It’s been almost four months since Hades 2 saw its last major update in Early Access. Fans have been eagerly awaiting news from Supergiant Games, who previously teased an “early 2025” timeline for the next big addition. Rather than offer up another teaser or release date, the developers decided to just go ahead and give fans the update. The Warsong Update for Hades 2 is now available, marking the second major content addition to the game. Fans aren’t likely to be disappointed, as this update packs in a ton of new features to explore.

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Most notably, the Warsong Update adds a Final Confrontation to round out the story so far, plus the long-awaited reveal of Areas, God of War. Melinoe will also be able to befriend a new familiar, enjoy updated Boons from the gods, and more. With several balance adjustments and tweaks to weapons and abilities, the roguelike will feel a bit different the next time fans log in.

Alongside the major content additions for Hades 2, Supergiant Games has also made a number of small adjustments as the game approaches its full release. They welcome feedback from players as the Early Access period continues. Several changes made in this latest update came in response to player feedback, suggesting that Supergiant is indeed taking notes as they continue to adjust the game.

Full Hades 2 Warsong Update Patch Notes

For those looking to see everything that’s changed with this second major Hades 2 update, check out the full patch notes from Supergiant Games below.

General Gameplay

You no longer prioritize Gathering Tools in the Training Grounds, though still can harvest any type of resource as long as you have unlocked each Tool; resource appearance rates adjusted as part of this
Psyche can no longer be found as a Location Reward; Bones may now be found sooner instead
All Guardians and Wardens with Guardian-style Life Bars now are resistant to the slowing effect of your Casts; previously this applied only to some of them
Any damage resistance effects you have no longer affect any Armor you have
Adjusted requirements for certain key events early on; as a result, it should be possible to reach the surface earlier than before

Nocturnal Arms & Abilities

Witch’s Staff: Attack sequence is faster and the final strike is stronger; Omega Attack is stronger; reworked Special is a fast powerful shot that pierces foes
Argent Skull: reworked Attack fires straight ahead; Omega Attack is stronger; Special now retrieves Shells in the surrounding area
Black Coat: increased Omega Attack damage; your Dash no longer cancels channeling your Omega Attack and causes you to perform the move right after

Altar of Ashes

All Cards now have unique illustrations; swapped or adjusted themes of several Cards, noted below
Eternity: theme changed from Night; reworked — now makes everything slower while you channel Omega moves; note this effect is no longer on Silver Wheel (Hecate)
The Messenger: reworked — your Casts briefly make you impervious and move faster
The Swift Runner: your Sprint now also makes you phase through foes
Night: reduced Grasp cost; theme changed from Death
The Wayward Son: no longer provides doubled recovery at low Life; base recovery improved
Death: theme changed from Eternity
Persistence: theme changed from The Titan
The Enchantress: theme changed from The Fates
The Fates: theme changed from The Seer
Grasp upgrade costs re-scaled as part of changes to resource gathering

Oath of the Unseen

Added new Testaments for the final confrontation
· Vow of Shadow: adjusted various encounters with this
Vow of Fangs: removed certain combinations of Perks that were unusually cruel…
Fear requirements for some Testaments re-scaled to reduce jumps in difficulty; reduced Fear requirements in some cases

