Greek Mythology is rich with famous deities, legendary monsters, and epic tales of heroes, which has inspired various media, including games such as Hades 2 and God of War, as well as popular literature like Percy Jackson.
In Hades 2, players accompany Melinoe on her quest to confront Chronos, the titan of time, but first, she must prove her worth by overcoming Hecate, her mentor who tests her abilities before she can leave Erebus.
Hecate, the Goddess of Magic, Witchcraft, and Crossroads, possesses a powerful lineage tied to the Titans, making her a formidable opponent. Even as the first boss in the game, she presents a substantial challenge with her three combat phases, so preparation is crucial. After gathering as many boons as possible, here’s a guide on how to defeat Hecate in Hades 2.
Preparing for the Hecate Encounter
Hecate remains stationary during many of her attack animations, making it advantageous to equip a Boon that deals damage over time or induces a status effect via your Cast.
Here are some effective Cast Boon options:
- Aphrodite’s Rapture Ring: Weakens enemies and pulls them toward the center of your Cast.
- Hestia’s Smolder Ring: Inflicts repeated scorch damage on adversaries.
- Demeter’s Arctic Ring: Freezes foes while delivering continuous damage.
When selecting a weapon, prioritize one that aligns with your play style. Personally, I found success using the Witch’s Staff, Descura.
Consider equipping the following Arcana cards to bolster your strategy:
- The Huntress: Increases damage output when your Magick is below 100%.
- The Messenger: Grants brief invulnerability and speed enhancements upon casting.
- Death: Provides additional Death Defiance, enhancing survivability.
Strategies for Defeating Hecate
Although Hecate possesses a single health bar, the battle unfolds over three different phases.Your best strategy is to attack her only when she is recovering from her own attacks.
While the order of her attacks can vary, here’s a breakdown of her common moves across each phase:
Phase 1: Initial Confrontation
| Attack | Description | Recommended Action |
|---|---|---|
| Crossed Flames Awaken (Purple Ring) | Hecate unleashes a purple ring that expands outward, then retracts, leaving residual green fire behind. | Run away and wait for the attack to conclude. |
| Creating Images of Herself | Hecate duplicates herself into three forms, sending flame attacks your way from each. | Stay out of her attack range until the clones finish their assault. |
| Unleashing Green Waves | She targets you with unpredictable green waves, which may be aimed or spread broadly. | Dodge while returning fire. |
This first phase serves as an excellent opportunity to familiarize yourself with her attack patterns. Mastering this phase will make the subsequent ones much easier, as they merely enhance these same attacks.
Phase 2: Escalating Challenge
| Attack | Description | Recommended Action |
|---|---|---|
| Summoning Witches | Hecate shields herself while summoning witches that will attack you. | Focus on defeating the witches to break her shield. |
During the second phase, Hecate teleports to a central location and summons her witch allies—defeating these is crucial to dispelling her shield.
Throughout this encounter, watch out for sigils placed on the ground that will erupt with green flames. After handling the witch summons, Hecate will unleash a purple ring attack or fire Magick balls by splitting into her clones.
Use powerful attack abilities, like the Lunar Ray hex from Selene, to maximize damage after she performs her wave attacks. Continue to pressure her until her health depletes to approximately 33%, triggering the final phase.
Phase 3: The Final Stand
| Attack | Description | Recommended Action |
|---|---|---|
| Hex Ball | Hecate casts a pursuing hex that can temporarily transform Melinoe into an animal. | Dodge as needed and avoid subsequent attacks. |
| Barrage of Green Waves | She launches waves that cover a large area in front of her. | After her wave attack, dash behind her to land your counterattacks. |
In her final phase, Hecate resumes the fight from the center of the arena, casting the powerful hex that will pursue Melinoe. This spell can be dodged effectively if you time your movements correctly.
Consider bringing a familiar, like Frinos, to absorb the hex and mitigate its effects. If you do get hit, utilize the chance to dodge subsequent sigil attacks by moving out of their explosive range. While shielded, she will unleash a continuous beam attack, which also requires your attention. Once her shield is down, she will cycle through her previous attacks, notably the Barrage of Green Waves and the Clone Images attack.
The optimal moments to strike are right after she utilizes her wave attacks. Exercise patience as you whittle down her health until victory is yours. Compared to upcoming bosses, Hecate presents a relatively straightforward challenge.
Rewards for Defeating Hecate
Upon defeating Hecate, players will receive:
- Cinder x1: A valuable reagent that is crucial for unlocking Umbral Flames, Ygnium, and upgrading Arcana cards like The Wayward Son.
Additionally, Cinder is essential for performing various incantations, such as Consecration of Ashes and Permeation of Witching-Wards. The recent Unseen Update introduced the Vow of Rivals feature, increasing the challenge level of the current guardians, including new moves for Hecate, which will be explored in a separate guide.
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