Hades 2 June 2024 Update

Supergiant Games has introduced a significant early access patch for Hades 2, aimed at refining gameplay and addressing various bugs. This update brings an array of enhancements, including improved reward mechanics, adjusted abilities for Nocturnal Arms, and updated Daedalus Hammer upgrades. These changes are designed to create a more strategic and balanced combat experience.

The adjustments continue with tweaks to various enemies and encounters, ensuring fairer and more challenging battles. With Hades 2 still in early access since its release on May 6, the game's development involves continuous player feedback and updates. The sequel expands on its mythological narrative, featuring Melinoe, the sister of Zagreus, as she battles the Titan of Time with unique, dark sorcery abilities.

Hades 2 Early Access Patch Notes

General Gameplay

• Encounter up to one additional Olympian each night.
• Increased chances of finding major rewards in Erebus.
• Extended invulnerability duration after Death Defiance activation.
• Enhanced rewards of Ash and Psyche now available in Oceanus and Rift of Thessaly.
• New press-and-hold feature for harvesting from Crescent Pick Outcroppings.
• Toula now stays closer during encounters, especially in the Fields of Mourning.
• Nemesis avoids offering Death Defiance items when they are unnecessary.
• Reduced cost of Selene's Boon in Charon's Shop.
• Adjusted order of initial appearances by Olympians.
• Normalized appearance of Fishing Points in various areas.

Nocturnal Arms & Abilities

• Witch's Staff: Special now knocks back foes, but is slightly slower; Omega Special is faster.
• Sister Blades: Special staggers foes longer; Attack's visual effects better align with the hitbox.
• Umbral Flames: Attacks are stronger and faster. Omega Attack channels faster and uses less magick. Special provides a speed boost but deals less damage. Omega Special can be channeled while moving.
• Moonstone Axe: Reworked Special now provides a lingering barrier. Both Omega Attack and Special channel faster.
• Argent Skull: Faster channeling for Omega Attack, hitting a larger area.

Aspects of the Nocturnal Arms

• Witch's Staff (Circe): Adjusted activation and duration of Serenity effect. The Serenity effect now adds Omega bonus damage scaling with the Aspect's rank.
• Witch's Staff (Momus): Reworked to automatically fire several Omega Moves in succession from the point of use.
• Sister Blades (Artemis): Block effect will recharge and take priority over Dodge while channeling.
• Umbral Flames (Eos): Omega Attack now fires a slow shot creating damage blasts and copies Specials.
• Moonstone Axe (Melinoë): Adds Power and Max Life.
• Moonstone Axe (Thanatos): Faster Attack adding Critical chance to Omega moves.
• Argent Skull (Persephone): Glory is now earned faster but only with Omega Cast, with improved control responsiveness during Omega Special.

Keepsakes

• Moon Beam (Selene): Increased bonus to Path of Stars upgrades.

Daedalus Hammer Upgrades

Hexes of Selene

• Wolf Howl: Reduced magick-spend requirement.
• Twilight Curse: Decreased magick-spend, fewer afflicted foes, shorter cast time.
• Night Bloom: Reduced magick-spend, effect duration, bonus damage, and cast time.
• Lunar Ray: Greatly reduced magick-spend, lower damage, and shorter cast time.
• Moon Water: Slightly increased magick-spend, reduced healing.
• Dark Side: Slightly increased magick-spend requirement.

Foes & Encounters

• Chronos: Various fixes to lessen unfair scenarios.
• Infernal Cerberus: Minor pattern adjustments in the first phase.
• Eris: Grenade attacks no longer bounce erratically.
• Polyphemus: Reduced effectiveness of Mutant Sheep.
• Goldwrath: Beam attack accuracy and tracking reduced.
• Queen Lamia: Increased Armor and speed, with minor changes.
• Reed-Stalker: Increased projectile speed and range, reduced rotation speed.
• Mourner: Slightly faster rotation and attack speed.
• Lamia: Additional life and elite armor.
• Dire Shambler: Reduced tracking speed between attacks.
• Hippo: Self-destruct area better matches visual cues.

Level Design & Environments

• Driftwood Resources: More common in the Rift of Thessaly.
• Burning Oil Slicks: Will extinguish after encounters, but can be reignited.
• Minor Location Fixes: Several locations adjusted for small fixes.

Fated List of Minor Prophecies

• Clearing Original Sins: No longer requires the rare Barren curse from Chaos.

Chaos Trials

• Trial of Heartache: Reduced difficulty, adjusted based on Aspect changes.
• Trial of Haste: Reduced difficulty, adjusted based on Aspect changes.

Oath of the Unseen

• Vow of Forsaking: No longer quickly ensures Duo and Legendary Boons feature.

Menus & UI

• New UI icons for Keepsakes, Weapons, and more.
• Insight Into Offerings (Cauldron) updated to show Olympian offerings in the Book of Shadows during Boon selection.
• Default key binding for Rarify changed. Some custom bindings reset.
• Warning added when you have one last use of Death Defiance.
• Book of Shadows now shows entries for nearby characters more reliably.
• Unused Grasp notification removed upon exiting Altar of Ashes at high Grasp limit.
• Updated Pitch-Black Stone screen with Aspect-specific icons.
• Adjusted input action bar layout at the bottom of the Boon Screen and similar screens.
• Added borders to Selene Hexes icons on the Gifts of the Moon screen.
• Informational pop-up added when using F10 to report bugs.
• Other minor changes.

Art & Visual FX

• Reduced full-screen flashing or strobing, including from time-slow effects.

Music & SFX

• Added new sound effects for certain activities.

Miscellaneous

• Structural and aesthetic adjustments to game environments and routines.
• Optimizations for smoother gameplay and user interaction.
• Minor updates to enhance the overall player experience and compliance with user feedback.

Bug Fixes

• Addressed multiple bug fixes for stability and performance.
• Fixed glitches that impacted the gameplay experience.
• Resolved visual discrepancies for seamless visuals.
• Corrected audio errors ensuring accurate sound effects.

With these extensive updates and adjustments, players are encouraged to explore new strategies, benefit from enhanced gameplay mechanics, and enjoy a polished experience in Hades 2 Early Access.