Hades 2: Early Access Patch Notes 3 (June 26, 2024)

Another batch of balance and content changes have been added to Hades 2 Early Access. The developers are working hard on ironing out all of the bugs and features of the game before its official release. Although we do not have a concrete release date, many are speculating that the full version will come out at the end of 2025.

With that in mind, we will go over all of the updates for Hades 2 as more and more players are seemingly ramping up to try out the Early Access build. All of this information was provided in the official Hades 2 Discord server.

Hades 2 Early Access Patch 3

Hades 2 Early Access Patch Notes 3 — Supergiant Games

General Gameplay Changes

Many Duo Boons and some Legendary Boons should be offered more frequently Charon's Gold Rewards now include Nightmare after a certain point
Reworked Gathering Tool upgrades; now let you find +1 Elemental Essence for your Infusion Boons
Entering Chaos while in the Mourning Fields no longer causes you to skip a Location in that region
Slightly increased the minimum number of Boons and similar rewards you can find past Erebus
Warding Circles in Erebus now stagger foes that touch them

Aspects of the Nocturnal Arms

Witch's Staff (Circe): indirect damage from Omega Moves now contributes to activating Serenity
Sister Blades (Artemis): you now are immune to hit-stun effects during Riposte
Umbral Flames (Eos): improved Omega Attack tracking, though slightly increased Magick cost and reduced max damage from upgrade path; Attack sequence now continues after using it
Argent Skull (Persephone): now any Cast damage (not just Omega Cast) extends your Omega Special

Altar of Ashes

Rearranged Grasp costs and positions of several Cards; you may need to reset your Arcana loadout
Swapped the names and theming of The Moon and Night
Death: reworked; Omega moves have a chance to deal Critical damage if the last one used was different
The Moon: now costs 0 Grasp but has an Awakening requirement to activate any surrounding Card
The Unseen: improved Magick restoration
Divinity: Awakening requirement expanded to include activating a column of Cards (not just a row)
Origination: now specifies that Curses from different Olympians are required; this is relevant with Demeter, whose Cyclone now is considered a Curse (along with her Freeze)

Crossroads Cauldron

Temporal Fluctuation: new! Lets time-slow effects such as Phase Shift (Selene) work vs. Chronos
Circles of the Moon: new! Activating Warding Circles in Erebus fully charges your Hex
Ashen Memories of Life: new! Whenever you claim rewards of Ash, slightly raise your Life limit
Psychic Slivers of Clarity: new! Whenever you claim rewards of Psyche, slightly raise your Magick limit
Bones of Burnished Bronze: new! Whenever you claim rewards of Bones, gain some Armor
Nectar of Godly Savor: new! Whenever you claim rewards of Nectar, gain +1 Lv. for a random Boon

Hades 2 Early Access Patch 3 — Supergiant Games

Keepsakes

White Antler (Artemis): reworked; now provides Critical bonus for one Region, but reduces Life limit
Silken Sash (Arachne): you no longer lose your Armor from this if you switch to a different Keepsake
Moon Beam (Selene): now also causes Selene or a Path of Stars to be offered soon
Olympian Keepsakes are now even more likely to make their respective Olympian Boons appear