Boons & Blessings

Added Ares, with many of his own blessings, including a new Duo with each other primary Boon-giver
Zeus: his Blitz Curse now activates at the end of the duration if not activated by dealing damage
Storm Ring (Zeus): slightly reduced rate of lightning strikes
Thunder Rush (Zeus): no longer requires Magick to strike foes with lightning; formerly Thunder Sprint
Electric Overload (Zeus): reworked — your chain-lightning effects are stronger and bounce to more foes
Toasting Fork (Zeus): cut from game; replaced with…
Arc Flash (Zeus): new! Your Omega Moves activate your Blitz effects and make them stronger
Romantic Spark (Zeus x Aphrodite): reduced damage bonus
Hera: the Queen of the Olympians now has Boons of all four elemental affinities, not solely Earth
Engagement Ring (Hera): reworked — now deals immediate damage for each foe in the binding circle
Bridal Glow (Hera): reworked — upgrades a random Boon to Heroic Rarity and gives it bonus Pom Lv.
Nasty Comeback (Hera): cut from game; replaced with…
Extended Family (Hera): new! Your Olympian damage is stronger for each Olympian you met this night
Proper Upbringing (Hera): increased activation requirement to include all four elements
Breaker Rush (Poseidon): reworked — whenever you Sprint, damage and knock away the first foe you run into; formerly Breaker Sprint
Geyser Spout (Poseidon): reworked — your Omega Cast gains Power and knocks foes away
Buried Treasure (Poseidon): now also drops Bones, not Ashes or Psyche; formerly Ocean’s Bounty
Flood Control (Poseidon): cut from game; replaced with…
High Surf (Poseidon): new! Hit surrounding foes with a splash as they strike, but prime some Magick
Phoenix Skin (Apollo x Hestia): cut from game; replaced with…
Warm Breeze (Apollo x Hestia): new! Whenever Dodge or Daze makes foes miss, restore some Life
Demeter: her Gust effects no longer destroy trees in Erebus or other such obstructions
Local Climate (Demeter): reworked — your Omega Cast is stronger; bonus doubled in the binding circle
Plentiful Forage (Demeter): now restores Life whenever you gather any resource
Rare Crop (Demeter): cut from game; replaced with…
Steady Growth (Demeter): new! Whenever you clear enough Encounters, a Boon gains Rarity
Secret Crush (Aphrodite): now also affects Omega Attack
Tough Gain (Hephaestus): reworked — whenever you take damage, shrug some off and restore Magick
Flash Fry (Hestia): no longer requires foes to have Scorch to explode when slain; no longer requires a Scorch-related Boon to be offered; formerly Natural Gas
Burnt Offering (Hestia): reworked — gain max Magick whenever you collect Ashes, and gain some now
Mean Streak (Hermes): damage bonus no longer automatically ends after Encounters
Tall Order (Hermes): updated elemental requirement; slightly increased damage bonus
Travel Deal (Hermes): new! Your first purchase each Location costs less; another item appears after
Saved Breath (Hermes): cut from game; replaced with…
Winner’s Circle (Hermes): new! You channel your Casts faster and your Casts expire faster
Witty Retort (Hermes): cut from game; replaced with…
Hasty Retreat (Hermes): new! Gain more Dodge chance and move speed the more Boons you have
Greater Evasion (Hermes): cut from game; replaced with…
Stutter Step (Hermes): new! You can Dash more frequently
Midnight Oil (Hermes): cut from game; replaced with…
Success Rate (Hermes): new! Your chance-based effects are more likely to occur, except Dodge or Daze
Close Call (Hermes): cut from game; replaced with…
Paid Dues (Hermes): new Legendary! Whenever you take damage, you lose Gold before you lose Life
Mental Block (Athena): reduced duration of Impervious effect
Righteous Pike (Athena): new! Whenever you use enough Magick, several foes are struck by spears
Killing Stroke (Artemis): new! Your Specials may deal Critical damage, but you prime some Magick
The Marked Curses inflicted by Artemis and Raki the Raven now will never choose the same target
Unseen Ire (Hades): the Dark effect and its damage bonus no longer expire after you strike
Barren (Chaos): reduced Curse duration
Neurotic (Chaos): no longer slows your Dash but still makes it use Magick; formerly Hobbled
Life Savings (Narcissus): now gives Lotus instead of Deathcaps
Wealth from the Dead (Medea): you now automatically absorb bonus Gold from slain foes on approach
Supply Drop (Icarus): slightly reduced frequency of drops, and provides one fewer Pom Slice
Adjusted names and elemental affinities of some Boons
Additional minor adjustments to some bonuses from Rarity and Poms of Power
Further clarifications to descriptions for various Boons
Other minor fixes and adjustments

