Hades 2 Early Access Patch Notes 3

Key Takeaways

• Gameplay Changes - Aspect of Persephone now builds Glory based on any Cast damage.
  • the Altar of Ashes has been reworked with multiple changes to Arcana Cards and their Grasp.
  • Divinity is easier to activate.
  • Origination's text now clarifies which curses apply to the effect.
  • The Moon now costs 0 Grasp and awakens when you activate any surrounding card.
  • Several new Incantations give you stat buffs when you acquire Ashes, Psyche and Nectar.
• Boons & Gods - Significant reworks buffs, and boon replacements for the gods.
  • Hestia is a big winner getting a lot of buffs and quality of life improvements.
  • Zeus's Storm Ring Cast now triggers without needing to use the Omega Cast.
  • Hephaestus Boons got significant buffs.
  • There are sweeping changes to Duo Boons, check out the full notes for details.
• Lots of general bugfixes!

General Gameplay

• *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,

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.
• 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.

Other Gameplay Adjustments

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. , 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 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 vs. Charybdis in the Rifts of Thessaly.
• A certain Location in Tartarus no longer immediately fires a trap at Melinoë as soon as she enters.

Menus, Art & More

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 Rifts 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  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 [b]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. Chronos.
• *Fixed Heracles sometimes rudely vanishing during Gift interactions.
• *Fixed Chronos likewise sometimes rudely vanishing in the middle of conversations.
• *Fixed Chronos also sometimes rudely chiding you on successive Encounters in Tartarus.
• *Fixed an extra reward sometimes appearing unexpectedly in Charon's Shop in Tartarus.
• *Fixed an issue where Nemesis could drop rewards too far away in the Mourning Fields.
• *Fixed Eris 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 Rifts of Thessaly.
• *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.
• *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.

Quote of the Patch

Video

Early Access Updates

Written by: Tenkiei