Boons & Blessings

Heaven Strike (Zeus): increased bonus from Poms of Power
Heaven Flourish (Zeus): increased bonus from Poms of Power
Storm Ring (Zeus): now deals damage from all Casts (not just Omega Cast)
Ionic Gain (Zeus): reworked; now spawns an Aether Font nearby that fully restores Magick when used
Spirit Surge (Zeus): increased bonus from Poms of Power
Double Strike (Zeus): increased effect chance and bonus from Poms; renamed from Second Strike
Shocking Loss (Zeus): increased effect chance; now activates when foes first take damage
Glorious Disaster (Zeus x Apollo): reduced damage; fixed Magick not deducting correctly
Apocalyptic Storm (Zeus x Demeter): cut from game; replaced with... Hail Storm (Zeus x Demeter): new! Your Freeze effects also cause lightning bolts to strike afflicted foes.
Master Conductor (Zeus x Hephaestus): increased damage
Hera: Slaying a foe now can afflict them with the Hitch Curse and spread that damage accordingly
Sworn Strike (Hera): increased bonus from Poms of Power
Sworn Flourish (Hera): increased bonus from Poms of Power
Engagement Ring (Hera): now also inflicts Hitch when dealing damage, though reduced direct damage to compensate; no longer increases Cast duration
Nexus Sprint (Hera): now damages and inflicts Hitch on unafflicted foes
Born Gain (Hera): increased Primed Magick cost
Keen Intuition (Hera): cut from game; replaced with... Blood Line (Hera): new! Your Omega Moves also create a damaging rift for an added Magick cost
Bridal Glow (Hera): Boons that are already Heroic can no longer be chosen for this
Soul Mate (Hera x Aphrodite): cut from game; replaced with... Ecstatic Obsession (Hera x Aphrodite): one foe always has Charm (formerly Aphrodite's Legendary)
Cherished Heirloom (Hera x Demeter): increased power level when upgrading max-rank Keepsakes
Funeral Pyre (Hera x Hestia): cut from game; replaced with... Elementary Particles (Hera x Hestia): new! Gain +1 each Elemental Essence and an Infusion Boon for it
Wave Strike (Poseidon): increased bonus from Poms of Power
Tidal Ring (Poseidon): new! Your Casts also immediately hit foes in front of you with a splash
Geyser Spout (Poseidon): now a second-tier Cast Boon; renamed from Geyser Ring
Crashing Wave (Poseidon): cut from game; replaced with... Splash Fount (Poseidon): new! Your Omega Moves also create a watery blast near the first damaged foe
Ocean's Bounty (Poseidon): merged with Sunken Treasure, which was removed as a stand-alone Boon
Water Fitness (Poseidon): effect now scales with each Water Essence
King Tide (Poseidon): increased size bonus and damage bonus
Beach Ball (Poseidon x Apollo): increased damage
Natural Selection (Poseidon x Demeter): increased chance of improved Rarity
Scalding Vapor (Poseidon x Hestia): increased damage
Nova Strike (Apollo): increased bonus from Rarity and Poms of Power
Solar Ring (Apollo): reworked; now inflicts Daze and deals a burst of damage
Prominence Flare (Apollo): now a second-tier Cast Boon; renamed from the earlier Solar Ring
Lucid Gain (Apollo): reworked; now restores Magick if you are standing in your Casts when they expire
Perfect Image (Apollo): reworked; damage bonus now resets if you avoid taking damage for a duration
Torrential Downpour (Apollo x Demeter): cut from game; replaced with... Boreal Gust (Apollo x Demeter): new! While standing in Cyclones, you randomly fire damaging gales
Stellar Slam (Apollo x Hephaestus): cut from game; replaced with... Rude Awakening (Apollo x Hephaestus): new! Hephaestus blasts clear Daze and deal more damage (edited)

Tranquil Gain (Demeter): now restores Magick based on a percentage of your current total
Gale Force (Demeter): your Cast's Cyclone now can follow you if you also have Local Climate
Frosty Veneer (Demeter): now scales with Water Essence rather than Earth; renamed from Coarse Grit
Freezer Burn (Demeter x Hestia): reworked; inflicting Freeze on a foe with Scorch deals damage and removes Scorch
Aphrodite: Increased power and duration of her Weak Curse
Rapture Ring (Aphrodite): now deals damage as it drags foes in
Passion Rush (Aphrodite): reworked; now deals damage when you press Dash and again when you stop pressing Dash; renamed from Passion Dash
Glamour Gain (Aphrodite): now makes all nearby foes Weak, rather than one randomly
Shameless Attitude (Aphrodite): reworked; the damage bonus doubles if you haven't lost much Life
Wispy Wiles (Aphrodite): effect now scales with each Air Essence
Heartthrobs from Aphrodite now spawn behind Melinoë and no longer detonate on obstacles
Nervous Wreck (Aphrodite): new Legendary! Inflicting Weak inflicts other random Curses
Soft Caress (Aphrodite x Hephaestus): cut from game; replaced with... Love Handles (Aphrodite x Hephaestus): new! Hephaestus blasts also create Heartthrobs
Burning Desire (Aphrodite x Hestia): cut from game; replaced with... Hot Flash (Aphrodite x Hestia): new! Scorch does not diminish as it deals damage to Weak foes
Hephaestus: Improved activation speed of the Vent Curse
Volcanic Flourish (Hephaestus): improved blast recharge time
Anvil Ring (Hephaestus): no longer reduces Cast size
Fine Tuning (Hephaestus): significantly increased bonus to upgraded Aspects
Tough Trade (Hephaestus): cut from game; replaced with... Grand Caldera (Hephaestus): new! Hephaestus blasts become even bigger and stronger
Chain Reaction (Hephaestus x Hestia): timing to activate the multi-blast effect now less restrictive
Hestia: Increased damage rate of the Scorch Curse
Flame Strike (Hestia): increased Scorch damage
Flame Flourish (Hestia): increased bonus from Poms of Power
Smolder Ring (Hestia): increased Scorch damage
Controlled Burn (Hestia): increased damage
Glowing Coal (Hestia): increased damage
Hearth Gain (Hestia): reworked; now restores Magick when you hit with your Attack or Special
Pyro Technique (Hestia): no longer a Legendary Boon; now can scale with Rarity and Poms of Power
Fire Extinguisher (Hestia): cut from game; replaced with... Highly Flammable (Hestia): new! Inflicting Scorch on a foe for the first time inflicts more
Spontaneous Combustion (Hestia): cut from game; replaced with... Fire Walk (Hestia): new Legendary! You take minimal fire damage, and leave flames where you Sprint
Swift Strike (Hermes): cut from game; replaced with... Nimble Limbs (Hermes): new! Your Attack, Special, and Cast are faster
Swift Flourish (Hermes): cut from game; replaced with... Nimble Mind (Hermes): new! Your Omega Moves are faster
Silver Streak (Artemis): increased damage
Easy Shot (Artemis): increased damage
First Blood (Artemis): increased Critical chance
Lethal Snare (Artemis): increased Critical chance