Melinoe heads into action in the hades 2 early access trailer

Daedalus Hammer Upgrades

Spiral Knives (Blades): cut from game; replaced with…
Hidden Knives (Blades): new! Specials are stronger and Omega Special fires more shots than usual
Fetching Array (Skull): Shells now also automatically return faster; removed penalty to total Shells
Looming Ignition (Skull): now also affects your Omega Attack; reaches full strength faster
Possessed Array (Skull): increased Magick cost
Rocket Bombard (Skull): cut from game since this effect is now innate; replaced with…
Boosted Ignition (Skull): new! After your Dash or Specials, your Attacks are faster and gain Power
Counter Barrage: now launches more rockets, more often
Adjusted names and descriptive text for several Daedalus Hammer upgrades

Keepsakes

Added a new Keepsake now that Ares decided to show up, which you can gain in the customary way
Silver Wheel (Hecate): reworked — adds to your Magick limit for the rest of the night
Fig Leaf (Dionysus): now can only affect one Encounter per Region, but still works if you unequip it
Engraved Pin (Moros): now counts as a Death Defiance effect
Evil Eye (Nemesis): now targets Prometheus if his Eagle Aetos is the one to vanquish you

Animal Familiars

Gale the Polecat: new! Grants Dodge chance and move speed, blocks damage a few times per Region
Toula the Cat: attacks more times successively; falls asleep faster (so she can wake back up faster!)

Resources & Reagents

Added several new collectable resources found around the final confrontation
Removed Deathcaps from the game as part of broader changes to resources described further above

Well of Charon

Yarn of Ariadne: no longer consumed when meeting Hades, on whom this has no effect

Shrine of Hermes

Fresh Sustenance MAX: reduced Life recovery
Reduced chance of offering Minor Finds over other types of items

Foes & Dangers

Added a variety of foes for the final surface Region, including new Wardens and a new Guardian
Prometheus: adjusted behaviors; reduced damage for several moves; now sometimes foresees and dodges attacks, yet overall should be somewhat less punishing than before
Aetos: reduced viciousness to some extent…
Sky-Dracon: slightly reduced tracking speed
Auto-Seeker: slightly reduced tracking speed
Eris: improved previews of her various attacks
The Yargonaut: new! Warden added to the Rift of Thessaly
Charybdis: adjusted Tentacle behaviors; reduced overall difficulty
Harpy Talon: slightly reduced radius of ranged attack
Stickler: reduced damage
Seesword: increased damage
Blasket: reduced damage
Infernal Beast: slightly increased Life
Scylla: slightly increased Life
Hellfish: new! Warden added to Oceanus
Lurker: gained a defensive back-step maneuver after getting hit
Headmistress Hecate: slightly increased Life
Root-Stalker: adjusted behavior of tail; grew a second one
Various other minor changes to foes and combat encounters

Special Encounters

Reworked Heracles combat encounters — vanquish specially-marked foes for a bounty in Gold
Aetos will no longer swoop in to attack more than once prior to facing Prometheus
Slightly increased appearance rate of Moon Monuments and Unseen Sigils on the surface
Slightly increased difficulty of Moon Monument foes
Moon Monuments no longer offer Path of Stars rewards if your Hex is fully upgraded
Athena more consistently vanquishes Revenants from the Vow of Return (Oath)
Minor adjustments to Artemis, Heracles, and Icarus appearance rates on the surface route
Two Arachne Cocoon encounters can no longer occur very close together in some cases
Family Disputes, formerly called Trials of the Gods, now can include Ares; several Olympians put up more of a fight than before…

Level Design & Environments

Added the final confrontation on the surface route and various new Locations within it
The Olympus Region has one fewer Location to traverse before the Guardian
Encounters in the Rift of Thessaly that had too many waves (of foes) should now be more reasonable
Optional rooms in Ephyra become more likely if you haven’t found many that night
Reduced damage of Lone Shades freed from Ephyra Pylons
You now must use the Fountain if you haven’t already done so prior to leaving the Ephyra main square
Resources can appear in more places in the Ephyra main square
Removed Bat Cage nearest to the initial entrance to the Ephyra main square
Added another Location that can randomly appear in Erebus
Added another Location that can randomly appear in Oceanus
· Added another Location that can randomly appear in Ephyra
The final battle prior to the Guardian of each of Region should no longer get replaced by Fountain chambers or character encounters
Adjusted resource points in some Locations, especially those close enough to exits that you could leave by accident while trying to harvest
Various minor fixes and improvements to various Locations

