In Supergiant Games’ Hades, Zagreus will face the Furies as the boss of Tartarus, the Bone Hydra as the boss of Asphodel, Theseus and Asterius as the boss of Elysium, Cerberus as the guardian of the exit in the Temple of Styx (defeated by bribery), and finally, Hades, Zagreus’ father, as the final obstacle before escaping the Underworld.
Hades, God of the Dead, is master of the House of Hades, god of the Underworld, and the father of Zagreus. He maintains the order in the Underworld by hearing the dead’s appeals that come before him and deciding the punishments appropriate for them. Hades hates that Zagreus keeps on trying to escape the Underworld. He berates Zagreus after successfully leaving each area of the Underworld and defeating their respective bosses.
After successfully bribing Cerberus with a Satyr Sack, Zagreus can now leave the Temple of Styx, the fourth area of the game. Then, Hades will be personally involved in stopping Zagreus from leaving the Underworld. With his spear and Helm of Darkness, Zagreus will face Hades as the final boss of the Underworld escape attempt at the snowy grounds on the living side of the Temple’s archway. In this guide, you will learn Hades’ moves and behavior to defeat him.
Moves and Behavior
The fight with Hades is divided into two phases. For the first phase, Hades will use these attacks:
- Skull Cast
Hades will throw a skull-shaped Cast, similar to the Bloodstone ability of Zagreus, that tracks Zagreus. If the Skull Cast hits Zagreus, it will stay on him for a few seconds while allowing him to take damage the whole time it is on him before dropping it onto the battle area. If the Skull Cast misses Zagreus or has already been dropped after dealing damage, it will detonate after five seconds (unless Zagreus destroys it) and will create a large wave that deals damage if Zagreus is hit.
- Lunge
Hades will lunge towards Zagreus with his spear. When his health is low, he will throw Casts on his side before performing the Lunge attack.
- Spin Attack
Hade will move towards Zagreus’ current position while swiping his spear in a wide-reaching circular motion.
During this phase, Hades will disappear randomly or when Zagreus uses a Call, remove all status effects inflicted by Zagreus, reappear again after a short while, and quickly perform one of his attacks. Additionally, Hades will summon wretches when Hades’ HP is depleted to around 50% and 20%.
When Hades is about to die, and his HP is nearly depleted, he will be impervious to attacks and will pause and kneel to the ground as if he is defeated. However, he will refill his HP, regain his strength, and start the second phase by releasing a damage-dealing wave.
For the second phase, Hades will use all the attacks from the first phase but with these additional attacks:
- Swipe Combo
Hades will use his spear to swipe twice then perform the Spin Attack from the first phase.
- Vase Summon
Hades will summon vases evenly scattered around the area that, if broken by either Zagreus’ or Hades’ attack, will become a trap by creating a small green area with hands that may stun Zagreus and deal damage.
- Brimstone Attack
Hades will use a Brimstone-like laser, firing continuously in three directions for a few seconds. If his HP is depleted to less than half, the Brimstone attack will continuously fire in every direction.
Strategy
It is hard to get familiar with Hades’ attacks and behavior because, as mentioned above, he is the final boss for every escape attempt, and so, if you are new to the game, you will not face him as much yet. Do not worry if you keep on losing to Hades for your first few tries but make sure you study his behavior and attack animations whenever you encounter him.
Dodge Hades’ attacks by doing the following:
- You will know Hades will perform the Skull Cast attack as he will pause and you will see him get his Skull Cast before throwing it. Dash away right after you see him do that. After that, make sure you dispatch the Skull Casts as soon as possible to refrain from detonating it all while dodging Hades’ attacks. If you fail to dispatch them, at least try to dash against the wave after it detonates instead of away from it.
- To dodge Hades’ Lunge and Spin attack, simply dodge out of the attack range. You will know when he will perform the Lunge attack as you can see wind up slightly before lunging. As for the Spin attack, you will see the outline of the range of his spin before he will perform it.
- As for Hades’ Vase Summon, make sure to avoid attacking the vases but if it is somehow activated, simply dash away from the hands before Zagreus gets caught in them.
- Finally, to dodge Hades’ Brimstone attack, hide behind one of the two pillars in the arena. You will know when Hades will perform the Brimstone attack as he will let go of his spear and it will spin around him very fast.
Choosing the right boons will help in defeating Hades. Make sure you have boons that boost Zagreus’ Attack and Special. Athena’s Divine Dash boon can also help as it can deflect attacks and deal damage when dashing. Additionally, choose Calls that make Zagreus impervious to attacks while using them. Revenge boons can also help as it deals damage every time Zagreus takes damage.
Make sure you get some Pom of Power to level your boons up and their status effects if they inflict any. Level them up more than two times to maximize their effects. Talking to Eurydice in Asphodel and taking one of her offers can help: Ambrosia Delight to upgrade two random boons that Zagreus already owns to the next rarity, Pom Porridge to gain +1 level of four random boons that Zagreus already owns, or Refreshing Nectar to automatically upgrade the next three boons you’ll find to the next rarity.
It can not be denied that Hades is the most challenging out of all the bosses in the game. It is understandable if you couldn’t defeat him the first few times. But, as mentioned above, make sure you get familiar with his moves and behavior every time you encounter him. Each defeat is a learning experience. Keep on trying, and you will eventually defeat Hades himself.