Daedalus Hammer Upgrades

Executioner's Chop (Axe): no longer prevents you from striking if you have insufficient Magick
Possessed Array (Skull): blast-on-retrieval effect now automatically uses some Magick

Hexes of Selene

Phase Shift: reduced Magick-spend requirement; slightly reduced effect duration; fixed text incorrectly stating this duration; now works vs. Chronos, after a certain point...
Total Eclipse: greatly reduced Magick-spend requirement
Dark Side: increased ability damage; slightly reduced Magick-spend requirement
Lunar Ray: greatly reduced Magick-spend requirement; improved targeting while using gamepad controls
Moon Water: slightly reduced Magick-spend requirement
As part of these changes, you can no longer recharge Hexes while their effects are still ongoing

Path of Stars

Growth (Dark Side): new! Makes your Hex passively recharge over time
Preparation (Total Eclipse): new! Start Encounters with your Hex partially charged
Extinction (Twilight Curse): reduced effectiveness
Upgrades of Sublime quality now also raise your Hex's recharge cost (to compensate for many recharge costs having been reduced; Hexes should now be more usable throughout each night)

Well of Charon

Breath of Eros: new! Similar to the now-cut Soft Caress (Aphrodite x Hephaestus), this causes the next instance of damage you would take to instead restore that much Life

Foes & Encounters

Infernal Cerberus: various adjustments to better align how scary he is with how scary he looks
Charybdis: improved visibility in this encounter
Hippo: reduced how long they tend to retreat after attacking
Harpy Talon: reduced frequency of wind vortex attack
Heracles: reduced average number of foes you'll face in this Encounter
Icarus: reduced average number of foes you'll face in this Encounter

Level Design & Environments

You now can use Change of Fate to alter the reward in the battle vs. Charybdis in the Rift of Thessaly
A certain Location in Tartarus no longer immediately fires a trap at Melinoë as soon as she enters

Fated List of Minor Prophecies

Updated some Prophecy fulfillment requirements based on above changes to Boons

Oath of the Unseen

Vow of Panic: reduced penalty to Magick at the start of Encounters

Menus & UI

Added UI icons for Boons of Artemis
Added UI icons for Blessings and Curses of Chaos
Added UI icons for Gifts of Narcissus
Added UI icons for Blessings of Echo
Added UI icons for Boons of Hades
Added UI icons for Curses of Medea
Added UI icons for Enchantments of Circe
Added UI icons for Offerings of Icarus
Added UI icons for effects such as Grave Thirst, Chthonic Fate, and Special Order
Added borders to upgrade icons on the Path of Stars screen
Damage preview from Hestia's Scorch Curse now appears on Guardian Life Bars
In the Past Deeds screen, cleared Chaos Trials no longer appear as failures
Improved legibility of damage numbers on the Victory Screen that shows when you prevail
Clarified when clear conditions for certain Fated List Prophecies are listed on more than one page
You now can press Esc to exit the map view while using City of Ephyra Bat Cages
Updated content of Grasp Upgrade Tutorial in the Altar of Ashes in cases where it repeats

Art & Visual FX

New visuals for Solar Ring (Apollo)

Music & SFX

Added SFX for when the benefit from Mint Condition (Hephaestus) is about to expire

Miscellaneous

Improved performance in the Rift of Thessaly on systems close to the minimum system requirement
All timers now pause while using the City of Ephyra Bat Cages
Improved visibility of visual FX when Demeter is spurned in Trial of the Gods encounters
Adjusted names of several Boons
Made some optimizations to save files

