4 Biggest Changes Hades 2’s 1.0 Launch Makes to the Early Access Version (& How It’s So Much Better)

When I first played Hades 2 in Early Access, I remember thinking it didn’t really feel like an Early Access game. The story itself wasn’t finished, but what was there already felt pretty polished. So, I was surprised and delighted to return to the full 1.0 release to find that Supergiant Games did, in fact, manage to make the witchy delight of a roguelike even better. The full release of Hades 2 adds the game’s so-called True Ending. But it also puts a final polish on the game itself, delivering an experience that will delight you even if you enjoyed the game in Early Access.

There’s plenty to appreciate about the 1.0 launch of Hades 2, especially if you’ve been waiting for the full release to play this delightful game at all. But a few things stuck out to me with my 1.0 playthrough compared to my experience with Early Access last year. Through several Early Access patches up to the 1.0 release, these are the major ways that Hades 2 gets even better as a full release.

4. Better Balance for Boons & Abilities

One of the things that Supergiant Games has tweaked throughout Early Access is overall balance. With a game like Hades 2, you want to offer a satisfying progression curve. Boons and abilities should make you feel strong enough to take on your foes, but not too overpowerful. Throughout Early Access and into the full release, Hades 2 has gotten significant balance improvements to the Boons you receive from the Greek Gods & Goddesses, along with Melinoe’s own abilities.

Several Boons that were available in Early Access have been replaced with new ones, while others have gotten balance adjustments. This ensures that combat feels challenging, but that you really feel the impact of your Boons as you collect them each night. Those Rare and Epic boons feel even more special now than they did in Early Access, especially in the early days in 2024.

3. Arcana Card & Character Portrait Artwork

My friends, the new Arcana menu is simply gorgeous. If you like Tarot as I do, or even if you’re not familiar, these fully illustrated versions of the Arcana cards are a sight to behold. The menu itself also has an overall upgrade, and it’s both more visually stunning and easier to navigate.

Along with the Arcana, the character portraits have gotten a final polish as well. The Gods and Goddesses all have a delightful shimmer to them, showcasing their magical abilities. Those portraits that weren’t fully finished, such as Medea’s, have now been rendered in all their glory, giving Hades 2 that polished feel that brings it close to video game perfection.

2. More Consistent Difficulty Curve 

After a few dozen runs in Early Access, areas like Erebus could start to feel a bit too easy. Thankfully, Supergiant has a fix for this as the game enters 1.0. Once you’ve managed a few runs, new, tougher foes will begin to spawn in areas you’ve already completed. This helps ensure that you’re still coming up against enough of a challenge to keep your skills sharp. Though these enemies are a bit stronger and make early areas rise to meet you, you can still get through easier than you could before.

Honestly, this is just such a refreshing change. I enjoyed finding new enemies and mid-run bosses to contend with, another way that Hades 2 manages to keep each run feeling fresh. These foes offer great testing grounds for your Boon and weapon selections of the night and keep you getting better as you approach the more challenging areas and Guardians that await.

1. Journal Feature with Info on Characters, Enemies, & More

The Journal feature in Hades 2 has got to be my favorite change from the Early Access to full launch. This compendium helps you reference all manner of helpful info, including which enemies you’ve faced, your relationships with the characters you meet, and more. When I played in Early Access, I didn’t know the names of my foes, let alone how many I’d faced. And keeping track of relationship development? Forget about it.

The robust, more fleshed-out ability to reference these details is a game-changer in the 1.0 release of Hades 2. Whether you’re trying to romance a specific person or just want to keep track of where you stand, this compendium is a huge help. It’s also just a lot of fun to see the numbers go up as you slay more and more of each specific foe, if I’m honest.

Have you jumped into Hades 2 yet? What do you think? Leave a comment below and join the conversation now in the ComicBook Forum!

Hades 2 Is Absolute Perfection (Review)