Hades 2 Materials Guide
Last Updated:October 17, 2024|Changelog
This Hades 2 materials guide covers all of the materials you gather each night, the tools you use to do so and additional materials found throughout the game. Some materials are collected throughout the realms you explore, others require a specific tool to gather. Others come from Finds (room rewards) and are used for meta-progression. Lastly there are special materials that drop from bosses or are crafted via Alchemy at the cauldron.
Hades 2 is currently in early access, as development continues expect new content and balance changes. Pin the guide to be notified of future updates.
Tools
After completing the Night's Craftwork Incantation you unlock access to 4 tools and the resources they offer. Bring 1 tool with you on your nightly excursions to increase the odds of a resource appearing. Below are the 4 tools currently in the game, what they gather and their unlock cost.
Night's Craftwork Tools:
| Tool | Harvests | Cost |
|---|---|---|
| Crescent Pick | Ore/Stone | 1x Ashes |
| Tablet of Peace | Psyche | 5x Silver, 5x Psyche |
| Silver Spade | Seeds | 10x Silver |
| Rod of Fishing | Fish | 2x Fate Fate Fabric, 1x Bronze |
The Crescent Pick and Silver Spade are both straightforward to use. You walk up to a resource and press RB to gather. To use the Tablet of Peace you need to play a Simon Says style mini-game to compel shades to join the crossroads. Finally, fishing starts one of two mini-games. For a normal fish, wait for the bobber to completely submerge, then hit RB to catch a fish. Rare fish have a special mini-game where you press RB when the bobber drifts over the green fish icon.
Pro Tip: If you're struggling to find materials complete the Reagent Sensing Incantation at the Crossroads Cauldron.
Upgrading Tools
After you complete the Greater Favor of Gaia Incantation at the Crossroads you can enhance each of the Tools of Night's Craftwork at the Silver Pool.
Here are each of the upgrades and their associated cost:
| Tool | Cost | Upgrade Effect | Element |
|---|---|---|---|
| Crescent Pick | 6x Glassrock, 4x Iron | Gather +1 from Mineral deposits. | Fire |
| Tablet of Peace | 50x Ash, 3x Marble | Placated Shades yield 20% more Psyche. | Air |
| Silver Spade | 2x Bronze, 2x Mandrake | Gain a chance to dig up more valuable items. | Earth |
| Rod of Fishing | 4x Driftwood, 2x Lures | Gain a chance to capture additional types of river-denizens. | Water |
Psyche
Gather Psyche from Shades and minor finds to upgrade your Grasp, allowing you to activate more Arcana. If you have the Familiar Frinos you can command him to automatically placate Shades.
When you attempt to compel a shade it activates this Simon Says style mini-game. Hold LT, RT or both depending on the Shade's desires. Shades in the deeper regions reward more Psyche than those closer to the surface. If you fail, you'll get one additional chance to succeed at the minigame before the Shade disappears.
You get significantly more Psyche by compelling Shades, than you do collecting minor finds throughout your runs. Early on you should use Tablet of Peace to gather Psyche as the higher your Grasp the more options you have for combining Arcana cards to boost Melinoe's power.
Fishing
Most fish are easy to catch. Use your Rod of Fishing on a bubbling pool using RB, when you see the bobber completely submerge and hear a "splash" sound, hit RB again to catch the fish. If you hit RB too early or too late the fish escapes and you need to try again at the next location.
Once the bobber completely submerges and a green icon appears with the text "Catch the Fish" you know a rare catch is on the line. If you bring the cat Toula as your Familiar, she can catch Fish for you.
To complete the mini-game simply wait for the fish to pull the bobber over the green fish icon then hit RB. Repeat this until all the circles are full to reel in your catch. Fish obtained from this mini-game sell for significantly more at the Wretched Broker.
To begin fishing you need to break the Ward sealing the surface and enter the City of Ephyra with your pickaxe equipped to obtain Bronze. Fishing doesn't directly give you progression resources. Instead you need to sell the fish to the Wretched Broker, then use the bones to purchase something else. Focus on other resources until you have all the Psyche, Ore and Seeds you need.
Regional Material Locations
Each region in Hades 2 offers you different materials. There's a "flower" that can be gathered without a tool, a seed to be dug up with the spade, ore or stone to be harvested with the pickaxe and fish to be caught with your trusty fishing rod. Mushrooms are one exception, appearing in both Erebus and Ephyra but only when it's raining. Once you unlock the Crescent Pick use it to gather Silver until you have enough to unlock all the Tools and Weapons currently available to you, then focus on Grasp. Ore, Stone and Seeds are vital to complete many of the game's Incantations and unlock new systems.
| Region | "Flower" | Seed | Ore/Stone | Fish* | Boss Material |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Erebus | Moly Mushroom (Rainy) | Nightshade | Silver | Moper | Cinder |
| Oceanus | Lotus | Cattail | Limestone | Chiton | Pearl |
| Fields of Mourning | Myrtle | Wheat | Glassrock | Soby | Tears |
| Tartarus | Shaderot | Poppy | Marble | Jiffy | Zodiac Sand |
| Realm of Chaos | Darkness | Origin Seeds | Plasma | Mati | N/A |
| City of Ephyra | Moss Mushroom (Rainy) | Garlic | Bronze | Roach | Wool |
| Rifts of Thessaly | Driftwood | Mandrake | Iron | Squid | Golden Apple |
| Olympus | Iris | Olive | Adamant | Pillartop | Feather |
*The creatures of the deep are mysterious, there are rare Fish which can appear in addition to the normal ones including Loathsome and Massive Fish.
Growing Seeds
After completing the Rich Soil, Verdant Soil and Flourishing Soil Incantations you gain the ability to plant Seeds at the Crossroads. You can plant up to 6 seeds before setting out for the night.
These require a certain amount of time to grow and offer you a variety of plants when mature. Use these materials to complete Incantations.
Key Progression Materials
You encounter several other materials on your Hades 2 journey. They're used to activate Incantations, upgrade weapons and aspects, build relationships with NPCs and trade with the Wretched Broker. Once discovered you can view all materials and their locations in your inventory. Here are a few of the most important ones and their uses.
- Ashes are used to unlock Arcana cards, they're most easily obtained from minor finds.
- Psyche increases your Grasp allowing you to activate more Arcana cards, it's easiest to obtain by equipping the Tablet of Peace then compelling Shades within Erebus.
- Bones are used by the Wretched Broker as a currency, purchase various other supplies. They come from minor finds or selling Fish to the Wretched Broker.
- Give Nectar to someone to begin building a relationship with them. Do this with everyone you meet because you unlock their Keepsake after they accept your gift!
- Witch's Delight allows you to tame a companion, you get one for completing the Faith of Familiar Spirit incantation and can create more using Alchemy.
- Moon Dust activates Insights on your Arcana Cards, amplifying their effects.
- Obtain Star Dust from Trials of Chaos and use it to upgrade Arcana Cards.
- Nightmare is used to increase the rank of weapon Aspects at the Silver Pool.
- Trash is dropped by Eris in the Crossroads when she visits.
Summary
Learn about the various tools used to gather materials in Hades 2. Some materials, like Fish and Psyche require you to participate in a small mini-game to gather them successfully, even when you have the correct tool equipped. Each of the game's six regions has its own unique materials including one which is unique to the area's boss. There are also several key progression materials which are used to complete Incantations, unlock and upgrade Arcana, build relationships and enhance your weapons or Aspects.
Written by: Tenkiei
