Hades 2‘s third early access patch is of the gargantuan variety. It improves Olympian Boons, adds lots of new UI icons, reworking Keepsakes, and basically touches every aspect of the game you could possibly think of. One thing it doesn’t change is how sexy the gods are, but because they’re so sexy anyway, I don’t think that’s an issue moving forwards.
Right at the top of the patch notes there’s mention of a few topline changes everyone will appreciate. Namely, many Duo Boons and Legendary Boons being offered more frequently, increases to the minimum number of Boons you’ll find past Erebus, and a tweak to your Gathering Tool that grants you +1 Elemental Essence.
At the Altar Of Ashes a host of Grasp costs and their positions have been moved, meaning you might need to reset your Arcana loadout once you’ve booted up the game. As for Keepsake changes, I’m into the Silken Sash no longer meaning you lose your armour if you switch to a different keepsake. And that Olympian Keepsakes mean their respective Olympian Boons will appear more frequently, allowing for a lovely bit of synergy.
The Boons change log is monstrous, but there’s quite a few that have been cut or are entirely new additions. Many Hexes Of Selene have also seen blanket buffs in the mana-spend department, meaning they won’t hog your blue bar quite so relentlessly.
Elsewhere, there are loads of major and minor bug fixes, UI tweaks, and plenty more little bits and pieces. Supergiant say that now this patch is done, they’ll focus on the first “Major Update” for sometime later this year.
Thanks to lots of other good video games coming out this year, I’ve not spent as much time as I’d like with Hades 2. But I do think it’s been a fantastic investment, in the sense that it’s practically transforming into a totally different game with these colossal patches. Do I hold off until it’s out of early access? Maybe? Maybe I’ll spend some time with some of the other best roguelikes on our list, not that I need anymore suffering in my gaming life right now. Cheers Elden Ring.