Hades 2 Early Access Patch Notes 3 (2024)

On June 26, 2024 Supergiant Games dropped Patch 3 for the Hades 2 early access period. This time they focused on balance changes to tune Boons and Gods. Expect nerfs, buffs and fun new builds to emerge from this patch. Check out our key takeaways or read more from the official Hades 2 Early Access Patch 3 announcement below.

Key Takeaways

Here are our key takeaways from the Hades 2 Patch 3 early access update which focused on Boon and God balance changes.

• 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!

This patch improves numerous Olympian Boons to further enhance core combat and related choices. It also adds new UI icons, Cauldron incantations, and more. Though we'll continue monitoring your feedback, we're now focusing on our firstMajor Updateslated for later this year. Thank you for playing!

Note:* indicates changes inspired by community feedback!

General Gameplay

• *ManyDuo Boonsand some Legendary Boonsshould be offered more frequently.
• *Charon's Gold Rewardsnow includeNightmareafter a certain point.
• ReworkedGathering Toolupgrades; now let you find +1 Elemental Essence for yourInfusion Boons.
• · EnteringChaoswhile in theMourning Fieldsno longer causes you to skip a Location in that region.
• Slightly increased the minimum number of Boons and similar rewards you can find pastErebus.
• Warding Circles inErebusnow 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

• RearrangedGraspcosts and positions of several Cards; you may need to reset your Arcana loadout
• Swapped the names and theming ofThe MoonandNight.
• 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 asPhase 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 causesSeleneor aPath of Starsto be offered soon,
• *Olympian Keepsakesare now even more likely to make their respective Olympian Boons appear.

Boons & Blessings

• Heaven Strike (Zeus): increased bonus fromPoms of Power.
• Heaven Flourish (Zeus): increased bonus fromPoms of Power.
• Storm Ring (Zeus): now deals damage from all Casts(not just Omega Cast).
• Ionic Gain (Zeus): reworked; now spawns anAether Fontnearby that fully restores Magick when used.
• Spirit Surge (Zeus): increased bonus fromPoms of Power.
• Double Strike (Zeus): increased effect chance and bonus fromPoms; renamed fromSecond 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 theHitchCurse and spread that damage accordingly.
• Sworn Strike (Hera): increased bonus fromPoms of Power.
• Sworn Flourish (Hera): increased bonus fromPoms 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 fromPoms 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 fromGeyser 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 withSunken 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 andPoms 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 earlierSolar 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 haveLocal Climate.
• Frosty Veneer (Demeter): now scales with Water Essence rather than Earth; renamed fromCoarse 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 herWeakCurse.
• 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 fromPassion 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.
• HeartthrobsfromAphroditenow 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 theVentCurse.
• 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 theScorchCurse.
• Flame Strike (Hestia): increased Scorch damage.
• Flame Flourish (Hestia): increased bonus fromPoms 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 andPoms of Power.
• Fire Extinguisher (Hestia): cut from game; replaced with...
• Highly Flammable (Hestia):new!InflictingScorchon 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 ofSublimequality 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-cutSoft 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 useChange of Fateto alter the reward vs.Charybdisin theRifts of Thessaly.
• A certain Location inTartarusno 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 ofChaos
• Added UI icons for Gifts ofNarcissus
• Added UI icons for Blessings ofEcho
• Added UI icons for Boons ofHades
• Added UI icons for Curses ofMedea
• Added UI icons for Enchantments ofCirce
• Added UI icons for Offerings ofIcarus
• Added UI icons for effects such asGrave Thirst,Chthonic Fate, andSpecial Order.
• Added borders to upgrade icons on thePath of Starsscreen.
• Damage preview from Hestia'sScorchCurse now appears on Guardian Life Bars.
• *In thePast Deedsscreen, clearedChaos Trialsno longer appear as failures.
• *Improved legibility of damage numbers on theVictory Screenthat shows when you prevail.
• *Clarified when clear conditions for certainFated List Propheciesare listed on more than one page.
• *You now can press Esc to exit the map view while usingCity of Ephyra Bat Cages.
• Updated content ofGraspUpgrade Tutorial in theAltar of Ashesin cases where it repeats.

Art & Visual FX

• New visuals forSolar Ring (Apollo).

Music & SFX

• Added SFX for when the benefit fromMint Condition (Hephaestus)is about to expire.