Chaos Trials

You now reappear before the Pitch-Black Stone upon returning from a Chaos Trial
Trial of Thunder: new! Zeus-themed Trial set in Erebus
Trial of Glory: new! Hera-themed Trial set on Olympus
Trial of the Fall: new! Demeter-themed Trial set in the Mourning Fields
Trial of Slaughter: new! Ares-themed Trial set in Ephyra
Trial of Destiny: new! Chaos-themed Trial set on Olympus
Trial of Strife: new! Eris-themed Trial set in Thessaly
Minor fixes and changes to several Trials

The Crossroads Renewal Project

Updated Crossroads main grounds with new points of interest; the taverna now is easier to traverse
Artemis now sometimes provides musical accompaniment in the Crossroads
Added numerous new unlockable decorative items once the Renewal Project is available
Some decorative items now unlocked from a new spot in the taverna
Various forms of wildlife now may appear throughout the Crossroads
Some groups of Shades in the Crossroads now have captions when you Salute them
Recently-pacified Shades that appear in the Training Grounds now have varying appearances
Melinoë will sometimes cover up the family portrait in her tent after brooding too much
Odysseus will sometimes offer resources you may need; can sometimes be found seated in the taverna
Eris will no longer litter in the midst of conversation with others
The witch attendants of Hecate now are absent when she is
Improved presentation around plants that can be harvested in the Garden
Supply Shipments no longer prompt you to interact as frequently
The moon now shows different phases in the Training Grounds vista scene

Cauldron Incantations

Rage of the Elements: new! Lets you activate the statues on Olympus to defend you
Path to Desired Blessings: new! Lets you track requirements for Boons listed in the Book of Shadows
Acceptance of Another Fate: new! Salute the Oath of the Unseen to reset that night’s random events
Shuffling of Noted Ballads: new! Lets the Music Maker make music choices for you if you wish
Deathly Fortune: now introduced later and no longer lets you exchange plants for Bones(only fish…)
Psychic Slivers of Clarity: removed from the game as part of resource system changes
Bones of Arcane Wisdom: now makes Bones raise Magick limit rather than adding Armor; formerly Bones of Burnished Bronze

Fated List of Minor Prophecies

The Arms of Night: new! Rewards you for unlocking each of the Main Weapons
Master of War: new! Rewards you for choosing various Boons of Ares
Storm in the Heavens: new! Rewards you for prevailing on the surface route
Sword of the Night: new! Rewards you for clearing the surface route with each Main Weapon
Power Beyond Legend: new! Rewards you for choosing all Legendary Boons; these are no longer included with each Olympian’s Boon prophecy

Book of Shadows

Added new entries for various additions in this update
Updated relationship status display for relevant characters after the Incantation Empath’s Intuition

Menus & UI

Updated Main Menu to reflect this Major Update
Added art for all Arcana and adjusted layout in the Altar of Ashes screen
Added animations for the Crossroads Cauldron screen
Added animations for the Pitch-Black Stone screen
Added animations for the Wretched Broker screen
Added animations for the Fated List screen
Added animations for the Inventory screen
Added art for the Crossroads Renewal screen
Added art and adjusted layout for the Music Maker screen
Added art and adjusted layout for the Archived Trivia screen
Added art and adjusted layout for the Past Deeds screen
Added art for the Gifts of the Moon screen
Added animations for info banners, such as when entering Locations or vanquishing Guardians
Added animations to the Main Menu and related sub-screens such as the Pause menu
Updated art and animations for Book of Shadows prompts
Updated art and animations for Fated List prompts
Updated art and animations for Incantation Learned and similar prompts
Updated look of many in-world status icons
You now can see your Change of Fate count when choosing Boons
You now can exchange resources for Prestige more freely, with a new warning if you still need them
The Victory Screen now has theming differences depending on which route you cleared
Improved feedback in the Altar of Ashes for when you fully upgrade your Grasp
Improved presentation when multiple Incantations are revealed at once in the Crossroads Cauldron
Improved text descriptions for Animal Familiar upgrades
Adjusted Godhood Gained presentation after failing in God Mode; the presentation no longer occurs once you reach the damage resistance limit
Damage numbers that come from environmental effects and traps now have a distinct color
Updated prompts on a number of menu screens
Various other fixes and improvements