Bug Fixes

Fixed Daedalus Hammers sometimes being offered on the very first night, introduced in Patch 2
Fixed the deadliest attack of Chronos being easier to evade than intended, introduced in Patch 2
Fixed Vow of Abandon not deactivating The Swift Runner (Arcana)
Fixed certain Moonstone Axe moves not playing their correct animations if queued up
Fixed cases where Moonstone Axe Omega Special could be used repeatedly after a Dash
Fixed incorrect damage in some cases using Witch's Staff (Circe) and Silver Streak (Artemis)
Fixed interaction between Witch's Staff (Momus) and Exceptional Talent (Apollo)
Fixed Sister Blades (Artemis) Parry effect not activating as expected after choosing a Boon
Fixed Sister Blades (Artemis) visual FX not syncing with when it recharges
Fixed interaction between Umbral Flames (Eos) and Split Spark (Daedalus)
Fixed interaction between Frosty Veneer (Demeter) and Engraved Pin (Moros)
Fixed interaction between Howling Soul (Hades) and Orchestration (Night Curse - Selene)
Fixed Blitz effects from Zeus not reliably activating Origination (Arcana)
Fixed interaction between Storm Ring (Zeus) and time-slowing effects such as Phase Shift (Selene)
Fixed Air Quality (Zeus) not affecting Suffering on Sight (Medea) · Fixed Double Up (Poseidon) sometimes doubling unique valuables from early encounters with Eris
Fixed Rarify not working on Quick Buck (Hermes)
Fixed Scalding Vapor (Poseidon x Hestia) not showing Hestia's symbol in the Offerings list
Fixed Magick regeneration effects from Chaos not working together as expected
Fixed Lunar Ray (Selene) sometimes not dealing damage at very close range
Fixed Night Bloom (Selene) preventing certain moves from working; fixed error in the description
Fixed Gold Purse (Charon) not displaying as having Expired when expected
Fixed Change of Fate unexpectedly becoming unavailable after using Hexes near exits
Fixed cases where using Change of Fate on a Boon near an exit also unexpectedly altered the exit
Fixed Sea-Serpents sometimes becoming invisible
Fixed Headmistress Hecate's Lunar Ray attack becoming invisible if blocked
Fixed Headmistress Hecate's Lunar Ray attack sometimes tracking Melinoë unexpectedly
Fixed an issue activating Engraved Pin (Moros) during the phase change in the battle vs.
Fixed sometimes rudely vanishing during Gift interactions
Fixed likewise sometimes rudely vanishing in the middle of conversations
Fixed also sometimes rudely chiding you on successive Encounters in
Fixed an extra reward sometimes appearing unexpectedly in Charon's Shop in
Fixed an issue where Nemesis could drop rewards too far away in the
Fixed sometimes leaving Rubbish in the Crossroads even while absent
Fixed Odysseus commenting on the Garden while preoccupied in the Taverna
Fixed cases where Omega Moves could be used in the Training Grounds without enough Magick
Fixed instances where you could not Sprint after using Dash to interrupt certain moves
Fixed Frinos Strength Bonds not scaling properly
Fixed Frinos overreacting after clearing all the witches summoned by Headmistress Hecate
Fixed Toula dozing peacefully amid Burning Oil Slicks in the
Fixed Shrines of Hermes sometimes offering fewer items than expected
Fixed quitting the game unexpectedly negating Spark of Ixion (Charon) damage protection
Fixed an issue in the Altar of Ashes trying to navigate to the Grasp gauge from the bottom row
Fixed control mapping overlap between Rarify and Offerings commands on the Boon Choice menu
Fixed discrepancies in how seconds and milliseconds displayed in certain timers
Fixed background artwork appearing unexpectedly during Fishing Pier scenes in the Crossroads (edited)
Fixed Rod of Fishing indicator sometimes remaining visible after you miss your mark
Fixed Olympian portrait positions if you spurned them and fail in a Trial of the Gods encounter
Fixed Reagent Sensing (Cauldron) not detecting Darkness
Fixed cases where Melinoë did not appear to switch weapons as expected in the Training Grounds
Fixed an issue where you could senselessly squander your Rarify effect on the Spare Wealth offering
Fixed text overlap issue when a Hex's recharge cost was reduced
Fixed further miscellaneous issues when playing in ultrawide resolutions
Fixed several text and voiceover errors
Fixed various rare crashes
Other minor fixes

And that covers the extensive list of changes that were added to Hades 2 Early Access. It seems that the game has still a lot to go in terms of polish, however, the developers are doing their best to deliver a great game to players, similar to their predecessor Hades.