation when vanquishing Chronos
· Updated Polyphemus pre-fight animation
· Updated presentation when vanquishing Charybdis
· Updated Eris pre-fight animation and presentation when vanquishing her
· Updated Prometheus pre-fight animation
· Updated Nemesis entrance animation when she drops in
· Updated visual FX when Hades grants his blessings
· Updated visual FX for some Sheep types while facing Polyphemus
· Updated visual FX for Dora while she's hidden
· Updated visual FX for Grave Thirst
· Updated visual FX in the Asphodel? events
· Updated various visual FX to improve visual clarity in combat in some instances
· Updated artwork for Heracles Wall-Scroll cosmetic that may be added in Melinoë's tent
· Updated presentation when removing the Cauldron's lid after Alchemy
· Updated environment art in the Hecate Flashback sequence
· Updated visual FX art in the Hades Flashback sequence
· Updated environment art near Chronos spawn point in the Location between Erebus and Oceanus
· Added visual FX to Hot Springs character portraits
· Added visual FX for Gold Urns found on the Summit
· Added more guests to the never-ending feast of Dionysus on Olympus
· Added color-coordinated emotive icons for the Supportive Shade
· Numerous other minor visual fixes and improvements


· Added many new story events for various characters
· Added many new contextual voice lines for Melinoë and other characters
· Several characters now have all of their Gift events (others are still to be added)
· As part of this, Melinoë may now grow closer with certain characters, in a non-Platonic way if so desired
· Icarus now can be persuaded to return to the Crossroads after a certain point
· You now can eventually help Dora recover her lost memories
· You now can make another attempt to rouse Hypnos from his endless slumber, after a certain point...
· Events with pairs of Olympians should be more frequent when offered Duo Boons
· Artemis will show up singing in the Crossroads slightly less often
· Selene now will sometimes comment when you decide to use her Aspect of the Black Coat
· Added still more narrated Homer outcomes after a successful clear
· Adjusted various early-game narrative events
· Adjusted priorities and requirements for various voice lines and narrative events
· Numerous other minor changes and improvements


· Added new songs from Scylla and the Sirens, one for the Region and one for the show
· Added music theme for Narcissus
· Added alternate Vow of Rivals theme for Chronos
· Added alternate Vow of Rivals theme for Typhon
· Added unlockable versions of each of these to the Music Maker
· Added sound effects for each of the Hidden Aspects; updated sound effects for several others
· Added sound effects for newly added foes and Encounters
· Added more ambient sound effects to various Locations, including on the World Map between Regions
· Updated sound effects for the intro when you first start a new game
· Updated sound effects for successfully clearing Chaos Trials and returning to the Crossroads
· Updated sound effects for various menu screens
· Updated sound effects for some foes and Encounters
· Updated sound effects for restoring Magick
· Other minor changes and improvements


· Auto-Fire: now lets you select either a press-and-hold Auto-Fire modifier or a one-press toggle


· Updated Development Roadmap to reflect our progress and what to expect in our v1.0 launch
· Melinoë now reappears in the Crossroads faster than before after her Return to Shadow sequence
· Improved priorities for the various Commendation messages that may appear on the Victory Screen
· Shade Suitors near Narcissus are more emotive in some cases
· Melinoë will more accurately identify where she first met the new disciples of Schelemeus
· Melinoë's character portrait will appear larger or smaller when she has Circe's Word of Greater Girth or Word of Smaller Stature, respectively
· Improved placements where your Animal Familiar appears in various Locations
· Animal Familiars now will greet Melinoë when they first appear in the Training Grounds
· The slowing effects from Statues of Demeter on Olympus no longer impede Heracles
· It now is easier to tell when you reveal a reward from one of the Arachne cocoons
· Added a hint on how to exit the Crossroads for new players who don't find it right away
· Adjusted how often the phases of the Moon change in the Training Grounds vista and elsewhere
· Adjusted costs of upgrading Gathering Tools in the Silver Pool
· Save Slots in the Play Menu now show your Prestige rather than Grasp, once you advance far enough
📢 The Gameplay Timer pauses automatically in a few more instances, such as the Ephyra vista scene
· Updated Credits with several additional contributors
· Updates and fixes to translations in all languages
· Various optimizations for improved performance on some system configurations


📢 Fixed issues preventing Gorgon Amulet (Athena) from activating on Mount Olympus
📢 Fixed cases where Hermes Boons would not start appearing when expected on newer save files
📢 Fixed various interactions between Winner's Circle (Hermes) and other Cast Boons
· Fixed Slow Cooker (Hestia) adding Power to more than Attacks and Specials, contrary to the description
· Fixed Acceptance of Another Fate not re-randomizing the effects of certain Keepsakes
· Fixed Trusty Shield (Hephaestus) removing Armor if it later gained Rarity
· Fixed cases where both Artemis and Athena could appear in the same Encounter (they work alone)
· Fixed Engraved Pin (Moros) sometimes not deactivating the effect of Strength (Arcana) as expected
· Fixed Raki leaving all the work to you in Oceanus exit-unsealing Encounters
· Fixed the Chronos entry in the Book of Shadows not always appearing as expected
· Fixed cases of Odysseus incorrectly identifying recently harvested Plants
· Fixed visual issue where the Snow Queen (Demeter) shield did not move with Melinoë in some cases
· Many other minor fixes

'Now wailing in fear, we rowed on up those straits, Scylla to starboard, dreaded Charybdis off to port, her horrible whirlpool gulping the sea-surge down, down.'

~The Odyssey (Homer; R. Fagles translation)

On this day one year ago, we launched Hades II in Early Access!! How the Time flies...


We wanted to take a moment to say thank you to all our players, for all your feedback and patience as we get closer to the finish line. Early Access development has been incredibly exciting and eye-opening for us as we've worked to realize the potential so many of you see in our game.

We're actively working on our next Major Update and will be looking forward to sharing that with you later this spring.