Art & Visual FX

Updated environment art in various places in the Crossroads
Updated the look of Shades in various Regions, including ones you can pacify with the Tablet of Peace
Updated some visual FX for improved clarity in the heat of battle (this work is ongoing)
Updated visual FX for Scalding Vapor (Poseidon x Hestia)
Updated visual FX for when foes with Armor are struck
Updated teleportation visual FX for Animal Familiars, Artemis, and others
Updated some visual FX for Umbral Flames (Moros)
Updated presentation during narrative flashback sequences
Updated narrative background art in Erebus
Added narrative background art for Selene
Added character animations for Hermes
Added alternate portrait for Melinoë
Added alternate portrait for Odysseus
Adjusted portrait for Zeus
Adjusted portrait for Artemis
Added death animations for Charybdis Tentacles
Various other minor visual improvements

Voice & Narrative

Added more than 2,000 new voice lines, including new dialogue events for many characters
Added more narrated Homer outcomes after a successful clear
Chronos will give you a piece of his mind in more situations when leaving Erebus
More characters react to resource-gathering and other interactions
Numerous minor adjustments to requirements and content for various events

Music & SFX

Added new music pieces for the final confrontation and the lead-up to it
Added music theme for Icarus
Added music theme for Echo
Added a song from
Added unlockable versions of each of these to the Music Maker
Added new victory music stingers for each of the two routes
Music from the Music Maker now grows softer during dialogue events
Added new sound effects for the Main Menu
Added new sound effects for the Crossroads Cauldron
Added new sound effects for the Wretched Broker
Updated sound effects for Staff Special
Updated sound effects for some foes and encounters
Other minor changes and improvements

Settings

God Mode Limit: new! You now can reduce the effect of God Mode if you wish

Miscellaneous

Updated Development Roadmap to reflect our progress and plans for the next Major Update
Clear times in the Past Deeds screen for the Surface route have been reset now that it is extended
Adjusted presentation when Death Defiance effects activate
Adjusted presentation when leaving the Training Grounds for the night
Adjusted presentation when trying to attack while out-of-Shells with the Argent Skull
Some Wardens’ Life Bars now follow their movements more closely
Improved timing of Polyphemus knockout sequence
Minor improvements to Charybdis fight intro
Improved presentation choosing Boon Boon Boon (Echo)
Added several Commendation messages that may appear on the Victory Screen
Added more error messaging we hope no one will ever see
Updated Credits with several additional contributors
Updates and fixes to translations in all languages

Bug Fixes

Fixed Rapture Ring (Aphrodite) not damaging foes at the edge of the binding circle
Fixed Moon Monuments sometimes appearing unexpectedly if you had no Hex of Selene
Fixed Icarus missing his targets unexpectedly (unless you’re his father and expect disappointment)
Fixed optional rooms in Ephyra counting against Encounters needed to clear Chaos Curses
Fixed unexpected delays prior to pre-fight dialogue against Hecate, Polyphemus, and Eris
Fixed Gameplay Timer not pausing in some instances while pacifying Lost Shades
Fixed Moonstone Axe (Thanatos) full-charge sound re-playing when entering new Locations
Fixed Nemesis sometimes getting stuck wandering the Mourning Fields
Fixed Evil Eye (Nemesis) switching targets after clearing Chaos Trials
Fixed Dual Moonshot (Daedalus – Staff) sounds not playing for each shot
Fixed foes playing hurt sound effects when taking damage to their Armor rather than their Life
Many other minor fixes

Are you jumping back into Hades 2 to check out this major update? Let us know in the comments below!

Hades 2 Drops Second Major Update with New Characters, Boons, and More

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