As development continues on Hades 2, Supergiant Games has released its first major update for the roguelite adventure. In addition to general fine-tuning and tweaks to the gameplay, the Olympic Update also adds in a ton of new gameplay content, like a new region to explore, a brand-new weapon to master, more characters to meet, new decorations, and best of all, new animal familiars to bond with. On top of that, there’s also more artwork to gawk at and new music tracks to listen to, making this a hefty expansion of the game during its early access journey.
The new location–which we’re not spoiling here–will take players to the peak of the Hades 2 world, while the last of the Nocturnal Arms can be unlocked for Melinoe’s arsenal. This weapon–another part of the game we’re not spoiling–sounds like it’ll require quick reflexes to master as Supergiant teased that players will be able to guard and retaliate with powerful attacks when using it.
Other updates in the weapons department include a reworked special attack for the Witch’s Staff, a deadlier Moonstone Axe that sacrifices its blocking ability for a powerful rising slash attack, and projectiles from Umbral Flames that will spin left or right depending on your movement. Overall, weapons are going to be even more powerful with all the changes that Supergiant is making in this update.
The Dash ability will also be innately faster and more responsive, allowing players to more reliably dash out of hit-stun effects from certain foes’ strikes. Supergiant didn’t go into too much detail on its new region, but the studio did reveal that this will be a fully realized zone that has various locations within it. Several other regions will also receive new locations, and on a welcome note, you’ll find a Pool of Purging in the space before you enter Tartarus. Fishing points should also be easier to reach, and various other fixes have been made to the locations.
This is just the tip of the Hades 2 iceberg, and if you’re looking to read through the exhaustive update notes–while dodging some light spoilers–you can click this link to read them in their entirety.
While it’s still early days for Hades 2, the current build of the game already feels like it offers enough to confidently stand as a complete product. “Hades II is an ambitious expansion of all the ideas that came before it, balancing them beautifully to create one of the best roguelites on the market even in its incomplete state,” Alessandro Barbosa wrote in GameSpot’s Hades 2 review-in-progress back in May 2024.
Hades 2 is currently available for $30 on Steam and the Epic Games Store, but Supergiant has mentioned that the price could increase after its full release.