Hades 2 takes another big step forward with Patch 3, and the devs are "now focusing on our first Major Update slated for later this year"

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It sounds like patches will be a bit smaller for a while

Hades 2
(Image credit: Supergiant Games)

Hades 2 Patch 3 is out today, June 26, bringing another smorgasbord of changes to developer Supergiant's already stellar roguelike. After this laundry list of updates, the studio says it's "now focusing on our first Major Update slated for later this year," while still "monitoring your feedback," suggesting future patches will be smaller or less frequent until the big update finally arrives.

Some nice Boon changes are right at the top of the lengthy patch notes. Several Duo and Legendary Boons will appear more frequently, Gathering Tool upgrades will net you Elemental Essence for your Infusion Boons, and you'll find "slightly" more Boons and similar rewards past Erebus. 

Among the weapon changes, the Sister Blades are the big winner in my book. For starters, "you now are immune to hit-stun effects during Riposte," and better still, a notorious bug causing this weapon's parry effect to whiff after choosing a Boon has been fixed. 

Here's a big one for all players: "Rearranged Grasp costs and positions of several Cards; you may need to reset your Arcana loadout." So when you boot up Hades 2 after downloading this update, give your Arcana table a close look. Arcana changes include:

  • Death: reworked; Omega moves have a chance to deal Critical damage if the last one used was different
  • The Moon: now costs 0 Grasp but has an Awakening requirement to activate any surrounding Card
  • The Unseen: improved Magick restoration
  • Divinity: Awakening requirement expanded to include activating a column of Cards (not just a row)
  • Origination: now specifies that Curses from different Olympians are required; this is relevant with Demeter, whose Cyclone now is considered a Curse (along with her Freeze)

Back at the Crossroads Cauldron, you'll find several new upgrades, including one that I've personally been clamoring for since launch. Here's that full list as well: 

  • Temporal Fluctuation: new! Lets time-slow effects such as Phase Shift (Selene) work vs. Chronos
  • Circles of the Moon: new! Activating Warding Circles in Erebus fully charges your Hex
  • Ashen Memories of Life: new! Whenever you claim rewards of Ash, slightly raise your Life limit
  • Psychic Slivers of Clarity: new! Whenever you claim rewards of Psyche, slightly raise your Magick limit
  • Bones of Burnished Bronze: new! Whenever you claim rewards of Bones, gain some Armor
  • Nectar of Godly Savor: new! Whenever you claim rewards of Nectar, gain +1 Lv. for a random Boon

The patch is rounded out by dozens and dozens of Boon changes, which seem to be almost entirely buffs or outright replacements. Multiple Hexes of Selene have been buffed, too, with basically all of them getting their Magick-spend requirements slashed. 

There are plenty of bug fixes as well, naturally, plus updated UI icons for some extra-in-progress parts of the in-progress game. Hades 2 was already in a strong state, and this patch brings another few passes of polish. I reckon it'll be just fine to simmer a bit more gently until Supergiant breaks out the big guns for new content. 

Hades 2's first "Major Update" is months out, but in May Supergiant gave the roguelike's community a project: "If you play the game deeply enough, you'll find clues."

Austin Wood
Austin Wood
Senior writer

Austin has been a game journalist for 12 years, having freelanced for the likes of PC Gamer, Eurogamer, IGN, Sports Illustrated, and more while finishing his journalism degree. He's been with GamesRadar+ since 2019. They've yet to realize his position is a cover for his career-spanning Destiny column, and he's kept the ruse going with a lot of news and the occasional feature, all while playing as many roguelikes as possible.