Hades: Beginner's Guide

Getting Started in Hades

You begin in the House of Hades with access to the Stygian Blade and your first Mirror of Night upgrades. Your first priority: talk to everyone before beginning a run. Speak to Nyx, Megaera, Cerberus, Achilles, and Hypnos — each has story dialogue that refreshes between runs. In the Mirror, invest in Death Defiance (extra revives) first — survivability while learning is more valuable than damage. The first biome (Tartarus) takes 5-8 rooms; learn to identify chamber rewards before choosing paths.

Core Mechanics to Master

Dash invincibility is your primary defensive tool. The dash has a brief i-frame window; dashing through attacks (not away from them) is the highest-skill defensive technique. Cast (your blood) embeds in enemies and rooms for bonus effects based on your boon choice — retrieve it by standing near your cast for a moment or unlocking Cast recall. Boon synergy is the run's win condition: identify which god is giving you the strongest boons early and prioritize their chambers.

Best Early Mirror Upgrades

Death Defiance (3 revives) is your most valuable early investment — extra lives while learning biomes is non-negotiable. Shadow Presence (bonus damage from behind) applies to almost all attacks and scales well. Thick Skin (bonus health from starting chambers) extends your health pool consistently. Chthonic Vitality (slowly heal between rooms) is the Mirror upgrade that most extends average run length for new players.

Essential Tips

1. Give Nectar to NPCs in the House of Hades — it builds relationships and earns Keepsakes, which give small bonuses during a run.
2. Equip Skelly's Lucky Tooth keepsake (a one-time revive) while you are still building up Death Defiance in the Mirror.
3. Read every boon carefully before choosing — a basic boon from a synergizing god is often better than a Legendary from a non-synergizing one.
4. Spend Darkness at the Mirror after every run, don't hoard it.

First Major Boss: Megaera

Megaera is Tartarus's guardian and your first boss encounter — a Fury who fights with a whip. Her Lunge (a dash) and Whip Whirl (an area slash) are available from the start; at 75% and 50% of her health she adds Volley (rapid shots) and Flame (fire circles on the ground), in random order, and she also summons Thugs and Witches as her health drops. She briefly becomes invulnerable at each health threshold. In a normal fight she fights alone — her sisters Alecto and Tisiphone only join as support attackers if you enable the Extreme Measures pact condition. Stay mobile, learn the telegraphs, and with Death Defiance you can survive learning her full pattern across multiple attempts without losing the run.

Frequently Asked Questions

Q: How many runs does it take to finish the story?
A: There is no fixed number. The story unfolds across many runs and repeated escapes, and how many attempts that takes varies widely by player and build.

Q: Is Hades 2 out?
A: Yes. Hades II is a separate game, not DLC, with a new protagonist. Per Wikipedia it left Early Access and released in full on 25 September 2025 (Windows, macOS, Switch and Switch 2), with PS5 and Xbox Series X|S versions on 14 April 2026.

Q: What's the best weapon for beginners?
A: The Stygian Blade (sword) is the most forgiving — well-rounded moveset with a useful Special attack. The Shield of Chaos (bull rush) is also excellent for survivability.