Everything New in Hades 2s The Olympic Update Explained

As an avid gamer with decades of experience under my belt, I must say that the Olympic Update for Hades 2 has certainly caught my attention. The sheer amount of new content and adjustments is nothing short of impressive. From the intriguing Formical Rhapsody to the daunting challenges of the New Moon Monument and Unseen Sigil, there’s a sense of excitement in the air that reminds me of the early days of gaming when every update felt like a fresh start.

In the footsteps of one of the recent memory’s highly-acclaimed roguelike action RPG games, Hades 2, has been steadily enhancing its early access phase prior to its full market release. The latest Olympic Update, as claimed, is a significant upgrade for Hades 2. Supergiant Games didn’t hold back with this overhaul.

Beyond numerous bug corrections, the Olympic Update for Hades 2 offers fresh content across nearly every aspect of the game. Features such as a new area, a new weapon, additional characters, and new companions have been added. This underscores Supergiant Games’ commitment to continually enriching Hades 2 with innovative content while taking player suggestions into account.

Hades 2’s Latest Region

In line with the title’s hint, it appears that the newest area in Hades 2 is Mt. Olympus. The update’s description poses a challenge to players: “Will you ascend Olympus, the mountain of the gods? And if you do, can you protect it?” This rhetorical approach implies a fresh quest for players to journey towards the abode of the gods. This may account for the addition of two new characters in the game, as well as approximately 2,500 new voice lines incorporated into the update.

The updated details further explore the brand-new battlefield region that players will engage in combat. It seems that the gods are in dire need of assistance from players to defeat a lethal new Guardian. This means at least three new characters: two companions and one adversary. These associates will bestow blessings, reveal secrets, and present fresh Keepsakes (and potentially Boons) as you hunt for the Titan of Time.

In addition, players can form relationships with not one but two new familiars within “Hades 2”. These helpful creatures need to be discovered and can be found scattered throughout the game world of “Hades 2”.

The Nocturnal Arms Gain a Weapon

In the Olympic Update for Hades 2, the sixth member of the Nocturnal Arms, known as Xinth or the Black Coat, teams up with its fellow siblings. This character empowers players to defend and counterattack aggressively, making sure that enemies don’t get away unscathed by using their special abilities. Essentially, Xinth serves as a defensive response to enemy attacks.

Furthermore, four siblings under Xinth’s Nocturnal Arms faction have been upgraded with several improvements. The signature weapon of Descura, known as The Staff of Dusk (often referred to as The Witch’s Staff and Melione’s initial weapon), has been revised to move faster and ricochet off enemies. The special ability of The Sister Blades, Lim and Oros, has been altered so they penetrate enemies and return to the user, potentially hitting multiple foes in succession. Special projectiles from Umbral Flames of Ygnium now spin based on a player’s direction of movement. Lastly, the special attack for the Moonstone Axe, Zorephet, has been modified; it now performs a rising slash that strikes multiple times, but can no longer block enemy attacks.

Changes have been made to features related to Nighttime Weapons, and here are some updates: Xinth, the cloaked figure, possesses three distinct aspects that can be unlocked and upgraded. Regarding the Umbral Flames, their weapon scaling has been adjusted, now dealing slightly less damage with a fully-upgraded blast when maxed out. On the other hand, the Argent Skull’s ability sees an improvement in its shell reload speed for faster reloads.

New Items for the Crossroads Cauldron

In the sequel to Hades, Hecate’s Crossroads Cauldron serves as a crucial gameplay element. This magical vessel grants players various powers, collectibles, and intriguing locations to discover, all thanks to enchantments such as:

The Eyes of Night and Darkness: Makes Moon Monuments and Unseen Sigils sometimes appear in locations
Earthly Fortune: Lets players recycle unused resources at the Wretched Broke in exchange for Prestige
Summoning of Musical Rhapsody: Used to summon the Music Maker, who lets players unlock new music to play in the Crossroads
Spreading of Ashes: Lets players save multiple arrangements in the Altar of Ashes
Favored of All Keepsakes: Lets players designate a Keepsake that Melinoe will auto-equip in the Training Grounds
Abyssal Reflection: lets players re-attempt cleared Chaos Trials while tracking their fastest times
Bravery of Familiar Spirits: Required to upgrade Animal Familiars
Arisen Troves: Makes Infernal Troves occasionally appear in Surface Locations
Surge of Desecrating Pools: Makes Pools of Purging appear between Underworld Regions
Frozen Lifespring: Makes a Fountain Chamber sometimes appear in the new Region

Furthermore, Supergiant Games has made changes to several Incantations’ prerequisites and prices. Now, Melinoe and Hecate may occasionally perform Incantations together. These enhancements and additions are intended to help players tackle the fresh challenges in Hades 2, such as new Vows for the Oaths of the Unseen. The Olympic Update‘s patch notes indicate that the Eyes of Night and Darkness feature of the Cauldron will be useful when facing the “enigmatic New Moon Monument and Unseen Sigil” challenges.

The Olympic Update Cuts, Adds, and Upgrades

Boons

Previously mentioned, each of the freshly introduced allies in the game now comes with unique advantages. Some blessings from various characters in Hades 2 have been enhanced or even removed. For instance, the Smithy Sprint ability of Hephaestus has been eliminated in Hades 2 and replaced with “Stamp Rush”. After a player dashes, this new boon occasionally generates an impact around a nearby enemy.

Daedalus Hammer

The modification also removes content related to the Daedalus Hammer artifact. In its place, Hook Knives, Empowering Guard, and Advanced Whirlwind have been eliminated from the game. Reaper Knives boost a player’s special abilities with increased power and wider damage radius, Siege Shredder extends the reach of a player’s special attacks while dealing bonus damage, and Seething Marauder retaliates against nearby enemies based on the player’s own assaults.

Hexes and the Path of Stars

Hexes and the Path of Stars also received updates and additions, specifically towards the Lunar Ray, Moon Water, and Total Eclipse abilities. Lunar Ray can now deal damage in an area around a player and has bonus power when it first deals damage each encounter. Total Eclipse and Wolf Howl both gained a Sublime-quality upgrade called Eminence and Tenacity respectively, with both incurring a Magick cost increase. Additionally, whenever a player strikes a guardian with Total Eclipse, its next use is partially charged.

The Well of Charon and the Shrine of Hermes

The Well of Charon and Shrine of Hermes added some quick boosts for players. For example, the Shrine of Hermes has a new ability called Fresh Sustenance which restores life and the Well of Charon introduced new boosts like Splintered Shield, which lets players gain some armor.

The Olympic Update offers Mac users an opportunity to experience “Hades 2”, compatible with Apple M1 or later. Given the abundance of fresh content for gamers, it’s logical for Supergiant Games to broaden their player base by releasing “Hades 2” in early access. With a significant update planned for early 2025, the recent update of “Hades 2” hints that its upcoming version will have high expectations to meet.

2024-10-18 01:04