Witches and spellcasters have long been depicted alongside animal familiars in various fantasy narratives. While there is likely a blend of mythological and historical roots to this concept, the enchanting imagery of a magical creature obediently serving its master continues to captivate audiences. In the realm of Hades 2, the charm of Animal Familiars not only enhances the aesthetic but also serves substantial gameplay purposes.
As you advance through the storyline of Hades 2, you will have the opportunity to unlock Animal Familiars for the protagonist Melinoe. A total of five distinct familiars can be obtained, each offering unique abilities and enhancing your overall stats. Moreover, players can upgrade these companions to optimize their skills, potentially providing a much-needed edge during challenging runs.
And yes, you can indeed pet them!
Unlocking Animal Familiars
To access the Animal Familiars feature, players must first unlock it through a specific incantation. The incantation, called Faith of Familiar Spirits, requires you to fulfill two conditions: you must defeat Hecate in Erebus at least five times and complete two gather sessions using the Crescent Pick, two with the Silver Shovel, and one with the Tablet of Peace. This naturally means that you need to have acquired all three tools.
Once you’ve added the incantation to your cauldron, you can cast it using one Lotus from Oceanus and two bottles of Nectar. Completing this first incantation rewards you with a cookie called Witch’s Delight, essential for both recruiting and enhancing your Animal Familiars.
After using at least two Witch’s Delights, a subsequent incantation, Attending a Faithful Beast, becomes available. This requires one Tear from Infernal Cerberus and three Olives. By resting with familiars in the Training Grounds, you can gather resources. Spending three Witch’s Delights will unlock a third incantation called Bravery of Familiar Spirits, using one Wool from Polyphemus and three Wheat from Wheat Seeds allows for the upgrades of your familiars’ abilities. Each familiar can be enhanced with a maximum of nine additional Witch’s Delights, which you can earn by casting the Beast-Loved Morsel incantation, which costs one Star Dust and one Nectar.
Frinos the Toad: Finding and Upgrading
Your journey begins with Frinos the Toad, who eagerly awaits you in Melinoe’s tent after each run. Once you’ve crafted your first Witch’s Delight using the Faith of Familiar Spirits, approach Frinos’ perch and feed him the cookie. Frinos—affectionately known as the best boy—will be your loyal companion.
When Frinos accompanies you on adventures, your maximum health increases by 10, and you gain a 10% chance of encountering Lost Shades. Additionally, he deals minor damage to enemies by leaping onto them. Among his notable abilities, Frinos absorbs most enemy projectiles, acting as a shield, and automatically attracts Lost Shades, granting you Psyche without engaging in mini-games.
Upgrading Frinos with further Witch’s Delights will unlock and enhance the following abilities:
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Life Bond |
Increases max health by 20/30/40/80. |
|---|---|
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Soul Bond |
Increases the appearance rate of Lost Shades by 13/16/19%. |
|
Drive Bond |
Frinos inflicts an additional 10/20/30 damage when leaping onto foes. |
Toula the Cat: Finding and Upgrading
The second of your Animal Companions, Toula the Cat, is a quintessential addition to any witch’s collection. To acquire Toula, you will need to reach specific milestones. Initially, catch at least one fish using the Rod of Fishing.
Next, cast the incantation Woodsy Lifespring to unlock the fountain room in Erebus, where you may encounter Toula. Afterward, you will battle Polyphemus and reach the Rift of Thessaly; while in the area, look for Toula on the left pier and recruit her using a Witch’s Delight.
Toula enhances your gameplay by granting an additional Death Defiance, increasing the health restored per Death Defiance by 10, and boosting the spawn rates of fishing spots. She also performs several attacks on nearby enemies when you sprint beside her, although her focus will wane quickly.
Upgrading Toula will unlock the following abilities:
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Heart Bond |
Increases health restoration by 20/30/40. |
|---|---|
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Sense Bond |
Improves the likelihood of fishing spots by 20/25/30%. |
|
Claw Bond |
Toula can slash nearby foes 4/5/6 times. |
Raki the Raven: Finding and Upgrading
Next on the roster is Raki the Raven, a timeless symbol of witchcraft. If you’ve already accessed the fountain room for Toula, you’re primed to locate Raki.
Upon entering the fountain room, Raki might appear. After your initial encounter, he will fly away, necessitating another run for a chance to recruit him using a Witch’s Delight.
Raki excels in enhancing critical hit builds, providing a passive 1% chance for critical damage while also swooping in to strike enemies, marking them for elevated critical damage. Additionally, Raki boosts the likelihood of material Outcroppings, which he can harvest for you automatically.
Enhancing Raki reveals the following abilities:
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Vision Bond |
Increases critical chance by 2/3/4/8%. |
|---|---|
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Stone Bond |
Improves the appearance rate of Outcroppings by 13/16/19%. |
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Wing Bond |
Attacks and Marks foes every 7-8/5-6/3-4 seconds. |
Hecuba the Hound: Finding and Upgrading
The penultimate Animal Familiar is Hecuba the Hound, known as one of Hecate’s loyal companions. You may have encountered her alongside Gale in the Crossroads, but you will need Hecate’s approval to recruit her.
To do so, ensure you have completed at least 12 runs, utilized three Witch’s Delights, and unlocked the Bravery of Familiar Spirits incantation. Hecuba will then start to appear in Echo’s room within the Fields of Mourning, but only if Nemesis is absent.
To gain Hecate’s consent, converse with Hecuba twice and discuss your intentions with Hecate. You will also need to recruit all previous familiars and successfully use their abilities. Having upgraded each one at least once is also a requirement. Once these criteria are met, Hecate will offer her blessing, allowing you to recruit Hecuba with a Witch’s Delight.
With Hecuba by your side, your maximum Magick increases by 10%, and the spawn rate of Digging Spots is enhanced. Furthermore, she can stun nearby foes, and if your health drops below 51% or Magick below 70%, she’ll dig up an item to restore either. Keep in mind this ability has a cooldown.
Upgrading Hecuba grants access to the following abilities:
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Spirit Bond |
Increases max Magick by 30/45/60/120. |
|---|---|
|
Earth Bond |
Boosts the appearance of Digging Spots by 13/16/19%. |
|
Guard Bond |
Stuns nearby enemies every 7-8/6-7/5-6 seconds. |
Gale the Polecat: Finding and Upgrading
The final Animal Familiar is Gale the Polecat, another devoted minion of Hecate. Similar to Hecuba, Gale requires Hecate’s approval for recruitment. Fortunately, if you’ve managed to recruit Hecuba, you’re already halfway toward fulfilling Gale’s requirements.
You will need to encounter and speaking to Gale twice at Charon’s Shop on Mount Olympus, right before facing Prometheus. Following this, simply talk to Hecate in the Crossroads, and she will grant you permission to recruit Gale with a Witch’s Delight.
Gale boosts both your movement speed and the chance to dodge attacks effectively. Additionally, Gale promotes the spawning of Flora, including Moss and Shaderot. If danger approaches, he can absorb up to three fatal hits for you per region, dealing 250 damage to the enemy. This ability has a cooldown of 30 seconds, so strategize carefully.
Upgrading Gale enhances the following abilities:
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Veil Bond |
Increases dodge chance and movement speed by 4/5/6/12%. |
|---|---|
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Nature Bond |
Makes Flora 13/16/19% more likely to spawn. |
|
Wild Bond |
Deals 300/350/400 damage when Gale counters an attacker. |
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