Miscellaneous

• Improved performance in theRifts of Thessalyon systems close to the minimum system requirement.
• *All timers now pause while using theCity of Ephyra Bat Cages.
• *Improved visibility of visual FX when Demeter is spurned inTrial of the Godsencounters.
• Adjusted names of several Boons.
• Made some optimizations to save files.

Bug Fixes

• FixedDaedalus Hammerssometimes being offered on the very first night, introduced in Patch 2.
• Fixed the deadliest attack ofbeing easier to evade than intended, introduced in Patch 2.
• FixedVow of Abandonnot deactivatingThe Swift Runner (Arcana).
• Fixed certainMoonstone Axemoves not playing their correct animations if queued up.
• Fixed cases whereMoonstone AxeOmega Special could be used repeatedly after a Dash.
• *Fixed incorrect damage in some cases usingWitch's Staff (Circe)andSilver Streak (Artemis).
• *Fixed interaction betweenWitch's Staff (Momus)andExceptional Talent (Apollo).
• *FixedSister Blades (Artemis)Parry effect not activating as expected after choosing a Boon.
• *FixedSister Blades (Artemis)visual FX not syncing with when it recharges.
• *Fixed interaction betweenUmbral Flames (Eos)andSplit Spark (Daedalus).
• *Fixed interaction betweenFrosty Veneer (Demeter)andEngraved Pin (Moros).
• *Fixed interaction betweenHowling Soul (Hades)andOrchestration (Night Curse - Selene).
• *FixedBlitzeffects fromZeusnot reliably activating Origination (Arcana).
• *Fixed interaction betweenStorm Ring (Zeus)and time-slowing effects such asPhase Shift (Selene).
• *FixedAir Quality (Zeus)not affecting[b]Suffering on Sight (Medea)
• FixedDouble Up (Poseidon)sometimes doubling unique valuables from early encounters withEris.
• *Fixed Rarify not working onQuick Buck (Hermes).
• *FixedScalding Vapor (Poseidon x Hestia)not showing Hestia's symbol in the Offerings list.
• *Fixed Magick regeneration effects fromChaosnot working together as expected.
• *FixedLunar Ray (Selene)sometimes not dealing damage at very close range.
• *FixedNight Bloom (Selene)preventing certain moves from working; fixed error in the description.
• *FixedGold Purse (Charon)not displaying as having Expired when expected.
• *FixedChange of Fateunexpectedly becoming unavailable after using Hexes near exits.
• *Fixed cases where usingChange of Fateon a Boon near an exit also unexpectedly altered the exit.
• *FixedSea-Serpentssometimes becoming invisible.
• *FixedHeadmistress Hecate's Lunar Ray attack becoming invisible if blocked.
• *FixedHeadmistress Hecate's Lunar Ray attack sometimes tracking Melinoë unexpectedly.
• *Fixed an issue activatingEngraved Pin (Moros)during the phase change in the battle vs.Chronos.
• *FixedHeraclessometimes rudely vanishing during Gift interactions.
• *FixedChronoslikewise sometimes rudely vanishing in the middle of conversations.
• *FixedChronosalso sometimes rudely chiding you on successive Encounters inTartarus.
• *Fixed an extra reward sometimes appearing unexpectedly inCharon's ShopinTartarus.
• *Fixed an issue whereNemesiscould drop rewards too far away in theMourning Fields.
• *FixedErissometimes leaving Rubbish in the Crossroads even while absent.
• *FixedOdysseuscommenting 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.
• *FixedFrinosStrength Bonds not scaling properly.
• *FixedFrinosoverreacting after clearing all the witches summoned byHeadmistress Hecate.
• *FixedTouladozing peacefully amid Burning Oil Slicks in theRifts of Thessaly.
• *FixedShrines of Hermessometimes offering fewer items than expected.
• *Fixed quitting the game unexpectedly negatingSpark of Ixion (Charon)damage protection.
• *Fixed an issue in theAltar of Ashestrying to navigate to theGraspgauge 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 aTrial of the Godsencounter.
• *FixedReagent Sensing (Cauldron)not detectingDarkness.
• *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

~Crowell's Handbook of Classical Mythology(E. Tripp)

Video

See Tenkiei's thoughts on the Hades 2 Early Access Patch 3 notes.

Early Access Updates

That's it for the Hades 2 early access patch 3. As early access continues, Supergiant plans to move on to their first major update. The last 2 patch notes have been significant so "major update" probably indicates new content! Now is a great time to play around with underused Gods like Hestia and Hephaestus as both got significant buffs. Stay tuned for more updates in the future!

Written by: Tenkiei